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chapter 7 light in the darkness the intelligence with which lestrade greeted us was so momentous and so unexpected, that we were all three fairly dumfoundered. gregson sprang out of his chair and upset the remainder of his whiskey and water. i stared in silence at sherlock holmes, whose lips were compressed and his brows drawn down over his eyes. "stangerson too!" he muttered. "the plot thickens." "it was quite thick enough before," grumbled lestrade, taking a chair. "i seem to have dropped into a sort of council of war." "are you -- are you sure of this piece of intelligence?" stammered gregson. "i have just come from his room," said lestrade. "i was the first to discover what had occurred." "we have been hearing gregson's view of the matter," holmes observed. "would you mind letting us know what you have seen and done?" "i have no objection," lestrade answered, seating himself. "i freely confess that i was of the opinion that stangerson was concerned in the death of drebber. this fresh development has shown me that i was completely mistaken. full of the one idea, i set myself to find out what had become of the secretary. they had been seen together at euston station about half-past eight on the evening of the third. at two in the morning drebber had been found in the brixton road. the question which confronted me was to find out how stangerson had been employed between 8.30 and the time of the crime, and what had become of him afterwards. i telegraphed to liverpool, giving a description of the man, and warning them to keep a watch upon the american boats. i then set to work calling upon all the hotels and lodging-houses in the vicinity of euston. you see, i argued that if drebber and his companion had become separated, the natural course for the latter would be to put up somewhere in the vicinity for the night, and then to hang about the station again next morning." "they would be likely to agree on some meeting-place beforehand," remarked holmes. "so it proved. i spent the whole of yesterday evening in making enquiries entirely without avail. this morning i began very early, and at eight o'clock i reached halliday's private hotel, in little george street. on my enquiry as to whether a mr. stangerson was living there, they at once answered me in the affirmative. "`no doubt you are the gentleman whom he was expecting,' they said. `he has been waiting for a gentleman for two days.' "`where is he now?' i asked. "`he is upstairs in bed. he wished to be called at nine.' "`i will go up and see him at once,' i said. "it seemed to me that my sudden appearance might shake his nerves and lead him to say something unguarded. the boots volunteered to show me the room: it was on the second floor, and there was a small corridor leading up to it. the boots pointed out the door to me, and was about to go downstairs again when i saw something that made me feel sickish, in spite of my twenty years' experience. from under the door there curled a little red ribbon of blood, which had meandered across the passage and formed a little pool along the skirting at the other side. i gave a cry, which brought the boots back. he nearly fainted when he saw it. the door was locked on the inside, but we put our shoulders to it, and knocked it in. the window of the room was open, and beside the window, all huddled up, lay the body of a man in his nightdress. he was quite dead, and had been for some time, for his limbs were rigid and cold. when we turned him over, the boots recognized him at once as being the same gentleman who had engaged the room under the name of joseph stangerson. the cause of death was a deep stab in the left side, which must have penetrated the heart. and now comes the strangest part of the affair. what do you suppose was above the murdered man?" i felt a creeping of the flesh, and a presentiment of coming horror, even before sherlock holmes answered. "the word rache, written in letters of blood," he said. "that was it," said lestrade, in an awe-struck voice; and we were all silent for a while. there was something so methodical and so incomprehensible about the deeds of this unknown assassin, that it imparted a