Chapter 4 A Tale of Four Bald Men
We followed the Indian through an ordinary, untidy, dimly lit, and poorly furnished corridor, and came to a door on the right.He pushed the door open, and a yellow light shone from the room. Under the light stood a tall man with a pointed head. His head was bald and very bright, surrounded by a ring of red hair like a maple bush. Like a bare mountaintop emerging from the sky.He stood there rubbing his hands.He has an unstable expression, smiling for a while, and a sad face for a while, and he is not calm for a while. He has naturally drooping lips and yellow and irregular teeth. Although he often covers the lower part of his face with his hands, it may not be able to cover up.Although he was bald, he looked very young, in fact he was only just over thirty.
"I am at your service, Miss Morstan," he repeated aloud. "I am at your service, gentlemen. Come into my little room. It is small, madam, but according to It's furnished in a style I like. It's a little cultural oasis in the middle of the desert in the middle of nowhere in South London."
We were all amazed at the sight of this room.The house was so incongruously built and furnished that it seemed to be the finest diamond set in a brass setting.The curtains and tapestries were rich and elegant, with exquisite picture mirrors and oriental vases peeping out of them.The thick and soft amber and black carpet is very comfortable to walk on, as if walking on green grass.Two large tiger skins are spread across it, and a large Indian hookah is placed on the mat in the corner, which makes it even more gorgeous with oriental flavor.There is a golden thread faintly in the middle of the roof, and a silver dove-shaped hanging lamp is hung.When the lamp was burning, there was a delicate smell in the air.
The little man still looked uneasy, and introduced himself with a smile: "My name is Thaddeus Sholto. Of course you are Miss Morstan, and these two gentlemen..."
"This is Mr. Sherlock Holmes, and this is Dr. Watson."
He exclaimed excitedly: "Ah, a doctor? Have you brought your stethoscope? May I ask you—would you listen to me? Please, the mitral valve of my heart may have Fault. My aorta is fine, but for my mitral flap, I want to hear your valuable opinion."
I listened to his heart, and found nothing wrong with him except that he was trembling with terror.I said: "The heart is normal, don't worry, don't worry."
He said briskly: "Miss Morstan, please forgive my anxiety. I often feel uncomfortable and always suspect that my heart is not good. Since it is normal, I am very happy. Miss Morstan, if your father can restrain himself, he will not hurt you." to his heart, he may still be alive by now."
I couldn't help being angry, and I really wanted to punch him in the face.How can you speak so bluntly when you should be prudent?Miss Morstan sat down, pale."I knew in my heart that my father was dead," she said.
He said: "I can tell you everything I can, and I can do justice; whatever my brother Bartholomew has to say, I will do justice. I am very happy that you are here with your two friends today." Well, the two of them are not only your guardians, but witnesses to what I will say and do. The three of us can join forces against my brother Bartholomew, but let no outsiders take part--no police or Official. We can solve our own problems satisfactorily without the intervention of outsiders. If the matter is made public, my brother Bartholomew will never agree." Weeping blue eyes looked at us, expecting our answer.
Holmes said: "I can personally guarantee that no matter what you say, I will not tell others."
I also nodded in agreement.
He said: "That's great! That's great! Miss Morstan, may I toast you with a glass or Tokai? I don't have any other wine here. Shall I open a bottle? No drink? All right." , I don't think you will object to me smoking this soft oriental flavored cigarette. I am a little nervous, and I think my hookah is the ultimate tranquilizer." He lit the big hookah, and the smoke from the pipe The rose water slowly emerged.The three of us sat in a semicircle, with our heads outstretched and our chins resting on our hands, and this strange and excited little man, with his bald head, sat between us, smoking awkwardly.
