The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 108 The Return (23)
Surprised and disappointed, our client cried out: "My God, Mr. Holmes, you won't just go away like this! You don't seem to understand my situation. There is an exam tomorrow! Tonight I must Take certain measures. If someone reads the test paper, I will not be able to hold the test. We must face this situation squarely."

"It can only go so far. I'll come back early tomorrow morning to talk to you about it. Perhaps I can tell you what to do. But don't touch anything in your room, don't touch anything."

"Well, that's it, Mr. Holmes."

"You needn't worry at all. We'll find a way out of it. I'll take those two balls of black mud and the pencil shavings. Good-bye."

We stepped out of the yard and looked up at the windows again in the dark.The Indian was still pacing the house.There was no light in the other two windows.

Walking into the street, Holmes asked: "Watson, what do you think of this matter? It's like a little game in the living room, drawing one out of three cards, isn't it? It must be one of the three." I did it. Let you choose, who do you say it is?"

"That rough fellow at the top. He's the worst. But that Indian is very cunning, too. Why is he always walking up and down the house?"

"It doesn't matter. Some people walk around when they're trying to remember things."

"It's weird the way he looks at us."

"If you were studying for your homework and had an exam the next day, and every moment was precious, and a group of people came to you out of the blue, you would look at them that way. I don't think that means much. As for the two The pencil and the two knives are all right. But there is one person I can't figure out."

"Which one?"

"The servant Bannister. What part did he play in the matter?"

"He struck me as a very honest man."

"I had that impression too. That's what makes it hard to understand. Why an honest man—oh, there's a stationery store here. We'll start our investigation with that store."

There were only four large stationery stores in the university town, and Holmes took out those few pencil shavings from every stationery store, and had to pay a high price for the same pencils.All four had to pre-order one for him, as it was not an ordinary size pencil and was rarely in stock.My friend was not disappointed by this, but just shrugged casually, expressing resignation.

"My dear Watson, we have come to nothing. The best clue is useless. But I am sure we will still be able to get to the bottom of the matter. My God! It is almost nine o'clock, and the landlady has said 07 :30 Make pea soup for us. Watson, you are always smoking and not eating regularly. I think the landlord will ask you to check out, and I will follow your luck--anyway , let's settle the problems involving anxious tutors, careless servants, and three promising college students."

It was quite late when we ate, and though he brooded long after dinner, he never mentioned the matter to me again.At eight o'clock the next morning, I had hardly finished washing, when Holmes came into my room.

He said: "Watson, it is time for us to go to St. Luke's. Will you skip breakfast?"

"can."

"If we don't give Soames an affirmative answer, he's going to be agitated."

"Do you have any definite answer?"

"some."

"Have you reached a conclusion?"

"Yes, my dear Watson, I have solved the mystery."

"What new evidence have you got?"

"I got up at six o'clock this morning, and I'm not going to get nothing. I've worked hard for two hours, and walked at least five miles, and I've finally got something. Look at this!"

He stretched out his palm, and there were three small black mud balls in the shape of a pyramid.

"You only had two yesterday, what's the matter?"

"Another one early this morning. It can be concluded that the source of the third little ball of mud is the source of the first and the second. Come, Watson, and we will reassure our friend Soames." Come."

We saw Soames in his room in a very disturbed mood.The exam will start in a few hours, but he is still in a dilemma-whether to declare the truth, or allow cheaters to take this high-scholarship exam.Soames seemed almost on the verge of losing his footing, but when he saw Holmes he immediately stretched out his arms to meet him.

"Thank goodness you're here at last! I'm afraid you'll let it go because you feel helpless. What am I going to do? Are the exams still going on?"

"Yes, it will certainly take place."

"But what about the liar?"

"He can't be allowed to participate."

"Have you found it?"

"I think I can find out. If the matter is not to be made public, we must have some authority and form an unofficial court-martial ourselves. Soames, you sit there. Watson, you sit here. I sit in the middle arm-chair." Come on. I think our majesty is enough to inspire awe in the criminal. Ring the bell!"

Bannister came in, horrified at the sight of our majestic faces, and took a step back.

Holmes said: "Please close the door. Bannister, please tell us the truth of yesterday's events."

His face was completely pale with fright, and he hesitated a bit: "Sir, I said everything yesterday."

"Is there nothing to add?"

"Not at all, sir."

"Well, let me remind you. Did you sit in that chair yesterday to cover up something that just shows who has been in this room?"

Bannister turned pale, and quickly said, "No, sir, absolutely not."

"This is only a reminder," said Holmes again mildly. "I confess frankly that I cannot confirm the matter. But it is probable that you released the occupant of the bedroom as soon as Mr. Soames turned his back."

Bannister licked his chapped lips and said, "Sir, there is no one in the bedroom."

"Bannister, this is not good. By now, you should tell the truth, but I know you are still lying."

