Chapter 6 six sherlock holmes pass judgment

"We still have half an hour, Watson," said Holmes, rubbing his hands. "We must make good use of it. I have already told you that the case is almost completely clear, but let us not be too confident, lest we make mistakes. It seems simple now, but there may be more mysterious things hidden in it." I couldn't help asking: "Simple?" He said as if an old professor was explaining to the students: "Of course it's very simple! Please sit over there in the corner and don't let your footprints confuse the evidence. Now get to work! First thing, these people How did you get in? How did you get out? The door hasn't been opened since last night. What about the window?" He walked forward with the lamp in his hand, not talking to me, but muttering loudly to himself. : "The window is closed from the inside. The window frame is also very strong. There are no hinges on the sides. Let's open it. There are no rainwater leaks nearby. The roof is also far away. But someone stood on the window sill. Last night It has rained lightly. There is a footprint here on the window-sill. Here is a round mud-mark, and another on the floor, and another by the table. Look here, Watson! That is good evidence."

I looked at the clear round mud prints and said, "This is not a footprint." "This is our more important evidence. It's the imprint of a stake. You see the boot print on the windowsill... a thick boot with a wide iron heel, and the imprint of a stake beside it." "This is the man with the wooden leg." "That's right. But there's one other person... a very capable and flexible accomplice. Doctor, can you climb that wall?" I looked out the window.The moonlight was still shining brightly on the original corner of the house.We were at least six feet above the ground, and there wasn't even a brick crack on the wall where we could put our feet.

I replied, "There is absolutely no way up from here." "You can't climb it if you don't have help. But here's a friend of yours, for example. With that thick rope that was left in the corner of the room, one end was fastened to a big ring on the wall, and the other end was thrown to the wall. In your hands, I think as long as you are a strong person, you can climb up with wooden legs and ropes. When you go down, you can naturally follow the law, and then your accomplices will pull the rope up again, from Untie it from the ring, close the window, fasten it from inside, and then escape from the same way.” Pointing to the rope, he continued: “There is another detail worth noting, although the friend with the wooden leg is not bad at climbing walls, But not a skilled sailor. His hands are not as tough as the skin of a sailor who is used to climbing a mast. With a magnifying glass, I found more than one spot of blood, especially at the end of the rope. I can tell that he When going down the rope, the speed was so fast that the skin on his palm was rubbed off."

I said, "That's all right, but things are getting more and more mysterious. Who is his accomplice? How did he get in?" Holmes repeated thoughtfully: "Yes, and the accomplice! There is something interesting about this man. He has made a very extraordinary case. I think this accomplice has opened up a new avenue for the crimes of our country,— But there was a precedent in India, and if I remember correctly, the same happened in Senegambia." I asked repeatedly: "Then how did he get in? The door is locked and the window is out of reach. Did he come in through the chimney?"

He replied, "I also thought of the possibility, but the chimney is too narrow to pass through." I asked, "What happened?" He shook his head and said, "You always don't research according to my theories. Haven't I told you how many times, when you remove all the factors that are absolutely impossible, no matter what is left-no matter it is What an unbelievable thing—is that the truth? We know he didn't come in through the door, he didn't come in through the window, he didn't come in through the chimney. We also knew he wasn't going to hide in the house, because the house There's no hiding place, so where did he come in?"

I yelled, "He came in through that hole in the roof." "Certainly it came in through that hole, there is no doubt about it. You take the lamp for me, and we go up to the room and look into it—the room where the treasure was found." He mounted the ladder, put his hands on the rafters, and rolled himself onto the attic.He bent down to take the lamp, and I followed. The attic was about ten feet long and six feet wide.The rafter floor was laid with thin laths and plastered over it.We had to step on rafter after rafter as we walked.The pointed roof is the real roof of the house.There is no furnishings in the house, and the dust accumulated for many years is very thick.

Sherlock Holmes put his hand on the sloping wall and said: "Look, this is a secret door leading to the outside of the roof. I opened this secret door, and the roof with a slight slope is outside. This is the first person's door." Let's find out where he came from, and see if he has left any traces that can explain his personal characteristics." He shone the lamp on the floor, and for the second time tonight I saw the look of wonder on his face.As I looked towards where he was looking at, I was so frightened that my whole body turned cold.The ground was full of barefoot footprints without shoes, one by one very clear and complete, but not half the size of ordinary human feet.

