Sherlock Holmes Complete Works 2

Chapter 62 The Hound of the Baskervilles 1
Mr. Sherlock Holmes always rose very late every morning.He is having breakfast now.From the rug I picked up the betel-nut cane that the visitor had left the night before.It was delicate and heavy, with a pimple at the top.Just below the top is a wide ring of silver.Engraved "To James Mortimer, FRCS, from friends of the CCH" and "[-]", it was a walking stick often carried by private physicians.

"Ah, Watson, what do you think?" asked Holmes, turning his back to me.

"How do you know what I'm doing? You have eyes in the back of your head."

"I have a silver-plated coffee pot in front of me," he said. "What do you think of this guest's cane? I have never seen him, and I don't know the purpose of his visit. Therefore, this souvenir is very important. .You take a look and describe the person."

"Judging from the gifts others gave him, I think he is a successful and respected medical person at a young age."

"good!"

"He was probably a country doctor who walked a lot."

"why?"

"Because this cane is very chic, but it has been damaged badly. Doctors in cities generally don't use it anymore. The thick iron head at the lower end is also worn out badly, obviously it has been used for a long time."

"Exactly!"

"It says 'Friends of CCH' on it, and I think maybe it's a hunter's guild, and he probably healed members of that guild. That's why they sent this stick as a thank you."

"You have made great progress, Watson."

He took his cane to the window and watched it carefully with a magnifying glass.

"It's simple, but it's very interesting," he said, and sat back on the bench. "There are indeed one or two places on the cane that can explain the problem and can be used as evidence for our inference."

"What am I missing?" I asked.

"Perhaps you are wrong in most of what you say, Watson! But not that you are entirely wrong this time. The man must have been a country doctor, and indeed liked to walk."

"So, I guessed right."

"Nothing more than that."

"But that's all the facts."

"No, that's not all. For example, this cane is more like a hospital. Since the two prefixes 'CC' are placed before the word 'hospital' (in English, the prefix of the word hospital is also H), so, it is natural to think of the word Charing cross.”

"Perhaps you are right."

"If this assumption of ours is indeed correct, then we have a new basis. From this, we can imagine the guest."

"Even if 'CCH' refers to Charing Cross Hospital, what do we know?"

"Now that you understand my method, please use it!"

"I can only see that the man practiced medicine in the city before he went to the country."

"Under what circumstances is it most likely that this kind of gifting will occur? Obviously when he is leaving the hospital and starting his own business. Is it possible to infer this?"

"Of course it's possible."

"He won't be a major doctor, he needs to have a considerable reputation to practice medicine in London. If he works in a hospital and is not a major doctor, then he can only be a resident surgeon or physician-a status higher than that of the most senior medical school. The student is slightly taller. According to the date on the cane, he left five years ago. So, your imagination is wrong. Here is a young man under 30 years old. He also raised a dog."

"As for the latter part, I can't verify it," I said, "but it shouldn't be too difficult to find a few characteristics about their age and history." In the column of names, there are several people named Mortimer.I read this text:

"James Mortimer, R.C.S., [-], of Green Basin, Dart Moor, Devon, was surgeon at Charing Cross Hospital from [-] to [-]. Recipient of the Jackson Prize in Comparative Pathology for his paper "Is Disease Inherited at Intergenerational Inheritance?" Corresponding member of the Swedish Pathological Society. Author of "Several Abnormalities of Atavistic Inheritance" (The Lancet, [-] ), "Are We Marching?" (Acta Psychologica, March, [-]). Served as Surgeon to the parishes of Grimpen, Southley, and Takatsuka."

"Watson, as you say, he is only a country doctor; only very close people receive souvenirs; only unrequited people leave London for the country; only careless people wait in your house. After an hour, instead of leaving his business card, he left his cane."

"What about the dog?"

"He used to follow his master with his cane in his mouth. His teeth marks were clearly visible. Judging from the gaps between his teeth, his jaw was wider than that of a hound and narrower than that of a mastiff. He must have been a curly Hairy long-eared yellow dog."

"How can you be so sure of that?"

"Very simple. I have now seen the dog on our doorstep, and the ringing of the bell has been heard. Watson, you are fellow travelers, and your presence will be helpful to me. Watson, hear There are footsteps. Come in!"

I thought he was a recognizable country doctor, but he was tall and thin, with an aquiline nose, and his coat was soiled and his trousers were frayed.Although he was still young, his long back was already bent, and he leaned his head forward when he walked, showing the demeanor of an aristocrat.As soon as he came in, he cast his eyes on the cane, and ran over with a cheer. "Great!" he said. "I'd rather lose the whole world than lose it."

"It is a present!" said Holmes.

"Yes."

"Did Charing Cross Hospital send you?"

"It was given to me by two friends there when I got married."

"Oh! How bad!"

"Why?" Dr. Mortimer blinked in surprise.

"Because you disturbed our little deduction. You said it was at the time of marriage, didn't you?"

"Yes, sir, I left the hospital as soon as I got married, and gave up the possibility of becoming a consultant."

"Aha! We are not mistaken at all," said Holmes. "Well, Dr. James Mortimer . . . "

"You call me sir, I'm only a student of the Royal College of Surgeons."

"But it's obvious that you are a thoughtful person."

"A man who knows a thing or two about science, Mr. Holmes..."

"No. This is Dr. Watson, my friend."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. I've often heard people link your name with your friend's. I didn't expect to see such a skull and such deep-set eye sockets. I envy your skull."

Holmes invited him to sit down. "Sir, I can see that you are a man who is very enthusiastic about your job," he said. "I can tell from your index finger that you roll your own cigarettes. Please light one."

The doctor took out the cigarette paper and tobacco, and rolled one skillfully.

"Sir, your two visits yesterday and today are not just to study my head?"

"Of course not. I came to you because I encountered a different thing. And I know that you are the second best expert in the world."

"Who's first?"

"To a man of precise scientific mind, M. Bertillon's approach to the case is always fascinating."

"Then why didn't you go to him?"

"Sir, I mean, for a man who has a precise scientific mind. But as far as practical experience of things is concerned, you are unrivaled."

"Dr. Mortimer, please tell me your problem."

(End of this chapter)