The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 133 The Hound of the Baskervilles (14)
I resignedly replied that I did not know all the facts.My timely conceding turned his anger into joy, and it also opened up his conversation.

"You must believe, sir, that I make a positive opinion only when I have good grounds for it. I have seen the boy with his roll several times a day, sometimes twice a day, and I Can... wait a minute, Dr. Watson. Is it my eyesight now, or is there something moving on that hillside?"

A few miles away, I could clearly see a small black spot against a dark green and gray background.

"Come on, sir, come on!" cried Frankland, rushing upstairs. "See for yourself, and then judge for yourself."

On the flat lead sheet roof, the huge telescope was mounted on a tripod.Frankland closed his eyes and let out an exclamation of satisfaction.

"Quickly, Dr. Watson, come quickly, don't wait for him to pass the mountain!"

Sure enough, a child with a small roll of things on his shoulders was walking slowly up the mountain with great effort.When he reached the top of the hill, against the dark blue sky, I suddenly spotted the disheveled stranger.He looked around furtively, as if afraid of being followed.Then it disappeared over the mountain.

"Ha, am I right?"

"Of course, that kid seems to have some secret mission."

"His mission can be guessed by a county policeman, but I won't tell them a word, and I ask you to keep it secret, Dr. Watson. Don't say a word, do you understand?"

"I listen to you."

"They treated me so badly -- so badly. I dare say there will be an uproar all over the country when Frankland's case against the Queen's Government comes out. I'm not going to help the police anyway. They're going to It is me who is in charge, not the straw man who symbolizes me and was tied to a pole by these rascals and burned. Don't go! You have to drink this bottle of wine with me to celebrate this great victory!"

I declined his offer to stay, and successfully dispelled his idea of ​​walking home with me.I followed the road all the time he watched me, and when he lost sight of me I left the road abruptly and walked across the moor towards the hill where the boy had disappeared.Everything was going well for me, and I swore that I would never miss the opportunity that fate gave me because of lack of spirit and perseverance.

By the time I reached the top the sun had set, and the sun-facing side of the slope below me was a golden green, while the other side was completely in gray shadow.On the very far horizon, there was a faint twilight, and the strange shapes of Beliver and Vickson Rock stood out in the twilight.The boundless land was silent.High in the blue sky a gray goose, perhaps a gull or curlew, soars freely.Between the vastness of the sky and the barrenness of the earth, the bird and I seemed to be the only living beings.The sight of the desert, the feeling of solitude, and the mystery and urgency of my mission made me shiver.The child was nowhere to be seen.I saw a circle of old stone houses in a ravine below, and one in the middle had a roof that could keep out the wind and rain.As soon as I saw it, I couldn't help but feel inspired. That person must be hiding here.I'm finally near his hideout - I'm about to get hold of his secret.

I approached the hut cautiously and cautiously, like Stapleton approaching a stopped butterfly with his net aloft.I am satisfied that the place was once inhabited.A path loomed among the rocks led to a crumbling opening.The stranger might be hiding there, or wandering the moor.The sense of adventure excited my nerves, and I put my cigarette butt aside, felt for the butt of the revolver, and walked quickly to the door, and looked into the room, which was empty.

There's plenty of evidence that I'm not looking in the wrong place.This must be where the man lives.A tarp wrapped in some blankets lay on the same stone slab on which Neolithic man once slept, and a pile of burnt ashes in a rough stone pit, with some kitchen utensils and a half-barrel beside it water.A pile of empty cans showed that the man had lived in this house for a long time.After my eyes got used to the tangled dots of sunlight filtering through the leaves, I saw a small metal cup and a half-bottle of wine in the corner of the room.In the center of the hut was a flat stone, which seemed to serve as a table, and on it was a small cloth bag--apparently the roll on the child's shoulder which I had seen through the telescope.It contained a loaf of bread, a can of ox tongue, and two cans of peaches.When I had checked and put it down again, my heart skipped a beat, for I saw there was a piece of paper underneath, and I picked it up, on which was scrawled in pencil: "Dr Watson went to Combe Tracey Pass."

I stood there with the paper in my hand for a full minute, thinking about what the sentence meant.It was me, then, and not Sir Henry, whom this mysterious figure was after.He didn't follow me himself, but sent someone—perhaps the kid—after me, and that's what he wrote.

He may have seen and reported every move I've taken since I arrived on the moor.I always feel that there is an invisible force, like a dense net, that surrounds us incomparably cleverly, but we are not aware of it. The enemy only wants to let us know that we are really dead. was caught in the net.

There might be others besides this report, so I searched around the house.But nothing was found, nor was there any indication of the character and purpose of the people who inhabited this strange place.But one thing is certain, he must have had the Spartan habit of not caring about the comfort of life.

