Chapter 4 third chapter

sequence On any given night, if a stranger climbed the steep stairs to the attic, he would grope in the dark for a few seconds before he could find the closed door of my study.But even in the pitch black, a faint light would still come through the crack of the door, just like the situation at this moment.But he may stand there lost in thought, and he will ask himself: "What kind of thing will keep a person awake in the middle of the night? When most people are already sound asleep, this person is awake alone in the study Who is this person?" If he turned the doorknob to satisfy his curiosity, he would find that the door was locked and he couldn't get in.And if, at last, he puts one ear to the door, he may well hear the faint scraping of the pen on the paper, as the darkest ink writes one letter after another. When it is a wet symbol, the handwriting on the front has already dried.

At this age, it's no secret that I live in isolation.Although readers are boundlessly curious about my past adventures, I am never satisfied.During the years when John Watson took great pleasure in documenting our many shared experiences, I always thought that, although his writing skills were good, he was limited and some of his descriptions were too exaggerated.I've often condemned him for pandering to the masses, and demanded that he pay more attention to facts and figures, and especially not to associate my name with his own half-understood ideas.Instead, my old friend and biographer urged me to write my own story. "If you think my record of our case has been unfair," I recall him saying more than once, "well, Sherlock, I suggest you try it yourself!"

"Maybe I will," I told him, "and then you'll know what a really accurate story looks like without the so-called art process." "Good luck then," he sniffed. "You're going to need it a lot." It wasn't until I retired that I finally had the time and willingness to follow John's advice.The result, though not earth-shattering, was instructive to me, at least in showing me that even a record that is entirely true to the facts must be presented in a way that will appeal to the reader.Conscious of this conclusion, I abandoned John's style of storytelling after two stories had been published, and subsequently sent my good doctor a brief letter in which I sincerely I previously apologized for my mockery of his early work.His reply was swift and to the point:

Now that John is mentioned, I would also like to take this opportunity to say something infuriating.Recently, I discovered that my former assistant has been unfairly accused by playwrights and so-called mystery novelists.The names of these unworthy guys are totally unworthy of me mentioning here.They tried to paint John as a stupid and rude chump, but that couldn't be further from the truth.How could I have found myself a dull companion, which might have been comical on stage, but in reality I considered the innuendo a grave insult to John, and to me as well.Some erroneous impressions from the outside world may indeed come from John's works, because he always exaggerates my abilities and is too modest about his own advantages.Even so, the man I worked with always displayed a natural agility and shrewdness, and he made an immeasurable contribution to our investigation.Occasionally, I won't deny that he misses an obvious conclusion or chooses the best course of action, but he never has a stupid idea.Most importantly, it was a real honor to spend my young years with such a person.He could always detect the thrill in the most ordinary cases, and he always accommodated my fiery friend with many eccentricities with his humor, patience and loyalty.So, if those hypocrites really want to pick one of the two of us who is more stupid, then I don't hesitate to think that if they want to pick, they should pick me.

Finally, it should be said that, while readers may be fond of my old Baker Street apartment, I have long since lost it.I don't yearn for the noise and noise of London's streets, nor do I miss the intricate and quagmire-like criminal network.More importantly, the current life in Sussex makes me quite satisfied. When I am awake, most of the time I am not alone in the study, or go to the apiary to see the orderly animals .But I must admit that the growth of age has affected my memory to a certain extent, but my body and mind are still quite flexible.Almost every week I walk to the beach in the early evening.In the afternoon, I often take a walk on the garden paths, tending to the various spice crops and flower beds.Recently, my main tasks have been revising the latest edition of my Practical Guide to Breeding Bees and putting the finishing touches on my four-volume Complete Detective Art.The writing of the latter was a lengthy and laboriously complex project, but once published it should be a body of considerable importance.

However, at this moment, I feel that I must put aside my own magnificence and start the heavy work of recording the past.Tonight, for some unknown reason, a lot of past events came to my mind. If I don't write them down on paper quickly, I'm afraid many details will be forgotten in a blink of an eye.What is said or described below may not be exactly what was said and seen at the time, so I would like to apologize in advance if I have added some incomplete parts or gray areas in my memory on my own initiative.But even with some fictitious content in the following cases, I can assure you that the entire case - including the individuals involved - has been described as accurately as possible to the best of my ability.

I still remember that in the spring of 1902, a month after Robert Falcon Scott's historic balloon flight over Antarctica, I was approached by a Mr. Thomas R. Keller, who A stooped, narrow-shouldered, well-dressed young man.At the time, my good doctor was not living in his own house in Queen Anne Street, but he happened to be away on holiday, lounging by the seaside with the soon-to-be third Mrs. Watson.And so, for the first time in months, I had the whole apartment on Baker Street to myself.As usual, I sat with my back to the window, and let the visitor sit on the armchair opposite me—from his perspective, it was difficult for him to see the expression on my face because the light outside the window was too bright; From my point of view, his face was clearly illuminated by the light.At first, Mr. Keller seemed uncomfortable in my presence and could not speak.I didn't mean to comfort him at all, but instead took advantage of the embarrassing silence and began to observe him carefully.I've always thought it would be to my advantage to make clients feel vulnerable in themselves.I quickly guessed the purpose of his visit and decided to reinforce his vulnerability.