fresh ghastliness to his crimes. my nerves, which were steady enough on the field of battle tingled as i thought of it. "the man was seen," continued lestrade. "a milk boy, passing on his way to the dairy, happened to walk down the lane which leads from the mews at the back of the hotel. he noticed that a ladder, which usually lay there, was raised against one of the windows of the second floor, which was wide open. after passing, he looked back and saw a man descend the ladder. he came down so quietly and openly that the boy imagined him to be some carpenter or joiner at work in the hotel. he took no particular notice of him, beyond thinking in his own mind that it was early for him to be at work. he has an impression that the man was tall, had a reddish face, and was dressed in a long, brownish coat. he must have stayed in the room some little time after the murder, for we found blood-stained water in the basin, where he had washed his hands, and marks on the sheets where he had deliberately wiped his knife." i glanced at holmes on hearing the description of the murderer, which tallied so exactly with his own. there was, however, no trace of exultation or satisfaction upon his face. "did you find nothing in the room which could furnish a clue to the murderer?" he asked. "nothing. stangerson had drebber's purse in his pocket, but it seems that this was usual, as he did all the paying. there was eighty odd pounds in it, but nothing had been taken. whatever the motives of these extraordinary crimes, robbery is certainly not one of them. there were no papers or memoranda in the murdered man's pocket, except a single telegram, dated from cleveland about a month ago, and containing the words, `j. h. is in europe.' there was no name appended to this message." "and there was nothing else?" holmes asked. "nothing of any importance. the man's novel, with which he had read himself to sleep was lying upon the bed, and his pipe was on a chair beside him. there was a glass of water on the table, and on the window-sill a small chip ointment box containing a couple of pills." sherlock holmes sprang from his chair with an exclamation of delight. "the last link," he cried, exultantly. "my case is complete." the two detectives stared at him in amazement. "i have now in my hands," my companion said, confidently, "all the threads which have formed such a tangle. there are, of course, details to be filled in, but i am as certain of all the main facts, from the time that drebber parted from stangerson at the station, up to the discovery of the body of the latter, as if i had seen them with my own eyes. i will give you a proof of my knowledge. could you lay your hand upon those pills?" "i have them," said lestrade, producing a small white box; "i took them and the purse and the telegram, intending to have them put in a place of safety at the police station. it was the merest chance my taking these pills, for i am bound to say that i do not attach any importance to them." "give them here," said holmes. "now, doctor," turning to me, "are those ordinary pills?" they certainly were not. they were of a pearly grey colour, small, round, and almost transparent against the light. "from their lightness and transparency, i should imagine that they are soluble in water," i remarked. "precisely so," answered holmes. "now would you mind going down and fetching that poor little devil of a terrier which has been bad so long, and which the landlady wanted you to put out of its pain yesterday." i went downstairs and carried the dog upstair in my arms. it's laboured breathing and glazing eye showed that it was not far from its end. indeed, its snow-white muzzle proclaimed that it had already exceeded the usual term of canine existence. i placed it upon a cushion on the rug. "i will now cut one of these pills in two," said holmes, and drawing his penknife he suited the action to the word. "one half we return into the box for future purposes. the other half i will place in this wine glass, in which is a teaspoonful of water. you perceive that our friend, the doctor, is right, and that it readily dissolves." "this may be very interesting," said lestrade, in the injured tone of one who suspects