With a sullen face, he said nonchalantly, "Sir, there is really no one."

"Bannister, speak up!"

"Sir, there is indeed no one."

"Well, since you can't give us any information, may you please stay and not go out? Please stand by the bedroom door. Mr. Soames, please take the trouble to go to Gilchrist's room yourself and ask him Come to your place."

The tutor soon returned with the student.The student was well built, tall, quick in action, quick in step, and had a cheerful and cheerful expression on his face.He scanned each of us with uneasy eyes, and finally stared blankly at Bannister in the corner.

Holmes said: "Please close the door. Mr. Gilchrist, there is no outsider here, and no one will know what we have talked about. So we can be honest with each other. Mr. Gilchrist, I want to know if you How could such an honest man do what he did yesterday?"

The poor youth took a step back, and gave Bannister a look of horror and reproach.

"No, no, Mr Gilchrist, I haven't said a word, not a word," said the servant.

"But now you have spoken," said Holmes. "You must understand, Mr. Gilchrist, that after Bannister speaks, there is nothing you can do. Your only recourse is a frank admission of the truth."

At that moment, Gilchrist raised his hands, trying to control his twitching body.Then he fell on his knees at the table with a thump, covered his face with his hands, and sobbed violently.

Holmes said gently: "Young man, don't be like this. People always make mistakes. At least no one will take you as a criminal with a wicked heart. It may be more convenient for me to tell Mr. Soames what happened, no." Please correct me. I'll start talking, well, listen, lest I say wrong about what you did.

"Mr. Soames, you once told me that no one, including Bannister, knew that the papers were in your house. From then on, I began to have a general clear opinion in my mind. Of course it did not." Take the printer into account, because this worker can do it in his office if he wants to peek at the test paper. And the Indian, I don't think he can do anything bad. The proof roll is one roll, he may Wouldn't know what it was. Also, the chances of a coincidence that a person would dare to trespass and happen to have a test paper on the table are very small. So I ruled out that possibility. Go inside who knows where the papers are. How does he know?

"As I approached your house, I checked the window. You made me laugh at the idea that you thought I would believe that perhaps a man would break down in broad daylight, under the eyes of all the people in the opposite house. Through the window? No, the idea is absurd. I was measuring how tall a passer-by would have to be to see the test paper on the desk. I'm six feet tall, and it took a little effort to see it, not less than People who are six feet can't see it. So, I think if one of your three students is taller than average, he's the one most likely to do it.

"When I entered the house, I found clues on the table by the window, as I told you. From the table in the middle, I got no clues. Then you said that Gilchrist was a long jumper and won a prize. Then I immediately understood the whole story, but I still needed some circumstantial evidence, which I also quickly obtained.

"The thing is, this young man was practicing his long jump on the playground in the afternoon. He came back with his sneakers. You know, the soles of the long jump sneakers have some spikes on them. When he passed your window, As he is tall, seeing the copy on your desk, he guessed it was an examination paper. Had he passed your door without seeing a key left on the door, he would not have done anything wrong. For a while Impulsively, he went in to see if it was a copy. It wasn't a risky move, as he could have pretended he wanted to ask you a question.

"When he saw that it was indeed a proof, he couldn't resist the temptation, and put the shoes on the table. On the chair near the window, what did you put there?"

The young man replied: "Gloves."

Holmes looked at Bannister triumphantly, and then said: "He put his gloves on the chair, and he took up the proof sheet and copied them one by one. He thought that the tutor must return from the yard gate, so that he could look at him at the window." Yes. But we know that Mr. Soames came back by the side door. He suddenly heard the teacher's footsteps approaching the door, and it was too late to escape. So he grabbed his long-jump sneakers and immediately hid in the bedroom, but forgot to take Gloves. You can see that the scratches on the table are very shallow at one end, but gradually deepen at the end facing the bedroom. The scratches themselves are enough to show that the long jump sneakers were picked up in the direction of the bedroom. The criminal is hiding in the bedroom. There was a piece of dirt on the spikes left on the table and another in the bedroom. Let me also say that I went to the sports field early this morning and saw the black clay used in the jumping pits, sprinkled with fine yellow sawdust to prevent the athletes from slipping. Down. I have brought a small piece of black earth. Mr. Gilchrist, is what I say true?"

The student stood up and said, "Yes, it's completely true."

Soames said, "Is there anything else you want to add?"

"Yes, sir. I was terribly alarmed after this dishonorable deed. I have a letter for you, Mr. Soames, for which I stayed up last night. That is to say, in I know that I have written before my crime has been found out. Please read this letter, sir. I have written: 'I have decided not to take the exam. I have received an appointment from the Rhodesian Police Headquarters and I am going to leave for South Africa immediately .'"

Soames said: "I'm happy for you that you didn't intend to cheat to get the scholarship. But how did you change your intentions?"

