登陆注册
5212500000097

第97章 The Adventure of the Abbey Grange(5)

"Surely there are details in her story which, if we looked at it in cold blood, would excite our suspicion.These burglars made a considerable haul at Sydenham a fortnight ago.Some account of them and of their appearance was in the papers, and would naturally occur to anyone who wished to invent a story in which imaginary robbers should play a part.As a matter of fact, burglars who have done a good stroke of business are, as a rule, only too glad to enjoy the proceeds in peace and quiet without embarking on another perilous undertaking.Again, it is unusual for burglars to operate at so early an hour; it is unusual for burglars to strike a lady to prevent her screaming, since one would imagine that was the sure way to make her scream; it is unusual for them to commit murder when their numbers are sufficient to overpower one man; it is unusual for them to be content with a limited plunder when there is much more within their reach; and finally I should say that it was very unusual for such men to leave a bottle half empty.How do all these unusuals strike you, Watson?""Their cumulative effect is certainly considerable, and yet each of them is quite possible in itself.The most unusual thing of all, as it seems to me, is that the lady should be tied to the chair.""Well, I am not so clear about that, Watson; for it is evident that they must either kill her or else secure her in such a way that she could not give immediate notice of their escape.

But at any rate I have shown, have I not, that there is a certain element of improbability about the lady's story? And now on the top of this comes the incident of the wine-glasses.""What about the wine-glasses?"

"Can you see them in your mind's eye?"

"I see them clearly."

"We are told that three men drank from them.

Does that strike you as likely?"

"Why not? There was wine in each glass.""Exactly; but there was bees-wing only in one glass.You must have noticed that fact.What does that suggest to your mind?""The last glass filled would be most likely to contain bees-wing.""Not at all.The bottle was full of it, and it is inconceivable that the first two glasses were clear and the third heavily charged with it.There are two possible explanations, and only two.One is that after the second glass was filled the bottle was violently agitated, and so the third glass received the bees-wing.That does not appear probable.No, no; I am sure that I am right.""What, then, do you suppose?"

"That only two glasses were used, and that the dregs of both were poured into a third glass, so as to give the false impression that three people had been here.In that way all the bees-wing would be in the last glass, would it not? Yes, I am convinced that this is so.But if I have hit upon the true explanation of this one small phenomenon, then in an instant the case rises from the commonplace to the exceedingly remarkable, for it can only mean that Lady Brackenstall and her maid have deliberately lied to us, that not one word of their story is to be believed, that they have some very strong reason for covering the real criminal, and that we must construct our case for ourselves without any help from them.That is the mission which now lies before us, and here, Watson, is the Chislehurst train."The household of the Abbey Grange were much surprised at our return, but Sherlock Holmes, finding that Stanley Hopkins had gone off to report to head-quarters, took possession of the dining-room, locked the door upon the inside, and devoted himself for two hours to one of those minute and laborious investigations which formed the solid basis on which his brilliant edifices of deduction were reared.Seated in a corner like an interested student who observes the demonstration of his professor, I followed every step of that remarkable research.

The window, the curtains, the carpet, the chair, the rope -- each in turn was minutely examined and duly pondered.The body of the unfortunate baronet had been removed, but all else remained as we had seen it in the morning.Then, to my astonishment, Holmes climbed up on to the massive mantelpiece.Far above his head hung the few inches of red cord which were still attached to the wire.For a long time he gazed upward at it, and then in an attempt to get nearer to it he rested his knee upon a wooden bracket on the wall.This brought his hand within a few inches of the broken end of the rope, but it was not this so much as the bracket itself which seemed to engage his attention.

Finally he sprang down with an ejaculation of satisfaction.

"It's all right, Watson," said he."We have got our case --one of the most remarkable in our collection.But, dear me, how slow-witted I have been, and how nearly I have committed the blunder of my lifetime! Now, I think that with a few missing links my chain is almost complete.""You have got your men?"

"Man, Watson, man.Only one, but a very formidable person.

Strong as a lion -- witness the blow that bent that poker.

Six foot three in height, active as a squirrel, dexterous with his fingers; finally, remarkably quick-witted, for this whole ingenious story is of his concoction.Yes, Watson, we have come upon the handiwork of a very remarkable individual.

And yet in that bell-rope he has given us a clue which should not have left us a doubt.""Where was the clue?"

"Well, if you were to pull down a bell-rope, Watson, where would you expect it to break? Surely at the spot where it is attached to the wire.Why should it break three inches from the top as this one has done?""Because it is frayed there?"

"Exactly.This end, which we can examine, is frayed.He was cunning enough to do that with his knife.But the other end is not frayed.You could not observe that from here, but if you were on the mantelpiece you would see that it is cut clean off without any mark of fraying whatever.You can reconstruct what occurred.The man needed the rope.He would not tear it down for fear of giving the alarm by ringing the bell.What did he do?

