Sherlock Holmes Complete Works 2

Chapter 61 Return 37
"Mr. Holmes, I have kept you waiting. He has said, come, come here, MacPherson, and tell these gentlemen what you have done."

A tall policeman slipped into the room, his face flushed.

"Last night a pretty young woman came up to the gate and she got the number wrong. So we talked."

"What happened next?"

"She said she wanted to see where the murder happened, and she said she saw it in the newspaper. She was a very elegant, very elegant woman. I didn't mind letting her see it. As soon as she saw the blood on the carpet, Immediately passed out on the floor. I ran back and got some water, but she didn't wake up. I turned the corner to buy a little brandy, but when I got to the house, she was gone."

"How did that carpet get moved?"

"I also saw that the carpet was a bit uneven when I came back. Maybe that's why she fell to the ground, so I re-arranged the carpet."

Remy Reid said sternly: "Macpherson, remember this lesson. You are lucky if there is nothing missing, otherwise, you will be unable to eat. Sir, for such a thing, you are invited Come on, I'm so sorry. But I think it's something you'd be interested in investigating."

"Yes, I'm interested. Police, did this woman come only once?"

"Yes, only once."

"What's her name?"

"I didn't ask her name. She was a mild-mannered young woman."

"Is it tall? Pretty?"

"Yes, she is very pretty. She has a way of coaxing people."

"How is she dressed?"

"It's very elegant, wearing a long robe that reaches to the feet."

"When did she come?"

"It was just after dark. By the time I got back from the brandy, people were starting to light the lamps."

My friend said: "Very well. Let us go, Watson, we have another business to attend to elsewhere."

When we left this house, Ray Mired was still in the front house, and the wrongdoing policeman opened the door for us.

Holmes walked up to the steps and turned around with something in his hand.The policeman looked at the thing in his hand and exclaimed in surprise, "My God!" My friend made a silencing motion and put the thing in his pocket again.Walking into the street, he said: "It's wonderful! Just watch, dear friend, the drama is coming to an end. If we use a little cunning, no one will be unlucky, although it is an unfortunate one." thing."

I asked, "Has the problem been solved?"

"Not yet. A few doubts remain, but enough is known. Now let us go directly to Whitehall Street and get the matter over with."

And when we got to the residence of the European Secretary, it was his wife that my friend was looking for.We went into the living room.

The lady was very angry, and said to my friend: "Mr. Holmes, I have begged you many times. I don't want my husband to know that I have been to you. But you have come here. Don't you want to damage my reputation?"

"Madame, I can think of no other way. I have been entrusted with the task of recovering this important letter. That is why I have come to ask you to place this letter in my hands."

Suddenly the lady stood up, her face paled.She tried to control her emotions and keep herself calm.

"Sir, you are insulting me."

"Madam, all this is irrelevant, let's hand over the letter."

She ran to the handbell that called for the servants.

"The butler will ask you out."

"No need to ring the bell, ma'am. When you ring the bell, all my efforts will be in vain. Hand over the letter, and I will arrange everything. If you will not obey me, I will stab you out. "

The two of them looked at each other, as if the lady wanted to see through my friend.Her hand was on the bell, but she restrained herself from ringing it.

"You're trying to frighten me, sir. What do you know?"

"Madam, please sit down first. I will not speak until you are seated."

"Sir, I'll give you five minutes."

"No, ma'am, a minute is enough. I know you went to Lucas and handed him a letter, and I know you went to that room last night, and I know how you got it back." the letter."

She looked at my friend, pale.Twice she tried to speak, but closed her mouth again.

After a while, she said aloud: "You are crazy, sir, you are crazy."

Holmes took from his pocket a small piece of cardboard, which was a face cut out from a photograph.

"The police officer has recognized the photo," he said.

She sighed and leaned back in the chair.

"Madame, there is room for maneuver, because the letter is still in your possession. I do not want to trouble you. My duty is only to return this lost letter to your husband. I hope you will tell me the truth."

At this point, she still didn't want to confess.

"Mr. Holmes, you are absolutely absurd."

My friend stood up from the chair.

"Madame, I did everything I had to do for you, but you still don't understand."

He rang the bell, and the butler entered.

"Is Mr. Trilony Hope at home?"

"Sir, he'll be home at a quarter to twelve."

Holmes looked at his watch and said: "There is still a quarter of an hour, and I shall wait for his return."

As soon as the butler went out, Mrs. Hilda fell to her knees at Holmes' feet.