"I can see that you are worried about your wife." "Indeed, sir," he replied, visibly taken aback by my words. "However, on the whole, she is still a considerate and good wife. So, I don't think the question of her fidelity is what you are worrying about now." "Mr. Holmes, how do you know this?" His narrowed eyes and puzzled expression seemed to indicate that he wanted to get a good look at me too.And while my client waited for an answer, I ordered myself a fine Bradley that John kept in the top drawer of his desk, many of which I had already secretly smoked. .After making the young man uneasy for a while, I deliberately breathed the smoke ring into the sunlight, telling the truth that was completely obvious to me.

"It's not hard to guess what's wrong with a gentleman when he comes into my room worriedly, sits down in front of me, and fidgets absently with his wedding ring. Your clothes are all new, and Stylish, but not tailor made. You must have also noticed that your neckline is a little asymmetrical, with dark brown thread on the bottom of the left leg and black thread on the right leg. Also, Did you notice that the middle button of your shirt is a little smaller than the other buttons in color and shape. This means that your wife did the manual work for you, and, even though It is the lack of suitable materials, and she did her best. As I said, she is a good wife who is considerate and considerate. Why do I think that these handicrafts are all done by your wife? Because you are a person with limited financial resources. Young man, apparently also married. Your business card already tells me that you are a junior accountant with Throckmorton & Finley. Very few accountants at the beginning of their careers can afford Maid or housekeeper or something, right?"

"Sir, nothing can escape your eyes." "I can assure you that I don't have any mysterious abilities, I just know how to pay attention to some obvious facts. However, Mr. Keller, you didn't come to see me this afternoon to examine my abilities. After the end of Tuesday What happened to bring you from Fortis' house to come to me?" "That's too incredible—" he cried, the horrified look on his empty face again. "Dear sir, please calm down. Yesterday you delivered the letter yourself at my door--yesterday was a Wednesday--and your address was on the envelope, but the date you wrote with your hand was Tuesday. There is no doubt that the letter Written late on Tuesday, otherwise you would have delivered it the same day. You were very eager to see me today - it is Thursday - so it can be inferred that it should have happened on Tuesday afternoon or evening Something that bothers you and is very urgent."

"Yes, I wrote after I fell out with Ms. Skimmer on Tuesday night. Not only is she now trying to interfere in my marriage, but she's threatening to send me to jail—" "Sent you to jail, really?" "Yes, that was the last thing she said to me. That woman, Skimmer, was a very strong woman. Everyone said she was a talented musician and a teacher, but her attitude towards people was astonishing." It's dreadful. If it weren't for my dear Anne, I should have sent for the police myself." "Then I guess Annie is your wife." "Exactly." The young man took out a photo from his vest pocket and showed it to me. "This is her, Mr. Holmes." I leaned over in the armchair.With just a quick glance, the twenty-three-year-old woman's appearance and figure can be seen in his eyes - she raised one eyebrow, and the corners of her lips were half-smile.But that face was serious, making her look far older than she really was. "Thank you," I looked up from the photo, "she has a very unique temperament. Now, please start from the beginning and explain the relationship between your wife and this Ms. Skimmer, what I should know of." Mr. Keller frowned painfully. "I'll tell you everything I know," he said, putting the photo back in his vest pocket. "I hope you can find out why. You see, this question has been on my mind since Tuesday. I haven't slept well the past two days, so if I don't make it clear, And please be patient with me." "I'll try to be patient." He warned me ahead of time, which was wise, because I didn't expect his description to be so disorganized and indifferent. If he hadn't warned him in advance, I would have interrupted