Chapter 7 seven answers
The next day after breakfast we went to the local police station and found Sergeants Macdonald and White Mason negotiating something in secret in the officers' little drawing room.On the desk in front of them were many letters and telegrams, which they were carefully sorting out and extracting, three of which had been put aside.
"Still on the trail of that elusive cyclist?" asked Holmes cheerfully. "What's the latest news about this mob?"
Pointing dejectedly at his pile of letters, MacDonald said: "There are now letters about him from Leicester, Nottingham, Southampton, Derby, East Ham, Richmond and fourteen other places. Report. Three of them, East Ham, Leicester, and Liverpool, have clear odds against him. So he has actually been noticed. But it looks like there are desperadoes in yellow coats all over the country."
"Alas!" said Holmes sympathetically, "and now, Mr. Mac, and you, Mr. White Mason, I wish to offer you a very sincere piece of advice. When I study this case with you, you will remember , I have made a condition: I will not express to you opinions that have not been fully verified; I will reserve and work out my own plans until I find them correct and satisfy myself. I don't want to tell you all I think. On the other hand, I said that I must be aboveboard with you, and it would be my fault if I saw you wasting your energy on unproductive work. So this morning I will Advice to you, my advice is three words: 'Give it up'."
Macdonald and White Mason stared in wonder at their famous colleague.
"Do you think the case is dead?" cried MacDonald.
"I don't think it's hopeless for you to have a case like this, but I don't think it can't come to light."
"But the cyclist isn't fiction. We have his physical features, his suitcase, his bicycle. The man must be hiding somewhere, and why shouldn't we have him?"
"Yes, yes, he's hiding somewhere, no doubt, and we can get him. But I don't want you to waste your energy in places like East Ham or Liverpool, I'm sure we can find a way to solve the case." .”
"You have concealed something from us. It is your fault, Mr. Holmes," said MacDonald angrily.
"Mr. Mike, you know my working methods. But I want to keep it a secret for the shortest possible time. I just want to try to verify all the details that come to my mind. It is easy to do. Then I will talk to you. Good-bye, go back to London, and leave all my work at your service. If I don't, I will be very sorry to you. For in all my experience, I can't think of a more novel case. ,More fun."
"I simply cannot understand it, Mr. Holmes. When we saw you last night on our return from Tunbridge Wells, you generally agreed with us. What has happened since has changed your view of the case. Is it completely different?"
"Well, since you ask me, I may as well tell you. As I told you, I spent a few hours at the estate last night."
"So, what happened?"
"Ah! Now I will give you a very general answer. By the way, I have read a brief and interesting introduction to this old manor. It can be bought for a penny. Get it at the local tobacconist's," said Holmes, drawing from his waistcoat pocket a pamphlet with a crude engraving of the old manor on the cover.
He added: "My dear Mr. Mac, when one is deeply affected by the atmosphere of the ancient surroundings, this booklet is very interesting to the investigation. Don't be impatient, because I can assure you , even a short introduction like this can bring to mind a picture of the old mansion. Allow me to read a paragraph to you.' Birlstone Manor was built in Built in the fifth year of the throne, on the site of some ancient buildings, it is the most perfect example of the remaining Jacobean moated mansions...'"
"Mr. Holmes, don't play tricks on us."
"Tut! Tut! Mr. Mike! I can see that you are getting impatient. Well, since you are not very interested in the subject, I will not read it verbatim. But let me tell you, here are some descriptions, It speaks of the acquisition of the homestead by a colonel of the Parliamentarians against Charles I in 1644; of Charles I himself hiding here for a few days during the English Civil War; Pass here; you will admit that there are many problems which have to do with this old villa."
"I have no doubt of that, Mr. Holmes, but it has nothing to do with our business."
"Is it okay? Is it okay? My dear Mr. Mike, one of the most important basic skills in our business is to broaden your horizons. The interaction of various concepts and the indirect use of knowledge are always very important. Please Forgive me, although I am only an expert on crime issues, I am older than you and may have more experience."
"I'm the first to admit that," said MacDonald earnestly. "I admit that you have your reasons, but you're too oblique in your way of doing things."