I said softly: "Holmes, what a child has done such a dreadful thing!" After his expression settled down, he said, "At first I was taken aback, but this incident is actually very common. I forgot it for a while, and I should have expected it. There is nothing to search here, let's go down." We went back to the room below, and I asked urgently, "What do you think of those footprints?" He replied impatiently: "Watson, please analyze it yourself. You know my method, practice it according to the law, and then we can refer to each other's conclusions and gain more experience from each other."

I replied, "I can't think of anything out of these facts." Without thinking, he said, "It'll be clear soon. I don't think there's anything important here, but I'll take a look." He took out his magnifying glass and measuring tape, and knelt down.His slender nose was only a few inches off the ground, and his round, shining eyes were like those of a bird.He went back and forth in the room to measure, compare and observe.His movements were quick, silent, and furtive, like a skilled hound in search of scent.I can't help thinking: what a terrible criminal he would become if he used his energy and intelligence instead of defending the law to break the law!As he scouted, he talked to himself, until at last he let out a cry of joy.

He said: "We're lucky, it's not a big problem. The first person unfortunately stepped on it. You can see his small footprints on the right side of the smelly thing. The oil bottle is cracked, and the inside stuff came out." "What's the explanation for that?" I asked. He said: "There is nothing else, but we are going to catch him. I know: a dog can follow the smell to the end with its sense of smell; wolves can find food by following the smell, so a specially trained Wouldn't it be easier for the hounds to follow such a strong scent? It's a theorem, and the result must be . . . But, hello! The police are here."