him impatiently.Hearing his warning, I braced myself, leaning back in the armchair with my fingertips aligned and my head tilted toward the ceiling in order to concentrate on what he had to say. "You can start now." He took a deep breath and spoke. "My wife, Annie, has only been married to me for two years. She is the only daughter of the late Colonel Benn - her father was killed in the Ayub Khan uprising in Afghanistan when she was a baby —Her mother brought her up in East Ham, where we met when we were very young. Mr. Holmes, you could not imagine a sweeter girl. I was already fascinated by her at the time, Gradually, we fell in love - the kind of love that was built on friendship and partnership, the kind of love that brings two people together and can't wait to share our lives with each other. Then of course we got married and soon moved into During that time, nothing seemed to break the tranquility of our little home. But I do not want to exaggerate and say that our marriage was a perfect and happy union. Obviously, our lives also have Difficult times, like my father’s long-term illness, Anne’s mother’s sudden death, etc., but we still have each other and that makes all the difference. After Anne became pregnant, we felt much happier. As a result, six months After that, she had a sudden miscarriage. Five months later, she got pregnant again, but soon miscarried again. The second miscarriage left her bleeding so badly that I almost lost her. At the hospital, the doctor told her that she might never be able to have children again If she got pregnant again, it would kill her. Since then, she has changed. The experience of miscarriage troubled and entangled her. At home, Mr. Holmes, she became depressed and morose. She Tell me that losing our baby was the most painful thing in her life. "I think that to change her depression, she should find something new to do. Whether it's psychological or emotional, I think she should take up a hobby that fills the void in her life— At that time, I was worried that the emptiness was getting worse. My father had just passed away, and among his belongings, there was an old glass piano. It was a gift from my father's uncle, and according to my father, it was from Belgium. Bought from the famous inventor Etienne Gaspard Robertson. Anyway, I took it home and gave it to Anne. She was rather reluctant, but eventually agreed to at least try to play it. One play. Our attic is quite spacious and comfortable - we talked about using it as a baby's room - and it was the perfect choice for a piano room. I even re-polished the case of the glass piano paint, replaced the old bridges so the bowls would fit together more firmly, and repaired the pedals that had broken down many years ago. But Anne's poor interest in the instrument quickly faded She didn't like being alone in the attic, and she found it so difficult to make good music on the piano. She also felt the strange sound of the bowl when her fingers slid over the keys. Upset. She said the repercussions made her feel even sadder. "But I can't accept it. Do you understand, I have always believed that the most attractive part of the glass piano is its tone, which is far more beautiful than any other instrument. If played properly, it only needs to be played by finger strength. The sound can easily be boosted or muted by a single change, and the beautiful melody will linger for a long time. No, I can't accept Anne's abandonment. I know that if Anne can hear someone else play it-someone who is professionally trained and very People with playing skills may have different ideas about this piano. It happened that a friend of mine told me that he once went to a public concert and played it with glass organ, flute, oboe, viola and cello Mozart Adagio and Rondo, but all he remembers is that the concert was held in a small apartment above a certain bookshop on Montague Street, not far from the British Museum. Of course, it doesn't take the help of a great detective to find the place, I found this 'Portman's Books and Maps Store' without much trouble. The owner gave me directions and I climbed a flight of stairs to the room where my friend had heard the glass organ playing earlier. The apartment. Mr. Holmes, I have been regretting climbing that flight of stairs since that day. But at