福爾摩斯閱讀計(jì)劃1

Day1:

Intheyear1878zItookmydegreeofDoctorofMedicineintheUniversityof

London,

andproceededtoNetleytogothroughthecoursearrangedfordoctorsinthe

army.

MyregimentwasstationedinIndiaatthetime,andbeforeIcouldjoinit,the

secondAfghanwarhadbrokenout.SoIwassenttoAfghanistan,andwe

advanceddeepintotheenemy'scountry.ThereIwasstruckontheshoulderbya

bullet,whichshatteredthebone.Iwasshippedhome,andlandedamonthlaterat

Portsmouthharbor,withmyhealthpermanentlyruined.Withpermissionfroma

caringgovernment,Ispentthenextninemonthsinattemptingtoimprovemy

health.InaturallysettledinLondon.Soalarmingdidthestateofmyfinances

becomethatIsoonrealizedthatImusteitherleavethecityandmovetothe

country,ormakeacompletechangeinmystyleofliving.

OntheverydaythatIhadcometothisconclusion,IwasstandingattheCriterion

Bar,

whensomeonetappedmeontheshoulder.Afterturninground,Irecognized

youngStamford,anoldfriendofmine.Thesightofafriendlyfaceinthegreat

wildernessofLondonisapleasantthingindeedtoalonelyman.Ifeltsorelieved

andhappythatIaskedhimtolunchwithmeattheHolborn,andwestartedoff

togetherinacab.

Duringourlunch,Stamfordasked,“Whatareyouuptonow?”

“Lookingforsomewheretolive/Ianswered.

“Tryingtosolvetheproblemofwhetheritispossibletogetcomfortableroomsat

areasonableprice/

"That'sastrangething/remarkedmycompanion,“youarethesecondman

todaythathasusedthatexpressiontome.”

“Andwhowasthefirst?"Iasked.

〃Afellowwhoisworkingatthechemicallaboratoryupatthehospital.

Hewascomplainingthismorningbecausehecouldnotgetsomeonetoshare

someniceroomswhichhehadfound,

andwhichweretooexpensivetorentonhisown.”

“Really!”Icried,〃Ifhereallywantssomeonetosharetheroomsandtheexpense,

Iamtheverymanforhim.

Ishouldpreferhavingapartnertobeingalone/

YoungStamfordlookedratherstrangelyatmeoverhiswine-glass."Youdon't

knowSherlockHolmesyet,“hesaid,“perhapsyouwouldnotcareforhimasa

constantcompanion?

“Why,whatisthereagainsthim?”

〃Oh,Ididn'tsaytherewasanythingagainsthim.

Heisalittleoddinsomeofhisideas—anenthusiastinsomebranchesofscience.

AsfarasIknowheisadecentenoughfellow/

〃Amedicalstudent,Isuppose?”saidI.

“No—Ihavenoideawhatheintendstodoasacareer.

Ibelieveheknowsalotaboutanatomy,andheisafirst-classchemist.

But,asfarasIknow,hehasnevertakenanyregularmedicalclasses.

Hisstudiesareverystrange,buthehascollectedalotofunusualknowledgewhich

wouldastonishhisprofessors

“Didyouneveraskhimwhathisplannedcareerwas?”Iasked.

“No.It'snoteasytogethimtalking,thoughhecancommunicateverywellwhen

hewantsto"

"Ishouldliketomeethim/Isaid."IfIamtoshareroomswithanyone,Ishould

preferamanwholikestostudyandhasquiethabits.

Iamnotstrongenoughyettostandmuchnoiseorexcitement.

IhadenoughofbothinAfghanistantolastmefortherestofmylife.

HowcouldImeetthisfriendofyours?"

“Heissuretobeatthelaboratory/returnedmycompanion.

〃Ifyoulike,wecandriveroundtogethera代erlunch.”

“Certainly,“Ianswered,andtheconversationdriftedawaytoothersubjects.

AswewenttothehospitalafterleavingtheHolborn,Stamfordgavemeafewmore

detailsaboutthegentlemanwithwhomImightbesharingrooms.

“Youmustnztblamemeifyoudon'tgetonwithhim,“hesaid,

"IknownothingmoreofhimthanIhavelearnedfrommeetinghimoccasionallyin

thelaboratory.