"Well, well, I can put past history aside and return to present facts. As I have already said, I was at the estate last night. I saw neither Mr. Barker nor Mr. Barker. Seeing Mrs. Douglas. I don't think it's necessary to bother them, but I'm glad to hear that the woman is not as haggard as I describe, and has just had a good dinner. I paid a special visit to the kind Ai Mus, and after a cordial conversation with him, he at last promised to leave me alone in my study for a while, without the knowledge of any one else."
"What! With this dead body!" I cried out suddenly.
"No, no, it's all right now. Mr. Mike, I hear you've given your permission. The room has been restored to its original state. I was in it for a quarter of an hour, and it was very enlightening."
"What did you do?"
"Oh, I didn't mystify such a simple matter. I was looking for the lost dumbbell. It has always loomed large in my judgment of the case. I have found it at last."
"Where did you find it?"
"Ah, we have reached the verge of revealing the truth. Let me go one step further, and if I go a little further, I will promise you to tell all I know."
"Well, we'll have to agree to do it on your own terms," said Macdonald, "but as for you telling us to drop the case . . . what is it for?"
"The reason is very simple, my dear Mr. Mike, because you didn't figure out the object of the investigation in the first place."
"We are investigating the murder of Mr John Douglas at Birlstone."
"Yes, yes, you're right. But don't bother searching for that mysterious Mr. Bicycle. I assure you, it won't help you."
"So, what do you say we should do?"
"If you wish, I will tell you in detail what should be done."
"Well, I can't help but say that I always think your eccentric ways are justified. I'll do what you say."
"Mr. White Mason, how are you?"
The town detective looked blankly at this and that.Mr. Holmes and his methods of detective work were foreign enough to him.
"Well, if Sergeant MacDonald thinks it's right, so do I," said White Mason at last.
"Excellent!" said Holmes. "Well, then I suggest that you two take a pleasant walk in the country. I am told that the view from the side of Birlstone Hill to the Weald is very fine. Although I am not familiar with this country, so I cannot recommend a restaurant to you, but I think you will be able to find a suitable restaurant for lunch. In the evening, although you are tired, you are happy..."
"Sir, this joke of yours has gone too far!" cried MacDonald angrily, rising from his chair.
"Well, well, spend the day as you please," said Holmes, patting MacDonald on the shoulder cheerfully. "You may do what you please, and go wherever you please, but , be sure to meet me here before dusk, be sure to come, Mr. Mike."
"That still sounds like the words of a sane man."
"What I have said is excellent advice, but I am not forcing you to take it. Just be here when I need you. But now, before we part, I need you to write to Mr. Barker A note."
"it is good!"
"If you want, then I'll dictate. Ready?
'It seems to me, my dear sir, that it is our duty to drain the moat and hope we can find some...'"
"It's impossible," MacDonald said. "I've done my research."
"Tut, tut, my dear sir! Write it, please do as I say."
"Okay, let's go on."
"'...hope we can find something relevant to our investigation. I've made arrangements. Workers will be at work early tomorrow morning to divert the river...'"
"impossible!"
"'Turns the river away, so I thought it best to forewarn.'
"Sign your name now, and send it by hand around four o'clock. Then we shall meet again in this room. Until we meet, we shall be free to do as we please. I can assure you that the investigation can certainly be suspended. "
Towards dusk, we reunited again.Holmes was very serious, I was curious, and the two detectives were obviously very dissatisfied and vexed.
"Well, gentlemen," said my friend gravely, "I invite you to go now with me and examine all the circumstances, and then you will judge for yourselves whether or not my observations support the conclusions I have drawn. The conclusion makes sense. It's cold at night, and I don't know how long I'll be going, so please wear more clothes. The most important thing is that we have to get to the scene before dark. If you agree, we are now Let's go now."
The manor garden was surrounded by a railing, and we walked along the garden until we came to a point where there was a gap in the railing, through which we slipped into the garden.In the growing twilight we followed Holmes near a bush, almost opposite the main entrance and the drawbridge.The drawbridge has not been pulled up yet.Holmes crouched and hid behind the laurel bushes, and the three of us crouched in his likeness.
"Well, what are we going to do now?" MacDonald asked abruptly.
"We will wait patiently and try to be as quiet as possible," replied Holmes.
"What the hell are we doing here? I think you should be more honest with us!"