the time, I was still excited to guess what kind of person would greet me when I knocked on the door. .” Mr. Thomas R. Keller looked like the kind of guy who would be bullied.His boyish demeanor was full of shyness and shyness, and when he spoke, his accent was soft and hesitant, and he sounded a little slurred. "That's where you met Ms. Skimmer, I guess." With that, I lit another cigarette. "Exactly, that's the door she came to open. She was a solid, manly woman, but not fat. She was German, and my first impression of her was pretty good. She didn't ask me. she invited me into her apartment. She sat me down in the living room and brought me tea. I think she must have thought I was looking for her to learn an instrument. Her room was full of An assortment of musical instruments, including two very beautiful glass harpsichords in excellent repair. I knew I was in the right place when I saw it. Ms. Skimmer's gracious manner and her love of instruments I was very admired, so I explained the purpose of my visit to her: I introduced my wife's situation, the tragedy of miscarriage she experienced, how I brought the glass piano home to help Anne relieve some pain, and her How is it that you are not interested in the glass organ, and so on. After patiently listening to my story, Ms. Skimmer suggested that I take Anne to her for lessons. I couldn't be more pleased to hear that, Holmes Sir. Really, I just wanted Anne to hear the beautiful music played by others on the glass organ, and Ms. Skimmer's offer was beyond my expectations. At the beginning, we agreed to have a total of ten lessons-- Twice a week, Tuesday and Thursday afternoons - I pay in full in advance. Ms. Skimmer also gave me a discount because, she said, my wife's situation is unique. It happened on a Friday. Then On the Tuesday that came down, Annie started to have classes. "The Montague Street is not very far from where I live, and instead of taking a carriage, I decided to walk home. I told Anne the good news, and we ended up having a little quarrel. Seriously, if it wasn't I thought it would be good for her to go to class, so I canceled the class that day. When I got home, the house was quiet and the curtains were all drawn. I called Annie's name, but no one answered. I looked for the kitchen and Our bedroom, went to the study, and finally found her in the study—she was dressed in black, as if in mourning, with her back to the door, staring blankly at the bookcase, motionless. The light in the room It was very dark, and she looked like a shadow. I called her, and she did not look back at me. At this moment, I was very worried, Mr. Holmes, that her mental state was accelerating the deterioration. "'You're back,' she said wearily, 'I didn't expect you to be back so early, Thomas.' “I explained to her that I had a personal matter that afternoon and I left work early. Then I told her where I had been and told her about the glass organ lessons. "'But you shouldn't have decided for me, and you never asked me if I wanted piano lessons.' "'I don't think you'd mind, it's only going to be good for you, I'm sure. At least, better than staying home all day like you--' "'Then I guess I have no choice.' "She glanced at me and I could barely make out her face in the darkness. "'Have I no say in the matter?' she asked. "'Of course you have a say, Anne, how can I force you to do something you don't want to do? But can you at least go to a lesson and hear Miss Skimmer play? If you finish your lesson, If I don’t want to go again, then I won’t insist on it anymore.’ "My plea silenced her for a moment. She turned slowly towards me, but she just kept her head down and stared at the floor. When she finally looked up, I saw the look on her face, like that of someone who has been completely struck down. A broken person, a person who no longer cares about his true feelings and only accepts everything silently. "'Well, Thomas,' she said, 'if you really want me to take lessons, I won't argue with you, but I hope you don't expect too much from me. After all, people who like glass harps The person is you, not me.' "'I love you, Anne, and I hope you will be happy again. At least we both have a right to be happy.' "'Yes, yes, I know. I've caused you a lot of trouble lately, but I have to tell you, I don't believe I'm ever going to be happy again. Everyone has their own complexities, I think. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you can't express it clearly. So, I just hope you can tolerate me and give me some time to understand myself better. In the meantime, I Will go to that class, Thomas, and I hope it will satisfy you as well as myself.' "Fortunately—or, as we now see it, unfortunately—my thoughts were vindicated, Mr. Holmes. My wife had only one lesson with Ms. Skimmer, and she was very interested in glass. Jean's attitude changed. Her sudden interest made me very happy. In fact, after the third and fourth classes, her whole spirit changed miraculously, and she became sickly and depressed. The state disappeared, and I was no longer bedridden. I admit that during that time, I felt like Ms. Skimmer was sent by God to save us, and the admiration I have for her is beyond words. So, a few months later, my wife asked me if I could increase the class time from one hour to two hours at a time, and I agreed without hesitation—especially since her piano skills had greatly improved by then. Besides, I am also very happy to see that she spends several hours every day, concentrating on practicing various pieces of music, sometimes all afternoon, one night, or even a whole day. In addition to learning Beethoven's musicals, she also Incredibly, she started composing her own music. But she wrote some of the most melancholic, saddest pieces I've ever heard. When she's alone in the attic practicing, the whole house is filled with sadness." "The oblique things you're talking about are interesting," I cut him off, "but—permit me to remind you—what on earth did you come to see me for today?" I could tell my client was a little alarmed by my pointed questions.I stared at him intently, then lowered my eyelids again, aligned my fingertips, and continued to listen to him tell the relevant facts. "Hear me slowly," he stammered, "I'm getting to the point, sir. As I said before, my wife's spirits have improved since she started taking piano lessons with Ms. Skimmer— Or at least it seemed so at first. However, I gradually felt that her attitude towards people was getting colder and colder, she seemed to be always absent-minded, and she couldn't communicate with people for a long time. In short, I am very It quickly became apparent that while Annie looked better on the outside, something wasn't quite right inside. I thought it was just because she was so absorbed in the glass harp that distracted her; I hope she recovers eventually .but the result I was hoping to see didn't appear. "In the beginning, I noticed little things—like, dishes not washed, meals that were either undercooked or overcooked, beds unmade. Then Annie spent most of her waking hours in the attic .Usually, I'm woken up to the sound of a glass harp from upstairs, and when I come home from get off work, I'm greeted by the same sound. I hate something. After that, except for eating together, I hardly even saw her for several days——after I fell asleep, she would go to bed to sleep with me, but before I got up, she had already returned Gone--only the melancholy music blared on forever. I'm going mad, Mr. Holmes. Anne's hobby has essentially become an unhealthy obsession, and I think it's all Skirmur Lady's fault." "Why blame her?" I asked. "She has nothing to do with your family's problems. After all, she's just a music teacher." "No, no, she's more than a music teacher, sir. She's a woman of dangerous beliefs, I'm afraid." "Dangerous belief?" "Yes, especially for those who are desperately looking for some kind of hope or who are prone to fall for slander, that belief is even more dangerous." "And your wife happens to be that kind of person?" "I am sorry to say that she is, Mr. Holmes. Anne has always been a very sensitive, gullible woman, even to the point of excess. She seems to be born with a keener perception and experience of the world than other people." ...that was as much her greatest strength as her greatest weakness; a vulnerability which could be easily exploited if malicious men saw it--which is exactly what Ms. Skimmer did. Of course , I didn't realize this for a long time, I always neglected it, and I didn't understand it until recently. "You see, that day was an ordinary evening. As usual, Annie and I