Yousuggestedthisarrangement,soyoumustnotholdmeresponsible”

〃Ifwedon'tgeton,itwillbeeasytoseparate/Ianswered.

〃Itseemstome,Stamford/Iadded,lookinghardatmycompanion,

“thatyouhavesomereasonforwashingyourhandsofthematter.

Isthisfellow*stempersoformidable,orwhatisit?Pleasetellmefrankly/

"It'snotsoeasytoputintowords/heansweredwithalaugh.

“Holmesisalittletooscientificformytastes-almostcold-blooded.

Icouldimaginehisgivingafriendalittlepinchofsomedrughehaddiscovered,

notoutofill-will,youunderstand,butsimplyoutofaspiritofinquiry—inorderto

haveanaccurateideaoftheeffects.

Tobefair,Ithinkthathewouldbeequallypreparedtotakeithimself.

Heappearstohaveapassionfordefiniteandexactknowledge/

11Veryrighttoo?

“Yes,butitmaybepushedtoexcess.

Whenitcomestobeatingthebodiesinthedissecting-roomswithastick,itis

certainlytakingratherastrangeshape/

"Beatingthebodies!"

“Yes,tofindouttowhatextentbruisesmaybeproducedafterdeath.

Isawhimdoingitwithmyowneyes.”

“Andyetyousayheisnotamedicalstudent?”

“No.Ihavenoideawhatheisstudying.

Buthereweare,andyoumustformyourownimpressionsabouthim.”

Ashespoke,weturneddownanarrowlaneandpassedthroughasmallside-dooi;

whichopenedintoawingofthegreathospital.

ItwasfamiliargroundtomezandIneedednoguidingasweclimbedthe

bleakstonestaircaseandmadeourwaydownthelongcorridorwithitsviewof

whitewashedwallsandbrownishdoors.

Nearthefarend,alowpassagebranchedawayfromit

andledtothechemicallaboratory.Therewasonlyonestudentintheroom,who

wasbendingoveratable,intenselyfocusedonhiswork.

Day2:

Atthesoundofoursteps,heglancedroundandsprangtohisfeetwithacryof

pleasure."Yvefoundit!Fvefoundit,“heshoutedtomycompanion,running

towardsuswithatest-tubeinhishand.havefoundareagentwhichis

precipitatedbyhemoglobin,andbynothingelse?Hecouldnothavebeenmore

delightedifhehaddiscoveredagoldmine."Dr.Watson,Mr.SherlockHolmes/

saidStamford,introducingus."Howareyou?”hesaidkindly,shakingmyhand

withunbelievablestrength.z,YouhavebeeninAfghanistan,Iobserve.#/Howonearth

didyouknowthat?”Iaskedinshock."Nevermind/hesaid,laughingtohimself.

“Thequestionnowisabouthemoglobin.Nodoubtyouseethesignificanceof

thisdiscoveryofmine?”

〃Itisinteresting,chemically,nodoubt/Ianswered,“butpractically—"

“Well,man,itisthemostpracticalmedico-legaldiscoveryforyears.

Don'tyouseethatitgivesusaninfallibletestforbloodstains.Comeoverhere

now!”Heseizedmebythecoat-sleeveinhiseagerness,anddrewmeovertothe

tableatwhichhehadbeenworking.

“Letushavesomefreshblood/hesaid,stickingalongneedleintohisfinger.

“Now,Iaddthissmallquantityofbloodtoalitreofwater.

Youcanseethattheresultingmixturelookslikepurewater.

Theproportionofbloodcannotbemorethanoneinamillion.

Butlooknow!”Ashespoke,hethrewintothewaterafewwhitecrystals,andthen

addedsomedropsofatransparentliquid.Inaninstantthecontentsturneda

reddish-browncolor;andabrownishdustwasprecipitatedtothebottomofthe

glassjar."Ha!ha!”hecried,clappinghishands,andlookingasdelightedasachild

withanewtoy.

“Whatdoyouthinkofthat?"

〃Itseemstobeaverysensitivetest/Iremarked.