Holmes laughed. He said: "Watson has repeatedly said that I am a playwright in real life. I have an artist's mood and I am stubborn to give a successful performance. Mr. MacDonald, if we can't make our performance very If the effect is brilliant, then our business is really monotonous and tiresome. Let me ask, straightforward denunciation, sharp and severe execution - what good drama can be played by this method of closing a case? But keen deduction, clever tricks , making tactful forecasts of events to come, and triumphantly confirming one's own inferences—doesn't this show that our business is proud and just? At this moment, you will feel the hunter's anticipation. Excitement. If it's like an established schedule, what's there to be excited about? I just ask you to be patient, Mr. Mac, and everything will clear up."
"Well, I wish this pride, reason, and so on could be achieved before we all froze to death," said the London detective with resigned humor.
All of us had good reason to share this urgent desire, for our wait was too long and unbearable.Dusk gradually fell over the long and gloomy castle, and a cold, damp chill rose from the moat, which made us feel piercing and make our teeth chatter.There was only one lamp by the gate, and a fixed spherical lamp in the unlucky study.It was pitch black and silent.
"How long is this going to be?" asked Macdonald suddenly. "What are we waiting for?"
"I don't intend to worry as much as you do about the waiting time," replied Holmes very severely. "It would certainly be much more convenient for us all if criminals arranged their crimes as punctually as a train time-table. What are we waiting for... look, that's what we're waiting for!"
When he was speaking, the bright yellow light in the study was blocked by a person walking back and forth.Our hidden laurel grove was directly opposite the study window, not a hundred feet away.Soon, the window suddenly opened with a creak, and we vaguely saw a person's head and body leaning out of the window, looking into the darkness.He stared forward for a moment, furtive and furtive, as if afraid of being seen.Then he leaned forward, and in the silence we heard the slight sound of the river being stirred. The man seemed to be stirring the water of the moat with something in his hand.Then suddenly, like a fisherman fishing for a fish, he caught something big and round, and as he dragged it through the window, the light was blocked again.
"At once!" cried Holmes. "Go!"
We all stood up, our limbs were already numb, and we staggered after Holmes.He hurried across the bridge and rang the doorbell loudly.The door creaked open. Ames stood in the doorway in astonishment. Holmes pushed him aside without a word, and we all rushed into the room with him. The man we were waiting for was there.
The oil lamp on the table re-emits the light we saw from the window just now.The lamp was now in Cecil Barker's hand, and he held it up to us as we entered.The light reflected on his strong, resolute, clean-shaven face, and his eyes blazed with anger.
"What on earth do you mean?" cried Buck. "What are you looking for?"
Holmes cast a quick glance round, then flung himself on a soggy bundle tucked under the writing-table.
"That's what I'm looking for, Mr. Barker, and this bundle of dumbbells you just fished out of the moat."
With a look of surprise on Buck's face, he stared at Holmes and asked, "How do you know these things?"
"It's very simple. I put it in the water."
"You put it in the water? You!"
"Perhaps I should say 'I put it back in the water,'" said Holmes. "You remember, Mr. Macdonald, that I mentioned the lack of a dumb-bell. I called your attention to it, but you were busy Little thought was given to other matters, which would have led you to draw correct inferences. Since the house is near the water, and has lost a weight, it is not difficult to imagine that it was used to put Something else aggravated it and made it sink in the water. This conjecture is at least worthy of verification. Ames promised me to stay in this room, so I, with the help of Ames, used Dr. Watson The handle of the umbrella was hooked out last night and checked.
"First and foremost, however, we should prove who put it in the water. We then announced that we would drain the moat tomorrow, which of course obliged the man who hid the baggage to retrieve it. Come, and this can only be done in the dark. At least four of us saw who took the opportunity to salvage the bag first. Mr. Barker, I think it is your turn to tell now."
Sherlock Holmes placed the wet bundle on the table beside the oil lamp, and unwound the ropes that bound it.He took a dumbbell out of it and put it in the corner next to the other one.Then he pulled out another pair of boots.
"It's American, you see," said Holmes, pointing to the toe of the shoe.He put a long murder knife with sheath on the table.At last he untied a bundle of clothes, which contained a whole set of underwear, a pair of socks, a gray dungaree suit, and a yellow jacket.
"These clothes," said Holmes, pointing, "are common clothes, with the exception of this overcoat, which is very inspiring."