He said: "When I decided to contact you, I wanted to tell you my address, but I'm afraid you didn't understand and brought an inappropriate person with you. That's why I arranged this way and asked my servant to contact you first. When we meet, I have great trust in his ability to respond quickly. I told him not to bring you with me if the situation is not right. I can get your understanding for my careful arrangements in advance, because I don’t want to interact with people. A haughty man, even, I think there is nothing more unrefined than a policeman and the like. My nature dislikes any vulgar people, and I have very little contact with them. My life, you can see, Surrounded by an elegant atmosphere, I can call myself an art connoisseur, this is my hobby. The landscape painting is indeed authentic, some connoisseurs may doubt the authenticity of the work, but the painting It's genuine. I'm a big fan of French pie these days."
Miss Morstan said: "Mr. Sholto, please forgive me. I was invited because you have something to teach. It is getting late. I hope our conversation will be as brief as possible."
He replied: "At least it will take some time, because we have to go to Norwood together to find my brother Bartholomew. We will all go, and I hope we can win him. I think it is reasonable to take it." He didn't take the steps seriously, so he was very dissatisfied with me, and I argued with him for a long time last night. You can't imagine how difficult he is to deal with when he is angry."
I couldn't help adding: "If we still have to go to Norwood, why don't we start at once."
He laughed until his ears turned red, and said: "That's not appropriate. If I go with you suddenly, I don't know what he will say. No, I must make preparations in advance and talk about our mutual situation first." The first thing I want to tell you is that there are a few points in this story that I don't even know myself. I can only tell you the facts as I know them.
"My father, you will guess, was Major John Sholto, who used to be in the Indian Garrison. He came to live at Sakuramoor House in Upper Norwood after his retirement about eleven years ago. India made a fortune, bringing a large sum of money, a batch of valuable antiques, and several Indian servants. With these good conditions, he bought a house and lived a very prosperous life. I and Bartholomew was a twin brother, and my father had only us two children.
"I still well remember the commotion caused by the disappearance of Captain Morstan, the details of which we read in the papers. Since we knew he was a friend of my father's, we used to discuss the matter freely in his presence. He sometimes speculated with us how it happened, and we had no suspicion that he alone had kept the whole secret—he alone knew what happened to Arthur Morstan.
"But we do know that there are secrets—some horrors—in my father's heart. He usually dare not go out alone, and he has hired two boxers to guard the gate of Sakuranuma Villa. William who is driving your car today One of them, he used to be the British lightweight boxing champion. My father never told us what he was afraid of, he was especially wary of people with wooden legs. He shot him once with a gun A man with a wooden leg turned out to be an ordinary peddler who came to tout his business, and we paid a large sum of money for his injuries. My brother and I first thought it was just my father's whim, but after One incident after another made us change our views.
"In the spring of 1882 my father received a letter from India which was a great shock to him. He nearly fainted after reading it at the breakfast table, and from that day on He fell ill and died. We never found out what the letter contained, but as he held it, I saw from the side that it was short and illegible. He had been suffering for many years. Spleen enlargement, which soon became more serious. At the end of April, the doctor concluded that there was no hope for him, and asked us to come to him to hear his last will.
"When we came into the room, he was leaning on the high pillow short of breath. He told us to lock the door and come to either side of the bed. He squeezed our hands and told him in broken did us an astonishing thing. I will now repeat it to you in his own words.
"He said: 'On my deathbed there is only one thing that weighs like a stone on my heart, and that is the regret that I have done to the orphan of Morstan. Through the unforgivable greed of my life, she Didn't get these treasures - at least half of them belonged to her. But I didn't take advantage of them either - greed is a very stupid act. Just knowing that treasures are hidden with me is so satisfying that I can't bear to give them any more. Others. Look at that necklace of beads by the vial of cinnamon cream. Although I found it for her, I cannot part with it. My sons, you should Give her a fair share of the treasure of Agra. But not till I die--not even the collar, for even a man as ill as I am may recover. '
"He went on: 'I'm going to tell you how Morstan died. He had a weak heart for many years, but he never told anyone, only I knew. When we were in India, I went through a series of By an astonishing accident, I obtained a large number of treasures. I took them back to England. On the evening of Morstan's arrival in London, he came here all the time to claim his share. From the station he walked to Here, the door was opened by the now-dead loyal old servant Lal Jorda. Morstan and I had a disagreement over the equal share of the treasure, and there was a heated argument, and Morstan jumped out of his chair in a rage , then suddenly put his hands on his side of his chest, his face darkened, and he fell backwards, hitting his head on the corner of the treasure chest. When I stooped to help him, I was terrified that he was dead.