From below came the sound of heavy footsteps, conversation, and doors closing. Holmes said, "Before they come up, run your hands over the corpse's arms and his legs. How do you feel?" I replied, "Muscles are as hard as wood." "Exactly. It's an extremely strong 'contraction', which is worse than the ordinary 'post-mortem rigidity', coupled with the crooked face and grin, what conclusion do you make?" I replied, "I was poisoned by a plant-derived alkaloid—a poison similar to strychnine that can cause tetanus symptoms and died." "As soon as I noticed the contraction of the muscles in his face, I thought it was poison. Immediately after entering the house I tried to find out how the poison got into the body. The thorn that pierced or shot into his scalp. It seems that the deceased was sitting straight on the chair at that time, and you can see that the place where the thorn was inserted was facing the hole in the ceiling. Take a closer look at this thorn.” I held it carefully in my hand and looked at the light.It is a long and pointed black thorn, and there is a shiny layer on the tip that seems to be a dried gelatinous thing.The blunt end was cut by a knife. "A thorn that grows in England?" he asked. "Absolutely not." "With this information, you should be able to draw reasonable conclusions. This is the main point, and the rest can be settled more easily." When he was speaking, footsteps had already come to the corridor.A fat man in gray came into the house.He had a flushed complexion, a massive, bloody physique, and a pair of small twinkling eyes peeping out from between swollen bulges.Followed by a sheriff in uniform and Thaddeus Sholto, still trembling. He shouted: "What is this! What is this! Who are these people? This room is as lively as a rabbit farm." Holmes said quietly: "Mr. Ethelney Jones, I suppose you remember me?" He said breathlessly: "Of course I remember! You are Mr. Sherlock Holmes, the great theorist. Remember you, remember you! I can't forget the time when you gave us a lecture on the causes and consequences of the Bishopsgate treasure case." You did lead us on the right track, but you should also admit that it was mainly luck that time, rather than the case being solved because of the right guidance." "It was a very simple and easy case to understand." "Oh, come on! Come on! There's no need to be ashamed to admit it. But what's the matter? Too bad! Too bad! The facts are here and there's no need for theory. It's luck, I was in Norwood on another case! I was at the branch office when it was reported. How do you think this man died?" "Well," said Holmes grimly, "the case does not seem to need my theory." "No, no. But we must admit that sometimes you can say 'yes'. But as far as I understand, the door is locked, and half a million pounds of treasure are lost. What about the window?" ?” "It's locked securely, but there are footprints on the windowsill." "Well, well. If the windows were closed, the footprints would have nothing to do with the case, common sense. The man may have died in a rage, but the jewels were lost. Ha! I have an explanation .Sometimes I have an idea. Sheriff, you go out first, and you, Mr. Sholto, go out too. Your doctor friend can stay here. Mr. Holmes, what do you think about this? Schull Torto himself admitted that he was with his brother last night. His brother died in a fit of rage, and Sholto took the opportunity to take the jewels. What do you think?" "The dead man got up very carefully and locked the door upside down." "Hmph! There is indeed a loophole here. Let's think about it according to common sense. This Thaddeus was with his brother, and they had a quarrel, we know that. The brother died, the jewel was lost, and this We also know that since Thaddeus left, no one has seen his brother, and no one has slept in his bed. Thaddeus is obviously very disturbed, and his situation is very wrong. You see I'm attacking Thaddeus on all sides, and he's going to get away with it." Holmes said: "You haven't got all the facts yet! I have reason to believe that this is a poisonous wooden thorn. It was taken from the scalp of the deceased, and the scars can still be seen. This piece of paper, you see, looks like this." Written, picked up from the table, and this strange stone-studded stick beside it. How do you fit these things into your theory?" The fat detective said proudly: "Everything has been confirmed. The room is full of Indian antiques. If this wooden thorn is poisonous, others can use it to kill people, and Thaddeus can use it to kill people. It's just a trick of deceit, a gimmick. The only question is: How did he get out? Ah! Of course, there's a hole in the roof." He was heavy and heavy, and with great effort he climbed up the ladder and squeezed through the hole into the attic.Immediately after we heard him shouting with joy that he had found the secret door to the roof. Sherlock Holmes shrugged his shoulders and said: "Sometimes he can find some evidence, sometimes some vague understanding. The old French saying: 'It is harder to live with a fool who has no thought.'" Ethelney Jones came down from above, and said : "You see, facts are better than theory. My opinion is fully confirmed: there is a secret door leading to the roof, and the secret door is still ajar." "I opened the secret door." "Ah, that's right! Then you also saw the secret door." He seemed a little frustrated. "Well, no matter who finds it, it shows the escape path of the murderer anyway. Sheriff!" A voice in the tunnel agreed: "Yes! Officer." "Call Mr. Sholto in. Mr. Sholto, it is my duty to tell you that anything you have to say may be against you. For the death of your brother, I arrest you on behalf of the government." The poor little man, looking up at us both, exclaimed, "What do you think? I've seen that." Holmes said: "Mr. Sholto, don't worry, I think I can clear everything for you." The detective immediately retorted: "Mr. Great Theorist, don't agree casually. The truth is probably not as simple as you think." "Mr. Jones, I not only want to clear him, but I want to give you the name and characteristics of one of the two murderers who came into this room last night. His name--I have reason to believe that it was called Jonnozan Small. His education level is very low, he is not big, and he is very flexible. His right leg has been broken and a wooden leg has been installed. A piece of the wooden leg has been worn away. His left foot Underneath his boots was a rough square forefoot, with an iron palm on the heel. He was a middle-aged man, very tanned, and a former convict. These circumstances and many of the peeling skin on his palms may have an effect on you. is helpful. The other one..." Ethelney Jones, apparently impressed by the correctness of the other, asked mockingly, "Yes, but what about the other?" Turning back, Sherlock Holmes replied: "A very queer man, and I hope to introduce you to these two persons soon. Come here, Watson, and I will have a word with you." He led me to the top of the stairs, and said: "This accident almost made us forget the original purpose of coming here." I replied, "It occurred to me, too, that it is inappropriate for Miss Morstan to remain in this dreadful place." "You take her home now. She lives not far from here, at Lady Sissel Forrester's, in Lower Camberwell. If you would like to come again, I can wait for you here. But you are too tired." ?” "I'm not tired at all. I can't rest until I get the truth of this matter. I have also experienced dangers, but to be honest, this series of strange things tonight has disturbed my nerves. It has come At this stage, I am willing to help you close the case." He answered: "You have been of great help to me here, and we shall go on alone, and let this Jones do as he pleases. After you have sent Miss Morstan home, please go down to Lymbeth by the River for a drink." Kotori No. 3 - third door to the right of a stuffed bird shop, go to a guy named Sherman. His window has a picture of a weasel holding a bunny. Take this old man My son cried out and told him that I borrowed Toby from him to use, and please bring Toby back by car." "Is Toby a dog?" "A curious half-breed dog with an excellent sense of smell. I'd rather have the help of that dog than the police in all London." I said: "I will definitely bring it back. It is already one o'clock. If I can get a new horse, I will be back before three o'clock." Holmes said: "I also want to get some new material from Mrs. Burnstone, the housekeeper, and the Indian servant. Mr. Thaddeus once told me that the servant lives in the attic room next to it. Come back and study this great story. Jones's working method, and listen to his sarcasm. 'We are used to some people being sarcastic about things they don't understand.' Goethe's words are always so concise and powerful."

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