“Beautiful!Beautiful!Theoldguaiacumtestwasveryclumsyanduncertain.Sois

themicroscopicexaminationforbloodcells.Thelatterisalsouselessifthestains

areevenafewhoursold.Now,thisappearstoactaswellwhetherthebloodisold

ornew.Ifthistesthadbeeninvented,therearehundredsofmennowwalkingthe

earthwhowouldlongagohavepaidthepenaltyoftheircrimes/"Indeed!"I

murmured''Criminalcasesoftendependuponthatonepoint.Amanissuspected

ofacrimemonthsperhapsafterithasbeencommitted.Hisclothesareexamined,

andbrownishstainsdiscovereduponthem.Aretheybloodstains,ormudstains,or

ruststains,orfruitstains,orwhatarethey?Thatisaquestionwhichhaspuzzled

manyanexpert,andwhy?Becausetherewasnoreliabletest.Nowwehavethe

SherlockHolmes7test,andtherewillnolongerbeanydifficulty?Hiseyesfairly

glitteredashespoke,andheputhishandoverhisheartandbowedasiftosome

applaudingcrowdcreatedbyhisimagination.

/zYouaretobecongratulated/Iremarked,considerablysurprisedathis

enthusiasm.

“TherewasthecaseofVonBischoffatFrankfortlastyear.

Hewouldcertainlyhavebeenhungifthistesthadbeeninexistence.

ThentherewasMasonofBradford,andthenotoriousMuller;andLefevreof

Montpellier,andSamsonofNewOrleans.Icouldnametwentycases,ormore,in

whichthistestwouldhavedecidedtheresult/

“Youseemtobeawalkingcalendarofcrime/1saidStamfordwithalaugh.

“Youmightstartapaperonthoselines.Callitthe'PoliceNewsofthePast/"

"Itmightmakeveryinterestingreading,too/remarkedSherlockHolmes,

stickingasmallbandageovertheplacewherehisfingerwasbleeding.

"Ihavetobecareful/hecontinued,turningtomewithasmile,“forIexperiment

withpoisonsagooddeal/Heheldouthishandashespoke,andInoticedthatit

wascoveredwithsimilarbandages.

,zWecamehereonbusiness/saidStamford,turningtoSherlockHolmes."My

friendhereislookingforsomewheretolive,andasyouwerecomplainingthatyou

couldgetnoonetoshareroomswithyou,IthoughtthatIhadbetterbringyou

together/SherlockHolmesseemeddelightedattheideaofsharinghisrooms

withme.

"IhavemyeyeonanapartmentinBakerStreet/hesaid,“whichwouldsuitus

perfectly.

Youdon'tmindthesmellofstrongtobacco,Ihope?"

'Tmapipesmokermyself/Ianswered.

"That'sgoodenough.Igenerallyhavechemicalseverywhere,andoccasionally

doexperiments.Wouldthatbotheryou?"

“Notatall;

“Letmesee—whatmyotherfaultsare.Igetverywithdrawnattimes,anddon't

openmymouthfordays.YoumustnotthinkIamangryatyouwhenIdothat.

Justleavemealone,andrIIsoonbeallright.Whathaveyoutoconfessnow?

It'sjustaswellfortwopeopletoknowtheworstofoneanotherbeforetheybegin

tolivetogether/Ilaughedatthiscross-examination."Ikeepasmalldog/Isaid,

“andIobjecttonoisebecausemynervesareshaken,andIgetupatallsortsof

strangehours,andIamextremelylazy.IhaveanothersetoffaultswhenI'mwell,

butthosearethemainonesatpresent/

“Doyouincludeviolin-playinginyourcategoryofnoise?”heasked,anxiously.

“Itdependsontheplayer;"Ianswered."Awell-playedviolinisatreatforthe

gods—abadly-playedone-"

〃Oh,thatsallright/hecried,withahappylaugh.

"Ithinkwemayconsiderthethingassettled—thatis,iftheroomsareacceptable

toyou.”

"Whenshallweseethem?”

Callformehereatnoontomorrow,andwe'IIgotogetherandsettle

everything/heanswered.

“Allright—noonexactly/saidI,shakinghishand.

Welefthimworkingamonghischemicals,andwewalkedtogethertowardsmy

hotel.

“Bytheway/Iaskedsuddenly,stoppingandturninguponStamford,“howdid

heknowthatIhadcomefromAfghanistan?0

Mycompanionsmiled."That'sjusthisspeciallittletalent/hesaid.