that he is being laughed at, "i cannot see, however, what it has to do with the death of mr. joseph stangerson." "patience, my friend, patience! you will find in time that it has everything to do with it. i shall now add a little milk to make the mixture palatable, and on presenting it to the dog we find that he laps it up readily enough." as he spoke he turned the contents of the wine glass into a saucer and placed it in front of the terrier, who speedily licked it dry. sherlock holmes' earnest demeanour had so far convinced us that we all sat in silence, watching the animal intently, and expecting some startling effect. none such appeared, however. the dog continued to lie stretched upon the cushion, breathing in a laboured way, but apparently neither the better nor the worse for its draught. holmes had taken out his watch, and as minute followed minute without result, an expression of the utmost chagrin and disappointment appeared upon his features. he gnawed his lip, drummed his fingers upon the table, and showed every other symptom of acute impatience. so great was his emotion, that i felt sincerely sorry for him, while the two detectives smiled derisively, by no means displeased at this check which he had met. "it can't be a coincidence," he cried, at last springing from his chair and pacing wildly up and down the room; "it is impossible that it should be a mere coincidence. the very pills which i suspected in the case of drebber are actually found after the death of stangerson. and yet they are inert. what can it mean? surely my whole chain of reasoning cannot have been false. it is impossible! and yet this wretched dog is none the worse. ah, i have it! i have it!" with a perfect shriek of delight he rushed to the box, cut the other pill in two, dissolved it, added milk, and presented it to the terrier. the unfortunate creature's tongue seemed hardly to have been moistened in it before it gave a convulsive shiver in every limb, and lay as rigid and lifeless as if it had been struck by lightning. sherlock holmes drew a long breath, and wiped the perspiration from his forehead. "i should have more faith," he said; "i ought to know by this time that when a fact appears to be opposed to a long train of deductions, it invariably proves to be capable of bearing some other interpretation. of the two pills in that box one was of the most deadly poison, and the other was entirely harmless. i ought to have known that before ever i saw the box at all." this last statement appeared to me to be so startling, that i could hardly believe that he was in his sober senses. there was the dead dog, however, to prove that his conjecture had been correct. it seemed to me that the mists in my own mind were gradually clearing away, and i began to have a dim, vague perception of the truth. "all this seems strange to you," continued holmes, "because you failed at the beginning of the inquiry to grasp the importance of the single real clue which was presented to you. i had the good fortune to seize upon that, and everything which has occurred since then has served to confirm my original supposition, and, indeed, was the logical sequence of it. hence things which have perplexed you and made the case more obscure, have served to enlighten me and to strengthen my conclusions. it is a mistake to confound strangeness with mystery. the most commonplace crime is often the most mysterious because it presents no new or special features from which deductions may be drawn. this murder would have been infinitely more difficult to unravel had the body of the victim been simply found lying in the roadway without any of those outre and sensational accompaniments which have rendered it remarkable. these strange details, far from making the case more difficult, have really had the effect of making it less so." mr. gregson, who had listened to this address with considerable impatience, could contain himself no longer. "look here, mr. sherlock holmes," he said, "we are all ready to acknowledge that you are a smart man, and that you have your own methods of working. we want something more than mere theory and preaching now, though. it is a case of taking the man. i have made my case out, and it