sat together quietly to eat dinner. She took a few bites and said she was going to practice in the attic—this is a common thing these days. ...but soon, something else happened: Earlier that day, in my office, a client had gifted me a rather precious bottle of red wine—I had helped him with some sticky issues with his personal account, and he Send me the wine as a thank you. I meant to surprise Anne with the wine by taking it out with the meal, but she left the table so quickly that I didn't have time to get the wine. So I decided to take the wine upstairs to find She. With the bottle and two glasses in my hand, I climbed up the attic stairs. At this time, she had already begun to play the glass organ. The sound of the instrument was very low, and the monotonous and depressed tone seemed to penetrate me. body of. "I went to the door of the attic, and the red wine glass in my hand began to tremble, and my ears hurt. But I still heard clearly that she was not playing any music, nor was she playing the piano casually. No, it was A very deliberate practice, sir, and a very wicked spell. I say it's a spell, because the next thing I heard my wife was talking to someone, her voice came out of her Just as low as the piano." "Are you sure you didn't hear her singing?" "I pray to Heaven that it was she singing that I heard, Mr. Holmes. But, I assure you, she was really talking. I missed most of what she was muttering, but what I have heard The content is enough to make fear well up in my heart. "'I'm here, James.' She said, 'Come to me, Grace, I'm here. Where are you hiding? I want to see you again—'" I put up a hand to give him a pause. "Mr. Keller, my patience is really limited, and I can only bear it for so long. You try to speak eloquently, but you always miss the point, that is, what problem you hope to solve. If possible, or Please only choose the important content to say, after all, only those can be useful to me." My client didn't speak for a few seconds, his brows were furrowed, and he couldn't look directly at me. "We had agreed that if it was a boy," he said at last, "it would be James, and if it was a girl it would be Grace." He suddenly became sad and stopped talking. "Hey, hey!" I said, "Don't be sentimental at this critical moment, please keep talking." He nodded, bit his lip, wiped his forehead with the handkerchief again, and turned his eyes to the floor. "I put down the bottle and glass, and pushed the door open. She was startled, and immediately stopped playing, and stared at me with her big black eyes. There were candles burning in the attic, and all the candles were arranged around the glass harp. A circle casts dancing lights and shadows on her body. That light, combined with his wife's pale skin, makes her look like a ghost. She seems to come from another world, Mr. Holmes. But my feeling is not only Just because of the candlelight. Her eyes, the way she stared at me, lacked something important, something human. Even when she spoke to me, her voice sounded So empty and indifferent. "'What's the matter, dear?' she asked. 'You frightened me—' "I walked towards her. "'Why are you doing that?' I yelled, 'Why are you talking to them as if they were here?' "She stood up slowly from the glass piano, and when I walked in front of her, I saw a faint smile on her pale face. "'It's all right, Thomas, it's really all--' "'I don't understand.' I said, 'you're calling the names of our unborn children, and you're talking as if they were really alive and in this room. What the hell is going on, Anne? ?How long have you been like this?' "She gently held my arm and pulled me away from the glass organ. "'I must be alone when I play, and please respect my habits.' "She dragged me toward the door, but I wanted the answer. "'Tell you,' I said, 'I'm never going to leave unless you explain it to me. How long have you been like this? You must answer me. Why did you do it? Ms. Skimmer knows Is this your case?' "She couldn't look me in the eye. She was like a woman who's been caught telling a big lie. Finally, she gave a cold answer that I didn't expect. "'Yes,' she said, 'Ms. Skimmer knows exactly what I'm doing. She's been helping me, Thomas—you asked her to help me. Good night, dear.' And when she had said that, she He closed the door in front of me and locked