“Manypeoplehavewantedtoknowhowhefindsthingsout."

〃Oh!Amysteryisit?”Icried,rubbingmyhands.

“Thisisveryinteresting.Iamverygratefultoyouforbringingustogether.

Good-bye/

Isaid,andwalkedintomyhotel,considerablyinterestedinmynewacquaintance.

Day3:

Wemetnextdayashehadarranged,andinspectedtheroomsofNo.2218,Baker

Street.Wewerebothsatisfiedwiththerooms,andagreedtotakethemthereand

then.Wegraduallybegantosettledownandgetusedtoournewsurroundings.

Holmeswascertainlynotadifficultmantolivewith.Hewasquietinhisways,and

hishabitswereregular.Itwasrareforhimtobeupaftertenatnight,andhehad

breakfastandwasgonebeforeIroseinthemorning.Sometimeshewenttothe

laboratory,sometimestotheroomswherestudentswoulddissectcorpses,

sometimestothemostdangerousandcriminalareasofthecity.

Ihaveneverseenanyonesoenergeticashewaswhenhewashardatwork,but

nowandagainareactionwouldtakehim,andfordaysonendhewouldlieupon

thesofainthesitting-room,hardlysayingawordormovingamuscle（肌肉）from

morningtonight.

Hisappearancewassuchastostriketheattentionofanyonewhosawhim.

Inheighthewasratheroversixfeet,andsoexcessivelythinthatheseemedtobe

considerablytaller.Hiseyesweresharpandintense,andhisthinnosegavehis

wholeexpressionanairofalertnessanddecision.ImustconfessthatIwas

extremelycuriousaboutthisman,andtriedveryhardtogethimtotellme

somethingabouthimself-whichheseemedveryreluctanttodo.Ihadnofriends

andmyhealthpreventedmefromgoingout；soIwelcomedthismystery（謎）and

triedmybesttosolveit.Hewasnotstudyingmedicine,nordidheappeartohave

followedanycourseofreadingwhichmightfithimforadegreeinscience.Yethis

enthusiasmforcertainstudieswasremarkable,andhisknowledgeofcertain

unusualsubjectswassoextremelyfullanddetailedthathisobservations

sometimesastonishedme.Hisignorancewasasremarkableashisknowledge.He

appearedtoknownexttonothingofcontemporaryliterature,philosophyand

politics.

Uponmyquoting（弓|述）ThomasCarlyle,heaskedthesimplestquestionssuchas

whohemightbeandwhathehaddone.

AndmysurprisereachedapeakwhenIfoundthathewasunawareofthe

CopernicanTheoryandofthecompositionoftheSolarSystem.

“Youappeartobeastonished/hesaid,smilingatmyexpressionofsurprise.

“NowthatIdoknowit,Iwilldomybesttoforgetit.”

"Toforgetit!"

“Yousee/heexplained,〃Iconsiderthataman'sbrainoriginallyislikealittle

emptyroom,

andyouhavetostockitwithsuchfurnitureasyouchoose.

Afooltakesinallthejunkhecomesacross；sothattheknowledgewhichmightbe

usefultohimgetscrowdedout,oratbestismixedupwithalotofotherthingsso

thathehasdifficultyinfindingit.Nowtheexpertworkerisverycarefulindeedasto

whathetakesintohisbrain.Hewillhavenothingbutthetoolswhichmayhelphim

indoinghiswork,andhehasalargecollectionofthesetools,butallinthemost

perfectorder.The'room'inone'sbrainisoffixedandlimitedsize,sothere

comesatimewhen,foreveryadditionofknowledge,youforgetsomethingthat

youknewbefore.Itisofthehighestimportance,therefore,nottohaveuselessfacts

pushingouttheusefulones.”

“ButtheSolarSystem!"Iprotested.

“Whatisittome?”hesaidimpatiently,

“yousaythatwegoroundthesun.Ifwewentroundthemoon,itwouldmakeno

differencetomeortomywork."Iwasonthepointofaskinghimwhatthatwork

mightbe,butsomethinginhismannershowedmethatthequestionwouldbean

unwelcomeone.Duringthefirstweekorsowehadnovisitors,andIhadbegunto

thinkthatmycompanionwasasfriendlessamanasIwasmyself.Presently,

however;Ifoundthathehadmanyacquaintances,andthoseinthemostdifferent

classesofsociety.Therewasonelittlepalerat-faced,darkeyedfellowwhowas

introducedtomeasMr.Lestrade,andwhocamethreeorfourtimesinasingle

week.Onemorningayounggirlcalled,fashionablydressed,andstayedforhalfan

hourormore-closelyfollowedbyanelderlywomanindirtyclothes.