seems i was wrong. young charpentier could not have been engaged in this second affair. lestrade went after his man, stangerson, and it appears that he was wrong too. you have thrown out hints here, and hints there, and seem to know more than we do, but the time has come when we feel that we have a right to ask you straight how much you do know of the business. can you name the man who did it?" "i cannot help feeling that gregson is right, sir," remarked lestrade. "we have both tried, and we have both failed. you have remarked more than once since i have been in the room that you had all the evidence which you require. surely you will not withhold it any longer." "any delay in arresting the assassin," i observed, "might give him time to perpetrate some fresh atrocity." thus pressed by us all, holmes showed signs of irresolution. he continued to walk up and down the room with his head sunk on his chest and his brows drawn down, as was his habit when lost in thought. "there will be no more murders," he said at last, stopping abruptly and facing us. "you can put that consideration out of the question. you have asked me if i know the name of the assassin. i do. the mere knowing of his name is a small thing, however, compared with the power of laying our hands upon him. this i expect very shortly to do. i have good hopes of managing it through my own arrangements; but it is a thing which needs delicate handling, for we have a shrewd and desperate man to deal with, who is supported, as i have had occasion to prove, by another who is as clever as himself. as long as this man has no idea that anyone can have a clue there is some chance of securing him; but if he had the slightest suspicion, he would change his name, and vanish in an instant among the four million inhabitants of this great city. without meaning to hurt either of your feelings, i am bound to say that i consider these men to be more than a match for the official force, and that is why i have not asked your assistance. if i fail i shall, of course, incur all the blame due to this omission; but that i am prepared for. at present i am ready to promise that the instant that i can communicate with you without endangering my own combinations, i shall do so." gregson and lestrade seemed to be far from satisfied by this assurance, or by the depreciating allusion to the detective police. the former had flushed up to the roots of his flaxen hair, while the other's beady eyes glistened with curiosity and resentment. neither of them had time to speak, however, before there was a tap at the door, and the spokesman of the street arabs, young wiggins, introduced his insignificant and unsavoury person. "please, sir," he said, touching his forelock, "i have the cab downstairs." "good boy," said holmes, blandly. "why don't you introduce this pattern at scotland yard?" he continued, taking a pair of steel handcuffs from a drawer. "see how beautifully the spring works. they fasten in an instant." "the old pattern is good enough," remarked lestrade, "if we can only find the man to put them on." "very good, very good," said holmes, smiling. "the cabman may as well help me with my boxes. just ask him to step up, wiggins." i was surprised to find my companion speaking as though he were about to set out on a journey, since he had not said anything to me about it. there was a small portmanteau in the room, and this he pulled out and began to strap. he was busily engaged at it when the cabman entered the room. "just give me a help with this buckle, cabman," he said, kneeling over his task, and never turning his head. the fellow came forward with a somewhat sullen, defiant air, and put down his hands to assist. at that instant there was a sharp click, the jangling of metal, and sherlock holmes sprang to his feet again. "gentlemen," he cried, with flashing eyes, "let me introduce you to mr. jefferson hope, the murderer of enoch drebber and of joseph stangerson." the whole thing occurred in a moment -- so quickly that i had no time to realize it. i have a vivid recollection of that instant, of holmes' triumphant expression and the ring of his voice, of the cabman's dazed, savage face, as he glared at the glittering handcuffs, which