I looked at the roof with a big gap, and when I thought about the night when it rained heavily, I could understand even more that his will not to give up until he reached his goal, it was with this will that he was able to live in this unsatisfactory environment. cozy place.

Is he a fierce enemy, or an angel who protects us?
I made up my mind not to leave the hut until I found out.

Outside, the sun was already low, and there was a fiery golden light in the west, and the skylight reflected red patches on the puddles scattered in the great Greenping Mire in the distance.The two towers of Baskerville Hall could be seen yonder, and in the distance, in a hazy line of smoke, the village of Greenpings, and between the two stood the Stapleton house behind the hill.In the golden afterglow of the evening, everything looks beautiful and peaceful.But when I saw this scenery, I couldn't feel the tranquility of nature at all. Instead, I felt dazed and scared because of the upcoming meeting.With trembling nerves but firm determination, I sat in the dark recesses of the cabin, waiting patiently for the return of the owner.

Later, I finally heard him coming, and there was the thumping sound of leather shoes walking on the stone in the distance, and he was getting closer step by step.I retreated to the darkest corner of the room, cocked my revolver in my pocket, and resolved not to show myself till I could see the man clearly.The sound stopped for a long time, indicating that he stopped, and then the footsteps moved forward again, and a black shadow was projected in from the opening of the stone house.

"It is a beautiful evening, my dear Watson," said a familiar voice, "I think you will be much more comfortable out there than inside."

[-]. Tragedy on the Swamp
I held my breath and sat quietly for a minute or two, unable to believe my ears.Then, when I came to my senses, I was able to speak, and at the same time it seemed as if a very heavy burden was lifted from my heart.Because that cold, sharp and mocking voice can only come from that mouth.

"Holmes!" I cried. "Holmes!"

"Come out!" he said, "and watch out for your revolver."

I hunched over the rough doorframe and saw him sitting on a rock outside.His gray eyes rolled with joy when he saw the startled expression on my face.He was thin and dark, but still awake and alert, his alert face browned by the sun and roughened by the wind.In his tweed suit and cloth cap, he was attired like any traveler on the moor, yet he managed to take care of personal cleanliness, which was a trait of his, with the feline care, his beard shaved. Clean, and clothes as neat as they were in Baker Street.

"I've never been happier in my life seeing anyone," I said, shaking his hand.

"You're not that surprised, are you?"

"Oh, I have to admit it."

"Actually, you're not the only one who was surprised. Let me tell you, I really didn't expect that you had found my temporary hiding place, let alone that you were already hiding in it, until I was twenty steps away from the door. only found out when."

"Is it because of my footprints?"

"No, Watson, I'm afraid I can't guarantee that I can recognize you from the footprints of people all over the world. If you really want to fool me, you should change the brand of cigarettes, because I saw 'Bradley, Oxford Street' stamped on the butt, I knew my friend Watson must be nearby. You'll find him on the side of the road. No doubt, at the critical moment when you rush into the empty house Just threw it away."

"Exactly."

"When I think about it, and knowing your tenacity, I'm sure you're sitting in the dark with your pistol in your hand, waiting for the owner to come back. Do you really think the people who live here Is he a fugitive?"

"I don't know who you are, but I am determined to find out."

"Excellent, Watson! How did you determine the location? Perhaps you saw me standing in front of the rising moon by accident on the night of the capture of the fugitive?"

"By the way, I saw you that time."

"You must have searched all the cottages to find this stone one?"

"No, I saw the kid you hired, and he pointed me in the direction of the search."

"Must have seen it at the old gentleman with the telescope. At first I saw the light bouncing off that lens, and I couldn't make out what it was." He got up and looked into the cabin. "Huh Well, Cartley brought me something to eat again? What's this piece of paper? So you've been to Combe Tracey, haven't you?"

"Correct."

"To Mrs. Laura Lyons?"

"Yes."

"Good job! Obviously our investigations are in the same direction. I hope that when the results of our investigations are combined, we can have a fuller understanding of the case."

"Hey, I'm really glad you're here. My nerves are overwhelmed with such a big and mysterious case. But how on earth did you get here? What do you do? I thought you Inquiring into the case of the anonymous threatening letter in Baker Street."

"That's what I want you to think."

"So you're using me, and you don't trust me!" I exclaimed angrily. "I don't think I'm that good in your eyes, Holmes."

"My dear fellow, you have been invaluable in this case, as in many others, and I beg you to forgive me if I have played any trick on you. In fact I do this partly for your sake, and it is because I feel the danger you run that I have come here to look into it myself. If I were with you—Sir Henry and you— , I believe we are of the same opinion, and if I show up, it is a warning to our opponents to be more careful. In fact, I have always been free to move about, and if I lived on the estate, then It's just not possible. I've played an unknown role in this, and I'm always ready to give it a go in a pinch."