同类推荐
  • 梅

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛国禅师文殊指南图赞

    佛国禅师文殊指南图赞

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 禅门锻炼说

    禅门锻炼说

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛性论卷

    佛性论卷

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说赖吒和罗经

    佛说赖吒和罗经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 超级电信帝国

    超级电信帝国

    “一个送报纸的修好了交换机?”“一个民间作坊能设计生产寻呼机?”“华夏国的一家企业能生产手机?”美国摩托罗拉老总不信。当别人不相信的时候,重生的姜新圩已经建立起他强大的电信帝国,开始与世界电信巨头进行拼杀……
  • 奉婚独宠沈医生老娘要嫁给你

    奉婚独宠沈医生老娘要嫁给你

    她上一世原本是天之骄女,拥有人人称羡的绝好家世容貌,却因痴心错付,为爱众叛亲离,没曾想到头来被深爱之人推下万丈深渊,沦为过街老鼠人人,最终落得个家破人亡的下场。她多年的好友沈云舒也为她惨死街头,她死不瞑目。重活一世她发誓要远离渣男,重新追回自己所爱之人。只老天好像很爱开玩笑,沈云舒先生对她很是不待见,到底哪个环节出了错啊?逗比版某女:“沈云舒,你要怎么才能喜欢我啊?”沈云舒:“我对男的不感兴趣!”某女摸了摸自己快要反光的头,若有所思。……某女:“沈先森,你喜欢什么样的女人?”沈云舒:“爱撒娇的!”某女用自己刚长出来又刺又短的头蹭着沈先森的手心沈云舒:“你干嘛?”某女:“撒娇啊!”沈云舒……
  • 高中恋爱记事

    高中恋爱记事

    我就是一个平凡的女生啊!家世一般,长相一般,桃花运一般……可是我哥说“我妹妹的家世很不好吗?”江熙说“允晴,你是我见过最可爱美丽的女孩。”雪泺说“我哥认识了你六年……”这绚烂的高中时光,我努力的学习,努力的成长,只愿与你演绎最纯真的一段恋曲……
  • 茶趣

    茶趣

    “商有商道,官有官品,茶有茶趣。”这是五年多前,蒋志锋在职博士的论文答辩完后,在导师周文康的办公室里,导师对着蒋志锋说的。参加论文答辩前,市委书记已经找他谈话,让他到宁阳去做县委书记。几天的准备和答辩,他一直恪守着这个秘密,只字未提。答辩顺利通过后,他才把这项任命说与导师听。导师不置可否,说了那组排比句。他坐在沙发上,聆候下文。导师端起茶杯,喝了一口茶,既像是叮咛,又像是告诫,更像是朋友之间语重心长的嘱托:“没事,喝茶。”一想到这些的时候,蒋志锋心里便涌过一片温暖。陪副市长黄建军吃完晚饭,他便让司机送自己回到住地,第一件事,就是清理茶具,准备泡茶
  • Under the Red Robe

    Under the Red Robe

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 麦收

    麦收

    全村群众大会一宣布结束,会场上马上就乱哄哄的。这是上世纪70年代,在全民参加劳动的热潮中,我们这些初中生,今年也全部放假回村参加夏收。我被分到一队的第二小组,组长是刘福禄。刘福禄是队长兼组长,所以一散会,我就赶紧去找刘福禄。刘福禄50多岁,个子不高,在熙熙攘攘的人群里找到他,是一件很不容易的事。好在他嗓门奇大,还未见人,就听见他喊叫:“第二组的人,到枣树底下集合;第二组的人,到枣树底下集合。”几个人已经等在树下。刘福禄端然坐在一块大石头上,手里捧着一份《人民日报》,不时把白眼珠一翻,看看来人。
  • 读诗偶得:庐隐作品精选

    读诗偶得:庐隐作品精选

    文学作品是以语言为手段塑造形象来反映社会生活、表达作者思想感情的一种艺术,是我们的一面镜子,对于我们的人生具有潜移默化的巨大启迪作用,能够开阔我们的视野,增长我们的知识,陶冶我们的情操。文学大师是一个时代的开拓者和各种文学形式的集大成者,他们的作品来源于他们生活的时代,记载了那个时代社会生活的缩影,包含了作家本人对社会、生活的体验与思考,影响着社会的发展进程,具有永恒的魅力。他们是我们心灵的工程师,能够指导我们的人生发展,给予我们心灵鸡汤般的精神滋养。
  • Great Astronomers

    Great Astronomers

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 女人要懂点创意心理学

    女人要懂点创意心理学

    女人的生活不能一成不变,要充满惊喜和精彩;女人的事业不要原地踏步,要不断突破和进步;女人的装扮和家居设计不要数十年如一日,要能展现出独特的个性与风格……而这一切都需要创意,创意是一种来自于心灵的力量。本书利用诸多心理学方面的知识来帮助女人寻求一种创意生活,让女人们用创意摆脱一成不变的生活,拉近梦想与现实间的距离,同时引导女人们利用自身的天然优势来提升创造力,从而给自己也给他人的生活制造更多的新鲜和惊喜,让生活变得更加美妙,让前途变得更加美好。
  • 江南墨语

    江南墨语

    本书为近年活跃在网络文学网站的诗人张明友(墨语江南)的诗文合集。第一辑诗歌,收录作者精心挑选的160余首诗歌,以古体诗为主,现代诗为辅。第二辑散文,收录散文随笔34篇,部分采用文言文形式成文,同时辅助每篇的释文,为不可多得的现代文言散文。作者多篇诗文在世界青年华人青春美文大赛中获奖。