it from the inside. "I turned blue with rage, Mr. Holmes. You can imagine how irritated I was when I went back downstairs. My wife's explanation - evasive as it was - at least led me to one conclusion: Ms. Skimmer didn't just teach Anne to play the piano, she at least encouraged her to perform that perverted ritual in the attic. If my guess is correct, then I am in a very difficult situation. I know, only from Sri Lanka Ms. Gummer herself can only find out the truth of the matter. I planned to go directly to her apartment that night and talk to her, but I drank too much red wine to stabilize my mood. I almost drank the entire bottle It was all gone. So I did not go to her till next morning when I was sober. When I got to her house, Mr. Holmes, I was very sober and very resolute. As soon as Ms. Skimmer opened the door, I asked her. "'What rubbish did you teach my wife?' I asked her, 'You tell me, why is she talking to our unborn child? Don't pretend you don't know anything, Anne told me Lots of things.' "There was an embarrassing silence, and it was a long time before she spoke. She invited me in and sat with me in the living room." "'Your wife, Mrs. Keller, is a very unhappy woman,' she said, 'and she's not interested in my glass-harp lessons. She's preoccupied with the children—anyway. , it's always about the kids - the kids are the thing, right? Sure, you want her to play the piano, but she wants the kids - so I'm doing it for you two. Now , she plays the piano very well, and I think she's happier than ever, don't you think?" "'I don't understand, what the hell are you doing for the two of us?' "'Nothing very difficult, Mr. Keller, just using the nature of the glass harp—you know—the echoes of a divine harmony, and I taught her—' "You will not understand what she explained to me next." "Oh, but I think I understand," I said. "Mr. Keller, I know a little about the unusual history of the glass harp. It used to cause riots, It caused panic among the European public and eventually led to the gradual decline of the glass organ. That's why it's so rare to see it these days, let alone hear it played." "What kind of commotion?" "Everything, from nerve damage to persistent depression, from family conflicts to premature births, and even death cases - in some cases, even the pets at home have abnormalities. In many German states, security regulations have been introduced, For reasons of public order and health, the playing of glass harpsichords is completely prohibited. This Mrs. Skimmer is absolutely aware of this. But your wife's depression predates her exposure to glass harpsichords, so we can be sure that玻璃琴并不是导致她烦恼的原因。 “然而，关于玻璃琴的故事，还有另一种说法，斯格默女士在说起所谓的'神圣和谐的回声'时，也是在暗示这一点吧。有些非常坚持理想化状态的人，比如弗兰兹·梅斯梅尔、本杰明·富兰克林、莫扎特等，他们认为玻璃琴的音乐能够促进人类和谐。而另外一些人则狂热地相信，聆听玻璃琴的音乐能够治疗血液疾病，还有一些人——我怀疑，斯格默女士就是其中之一——他们则坚持说，玻璃琴尖锐而具有穿透力的音调可以迅速从这个世界进入往生的世界。他们还认为，特别有天赋的琴手能够将死去的人召唤出来，从而让活着的人和他们已经去世的爱人交流。我想，斯格默女士当时就是这么跟你解释的吧，对不对？” “她就是这么说的。”我的客户用相当惊讶的语气回答我。 “就在那个时候，你解雇了她。” “正是，但你是怎么——” “孩子，这难道不是显而易见的吗？你坚信她应该为你妻子诡异的行为负责，所以，那天早上在你去见她之前，你就已经打算解雇她了。况且，如果她还受雇于你，就不太可能威胁要把你抓起来。请你原谅我偶尔打断你，可是，你讲得真是太啰唆了，我为了加快进度不得不如此。请继续。” “我还能怎么办呢？我没有其他选择。为表公平，我没有要求她退还剩余几节课的学费，她也没有主动提出。可她的镇定让我很惊讶。当我告诉她我不再需要她时，她只是微微一笑，点头同意。 “'先生，如果你认为这样对安妮最好，'她说，'那我也认为这样对安妮是最好的。毕竟，你是她的丈夫。我祝愿你们长长久久，幸福快乐。' “我早该知道，不能相信她的话。那天早上，当我从她公寓离开时，我相信她心里清楚得很，安妮早已在她的掌控之下，不可能离开她了。我现在明白，她是那种最恶毒、最奸诈的女人。事后来看，其实一切都很明显：她一开始就主动给我打折，然后，等到可怜的安妮被她的垃圾洗脑后，她就建议延长课程的时间，好从我口袋里掏出更多的钱。另外，我也担心她看上了安妮妈妈留给安妮的遗产——虽然算不上什么巨额财富，但也还不少。我是相当确定这一点的，福尔摩斯先生。” “当时你没想到这些吗？”我问。 “没有，”他回答，“我唯一担心的就是安妮会对这个消息作出怎样的反应。我一整天心神不宁，一边上班，一边设想会出现怎样的状况，该怎么委婉地告诉她。那天晚上，回到家之后，我把安妮叫到书房，让她在我对面坐下，平静地说出了我的想法。我指出她最近有些忽略了自己的责任和该做的家务，她对玻璃琴的痴迷已经让我们的婚姻关系开始紧张——这是我第一次把她对玻璃琴的爱好定性为痴迷。我告诉她，我们对彼此都是负有一定责任的——我的责任是为她创造安全舒适的生活环境，而她的责任是为我维持这个家庭。我还说，在阁楼里发现的情况让我觉得相当不安，但我并不责怪她悼念我们未出生的孩子。我告诉了她我去见斯格默女士的事。我跟她说，以后再也不用去上玻璃琴课了，斯格默女士也认为这样最好。我握着她的手，直直地看着她毫无表情的脸。 “'我不准你再去见那个女人，安妮，'我说，'明天我会把玻璃琴从家里搬走。我并不想在这件事上表现得很残酷或蛮不讲理，但我需要把我的妻子找回来。我要你回来，安妮。我希望我们能再和从前一样。我们必须让生活恢复正常。' “她开始哭泣，但那是悔恨的泪水，并不是愤怒的泪水。我在她身边跪下。 “'请你原谅我。'我说，然后伸出手抱住了她。 “她在我耳边小声说：'不，应该是我请你原谅。我好混乱，托马斯。我觉得我做什么事情都不对，可我也不知道是为什么。' “'你千万不要钻牛角尖，安妮。只要你相信我，你就会发现，一切都会好起来的。' “她当时向我保证了，福尔摩斯先生，她保证说，会努力做一个好妻子。她似乎也遵守了自己的诺言。实际上，我之前从来没有见过她做出如此迅速的改变。当然，偶尔我也会感觉到，在她内心深处，还是有一些暗流涌动的渴望。有时候，她的情绪相当低落，似乎又想到了什么令她压抑的东西。在很长一段时间里，她花费大量的时间和精力去收拾阁楼，但那时玻璃琴已经不在了，所以我也不是特别担心。我为什么还要担心呢？我每天下班回家时，家务都已做完。吃完晚饭，我们也会像过去一样，开心地陪着对方，坐在前厅，一聊就是好几个钟头。