Holmes held up the coat to the lamp, pointed to it with his slender fingers and continued: "Look, there is a pocket in the lining of this coat, which seems to be designed for room. To load the truncated shotgun. Tailor's tag on the collar - Neal's Clothing & Accessories, Vermissa, USA. I once spent an afternoon in an abbot's library , increased my knowledge, and learned that Vermissa was a prosperous little town at the mouth of a famous coal and iron valley in the United States. Mr. Barker, I remember that when you talked to me about Mr. Douglas's first wife, there was Speaking of coal-producing areas, it is not difficult to draw an inference: the word VV on the card next to the deceased may represent the Vermissa Valley, and perhaps it was from this valley that the Assassins, this valley may be the Uncanny Valley we have heard about. That is perfectly clear. Now, Mr. Barker, I seem to be a little in the way of your explanation."
Cecil Barker's face was full of strange expressions while the great detective explained: now angry, now surprised, now frightened, now hesitant.Finally he evaded Holmes's words with a sarcastic irony, and said with a sneer:
"Mr. Holmes, since you know such details, you had better tell us a little more."
"Of course I could tell you more, Mr. Barker, but it's better for you to speak with dignity."
"Ah, do you think so? Well, I can only tell you that if there is any privacy in it, it is not my secret. It is the wrong person to tell me."
"Well, Mr. Barker, if you adopt this attitude," said Macdonald coldly, "then we shall detain you till we have a warrant."
"As you like," said Buck defiantly.
It seemed that nothing more could be gained from him, for one only had to look at his resolute face to see that even torture would never turn him against his will.However, at this moment, a woman's voice broke the deadlock.Mrs. Douglas, who had been standing outside the half-open door listening to our conversation, entered the room.
"You have done your best for us, Cecil," said Mrs. Douglas, "whatever this may turn out to be, you have done your best."
"Not only hard, but too hard," said Sherlock Holmes, solemnly. "I sympathize with you, madam, and I strongly advise you to trust our common sense as referees, and to voluntarily treat the detective as your confidant. It may be." I was at fault in this, because you had conveyed to me through my friend Dr. Watson that you had a private desire to tell me, and I did not then follow your suggestion, but at the time I believed that you and the crime Behavior is directly related. I am now convinced that this is not the case at all. However, there are many things that need to be cleared up, and I advise you to ask Mr. Douglas to tell us about himself."
Mrs. Douglas cried out in amazement at what Holmes said.At this time, we saw a person appearing from a dark corner as if coming out of the wall, and the two detectives and I couldn't help but screamed.
Mrs. Douglas turned around and hugged him immediately, and Buck also grabbed the hand he extended.
"It's for the best, Jack," repeated his wife, "I believe it's for the best."
"Yes, indeed, it is best, Mr. Douglas," said Sherlock Holmes, "and I am sure you will find it best."
The man had just stepped from the dark to the light, and stood there looking at us with blinking eyes.It was an extraordinary face—big grey, resolute eyes, a cropped gray and white beard, a prominent square jaw with a mouth that played with a sense of humor.He looked us all over, and then, to my astonishment, he came up to me and handed me a scroll.
"I've heard a lot," he said, in a voice that wasn't quite English or American, but mellow. "You're the historian of the bunch. Well, Dr. Watson, I'm afraid you've never been Having got a story like yours, I'd bet all my money on you. You can express it in your own way, but as long as you have the facts, you won't make the public uninterested. I've hidden Two days, the hours of the day, as much time as is available in such a difficult situation, to put these things into words. You and your public readership are free to use the material. This is the story of the uncanny valley."
"That is the past, Mr. Douglas," said Sherlock Holmes calmly, "and we wish to hear from you the present."
"I'll tell you, sir," said Douglas, "that it is permissible to smoke while I speak? Well, thank you, Mr. Holmes. If I remember correctly, you are fond of smoking yourself. Come to think of it, if you After sitting for two days, there is tobacco in your pocket, but you are afraid that the smell of smoke will expose you when you smoke, what kind of feeling is that?"
Leaning on the mantelpiece, Douglas smoked the cigar Holmes handed him, and said: "I have heard of your name for a long time, Mr. Holmes, but I never thought I would meet you. But before you have had time to read these materials, ’ Douglas nodded to the scroll in my hand. ‘You’re going to say I’m telling you something new.’