She begged, "Please, sir, don't tell my husband! I love him very much, and this will break his heart."

Holmes helped the lady up. "Very well, ma'am, time is running out, where is the letter?"

She quickly walked to a writing desk, took out the key to open the drawer, and took out a letter sealed in a long light blue envelope.

"Here is the letter, sir. I have never opened it."

"How do you put the letter back? Where is the file box?"

"Still in his bedroom."

"Madam, bring the box here quickly!"

After a while, she came back with a flat red box in her hand.

"Please open the box!"

She took a small key from her pocket and opened the box.He slipped the letter into a lower file, between two pages, and locked it again.Madame took it back to the bedroom.

Holmes said: "Well, just wait until your husband comes back. There are still ten minutes, madam, you should tell me why you are doing such a thing?"

"I will tell you everything, Mr. Holmes. I dare say I love my husband more than any other woman in London. But he will not forgive me if he knows what I have done. For he values Reputation. Please rescue me, the happiness of mine, him and our family is now at stake."

"Madam, time is short, please speak quickly."

"Before I got married, I wrote a stupid letter out of my own emotional impulse. I meant no malice, but if my husband read this letter, he would never trust me again. Just as I was trying to put this When the thing was forgotten, the guy named Lucas wrote me a letter saying he had the letter in his hand and was going to give it to my husband. I begged him not to do that and he let me Bring him the papers he desires in exchange. Mr Holmes, though he has assured my husband that nothing will be done to him, what would you do if I were you?"

"Tell your husband everything."

"This is not okay, it will lead to tragedy for my family. I don't know what political impact it will have if I took my husband's letter, but I value my love and my husband's trust in me very much. I copied a key and opened the file box, and sent the papers to Godolphin Street."

"What happened there?"

"After I knocked on the door as agreed, I followed him into the house without closing the hall door. I remember that when I entered, there was a woman waiting outside. I handed him the papers, and he took My letter was returned to me. Just then, I heard footsteps. Lucas hastily covered the document with a carpet.

"A woman came in, she was dark and crazy, and she said in French, 'Now I see you with her.' And then they fought, Lucas with the chair in his hand. I resisted with the knife in the woman's hand. I was so scared that I rushed out of the house and left. The next day I saw the news of Lucas' death in the newspaper.

"The next morning, new worries took the place of old ones. I was troubled by my husband's distress after losing the papers. At that time, I almost told him that I had them, but if I did, I would Tell the past. From the moment I took the document, I wanted to get it back. Yesterday I got the document as you said, but I dare not return it to my husband. God, He's coming upstairs."

The European Secretary came in and said: "What hope is there, Mr. Holmes?"

"A little bit of hope."

He said happily: "Great, now the Prime Minister is going to have lunch with me, you can listen to him if you have no objection. Jacob, please ask the Prime Minister to come upstairs. Don't worry about this political thing, We'll go down and have dinner with you in a while."

"It is said that you have made progress, Mr. Holmes?" said the Prime Minister cheerfully as soon as he entered the door.

"There has been no progress so far, because I have looked in every possible place, but I am sure that the document is not dangerous."

"Mr. Holmes, we must get things straightened out, for these days are very disturbing."

"I'm here because I think the papers are still in your house."

"Mr. Holmes!"

"If an outsider stole it, then this document would have been published long ago."

"There's no way someone took the document just to hide it at home."

"I don't believe it was taken."

"Then is there any letter in the file box?"

"I think the letter is there, too."

"I'm sure the letter isn't there."

"Have you checked the box since Tuesday morning?"

"No."

"Have you overlooked something?"

"Impossible."

"The letter may have been mixed up with other papers in the box. I've done that myself."

"But the document was placed there."

"Someone may have moved the box and messed it up."

"No, I took out everything and looked for it."

The Prime Minister said: "That's easy, Hope, let's take the file box here and go through it."

The Minister rang the bell and said: "Jacobs, bring the paper-box and put it here. You see these papers, a letter from Lord Melo, a report from Sir Charles Hardy, a letter from Madrid, and a letter from Sir Flore. Letter - oh, I found it!"

The Prime Minister hastily took the blue letter from him.

"That's right, that's it, the letter hasn't been touched."

"This is very strange. Mr. Holmes, how do you know that the letter is here?"

"Because I believe the letter is here."

He cried, "Hilda, Hilda, it's over."

The Prime Minister looked at my friend and said, "I think there is a problem. How did the letter go back by itself?"

Holmes picked up his hat and said with a smile: "This is our diplomatic secret."

(End of this chapter)