幸福似乎又回来了。” “我很为你高兴，”我平静地说，点燃了我的第三支香烟，“但我还是不明白你为什么要来咨询我。当然，你的这个故事从某种程度上来说还是很吸引人的，但你似乎在为别的什么事情烦恼，我也不知道是为什么，你看起来完全有能力处理好自己的事啊。” “拜托，福尔摩斯先生，我需要你的帮助。” “我都不知道你真正的问题是什么，怎么帮你呢？就目前看来，并没有什么没解开的谜啊。” “我的妻子老是失踪！” “老是失踪？也就是说，她经常也还会再次出现喽？” "yes." “这种情况有多经常？” “发生过五次了。” “她的失踪行为是从什么时候开始的？” “就在两周前。” “我明白了。很有可能也是在星期二吧，然后，是接下来的星期四。如果我说错了，你就纠正我，但我敢打赌，接下来的一周应该也是一样的。当然，还有这周的星期二。” "exactly." “太好了。凯勒先生，我们总算是有点进展了。显然，你的故事在斯格默女士家门口就结束了，但请你再跟我详细地说一说，我还有一两个细节问题需要理清楚。请你从她的第一次失踪开始说起，不过，用失踪来描述她的任性行为可能还不太准确。” 凯勒先生悲哀地看着我。接着，他又朝窗外望去，严肃地摇了摇头。 “我反复想过这件事了。”他说，“你看，是这样的，中午一般都是我最忙的时候，所以大多是跑腿小弟帮我买午饭。可那天，正好我的工作没那么忙，于是我决定回家和安妮一起吃午饭，结果发现她不在家。当时我并不是很担心。实际上，我一直鼓励安妮多出去走走，她也采纳了我的建议，每天下午出去散步。我想，她应该是出去散步了，于是，我给她留了张字条，便回到了办公室。” “她一般都说她去哪儿散步？” “肉店，要么就是市场。她最近尤其喜欢'物理和植物协会'那儿的公园，她说一连几个小时都在那儿看花。” “那里确实是休闲的好地方。请你继续说。” “那天傍晚，我回到家，发现她还没有回来。我留在前门的字条还在原处，屋里也没有任何她曾经回来过的痕迹，我就开始担心了。我的第一个念头是去找她，可我刚出门，安妮就慢慢地走来了。福尔摩斯先生，她看上去累极了，看到我的第一眼还显得有些犹豫。我问她怎么那么晚才回来，她解释说她在'物理和植物协会'的公园里睡着了。这是一个有点奇怪、但也并非完全无法相信的回答。我忍住了，没有再追问她。老实说，只要她能回来，我就放心了。 “然而，两天之后，相同的事又发生了。我回到家，安妮又不在。但她没过多久就回来了，解释说她又在公园的一棵树下睡着了。第二周，还是一模一样的情况。但她只在星期二和星期四失踪，如果是在其他的日子，我也不会如此怀疑，更不会在这刚刚过去的星期二去证实我的怀疑。我知道她以前的玻璃琴课都是在星期二和星期四，从四点开始，到六点结束，所以，那天我提早下班，在波特曼书店对面的街上找了个不起眼的地方躲好。等到四点过一刻，还没有看到她的人影，我的隐隐觉得松了口气。可就在我准备离开时，她出现了。她漠然地沿着蒙太格大街走着——在我的对面——手里高举着我送给她当生日礼物的太阳伞。在那一刻，我的心都沉了，我只是呆呆地站在那儿，既没有去追她，也没有叫住她。我看着她收起太阳伞，走进了波特曼书店的大门。” “你妻子经常在和别人约好见面时迟到吗？” “恰恰相反，福尔摩斯先生，她认为守时是一种重要的美德，但是最近她有些不一样。” “我明白了。请继续。” “你应该能想象得到我内心的愤怒。几秒钟之后，我冲上楼梯，朝斯格默女士的公寓跑去。我已经能听见安妮在里面弹玻璃琴的声音了——那可怕又难听的调子，让我更加怒火中烧，我怒气冲冲地捶门。 “'安妮！'我大喊，'安妮！' “但来开门的并不是我妻子，而是斯格默女士。她打开门，用我从来没见过的恶毒表情盯着我。 “'我要见我的妻子，就是现在！'我大叫，'我知道她就在里面！'就在这时，公寓里的琴声戛然而止。 “'要见你的妻子就回你自己家去见，凯勒先生！'她一边低声说着，一边往前走了一步，把身后的门关上。'安妮现在已经不是我的学生了！'她一手放在门把手上，用庞大的身躯堵住门，不让我冲进去。 “'你骗了我，'我故意大声说，好让安妮也能听见，'你们俩都骗了我，我不会就此罢休的！你这个卑鄙无耻的女人！' “斯格默女士也越来越气愤，实际上，我气急败坏，都不知道自己说了些什么，就跟喝醉了一样。现在回过头想想，我才意识到自己当时的行为确实失去了理智，可这个讨厌的女人欺骗了我，我很为我妻子担心。 “'我只是好好教我的琴，'她说，'但你非要来找我的麻烦。你喝醉了，所以，等你明天好好想一想这件事，会后悔自己的冲动的！我不想再和你说话了，凯勒先生，你永远都不要再来敲我的门！' “听到这话，我的愤怒爆发了，福尔摩斯先生，我失去了理智，大吼起来。 “'我知道她还一直到你这儿来，我敢肯定，你还在用你邪恶的想法蛊惑她！我不知道你这么做的企图是什么，但如果你想要从她的遗产里分得一杯羹，那我可以明确地告诉你，我会用尽一切办法，绝不让你染指半分！我要警告你，斯格默女士，除非我妻子完全摆脱了你的影响，否则我会时时处处阻止你的阴谋，不管你再说什么花言巧语，我都绝不会再上你的当了！' “女人把手从门把手上拿开，握起拳头，看起来像是想动手打我。我之前说过，她是个身材高大结实的德国女人，我相信她能轻而易举地放倒绝大多数男人。但她克制住了自己的愤怒，她说，'应该是我警告你，凯勒先生。你赶紧走，永远不要再来了。如果你还敢来找我的麻烦，我就要喊警察来抓你了！'说完，她转过身，走进公寓，当着我的面把门狠狠关上了。 “我气得全身发抖，立刻离开了那里，我回到家，一心想着等到安妮回来，一定要严厉责备她才行。我敢肯定，她听到了我和斯格默女士的争吵，让我生气的是，她居然一直躲在那女人的客厅里不愿露面。对我来说，不用找什么理由否认我在跟踪她；她应该很清楚这一点。然而，让我万万没有想到的是，当我回到家时，她居然已经在家里了。我实在搞不明白——她不可能比我先离开斯格默女士的公寓，尤其那公寓还是在二楼。就算她真的设法比我先离开，也不可能在我回到家时，就把晚餐煮好。我当时十分困惑她到底是怎么做到的，直到今天，我还是百思不得其解。我们吃晚餐时，我等着她提起我跟斯格默女士争吵的事，她却什么都没说。我问她，她那天下午都干什么去了，她回答，'我开始看一本新的小说了，之前，我还去“物理和植物协会”的公园逛了一小会儿。' “'又去了？你现在还没去腻吗？' “'怎么可能会腻？那里很漂亮的。' “'你去散步的时候，没有遇到斯格默女士吧，安妮？' “'没有啊，托马斯，当然没有。' “我问过她是不是搞错了，但她似乎对我下的定论非常生气，坚持说没有见过。” “那她一定是在骗你，”我说，“有些女人很有撒谎的天分，总能让男人相信她们的话。” “福尔摩斯先生，你不明白，安妮是不可能故意撒谎的，她不是那样的人。就算她撒了谎，我也能一眼看穿她的心思，当场就会和她对质。但那天不是，她真的没有对我撒谎，我从她脸上的表情就能看得出来。我确定，她对我和斯格默女士的争吵完全一无所知。我真不明白这一切到底是怎么回事。但我能肯定，她当时是在公寓里的，就像我能肯定她没有对我撒谎一样。我现在满脑子都是糊涂的。所以那天晚上我才着急给你写信，希望能得到你的意见和帮助。” 这就是客户交给我的谜团。虽然它看似微不足道，但我还是发现了其中几个有趣之处。我利用自己早已建立的一套逻辑分析方法，开始排除相互矛盾的结论，直到最后，只剩下一个可能的解释，因为我实在也找不到其他的可能来解释事情的真相了。 “在这家图书与地图专卖店，”我问，“你还记得见过除店主以外的其他员工吗？” “我只记得那个老店主，没见过其他人。我感觉他应该是独自开店的，不过，他的状态似乎不太好。” "How to say?" “我的意思是说，他的身体似乎不太好，不停地咳嗽，还咳得挺严重，视力显然也不行了。我第一次去那儿，问斯格默女士的住处时，他就用了一只放大镜来看我的脸。而这一次我去的时候，他似乎压根就没发现我走进了他的店。” “我猜，是长年在灯光下埋头苦读造成的吧。不管怎么说，虽然我对蒙太格大街及其周边的环境相当熟悉，但我还是要承认，这家书店我并不了解。它里面的书多吗，你知道吗？” “实话说，我还是知道的，福尔摩斯先生。告诉你吧，它是一家很小的书店——我觉得它以前应该就是住家——每个房间里都堆满了一排又一排的书，而地图似乎被放到了别的地方。书店门前贴着告示，请要买地图的顾客直接向波特曼先生咨询。可我记得我在店里没有看到过一张地图。” “你有没有无意中问过波特曼先生——我猜这应该是店主的姓氏吧——问他有没有见过你妻子走进他的书店？” “没有必要问他啊。我说过了，他的视力相当差。再说，我是亲眼看到她走进书店的，我的视力难道不比老店主好多了？” “我并不是质疑你的视力，凯勒先生。这件事本身并不是那么棘手，但有几件事我必须亲自解决，我现在马上就和你去一趟蒙太格大街。” "now?" “现在不就是星期四下午吗？”我扯出怀表链子，确认了时间是三点半。“我看，如果我们现在出发，也许还能在你妻子之前赶到波特曼书店。”我站起身去拿外套时，补充了一句，“从现在开始，我们必须小心谨慎，因为我们要面对至少一个情绪很复杂的女人。希望你妻子跟我的这块怀表一样，能够靠得住。不过，她如果这次能再迟到一会儿，那对我们反而有利。” 我们匆匆忙忙地从贝克街动身，很快就融入了伦敦拥挤喧闹的大街。朝波特曼书店走去的路上，我认真思考了这个案子的细节，很快就清醒地意识到，凯勒先生的这个问题其实真的是无关紧要的。实际上，如果我的好医生也在，这案子压根就不可能激起他的任何写作灵感。我想，在我刚开始做顾问侦探的头几年，遇到这样的小案子，也许会欢呼雀跃，但到了职业生涯的晚期，我绝对会把它送到别处。通常我会推荐几个年轻的后起之秀——赛斯·韦佛、南沃克的特雷弗，或丽兹·皮娜——他们都在顾问侦探这一行业表现出了相当的潜能。 然而，我必须承认，我对凯勒先生问题的关注并不是由于他冗长无趣的描述，而完全是出自于两方面的私人原因，它们毫无关联但同样私密：一，我对那恶名昭著的玻璃琴的好奇心——我一直都很想亲耳听一听它的声音；二，我在照片上看到的那张迷人脸庞勾起了我的兴趣。值得一提的是，我只能对其中一种好奇心做出解释，我觉得，是约翰经常说什么女性的陪伴有益健康，才勾起了我对异性短暂的兴趣。我只能以这种假设来解释自己不理性的感觉，除此之外，我实在不明白一个普通已婚女子的照片为何会对我有如此大的吸引力。