Sherlock Holmes Complete Works 2

Chapter 9 Memoirs 9
One winter evening, Sherlock Holmes and I sat facing each other on either side of the fireplace.Holmes said: "Watson, I can guarantee that these documents in my hand are worth reading, because they are related to the strange case of the three-masted sailing ship 'Gloria Scott', and you are looking at these documents." Sheriff old Trevor was frightened to death."

Holmes took a small roll of paper from a drawer, unfastened its string, and spread out a piece of aquamarine paper on which was scrawled.It says:

The game supply in London is steadily rising, and we believe Chief Custodian Hudson has now been ordered to take all orders for flypaper.And save the life of your hen.

It just doesn't make sense to me.Seeing my expression, Holmes couldn't help pursing his lips into a smile.

He said, "Do you feel a little baffled?"

"I think it's nonsense at most, how can it scare people to death?"

"Me too. But the truth is, the old man who was originally in good health fell to the ground immediately after reading this text message, as if he had been shot by a pistol."

I said, "But just now you said that I should study this case in particular. What do you mean?"

"Because it was the first case I worked on."

Holmes had not at first been in the mood to describe the reasons which had made him decide to pursue criminal detective work.And now, sitting in the armchair, he lit his pipe and smoked for a while, turning over the papers spread across his lap.

He asked, "I never told you about Victor Trevor, the only friend I had during my two years at university, did I? You know, I don't like socializing, and I'd rather shut myself up in a house in agony." I practiced my own way of thinking. It prevented me from interacting with other people. I met Trevor one morning when I was bitten on the ankle by his bulldog on the way to the small classroom, and we became friends after that.

"Trevor came to visit me a lot during the ten days I was bedridden with an ankle injury. At first he would just sit up for a few minutes at a time and then go away. After a while we had something to talk about. By the end of the semester, we became close friends. Unlike me, he was full of blood and energy, while his non-social characteristics were very similar to mine, which deepened our friendship. Later he invited me to Spent a month's holiday at Dunnythorpe, Norfolk, where his father lived.

"The sheriff there is this old Trevor, who is also a big landowner himself, very rich and powerful. Trevor's house is a large old-fashioned house with oak beams and tiles. There is not only It is an excellent place to hunt wild ducks, and it is also a good place to fish. In addition, I also purchased a small but very exquisite library, and his cooking skills are also very good. In short, it takes a month for a As far as fake people are concerned, everything here is the most appropriate.

"Trevor was the only child of his widowed father. And he had a sister who died of diphtheria on a trip to Birmingham. Old Trevor treated me well. He looked Impressively built, tall, with tousled gray hair, weather-beaten brown face, blue eyes with a gaze almost murderous, but his folks knew him, he He has a kind and kind personality, and it is said that he sometimes shows extra favors in court.

"About shortly after arriving at his house, one night, while drinking wine after dinner, he suddenly asked me how I developed the habit of observation and reasoning. And these habits that I have systematized, in my Their important function was not realized at the time, and I daresay it must have been his son's admiration for me by exaggerating what I had done in front of him.

"He said with a pleasant smile: 'Mr Holmes, can you infer anything from my excellent subject.'

"I replied: 'I can't say how much. But one thing is for sure, you've been worried for the past year that someone is going to attack you.'

"The old man was taken aback. He stared at me closely and said, 'That's right, we drove the poachers out of the swamp and they said they were going to kill us, and Mr. Edward Hawley later Literally died on it. So I'm very careful. How do you know that though?'

"I replied: 'The answer is on this beautiful walking stick of yours. From the engraving on the stick, I can see that you have not bought this stick for a year, but you have worked hard on the top of the stick. A hole was dug, and molten lead poured into it, to make it a dangerous weapon. I judge, therefore, that you must be afraid of something dangerous, or else such precautions would not be necessary.'

"He smiled and asked: 'What else?'

"I replied: 'You must have boxed a lot when you were young.'

"'Exactly, but how do you see that, is it because my nose is a little crooked?'

'No, the answer lies in your ears, which are flat and broad, which is a characteristic of boxers. '

"'What else do you see?'