Detective MacDonald gazed at the newcomer in great amazement.
"Oh, this really puzzles me!" cried MacDonald at last. "If you are Mr. John Douglas of Birlstone Hall, who is the dead man we have investigated these two days? Yes, where did you pop up now? I think you popped out of the floor like a doll in a movie."
"Well, Mr. Mac," said Holmes, wagging his forefinger disapprovingly, "haven't you read that excellent local chronicle? It clearly tells the story of the refuge of King Charles I. In those days there was no safe place to hide." Hidden. A used hiding-place can of course be reused. So I have no doubts that Mr. Douglas will be found in this cottage."
"Mr. Holmes, how have you been playing tricks on us for so long?" said Macdonald angrily. "How much time you have made us waste in searching for things you already know are absurd."
"It was not clear at once, my dear Mr. Mike. I also formed the whole view of the case last night. As it can only be confirmed tonight, I advise you and your colleagues to rest during the day. Please, What else could I do? When I found the bundle of clothes in the moat, it became clear to me that the dead body we were looking at was not Mr. John Douglas at all, but from Tunbridge Wells. It is impossible to draw any other conclusions. So I have to ascertain where Mr. John Douglas himself may be, and most likely, with the help of his wife and friends, he hides in The villa is the most suitable place for a fugitive, waiting for the safest time to escape."
"Well, you're quite right," said Mr. Douglas approvingly, "I thought I'd escaped your English laws, because I couldn't believe how I could stand the judgment of American laws, and I had once and for all chance of getting rid of the hounds that tracked me. But all the while, I have done nothing wrong, and there is nothing I can do again. But I will tell you my story, yourselves Go to the judgment. Mr. Detective, don't bother to warn me, I will never shrink from the truth.
"I'm not going to start from scratch. It's all written on it," Douglas said, pointing to the scroll in my hand. "You'll see countless grotesques, and it all boils down to this: Some people come out of various ways. The reason has a grudge against me, and they will kill me even if they lose everything. As long as I live and they live, there is no safe place for me in the world. They chased me from Chicago to California, and finally drove me out of the United States. After I get married and make a home in such a peaceful place, I think I can live out my old age in peace.
"I haven't spoken to my wife about these things. Why should I drag her into it? If she wants to know, then she'll have no quiet moments and must be constantly terrified. I think She already knew something, because I sometimes slipped a word or two. But until yesterday, after you gentlemen saw her, she didn't know the truth of the matter. She gave all she knew I've told you all about it, and so did Buck, because time was too short to tell them all about it that night when it happened. Now that she knows it, I'd be wiser if I told her earlier. But it's A problem, my dear," said Douglas, shaking his wife's hand, "and I'm doing pretty well now.
"Well, gentlemen, before these things happened, I was in Tunbridge Wells one day, and caught a glimpse of a man in the street. It was only a glimpse, but I have a keen eye for such things, and I never No doubt who he was. It was the worst of all my enemies—he had been after me like a wolf on a reindeer all these years. I knew trouble was coming. So I went home and made my preparations. I think I can handle myself quite well. There was a time, in 1876, when my good luck was known in America, and I have no doubt that it is still with me.
"I was on the alert all day next day, and I didn't go into the garden. It would be better, otherwise he'd pull out his stubbed musket and shoot at me before I got close to him. Come. When the drawbridge was raised in the evening, I calmed down a lot and gave up thinking about it. I never expected him to creep into the house and wait for me. But when I made my customary rounds in my pajamas I was aware of danger even before I entered the study. I think that when a person's life is in danger—and I have had countless dangers in my life—there is a sixth sense that warns I saw the signal very clearly, but I couldn't explain why. The moment I saw a pair of boots peeping from under the curtain, I knew exactly what it was.
"I had only one candle in my hand, but the door was open, and the hall light came in very clearly, so I put down the candle, and jumped over and caught in my hand the hammer which I had left on the mantelpiece. Then he threw In front of me, I saw the knife flash and hit him with the hammer. I hit him, because the knife fell to the ground with a clang. He ran quickly around the table like an eel Well, after a while, he took out the gun from his clothes. I heard him open the nose, but before he could shoot, I grabbed the barrel of the gun tightly, and we fought with each other for a minute or so For him, letting go and dropping the gun is tantamount to losing his life.
