Chapter 12 second quarter

"Tell me, in our city, nay, in America today, is there anyone else who knows the whole of Dante, every psalm, every stanza? Who knows Dante so well that he wants to To conclude that the method of punishment described in the "Inferno" is used as a method of murder?" Longfellow's study, filled with New England's most esteemed eloquents, was uncomfortably mute. "Oh, my God," said Fields, "very few people know Italian, and it's impossible to fully understand a piece of Dante!" Fields knew this well. "That is to say, no one will ever be able to understand any of them, unless a full translation of it is published and distributed nationwide..."

"Like this one we're working on?" Longfellow held up the proofs of "The Divine Comedy." "If we really revealed to the police that these two murders were carried out exactly like the "Divine Comedy," they would definitely say yes. Think about who has enough knowledge needed to commit the crime. Not only will they suspect us first, but they will also regard us as the main suspect.” "Well, my dear Longfellow." Fields smiled, but his expression was extremely serious, "Gentlemen, don't get excited, think calmly: here are professors, the most important citizens of this state, poets, educated Let me tell you, who would really think we were involved in a murder? I’m not trying to brag, I’m just trying to remind you that we’re Boston celebrities, upper-class people!”

"Like Professor Webster. But the gallows tells us there's no law that says a Harvard man can't be hanged for a crime," Longfellow replied. Dr. Holmes turned pale.Though he was relieved that Longfellow was on his side, Longfellow's last words hurt him deeply. Longfellow said calmly, "Dear friends, if you can, please believe that even if the police trust us, trust us sincerely, we will inevitably be suspected unless they catch the murderer. Secondly, even if the murderer is caught At that time, the "Divine Comedy" has not yet had time to meet American readers, but the bloody murder has already discredited Dante's name. Manning and the school board wanted to block "The Divine Comedy" to protect their curriculum, and then murdered together case, Dante is really hard to turn over. In the next thousand years Dante will be cursed by people in America, just like he was cursed in Florence. Holmes is right, we must not Tell anyone."

Fields turned to Longfellow, startled. "We swore to protect Dante, right here in this room." Lowell said calmly, looking at the publisher with a livid face. "We have to figure out that we have to protect ourselves and our city first, otherwise no one will be able to protect Dante!" Fields said. "But now, protecting ourselves and protecting Dante are exactly the same thing, my dear Fields," Holmes said flatly, feeling a little flustered in his heart, "it's the same thing. If you put Our speculations are made public, and it is not only us who are condemned, but also the Catholic Church, immigrants..."

After a second thought, Fields felt that the opinions of the three poets were correct.If they leaked it to the police, their reputations would be at stake, if not ruined. "God bless. That would ruin us." "They'll probably be here soon," said Longfellow. "Do you remember this?" He took a note from a drawer. "I think we'll figure it out." Longfellow smoothed the note left by Officer Ray with his palm.The four scholars lowered their heads to ponder the scribbled words on the note.The fire in the fireplace was flickering, shining on their surprised faces, making their faces flushed.

The letters on the note lay in the shadow of Longfellow's shaggy lion's mane beard, as if looking back at them. "It's a line of poetry, a line in the middle of three rhymes." Lowell whispered, "That's right! Why didn't we see it? This line of poetry is an inscription carved on the gate of hell. It's a small fragment of it!" Lowell closed his eyes and began to translate the line: Before me there was nothing created, only eternal; and I am eternal: You who walk in here, give up all hope. The window jumper saw the same signs at the police station.He saw the word sitter.They flapped hopelessly in the air, and then began to flap their own bodies.Wasps and flies sting their white, naked bodies painfully.Round maggots crawled out of their festering teeth and gathered in piles, sucking their blood mingled with salty tears.The ghosts ran along a white flag, which symbolized their endless path.The jumper feels himself covered in flies, and flaps the stung up and down, forcing him to run... at least to try.

"For God's sake," Holmes gasped, clutching Longfellow's sleeve, "by the way, that mulatto police officer was there when Reverend Talbot's autopsy was performed. And, after Judge Healy's death, , He came to us with this note! He must have noticed something!" Longfellow shook his head and said, "Remember, Lowell is the Smith Chair Professor of the college???... This police officer wanted to understand these words he didn't understand, and we couldn't understand them at the time, and couldn't translate them. Come out. Some students pointed him to Elwood the night we met at the Dante Club, and when he got to Elwood, Mabel told him to come up here. Said he saw the Dantees in the two murders, It makes no sense to say that he knew we were translating The Divine Comedy."

"Why didn't we see it with a single glance?" Holmes asked. "Green said that the note might be in Italian, but we ignored it." "Thank goodness," Fields exclaimed, "otherwise that cop would have picked us up on the spot!" Holmes panicked again, and said, "But, who read the inscription on the gate of hell to the police officer? It cannot be purely a coincidence of time. It must be related to the murder!" "I think you're right." Longfellow nodded and said calmly. "Who read that line?" Holmes demanded, turning the note over and over in his hand, "The inscription, Gates to Hell—appears in the third song, which describes But That song in Ding and Virgil's walk through the Fence! The prototype for Judge Healy's murder!"

There was a sound of footsteps in the passage in front of Craigie's house, Longfellow went to open the door, and the gardener's son rushed in, his front teeth chattering with cold.Longfellow looked out and saw Sergeant Wray standing on the front step, watching him. "He asked me to bring him here, Mr. Longfellow." Seeing that Longfellow was very surprised, Karl explained in a hoarse voice, then looked up at Officer Lei, and gave him a sad face grimace. Officer Ray said: "I was dealing with things at the Cambridge Police Station, and then this guy came and said you guys are having trouble here. A local officer is looking outside."

Officer Lei could almost feel that there was someone in the study, but as soon as he spoke, he immediately fell silent. "Do you want to come in, Officer Lei?" Longfellow didn't know what to say, so he asked politely.He explained the reason for his surprise. Nicholas Ray entered the hall for the second time, one hand in his trouser pocket, fingering the sheets of paper.He picked up these scraps of paper in an underground burial chamber and scattered them all over the place. Due to the dampness on the floor of the burial chamber, these scraps of paper still feel damp to the touch.Some of the paper had a letter or two on it, and others were so dirty that it was impossible to tell what was written on it.

Officer Lei's eyes fell on a restless man, who looked like a big boy, and he was the only one here without a beard. "Dr. Holmes helped us with the autopsy at the medical school this afternoon," Officer Ray explained to Longfellow. "Actually, that's why I came to Cambridge. Thank you again for your help, doctor." The doctor jumped up and bowed deeply to Officer Lei before he could stand still. "It's nothing, officer. If you still need my help, just come to me, you're welcome." The doctor blurted out in a humble tone without thinking.Due to his excessive nervousness, Holmes was a little unrestrained, "To catch that murderer who is haunting our city, something that sounds like a useless Latin prescription may be of little help." Officer Lei hesitated, then nodded in gratitude. In the study, Holmes seemed to be standing on hot charcoal, leaning to the left and right for a while, blocking the desk in the middle of the study and preventing Officer Ray from seeing him.On the table was the newspaper with headlines reporting the murder of Healy; next to it was Longfellow's translation of the third song of "Inferno", which was the prototype of the murder; between the newspaper and the translation lay Nicholas Ray Police officer's note. Longfellow followed Sergeant Ray in.Officer Lei could even feel his shortness of breath.At this moment, he noticed that Lowell and Fields were staring at the table behind Holmes with strange eyes. Suddenly Holmes reached out and picked up Officer Ray's note from the table with almost imperceptible movement. "Oh, officer," the doctor asked, "may we give you this note back?" A glimmer of unexpected hope appeared in Officer Lei's heart, but his expression was still calm, and he asked, "You have already..." "Yes, yes," said Holmes, "in part, at least. We have compared their pronunciation with the various written languages, dear Inspector, and we have come to the conclusion that what you have recorded is probably the result Stuttering English. Some words read like this..." Holmes took a deep breath, looked straight at his eyes, and began to recite, "'See no one tour, nay, O turn no doorlatch out today.'(Can't see A journey, no, don't bar the door today.) It's a bit Shakespearean, although it's a little sleepy, don't you think?" Officer Ray glanced at Longfellow, who looked as surprised as he was. "Oh, thank you for remembering those words, Dr. Holmes," said the sergeant, "and now I shall say good-bye to gentlemen." They escorted Sergeant Ray to the front door and watched him disappear into the sidewalk. "Don't bolt the door," Lovell asked. "It's to keep him from being suspicious, Lowell!" cried Holmes. "You should have pretended to be convinced just now." "That's a great idea, Holmes." Fields patted Holmes on the shoulder affectionately. Longfellow was about to say something, but swallowed it back.He went into the study and closed the door, leaving the three of them standing awkwardly in the vestibule. "Longfellow? My dear Longfellow?" Fields knocked lightly on the door. Lowell grabbed the publisher's hand and shook his head.Only then did Holmes realize that he was still holding something, so he let go of it and threw it on the ground.It's a note from Officer Ray. "Listen, Officer Ray left this one behind." No one read the note from Officer Lei.It seems that it is a cold iron-blue stone with inscriptions engraved on it, placed on the top of the gate of hell. Dante has traveled so far, he has hesitated and hesitated, and Virgil pushed him in. Lowell angrily grabbed the note and threw it into the flame of the lamp in the hall, and the falsified verse was instantly reduced to ashes.