"But why are you keeping it from me?"

"Because letting you know is of no help to us, and it may expose me. You must want to come and tell me some clues, or send me something with good intentions, so that we will take unnecessary risks I brought Cartley--you must remember the little guy at the helper's agency--and he dealt with my simple household items: a loaf of bread and a clean collar. What more can a man need? He has given me a pair of hardworking feet and a pair of keen eyes, and these two things are invaluable to me."

"Then, I'm afraid my reports were written in vain!" I recalled my hard work and pride when I wrote those reports, and my voice trembled.

Holmes drew a roll of papers from his pocket.

"Here is your report, my dear companion, which I have read over and over again, I assure you. I have arranged it so well that it is only delayed a day on the way. You, in this extremely difficult case, Showed great enthusiasm and great intelligence, and I must pay you my highest respect."

I was very uncomfortable at being deceived, but these compliments from Holmes calmed my anger.I also admitted in my heart that he was right, that it was the best thing to do for our purposes, and that I should not have known that he had come to the moor.

"That's all right," said he, when he saw my face brighten. "Now tell me the result of your visit to Mrs. Laura Lyons. It's not hard to imagine you were there looking for her, because I already know, At Combe Tracy, she was the only person who helped us in this matter. In fact, if you didn't go today, I probably will go tomorrow."

The sun had completely set, and dusk hung over the moor.It was getting colder too, so we went into the hut to keep warm.We sat together in the darkness, and I related to Holmes what I had said to the lady.He was so interested that I had to repeat certain parts twice before he was satisfied.

"It is of the utmost importance," said he, when I had finished, "that it bridges the gap in this most complicated case where I cannot connect it. As you may know, this lady and Mr. Stapleton has a very intimate relationship?"

"I didn't know they had an intimate relationship!"

"There's no question about it. They've seen each other a lot, they've written a lot, they know each other well. Now, that adds another weapon to us. If we use it to divide his wife..."

"His wife?!"

"I will now give you some information in return for all the information you have given me just now. That Miss Stapleton is in fact his wife."

"My God, Holmes! Is it true what you say? Then how could he make Sir Henry fall in love with her?"

"Sir Henry's love for that foreign lady would do harm to no one but himself. Stapleton took great care to prevent Sir Henry from having an opportunity of confessing his love to her, as you have seen. I Again, that woman is his wife, not his sister."

"But why did he go to such lengths to plan this deception?"

"Because he has already seen it, it would be more useful for her to pretend to be an unmarried woman."

My guesses and vague doubts suddenly became clear and specific, and they all focused on the biologist.In this man wearing a straw hat, holding a butterfly net, lacking in enthusiasm, and his words and deeds are dull, I seem to see something terrible-unfathomable city and scheming, with viciousness hidden under the smiling face heart.

"Then it was he who followed us in London, and our enemy?"

"That's how I solved the mystery."

"That put together warning must have been sent by her?"

"Exactly."

A criminal act that has been haunting my mind for a long time, with seemingly no connection and speculation, gradually emerged in the darkness.

"But are you sure of that, Holmes? How do you know that woman is his wife?"

"Because when he first met you, he couldn't help telling a truthful part of his life. I dare say he has regretted it since then. He used to work in the North of England. Principal of a primary school, it is very easy to investigate a principal of a primary school these days. Anyone who has worked in education can be found through the educational institution. I did a little research and found out that there was once a primary school that closed down due to some disasters , and the owner of the school—the name is different—and his wife are missing. Their features are consistent with what we have seen here. When I learned that the missing person was also enthusiastic about entomology, his Identity can be identified."

The shady scenes have been gradually uncovered, but many truths are still hidden in the darkness.

"If this woman is his wife, what about this Mrs. Laura Lyons?" I asked.

"That's one of the whole problems that you've brought to light in your visit. Your interview with the lady has made it much clearer. I hadn't heard of her and her husband before this." Wants a divorce. If she's planning a divorce and thinks Stapleton is still unmarried, she'll have to think about being his wife."

"But what if she finds out about the deception?"

"Oh, in that case the lady might be of use to us. Of course we should go to her first--we will both go to-morrow. Don't you think, Watson, that you have been away from your post for too long? You should be at Baskerville Park now."

The last rays of sunset also faded in the west, and night fell on the moor.In the purple sky, there are a few half-bright and half-dark stars twinkling.

"And one last question, Holmes," I said, rising. "There is no need to keep any secret between you and me. Why is he doing it? What is his purpose?"

(End of this chapter)