"'I sat in a chair for a long time, unhinged, not knowing what to do. At first I naturally thought that I should report to the police, but I was afraid, considering the circumstances, that I could not avoid being accused of the murder. He was in We argued that he should die, and the wound on his head is even more unfavorable to me. In addition, the source of the treasure will inevitably be asked in court, which is something I especially want to keep secret. He told me: No one knows He's here. So it doesn't seem necessary to tell anyone else about it.
"'While I was still thinking about this, I looked up, and suddenly I saw the servant Lal Joda standing at the door. He came in stealthily, barred the door back, and said, "Master, don't be afraid.No one will know you killed him.Let's hide him, who else will know? "I said: "I didn't kill him. Lal Joda shook his head and laughed, "Master, I heard everything, I heard you quarreling, I heard him fall down, but I must strictly keep the secret."Everyone in the family is asleep.Let's bury him. "And that made me decide. Can't my own servants trust me, and can I hope that twelve stupid businessmen sitting in the jury box will acquit me? Lal Jorda and I were I buried the body, and within a few days, the London newspapers published the mysterious case of Captain Morstan's disappearance. From what I have said, you can know that Morstan's death is hardly my fault. My mistake was to hide There are treasures hidden outside the corpse. I got the treasures I deserved and took Morstan’s share, so I hope you will return the treasures to his daughter. You put your ears to my mouth. The treasures are hide in……'
"Before he finished speaking, his face changed suddenly, his eyes stared out, his jaw dropped, and he cried out in a voice I will never forget: 'Get him out of here! Do . . . Get him out!' We all looked back at the window he was staring at. A face was staring at us from the dark. We could see his nose whitened from the glass. A hairy face, two There were fierce eyes and a fierce expression. The two of us rushed to the window, but the man had disappeared. When we came back to see our father, we saw that his head had drooped and his pulse had stopped.
"We searched the garden that night, and there was no trace of the intruder except a distinct footprint on the flower-bed under the window. But from this evidence alone, we might suspect that the murderous face was a figment of our imagination. We were soon given another and more certain proof that a gang was working on us in our neighbourhood. We found the windows of my father's bedroom wide open the next morning, and his cupboards and boxes had been passed through. Searched, and nailed a torn piece of paper on his box, on which was scrawled: 'Four Signatures'. How to explain this sentence and who came secretly, we still don't know. What we can The only conclusion is: Although everything has been turned over, my father's property has not been stolen. The two of us, brothers, will naturally think that this incident is related to his usual fears, but it is still the same. A mystery that is completely unknown."
The little man lit his hookah again and took several thoughtful puffs.We sat there, listening intently to his uncanny story.Miss Morstan grew pale as she heard his account of her father's death.Fearing she might faint, I gently poured her a glass of water from a Venetian carafe on the side table, and she recovered.Sherlock Holmes leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes in deep thought.When I saw him, I couldn't help thinking: just today he said life is boring.Here is at least one question that will offer the greatest test of his wits.Mr. Thaddeus Sholto looked at us this way and that, evidently proud of the influence his story had had on us, and continued smoking his hookah.
He said: "As you can imagine, my brother and I were very excited to hear about the treasure my father was talking about. After weeks, even months, we dug every corner of the garden. It is maddening to think that the place where these treasures were stored was left in his dying mouth. We can infer how valuable these lost treasures are from the collar that was taken out. About this string of collars , my brother Bartholomew and I have also discussed it. These beads are undoubtedly very valuable, and he is a little hard to part with. Of course, he has a little like my father's shortcomings in dealing with friends. He thought again , if the collar is given away, it may cause unnecessary gossip, and may eventually cause trouble for us. All I can do is persuade my brother to let me find Miss Morstan's address first, and then at regular intervals Send her a bead that has been dismantled, and that will at least make life easier for her."
My companion said sincerely: "What a kind heart, you are so touching."
The little man waved his hand disapprovingly: "We are just the custodians of your property, this is my opinion! But my brother's opinion is different from mine. We have a lot of property, and I don't want more. Besides, for this It is unreasonable for a young lady to do mean things. The French proverb 'vulgarity is the root of all evil' has a lot of truth in it. Since the two brothers disagreed on this question, we had to separate from him. I took An Indian servant and William have left Sakuramoor Cottage. Yesterday I found one of the most important things: the treasure has been found. I got in touch with Miss Morstan immediately, and now it is only left for us to go to Norwood to chase him Claim our share of the treasure that is our due, and I have spoken my opinion to my brother Bartholomew last night. Perhaps we are not his welcome guests, but he agrees to wait for us there."
When Mr. Thaddeus Sholto finished speaking, he sat on a low chair and twitched his fingers.We were all silent, our thoughts concentrated on the development of this singular event.Holmes was the first to rise.
He said: "Sir, you have done everything perfectly from beginning to end, and perhaps we can repay you by telling you something you don't know yet. But as Miss Morstan said just now, it is getting late, we still It's important to hurry up and do business, don't be late."
Our new friend coiled up the pipe of the hookah, and from behind the drapery brought out a long, thick coat of a lambskin leader.Though the night was still sweltering, he buttoned it tightly from top to bottom, and finally put on a rabbit-skin hat, with the brim over his ears, with no part of his body save his thin face. All are covered.When he guided us out of the corridor, he said: "My body is too weak, so I can only be considered a patient."
Our carriage was waiting outside, evidently ready for our journey, for the groom set off at once to hurry.Thaddeus talked on and on, louder than the rattle of the wheels.
He said: "Batholomew is a smart man. Guess how he found the treasure? His final conclusion was that the treasure was hidden indoors. He calculated the volume of the entire house and carefully measured every corner. He did not miss an inch. At last he found that the height of the building was seventy-four feet, but he measured the heights of all the individual rooms. By drilling, he determined the thickness of the slabs. , plus the height of the interior, it was only seventy feet in total. The difference was four feet. The difference could only be found in the roof. He pierced through the lath and plaster ceiling of the uppermost floor and there, right at all, found a closed attic above which no one knew. The treasure chest stood on the two rafters in the center of the ceiling. He took the treasure chest from The hole was removed, and jewels were found within. He estimated that the total value of the jewels was not less than half a million pounds."
We looked at each other with wide eyes upon hearing the huge number.If we can get her share on Miss Morstan's behalf, she will in no time be transformed from a poor governess into England's richest heir.Of course, all her loyal friends should be happy for her, but I am ashamed, my conscience is clouded by my selfishness, and there is a heavy stone on my heart.I mumbled a few words of congratulations, then sat there dejected, speechless, and then deaf to even the words of our new friend.He is obviously a depressed patient, I vaguely remember as if he mentioned a series of symptoms, and took out countless secret recipes from his wallet, hoping that I can explain the content and function of these secret recipes to him , I wish he'd forgotten all about my answer to him that night.Holmes remembers hearing me advise him not to take more than two drops of castor oil and advise him to take large doses as a sedative.Anyway, I was relieved when the car stopped suddenly and the coachman jumped out and opened the door.
When Mr. Thaddeus Sholto helped her out of the car, he said, "Miss Morstan, this is the Sakuranuma Villa."
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