"'Because of the many calluses on your hands, you must have been digging for many years.'

"'Yes, I got rich from gold mining.'

"'You must have been to New Zealand and Japan.'

"'Exactly.'

"'Besides, you were once intimate with a man whose initials were JA, but you then tried to forget him.'

"Old Mr. Trevor rose slowly to his feet, stared at me intently with his large blue eyes wide open, and then, suddenly, fell unconscious into the pile of nut husks on the tablecloth.

"Can you imagine my surprise and his son's surprise? Just as we unbuttoned his collar and poured cold water on his face for a while, he woke up and sat up.

"He forced a smile on his face and said: 'Ah, boys, I hope I have not frightened you. Although I appear to be strong at first glance, my heart is actually very weak, and I will faint somehow. Yours, Mr. Holmes. The ability to reason is unimaginable. Mark my words, you can make detective reasoning your life's vocation.'

"At that time, I never dreamed that I could make a career as a detective. It was not until his advice that I first thought of it. But I was very disturbed by old Trevor's illness. I didn't think about anything else.

"I said, 'I hope it didn't bring up some sad memories for you just now.'

"With horror in his eyes, he half-jokingly said: 'Actually, you've really touched me where it hurts. But how do you know, what else do you know?'

"I replied: 'It's easy to make this kind of judgment. When we were playing in the boat that day, you rolled up your sleeves to catch fish, and I saw the JA 二 which was clearly legible but the strokes became blurred. And there is ink staining around the two characters, which must have been left when you tried to erase them. So I think you must have known the man very well at first, and then tried to forget him.'

"He breathed a sigh of relief and said: 'Everything is as you expected. But I don't want to bring up the old stuff. Let's have a cigarette together.'

"In the past few days, even his son felt that the old Trevor had a little doubt in his friendly attitude towards me. He said: 'You have made my father very sensitive, and I don't know what you know. How much did you know about him, anyway, you gave him a big jump.” In my opinion, old Trevor’s current actions all showed strong doubts in his heart. Later, I wanted to say goodbye and leave. The day before I was to leave, something happened there that turned out to be extremely important.

"The three of us were sitting together on chairs in the garden lawn. A maid came up and said that someone wanted to see old Mr. Trevor.

"Old Trevor said: 'Did he tell you his name?'

"'He won't tell.'

"'And did he tell you his intentions?'

"'He just said he was an old acquaintance of yours, and wanted to catch up.'

"'Then you bring him here.' After a while, a dirty, thin man was ushered in. He slumped and wore an open jacket with He saw traces of asphalt. He wore a red plaid shirt under his jacket, a pair of cotton trousers, and a pair of well-worn boots. His face was thin and sly. And his Wrinkled hands showed his sailor's stance. As he walked across the lawn listlessly towards us, old Trevor made a strange hiccup-like sound in his throat. He ran back to the house and ran again When I came back, I smelled strongly of brandy on him.

"He said, 'Hey, what do you want from me?'

"The sailor stood there, grinning and asking, 'Have you forgotten me?'

"Old Trevor said in amazement: 'Oh, you must be Hudson.'

"The sailor said: 'Yes, my old friend still remembers me. We haven't seen each other for more than 30 years in a blink of an eye. Now you live in peace and contentment, but I live in poverty.'

"Old Trevor whispered a few words as he walked towards the sailor, and then raised his voice and said: 'How can I forget those things in the past. By the way, there is food in the kitchen, and I have a job for you.'

"The sailor said: 'Thank you then, I have been on a tramp for two years, but I am not needed there now, so you and Mr. Beddoes are the ones I can rely on.'

"Old Trevor shouted: 'What, do you know the whereabouts of Mr Beddoes?'

"'Of course I know where these old friends are,' said the man with a smirk as he hurriedly followed the maid to the kitchen. When we Had been in a boat with him before, and left us on the lawn and went back to the house, where we found old Trevor sprawled out on the sofa in the dining room, drunk, an hour later. When I left the next day, I didn't miss it at all. In my opinion, my friends and family were embarrassed by my presence.