"He didn't drop the gun, but he kept the butt down. Maybe I blew the trigger, maybe we jolted the trigger when we snatched it, but either way, he got two rounds in the face, and I finally saw It was Ted Baldwin. I saw him in Tunbridge Wells, and saw him again when he sprang at me, but the way I saw him then, I'm afraid not even His mother didn't recognize him anymore. I'm used to fighting, but I can't help but gag when I see him like that.
"I was leaning against the table when Buck came hastily. I heard my wife approaching, and ran to the door to stop her, for such a spectacle must never be seen by a woman. I promised to come to her at once. I just said a word or two to Buck, and he understood it at a glance, so we waited for the rest of the people to follow, but we heard no one coming. So we assumed they heard nothing, and all this just now Only the three of us know.
"That's when I couldn't help but think of an idea, and I was almost blown away by the brilliance of it. For this man's sleeves are rolled up, and on his arm is a sign of the party. Look here."
Douglas rolled up his own sleeves to show us a brand—a triangle within a brown circle, exactly as we see it on the dead.
"It was the sight of the mark that struck me, and I seemed to understand everything at once. He was exactly like myself in stature, hair, and figure. No one could recognize his face any more, poor devil! I put He took off this suit, and it took me and Buck only a quarter of an hour to put my pajamas on the dead man, who was lying on the ground as you see him. We packed all his things into a bundle, and used The only weight I could find was to make it heavier and throw it out the window. The card he was going to put on my body was placed next to his own.
"I put some of my rings on his finger, too, but as for the wedding ring," said Douglas, holding out his muscular hand, "you can see for yourselves that I wear it very tightly. I haven't touched it since I was married, and you can't get it off without a file. I don't know if it ever occurred to me to file it off, but I couldn't. So I had to let Let the little matter go. On the other hand, I took a small piece of sticking plaster and stuck it on the face of the deceased. Such a smart person, if you happened to peel off this sticking plaster at that time, you would find that there was no scar underneath.
"Well, that's how it was then. If I could hide for a while and then get out of here with my 'widow' wife, we'd have a chance to live in peace for the rest of our lives. As long as I'm alive, these demons They won't give me peace, of course; but if they read in the papers that Baldwin has succeeded, then all my troubles will be over. I haven't had time to explain to Buck and my wife, but they are very understanding. , can help me perfectly. I know the hiding place in the villa very well, and Ames knows it too, but he has no idea that this hiding place has anything to do with this matter. I hide in that secret room, and the rest is It was up to Buck to do it.
"I think you can add to what Buck did yourselves. He opened the window and left shoe prints on the sill to give the illusion that the murderer had escaped through the window. It was a difficult thing, of course, but the drawbridge was up and there was nothing else. and escaped by the way. When everything was in order, he rang the bell with all his might. You know what happened next. So, gentlemen, do what you want. But I have put the truth I have told you. It is true, I have told you the whole truth. Now what shall the laws of England do with me?"
Everyone was silent, and Sherlock Holmes broke the silence and said: "The laws of England are basically just. You will not be punished unjustly. But I want to ask you how do you know that you live here?" How did he get into your house, and where did he hide to plot against you?"
"I don't know that."
Holmes' face was very pale and grave.
"I am afraid the matter is not over yet," said Holmes. "You will find that there is a greater danger than the English penalty, and even your enemies from America. I see that you have more dangers before you, Mr. Douglas." There is trouble. You have to remember my advice and continue to be careful."
现在，请读者不要厌倦，暂时随我一起远离这苏塞克斯的伯尔斯通庄园；也远离这个叫做约翰·道格拉斯的人的怪事发生的这一年。
我希望你们在时间上退回二十年，在地点上向西方远渡几千里，作一次远游。那么，我可以摆在你们面前一件稀奇古怪、骇人听闻的故事——这故事是那样稀奇古怪，那样骇人听闻，即使是我讲给你听，即使它是确凿的事实，你还会觉得难以相信。
不要以为我在一案未了以前，又介绍另一件案子。你们读下去就会发现并非如此。在我详细讲完这些年代久远的事件，你们解决了过去的哑谜时，我们还要在贝克街这座宅子里再一次见面，在那里，这件案子象其他许多奇异事件一样，都有它的结局。
Notes:
Notes: