Chapter 5 The Tragedy at the Five Sakuranuma Villa

It was nearly eleven o'clock when we reached the final stage of our evening's adventure.The fog in London has disappeared, and the night scene is quiet. The warm west wind has blown away the dark clouds, and the half-circle moon is often revealed from the clouds.We could see well into the distance, but Thaddeus Sholto took down a headlight, in order to light our way more brightly. Yingnuma Villa was built on a square, surrounded by high stone walls, with broken glass pieces inserted on top of the walls.A narrow door with iron splints was the only entrance.Our guide slammed twice on the door.

A gruff voice inside asked, "Who?" "It's me, McMurdo. Who else is here at this hour?" There was a very complaining sound from inside, followed by the sound of keys.The door flew back, and out came a small, stocky man, carrying a lantern, and stood inside.The yellow light illuminated his protruding face and twinkling suspicious eyes. "Is that you, Mr. Thaddeus? But who are they? I cannot invite them in without my master's order." "They can't be invited in? McMurdo, why not! I told my brother last night that he was coming with some friends to-day."

"Mr. Thaddeus, he didn't leave the house all day, and I didn't hear the order. You know the rules of the master. I can let you in. Your friend will wait outside the door for the time being." This is an unexpected move!Thaddeus Sholto stared at him, seeming embarrassed.He yelled, "You're so disrespectful! Can't I guarantee they're okay? There's a lady here, she can't wait in the street late at night." The gatekeeper still persisted and said: "Mr. Thaddeus, I'm really sorry. These few may be your friends, but not the master's friends. The reason why the master pays me is to let me fulfill the duty of guarding." , is my duty, and I shall do it. I don't know any of your friends."

"You must know me, McMurdo," cried Holmes kindly. "I don't think you'll forget me. You don't remember fighting for you four years ago at Allison's Row. The amateur boxer from the three rounds?" "Is that Mr. Sherlock Holmes?" exclaimed the boxer. "My God! How could I not recognize it? Instead of standing there and saying nothing, you'd better give me your best hand under your chin." One punch, and I'll know who you are! Oh, you are a man of genius but self-deprecating, what you are! If you continue to practice, your achievements will be limitless!"

Holmes smiled at me and said, "You see, Watson, if I fail to achieve anything, at least I can find a job. Our friends will not let us suffer from the cold outside." He replied: "Sir, please come in! Even your friends, please come in! Mr. Thaddeus, I am really sorry, but the master's orders are very strict. I must know who your friends are before I dare to invite them in. " The entrance is a cobbled path, which winds through a desolate open space, and leads directly to a large house with a square shape and ordinary structure hidden in the bushes.The branches and leaves were very dark, and only a ray of moonlight fell on the corner of the house and on the upper window of the attic.Such a large house was so gloomy and silent that it made people shudder, and even Thaddeus Sholto felt a little embarrassed, and the lamp he was carrying trembled in his hand and made a sound.

He said: "I really don't understand. Something must have happened here. I told Bartholomew that we're coming tonight, but his window doesn't even have a light on. I really don't understand what's going on!" "Is he always on his guard?" asked Holmes. "Yes, he followed my father's habit. You know, he was my father's beloved son, and I sometimes think that my father told him more than he told me. That is Bartholomew in the moonlight The window. The window is brightly lit by the moon, but I don't think there's any light in it."

Holmes said, "There is no light inside, but there is a shining light in the little window by the door." "Oh, that's the housekeeper's room. That's the light in old Mrs. Burnstone's. She'll tell us all about it. Please wait here a moment, because she doesn't know beforehand, and if we go in together, maybe She'd be surprised. But shhh! What's that?" He held the lamp up high, his hands shaking so that the lamp was shaking.Miss Morstan squeezed my wrist, and we stood there in great tension, listening with our hearts beating.In the middle of the night, from this huge and dark house, there were continuous and terrible sounds of women's cries.

Thaddeus said: "This is Mrs. Bornstone's voice. She is the only woman in this house. Please wait here, and I will be right back." He hurried to the door and knocked in the way he was accustomed to. twice.We saw a tall woman who invited him in as if she was seeing a relative. "Oh, Mr. Thaddeus, how wonderful it is for you to come! What a coincidence you have come! Oh, Mr. Thaddeus!" These overjoyed words could still be faintly heard after the door was closed. Holding the lantern which our guide had left for us, Holmes slowly and carefully surveyed the surroundings of the house and the great pile of rubbish which had piled up in the clearing.Miss Morstan stood with me, her hand clasped mine.Love is an incredible thing.The two of us hadn't met the day before, and we haven't said a word of love today, but now when we encounter troubles, our hands will be held together by coincidence.Later, every time I think of this incident, I find it interesting, but the actions at that time seemed to be natural and unconscious. Later, she often told me that her own feeling at that time was: only by leaning on me can she be comforted and protected.The two of us are like children, standing together hand in hand, we don't care about the dangers around us, and we feel calm and fearless in our hearts.

She looked around and said, "What a strange place!" "It seems like all the moles in England have been put here. I've only seen the same thing on the side of the hill near Birla Wright, where the prospectors were drilling." Holmes said: "This place has also been excavated many times, leaving traces of searching for treasures. Don't forget, they spent six years looking for it. No wonder this land is like a gravel pit." At this moment, the door of the room opened suddenly, and Thaddeus Sholto ran out, hands forward, eyes full of fear. He cried: "Something must have happened to Bartholomew! I'm so afraid! My nerves can't stand such a stimulation." He was really terrified.On his convulsed, bloodless face, peeping out from under the large lambskin collar, was the expression of a frightened child running for help.

"Let us go in," said Holmes firmly and simply. Thaddeus pleaded: "Come in! Come in! I don't know what to do!" We followed him into the housekeeper's room on the left side of the passage.The old lady was pacing up and down the room in a panic, but seemed comforted by the sight of Miss Morstan. Emotionally she cried to Miss Morstan: "My God, how sweet it is to see your gentle and quiet face! Seeing you makes me feel better! I've had enough of my day!" My companion gently patted her wrinkled hand, and whispered a few soft, comforting words to her.The old lady's pale face gradually recovered.

She explained: "The master locked the door himself and didn't answer me. I waited here all day for him to call. He often likes to be alone, but an hour ago, I was afraid that something might happen. I went upstairs to find the key. Kong peeped in. You must go up, Mr. Thaddeus, you must see for yourself! For ten years, in Mr. Bartholomew's moments of joy and grief, I I have, but I have never seen a face like his now." Sherlock Holmes led the way with a lamp, and Thaddeus was so frightened that his teeth were chattering and his legs were trembling. Thanks to my support, we went upstairs together.On his way upstairs, Holmes twice took out his magnifying glass from his pocket, and carefully examined the mud marks left on the brown carpet of the stairs.He walked up slowly step by step, held the lamp low, and observed carefully from side to side.Miss Morstan remained downstairs, in the company of the terrified housekeeper. After going up three flights of stairs, there is a fairly long corridor in front of it. There is an Indian tapestry hanging on the right wall, and there are three doors on the left.Holmes continued to walk slowly and observe systematically.We followed close behind, our long shadows cast on the passage behind us.The third door is our destination.Holmes knocked hard on the door, but there was no response from inside; he turned the knob and pushed hard on the door, but it would not open.We put the lamp close to the crack of the door, and we could see that the inside was locked upside down with a thick door lock.The key has been twisted so the keyhole is not completely closed.Sherlock Holmes stooped to look through the keyhole, then stood up again immediately, gasping for breath. I have never seen him so excited.He said: "Watson, it is indeed a bit scary here. Come and see what is going on." I looked through the keyhole, and drew back in a fright.The faint moonlight shines directly into the room, and there is a vague face that seems to be hanging in the air watching me, and the face below is immersed in the shadow.The face was exactly the same as that of our companion Thaddeus, the same shiny baldness, the same red hair, the same bloodless face, but the expression was rigid.A terrible grin, a grin with unnatural teeth.In such a silent and moonlit room, the sight of such a smiling face was more frightening than the frowning one.The faces in the room were so like our little friend that I couldn't help turning my head to see if he was still around.I suddenly remembered that he once said that he and his brother are twin brothers. I said to Holmes: "This is too dreadful. What shall we do?" He replied: "The door must be opened." Then he jumped up to the door and put all his body weight on the lock.The door rang, but it didn't open.We rushed together, and this time with a bang, the lock broke and we entered Bartholomew's house. The room was tidied up as if it were a chemical laboratory.On the wall opposite the door are two tiers of glass bottles with glass stoppers.The table was covered with Bunsen burners, test tubes and stills.In one corner of the wall were bottles of acid covered with vines.One of the vials appeared to be leaking, and a stream of black liquid flowed out.A particularly pungent tar smell filled the air.On one side of the house, on a straggling pile of lath and plaster, stood a ladder, above which there was a hole in the ceiling, large enough to admit a person in and out.Beneath the ladder was a long coil of rope, lying in disorder on the ground. On a wooden armchair by the table sat the occupant of the room, with his head on his left shoulder and a wry smile.He was frozen, apparently long dead.It seems that not only his facial expression is special, but his limbs are also curled up differently from ordinary dead people.Beside one of his hands resting on the table lay a strange implement--a rough brown stick, to which was bound with coarse twine a stone that looked like a hammer.Next to it was a torn piece of paper torn from a notebook with a few words scrawled on it.Holmes glanced at it and handed it to me. He raised his eyebrows and said, "Look." In the light of my lantern, I saw with horror the words "Four Signatures." I asked, "My God, what, what's going on here?" He was stooping to examine the body, and replied: "Murder! Ah! It's exactly as I expected, look!" He pointed to a long black thorn that had just been stuck in the scalp above the ear of the corpse. I said, "It seems like a thorn." "It's just a thorn. You can pull it out. But be careful, there's poison on this thorn." I pulled it out with my thumb and forefinger.The thorn had just been taken out, and the wound had already closed. It was difficult to find any remaining traces except for a little blood stain that could explain the location of the wound. I said: "This matter is completely bizarre and incomprehensible to me. Not only do I not understand it, but I am even more confused." He replied: "On the contrary, every link is clear. I only need to clarify a few more links, and the whole case will be clear." We have almost forgotten our companion since we entered the house.He was still standing at the door, still trembling and moaning like that.Suddenly, he shrieked in disappointment. He said: "All the treasures are lost! They snatched all the treasures! We took the treasures out from that cave, and I helped him take them down! I was the last person to see him! I saw him last night! When I left him and went downstairs at night, I heard him lock the door." "What time was it then?" "It was ten o'clock. Now that he is dead, the police must suspect that I killed him. They will be so suspicious. But you two don't think so? You don't think I killed him. Killed him? If I killed him, would I have asked you to come? Oh, my God! Oh, my God! I know I'm going crazy!" He hopped his feet, convulsed with rage stand up. Holmes patted him on the shoulder and said kindly: "Mr. Sholto, don't be afraid. You have no reason to be afraid. Just take my word for it. Take the car to the police station and make a report. You promise to assist them in everything. We will wait here until your return." .” The little man obediently obeyed Holmes, and we heard him groping his way down the stairs in the dark.