"I went back to London and spent seven weeks doing organic chemistry experiments. One day before the late autumn holidays, Trevor sent me a telegram asking me to go back to Dunnythorpe immediately to assist He arranged some business. And I went up north to see him as soon as I got the telegram.

"Trevor, who came to meet me at the station in a hansom, must have suffered a lot in the last two months, for he is much thinner now, and no longer talks as much as he used to.

"He saw me and immediately said: 'Daddy is dying.'

"I exclaimed: 'How is this possible?'

"'Stroke and probably dying soon.'

"I quickly asked, 'What's going on?'

"'You get in the car first, and we talk as we go. Do you remember that guy who came the night before you left? He's the key to this whole thing.'

"'Of course I do.'

"'Do you know what he is?'

"'have no idea.'

"He exclaimed: 'Holmes, that fellow is almost devilish.'

"I was absolutely amazed.

"'Yeah, he's a heinous monster, and our lives have been completely shattered. From that night on, my dad couldn't face him like a ghost, and it was because of this damned Hudson, my dad is dying.'

"'What the hell did this Hudson do?'

"'I just don't see what the hell this scoundrel can do to get my dad. But now I'm glad you're here. Surely you've got a good idea for me, can't you?'

"Trevor said: 'The guy wasn't satisfied with just being a gardener. So my dad made him a housekeeper. And he was doing everything he could, as if he wanted to bring the whole family under his control. Later, The guy got so wild that he used to take Dad's best shotgun and go out hunting in a boat with that defiant, sarcastic look on his face. During that time, I was always trying to refrain from wanting to shoot. His impulsiveness. If I had chased him away then, maybe it would be different now.

"'But I didn't do that, and that beast Hudson was getting more and more aggressive, and our life was getting harder. One day, he was too arrogant and rude to my father, and I was angry. I rushed him out the door. His blue face and two fierce eyes were full of threats, and he slipped away without saying a word. Unexpectedly, on the second day, my father asked me to report to the damned The scoundrel apologized! I refused and asked what made him indulge the scoundrel so much.

"' My father said, 'Victor, he's a real jerk, but now he's got something in his hands, and you'll figure it out sooner or later.For my sake, can you admit your mistake to him?"

"'After he finished speaking, he turned and went into the study, and I saw him writing something on the paper through the window with great excitement.

"'We were sitting in the dining room after supper that day when Hudson came in, smelling of alcohol, and said in a hoarse voice that he was getting out of here.

"'He said: 'I am now going to spend a few days with Mr Beddoes in Hampshire, and he will be very glad to see me. "

"'My father listened, and said very obsequiously: "Hudson, we are not well received here, please don't want to leave just because you are offended. "And these flattering words are like a big fire, igniting the blood in my whole body to boil.

"' He glanced at me and said grimly, "Your son hasn't apologized to me for his insolence that day. "

"'After hearing this, my father quickly said to me: "By the way, son, you should apologize to him immediately. "

"'I rebuffed: 'We've been too tolerant of this villain, I've done something wrong. "

"' And Hudson also roared: "Very well, let's see. "

"'He left the house in this way, and left my house after a while, leaving his fears to my father. From then on he paced up and down his room all night. His spirits just recovered for a while, It really fell on him like a catastrophe."

"I hurriedly asked: 'What happened?'

"'It's a very monstrous affair. My father received a letter last night, postmarked Fordingham. After reading it, his mouth and eyelids were drawn to one side. Experience tells me that he Had a stroke, so I called Dr. Fordham right away. But he's getting worse now, and his paralysis is getting worse.'

"I said out loud: 'Ah, my friend, you scared me to death. But did you ever read that dreadful letter afterwards?'

"'I did read the letter, but that's what puzzled me so much. It was all about trivial and incomprehensible things. God, what I feared happened. .'

"Because when he said this, we were almost at his house. From the dim light, I had already seen all the curtains in the house were drawn down, and I saw the grief on my friend's face at the same time. At this moment, a gentleman in black came out of the house.

"Trevor asked: 'Doctor, when did my father die?'

"'He died almost as soon as you left.'

(End of this chapter)