Onanotheroccasionanoldwhite-hairedgentlemanhadaninterviewwithmy

companion,andanothertime,arailwayporterinhisuniform.Atsuchtimes

SherlockHolmesusedtobegfortheuseofthesitting-room；andIwouldgoback

tomybed-room.Healwaysapologizedtomeforputtingmetothisinconvenience

〃Ihavetousethisroomasaplaceofbusiness/hesaid,“andthesepeopleare

myclients"AgainIhadanopportunityofaskinghimapoint-blankquestion,and

againmydelicacypreventedmefromforcinganothermantoconfideinme.

However,hesoontoldmehimself.AsIremember,itwasonthe4thofMarch.I

rosesomewhatearlierthanusual,andfoundthatSherlockHolmeshadnotyet

finishedhisbreakfast.Ipickedupamagazinefromthetableandattemptedtopass

thetimewithit,whilemycompanionatesilently.Oneofthearticleshadapencil

markattheheading,andInaturallybegantorunmyeyeoverit.

Itssomewhatambitioustitlewas“TheBookofLife/anditattemptedtoshow

howmuchanobservantmanmightlearnbyanaccurateandcarefulexaminationof

allthatcameinhisway.Thereasoningwascloseandintense,buttheconclusions

appearedtometobefar-fetchedandexaggerated.Thewriterclaimedbya

temporaryexpression,atwitchofamuscleoraglanceofaneye,tofindouta

man'sinnerthoughts.Accordingtohimzitwasimpossibletofoolamanwhohas

beentrainedinsuchobservationandanalysis.Hisconclusionswereverydefinite

Totheuntrained,hisresultswouldappearverysurprising.

“Fromadropofwater;"saidthewriter;"alogiciancouldgatherthepossibilityof

anAtlanticoraNiagarawithouthavingseenorheardofoneortheother.

Soalllifeisagreatchain,thenatureofwhichisknownwheneverweareshowna

singlelinkofit.Byaman'sfingernails；byhiscoat-sleeve,byhisshoes；byhis

clothes,byhisexpression-byeachofthesethingsaman'sworkisplainly

revealed/1

“Whatnonsense\nIcried,throwingthemagazinedownonthetable,"Inever

readsuchrubbishinmylife/"Whatisit?”askedSherlockHolmes.

“Thisarticle/Isaid,pointingatitwithmyeggspoonasIsatdowntomy

breakfast.

〃Iseethatyouhavereadit,sinceyouhavemarkedit.

Idonztdenythatitiscleverlywritten.

Itbothersmethough.Itisnotpractical.

IshouldliketoseehimsitdowninathirdclasscarriageontheUnderground,and

figureouttheprofessionofallthetravelers.

Iwouldlayathousandtooneagainsthim.”

“Youwouldloseyourmoney/SherlockHolmesremarkedcalmly."Asforthe

article,Iwroteitmyself/

Day4:

“You!"

“Yes,Ihaveanaturaltalentbothforobservationandfordeduction.

ThetheorieswhichIhaveexpressedthere,andwhichappeartoyoutobesoabsurd,

areextremelypractical.—sopracticalthatIdependuponthemformybreadand

cheese/”Andhow?”Iasked."Well,Ihaveatradeofmyown.IsupposeIamthe

onlyoneintheworld.

rmaconsultingdetective,ifyoucanunderstandwhatthatis.HereinLondonwe

havelotsofGovernmentdetectivesandlotsofprivateones.Whenthesemenareat

faulttheycometome,andImanagetoputthemontherightscent.

Theylayalltheevidencebeforeme,andIamgenerallyabletogivethemtheright

idea,withthehelpofmyknowledgeofthehistoryofcrime.Lestradeisa

well-knowndetective.Hegothimselfintoamessrecentlyoveracase.That'swhat

broughthimhere/

“Butdoyoumeantosay/Isaid,

“thatwithoutleavingyourroomyoucanundosomeknots（結(jié)）whichothermen

cannotfigureout,althoughtheyhaveseeneverydetailR田節(jié)）forthemselves?71

“Quiteso.