Gilchrist pointed to Bannister and said, "He's the one who put me on the right path."

"Come here, Bannister," said Holmes. "I have made it clear that only you can let this young man go, because you were the only one in the house, and you must have locked the door when you went out. And it is impossible for him to escape from the window. Please explain the last doubt in this case, and tell us your reasons for doing so."

"It's easy enough if you know. But, clever as you are, you can't. I was butler to the young gentleman's father, old Lord Gilchrist. When he was bankrupt, I came To this college as a servant, but I have never forgotten my old master who has fallen. In memory of the past, I took care of his son as best I could in the college. When Mr. Soames rang for me yesterday, I first saw There were Mr. Gilchrist's tan gloves on the chair. I knew whose gloves they belonged to, and I knew what they meant here. If Mr. Soames saw it, the secret would be out. I sat down hastily. to the chair to block the glove, and I dared not move until Mr. Soames came to you. Then came out my poor little master, whom I brought up myself, and he confessed everything to me. I will save him , isn't it natural? Isn't it natural that I should teach him, like his late father, that he shouldn't take chances? Can you blame me for that, sir?"

Holmes rose cheerfully, and said: "Not at all. I think, Soames, we have cleared up your little problem, and we have not had breakfast. Let us go, Watson! As for you, sir, I believe in a bright future for you in Rhodesia. Despite your fall this time, we still look forward to a bright future for you."

Gold-rimmed pince-nez
All our work in [-] was recorded in three thick manuscripts.It is difficult for me to select the most interesting cases which best illustrate my friend's special talents.I have looked through these manuscripts, and I can see the heinous incident of the red leech and the tragic death of the banker Crossby, the tragedy of Adelton and the strange burials in the British tomb, and the famous Smith Mortimer succession case.During this year, Holmes also received a letter of thanks from the President of France and a French medal for tracking down and arresting the murderer Herriet in Blois Street.While these could make excellent stories, on the whole I don't think it compares to the case at Yorksley House, which has many gripping episodes, including the tragic death of the young Willoughby Smith, and There are many confusing and ups and downs.

One late night at the end of November, strong winds and heavy rain ravaged the city of London.Holmes and I sat together in silence. He used a high-powered magnifying glass to read the writing left on a piece of paper, and I was absorbed in reading a new surgical paper.Outside, the wind was howling across Baker Street, and the rain was beating violently on the windows.Oddly enough, living in the center of the city, within a ten-mile radius of all man-made buildings, I still feel the relentless threat of nature to human beings, and I also realize that in the face of the great power of nature, all of London is not as good as the fields The countless small mounds in the wild are solid.I approached the window, looked out into the deserted street, and saw a light in the distance, shining on the muddy path and the glowing road.A lone cab was approaching from the end of Oxford Street.

Holmes put down his magnifying glass, rolled up the slip of paper, and said, "It's a good thing, Watson, that we didn't go out tonight. I've done a lot of work just now. It hurts the eyes too much. In my opinion, it's only after the fifteenth century." Half a monastery blotter. Hey! Hey! What's that sound?"

Over the whistling wind came the clatter of horses' hoofs, and the sound of wheels hitting the stone edge of the sidewalk.I saw the rented carriage stopped in front of our door, and a man stepped out of the carriage, and I shouted, "What is he going to do?"

"Why, he wants us? But we still have coats, scarves, overshoes, etc. for bad weather. Wait a minute! The cab is gone, and that's great! If he wants to ask us out, he will let us go." The carriage stays and waits. My dear Watson, others have already fallen asleep, so go downstairs and open the door."

As soon as the visitor came under the hall light, I recognized him at once. It was young Stanley Hopkins, a promising detective, whose work Holmes took an interest in.

"Has he come in?" asked Holmes eagerly.

"My dear friend," said Holmes jokingly, standing upstairs, "come upstairs. I suppose you have no ill intentions against us on a night like this?"

As the detective ascended the stairs, the light fell on his raincoat, which shone.I helped him take off his raincoat while Holmes stoked the fire in the hearth.

"My dear Hopkins," said Holmes, "come nearer to the fire, and warm your feet. Smoke a cigar, please. Our doctor has yet to give you a prescription. Hot water with lemon is a remedy for a stormy night." The best medicine. You must have something important to come here at this time, right?"

"That's right, Mr. Holmes. You know how busy I am this afternoon. Did you read the Yoxley story in the evening paper?"

"I haven't read anything after the fifteenth century."

"There was only a short paragraph in the paper, and it was all wrong, so it didn't matter if I didn't read it. I made a quick trip to the scene. Yoxley lived in Kent, seven miles from Casham, from the railway line. Three miles. I got the call at three-fifteen, and at five o'clock I was at Yoxley House, surveyed the scene, then took the last train to Charing Cross, hired a cab and drove straight there. Here you are."

"I suppose you haven't quite figured out the case yet?"

(End of this chapter)