Ihaveakindofinstinctaboutthosethings.Sometimesacaseturnsupwhichisa

littlemorecomplex.ThenIhavetomoveaboutandseethingswithmyowneyes.

YouseeIhavealotofspecialknowledgewhichIapplytotheproblem,andwhich

aidsmatterswonderfully.Thoserulesofdeductionlaiddowninthatarticle,which

stirredyourcontempt,areprecioustomeinpracticalwork.Tomezobservationis

secondnature.Onourfirstmeeting,youappearedtobesurprisedwhenItoldyou

thatyouhadcomefromAfghanistan?

“Youweretold,nodoubt/

“Nothingofthesort.

IknewyoucamefromAfghanistan.

FromlonghabitthesequenceofthoughtsransoswiftlythroughmymindthatI

arrivedattheconclusionwithoutbeingawareoftheintermediatesteps.Therewere

suchsteps,however.Mythoughtswentlikethis,'Hereisagentlemanofamedical

type,butwiththeairofamilitaryman.Clearlyanarmydoctor;then.Hehasjust

comefromthetropics,forhisfaceisdark,andthatisnotthenaturalcolorofhis

skin,forhiswristsarefair.Hehasexperiencedsufferingandsickness,ashisworn

facesaysclearly.Hisleftarmhasbeenwounded.Heholdsitinastiffandunnatural

manner.WhereinthetropicscouldanEnglisharmydoctorhaveseenmuch

sufferingandgothisarmwounded?ClearlyinAfghanistan/Thewholetrainof

thoughtdidnottakeasecond.IthenremarkedthatyoucamefromAfghanistan,

andyouwereshocked/1

issimpleenoughwhenyouexplainit/Isaid,smiling.

“Nomanlives,orhaseverlived,whohasbroughtthesameamountofstudyand

ofnaturaltalenttothedetectionofcrimeasIhavedone.

Andwhatistheresult?

Thereisnocrimetodetect,orzatmost,somestupidcrimeswithamotiveso

obviousthatevenaScotlandYardofficialcanseethroughit.”

Iwasannoyedathisarrogantstyleofconversation.Ithoughtitbesttochangethe

topic."Iwonderwhatthatfellowislookingfor."Iasked,pointingtoa

plainly-dressedmanwhowaswalkingslowlydowntheothersideofthestreet,

lookinganxiouslyatthenumbers.

Hehadalargeblueenvelopeinhishand,andwasevidentlycarryingamessageto

someone.°YoumeantheretiredsergeantofMarines/saidSherlockHolmes.

“Nonsense!”Ithoughttomyself.

“HeknowsthatIcannotverifyhisguess."Thethoughthadhardlypassedthrough

mymindwhenthemanwhomwewerewatchingcaughtsightofthenumberon

ourdoor,andranrapidlyacrosstheroad.Weheardaloudknock；adeepvoice

below,andheavystepsclimbingthestair."ForMr.SherlockHolmes/hesaid,

steppingintotheroomandhandingmyfriendtheletter.Herewasanopportunity

oftakingtheprideoutofhim.Helittlethoughtofthiswhenhemadethatrandom

guess.

“MayIask,myman/Isaid,“whatyourjobmaybe?"

“Messenger,sir;"hesaid."Myuniformisawaytobemended/

“Andyouwere?"Iasked.

“Asergeant,sicRoyalMarineLightInfantry,sir.Noanswer?Right,sir.”

Heclickedhisheelstogether；raisedhishandinasalute,andwasgone.

IconfessthatIwasconsiderablyshockedbythisfreshproofofmycompanionzs

theories.Myrespectforhispowersofanalysisincreasedgreatly.

However,therestillremainedsomesuspicioninmymindthatthewholethingwas

pre-arranged,intendedtodazzleme.WhenIlookedathim,hehadfinished

readingthenote.z,Howintheworlddidyoufigurethatout?”Iasked.

°Figurewhatout?”saidhe.

“ThathewasaretiredsergeantofMarines"

"Ihavenotimeforsuchsimplegames/heanswered.

Thenwithasmilehesaid,“Excusemyrudeness.Youbrokethelineofthought,but

perhapsitisaswell.Soyouactuallywerenotabletoseethatthatmanwasa

sergeantofMarines"No,indeed.”"Itwaseasiertoknowitthantoexplainwhy

Iknewit.Ifyouwereaskedtoprovethattwoandtwomadefour;youmightfind

somedifficulty,andyetyouarequitesureofthefact.EvenacrossthestreetIcould

seeagreatblueanchortattooedonthebackofthefellow*shand.Thatsmelledof

thesea.Hehadamilitarycarriage,however,andaregulationmilitaryhaircut.

Therewehavethemarine.Hewasamanwithsomeamountofself-importance

andacertainairofcommand.Youmusthaveobservedthewayinwhichheheld

hishead.Hisfacealsoshowedthathewasasteady,respectable,middle-aged

man一allfactswhichledmetobelievethathehadbeenasergeant

“Wonderful!"Isaid.

“No—veryordinary/saidHolmes,thoughIthoughtfromhisexpressionthathe

waspleasedatmyevidentsurpriseandadmiration.

〃Isaidjustnowthattherewerenocriminals.ItappearsthatIamwrong-lookat

this!”Hethrewmeoverthenotewhichthegentlemanhadbrought.

〃0h,“Icried,asIcastmyeyeoverit；”thisisterrible!"

Day5:

"Itdoesseemtobealittleoutofthecommon/heremarked,calmly.

“Wouldyoumindreadingittomealoud?”ThisistheletterwhichIreadtohim一

"MydearMr.SherlockHolmes:"Therehasbeenabadbusinessduringthenight

at3,LauristonGardens,offtheBrixtonRoad.

Ourmanonthebeatsawalightthereabouttwointhemorning,andasthehouse

wasanemptyone,hethoughtthatsomethingwaswrong.

Hefoundthedooropen,andinthefrontroomhediscoveredthebodyofa

gentleman.Thegentlemanwaswell-dressed,andhadcardsinhispocketbearing

thenameof/EnochJ.DrebbecCleveland,Ohio,U.S.A/Therehadbeenno

robbery,noristhereanyevidenceastohowthemanmethisdeath.Thereare

marksofbloodintheroom,butthereisnowounduponhisbody.Indeed,the

wholeaffairisamystery,Ifyoucancomeroundtothehouseanytimebefore

twelve,youwillfindmethere.IhavelefteverythingasitisuntilIhearfromyou.If

youareunabletocomeIwillgiveyoufullerdetails,andwouldbegratefulifyou

woulddothisfavorforme.

“Yoursfaithfully,

“TOBIASGREGSON：

“Getyourhat,“Holmessaid.

“Youwishmetocome?"

“Yes,ifyouhavenothingbettertodo.”

Aminutelaterwewerebothinacab,drivingfortheBrixtonRoad.

WhenHolmesinsisteduponstoppingandfinishingourjourneyuponfoot,wewere

stillahundredyardsorsofromthehouse.Number3,LauristonGardensworean

unluckyandthreateninglook.Itwasoneoffourhouseswhichstoodbacksome

littlewayfromthestreet,twobeingoccupiedandtwoempty.Thelatterlookedout

withthreelevelsofwindows,allblankanddull,excepthereandtherea”For

Rent“cardwasplacedontheglass.Thewholeplacewasverymuddyfromtherain

whichhadfallenthroughthenight.Thegardenwassurroundedbyathree-foot

brickwallwithwoodrailingsuponthetop.IhadimaginedthatSherlockHolmes

wouldatoncehavehurriedintothehouseandrushedintoastudyofthemystery.

Butitappearedthatthatwasnothisintention.Heactedverycalmly;hewalkedup

anddownthepavement,andgazedvacantlyattheground,thesky,theopposite

housesandthelineoffencerailings.Havingfinishedhisobservation,heproceeded

slowlydownthepathkeepinghiseyesfocusedupontheground.Twicehestopped,

（發(fā)出）

andonceIsawhimsmile/andheardhimutterasoundofsatisfaction.There

weremanymarksoffootstepsuponthewetsoil,butsincethepolicehadbeen

comingandgoingove