had appeared as if by magic upon his wrists. for a second or two we might have been a group of statues. then, with an inarticulate roar of fury, the prisoner wrenched himself free from holmes's grasp, and hurled himself through the window. woodwork and glass gave way before him; but before he got quite through, gregson, lestrade, and holmes sprang upon him like so many staghounds. he was dragged back into the room, and then commenced a terrific conflict. so powerful and so fierce was he, that the four of us were shaken off again and again. he appeared to have the convulsive strength of a man in an epileptic fit. his face and hands were terribly mangled by his passage through the glass, but loss of blood had no effect in diminishing his resistance. it was not until lestrade succeeded in getting his hand inside his neckcloth and half-strangling him that we made him realize that his struggles were of no avail; and even then we felt no security until we had pinioned his feet as well as his hands. that done, we rose to our feet breathless and panting. "we have his cab," said sherlock holmes. "it will serve to take him to scotland yard. and now, gentlemen," he continued, with a pleasant smile, "we have reached the end of our little mystery. you are very welcome to put any questions that you like to me now, and there is no danger that i will refuse to answer them."
雷斯垂德给我们带来的消息既重要又突然，完全出乎意料之外。我们听了以后，全都惊愕不已，哑口无言。葛莱森猛地从椅子上站了起来，竟把杯中剩下的威士忌酒起翻了。我默默地注视着福尔摩斯，只见他嘴唇紧闭，一双眉毛紧紧地压在眼睛上面。 福尔摩斯喃喃地说：“斯坦节逊也被暗杀了，案情更加复杂了。” “早就够复杂的了，"雷斯垂德抱怨着说，一面在椅子上坐了下来，“我简直象参加什么军事会议一样，一点头绪也摸不着。” 葛莱森结结巴巴地问道：“你，你这消息可确实吗？” 雷斯垂德说：“我刚从他住的房间那里来，我还是第一个发现这个情况的人哩。” 福尔摩斯说：“我们刚才正在听着葛莱森对于这件案子的高见呢。可否也请你把你所看见的和所做的事情告诉我们知道？” “我不反对，"雷斯垂德于是坐了下来，回答说， “我坦白承认，我原来认为锥伯的被害是和斯坦节逊有关的。这个新的发展使我明白我完全弄错了。我抱定了这样一个想法，于是就着手侦查这位秘书的下落。有人曾在三日晚间八点半钟前后，在尤斯顿车站看见他们两个人在一起。四日清晨两点钟，锥伯的尸体就在布瑞克斯顿路被发现了。我当时面临着的问题就是要弄清楚从八点半以后一直到谋杀案发生的这段时间之内，斯坦节逊究竟都干了些什么，后来他又到哪里去了。我一面给利物浦拍了个电报，说明斯坦节逊的外貌，并且要他们监视美国的船只；一面就在尤斯顿车站附近的每家旅馆和公寓里查找。你们瞧，当时我是认为，如果锥伯和他的朋友已经分手，按常理来说，斯坦节逊当天晚上必然要在车站附近找个地方住下，第二天早晨他才会再到车站去。” 福尔摩斯说：“他们很可能先约好了会面的地点。” “事实证明确是如此。昨天我整整跑了一个晚上打听他的下落，可是毫无结果。今天早晨我很早又开始查访了。八点钟，我来到了小乔治街的郝黎代旅馆。在我询问是否有一位斯坦节逊先生住在这里的时候，他们立刻回答说有。 “他们说：‘你一定就是他所等候的那位先生了，他等候一位先生已经等了两天了。” “他现在哪里？'我问道。 “他还在楼上睡着呢。他吩咐过，到九点钟才叫醒他。” “我要立刻上去找他，'我说。 “我当时是那么盘算的，我出岂不意地出现，可能使他大吃一惊，在他措手不及之中，也许会吐露些什么出来。一个擦鞋的茶房自愿领我上去。这个房间是在三楼，有一条不长的走廊可以直达。茶房把房门指给我看了以后，正要下楼，我突然看到一种景象，使我十分恶心，要想呕吐，我虽然有二十年的经历，这时也不能自持，一条曲曲弯弯的血迹由房门下边流了出来，一直流过走道，汇积在对面墙脚下。我不由得大叫一声，这个茶房听到这一声后，就转身走了回来。他看见这个情景，吓得几乎昏了过去。房门是倒锁着的，我们用肩把它撞开，进入室内。屋内窗户洞开，窗子旁边躺着一个男人的尸体，身上穿着睡衣，蜷曲成一团。他早就断了气，四肢已经僵硬冰凉了。我们把尸体翻过来一瞧，擦鞋人立刻认出，这就是这间房子的住客，名叫斯坦节逊。致死的原因是，身体左侧被人用刀刺入很深，一定是伤了心脏。还有一个最破怪的情况，你们猜猜看，死者脸上有什么？” 我听到这里，不觉毛骨悚然，感到十分可怕。福尔摩斯却立刻答道：“是'拉契'这个字，用血写的。” “正是这个字。"雷斯垂德说，话音中还带着恐惧。一时之间，我们都沉默了下来。 这个暗藏凶手的暗杀行为似乎很有步骤，同时又是难以理解的，因此也就使得他的罪行更加可怖。我的神经，虽在死伤遍野的战场上也很坚强，但是一想到这个情景，却难免不寒而栗。 雷斯垂德接着说：“有人看见过这个凶手。一个送牛奶的孩子在去牛奶房的时候，偶然经过旅馆后面的那条小胡同，这条小胡同是通往旅馆后边马车房的。他看到平日放在地上的那个梯子竖了起来，对着三楼的一个窗子，这个窗子大开着。这个孩子走过之后，曾经回过头来瞧了瞧，他看到一个人从梯子上下来。只见他不慌不忙、大大方方地走了下来。这个孩子还以为是旅馆里的木匠在做活呢，所以他也没有特别注意这个人，不过心里只是觉得，这时上工未免太早罢了。他仿佛记得这个人是一个大个子，红红的脸，身上穿着一件长长的棕色外衣。他在行凶之后，一定是在房里还停留过一会儿。因为我们发现脸盆水中有血，说明凶手是曾经洗过手；床单上也有血迹，可见他行凶以后还从容地擦过刀子。” 一听到凶手的身形、面貌和福尔摩斯的推断十分吻合，我就瞧了他一眼，可是他的脸上并没有丝毫得意的样子。 福尔摩斯问道：“你在屋里没有发现任何可以提供缉捕凶手的线索吗？” “没有。斯坦节逊身上带着锥伯的钱袋，但是看来平常就是他带着的，因为他是掌管开支的。钱袋里有八十多镑现款，分文不少。这些犯罪行为看来不平常，它的动机不管是什么，但绝不会是谋财害命。被害人衣袋里也没有文件或日记本，只有一份电报，这是一个月以前从克利夫兰城打来的，电文是'ｊｈ．．现在欧洲'，这份电文没有署名。” 福尔摩斯问道：“再也没有别的东西了？” “没有什么重要的东西了。床上还有一本小说，是死者临睡时阅读的。他的烟斗放在床边的一把椅子上。桌上还有一杯水。窗台上有个盛药膏的木匣，里边有两粒药丸。” 福尔摩斯从椅子上猛地站了起来，高兴得喊了起来。他眉飞色舞地大声说道：“这是最后的一环了，我的论断现在算是完整了。” 两位侦探惊异地瞧着他。 我的朋友充满信心地说：“我已经把构成这个结子的每条线索都掌握在手中了。当然，细节还有待补充。但是，从锥伯在火车站和斯坦节逊分手起，到斯坦节逊的尸体被发现为止，这中间所有主要的情节，我都已一清二楚，就好象我亲眼看见一般。我要把我的见解给你们提出一个证明来看看。你把那两粒药丸带来了吗？” “在我这里，"雷斯垂德说着，就拿出一只小小的白匣子来，“药丸、钱袋、电报都拿来了，我本想把这些东西放在警察分局里比较稳当点的地方。我把药丸拿来，只是出于偶然。我必须声明，我认为这不是一件什么重要的东西。” “请拿给我吧，"福尔摩斯说，“喂，大夫，"他又转向我说， “这是平常的药丸吗？” 这些药丸的确不平常。珍珠似的灰色，小而圆，迎着亮光看简直是透明的。我说：“从份量轻和透明这两个特点看来，我想药丸在水中能够溶解。” “正是这样，"福尔摩斯回答说，“请你下楼把那条可怜的狗抱上来好吗？这个狗一直病着，房东太太昨天不是还请你把它弄死，免得让它活受罪吗？” 我下楼把狗抱了上来。这只狗呼吸困难，眼光呆滞，说明它活不多久了。的确，它那雪白的嘴唇就能说明，它早就远远地超过一般狗类的寿命了。我在地毯上放了一块垫子，然后把它放在上面。 “我现在把其中的一粒切成两半，"福尔摩斯说着，就拿出小刀把药丸切开，“半粒放回盒里留着将来用，这半粒我把它放在酒杯里，杯子里有一匙水。大家请看，咱们这位大夫朋友的话是对的，它马上溶解在水里了。” “这可有意思，"雷斯垂德带着生气的声调说，他以为福尔摩斯在捉弄他，“但是，我看不出来这和斯坦节逊的死又有什么关系？” “耐心些，我的朋友，耐心些！到时候你就明白它是大有关系的了。现在我给它加上些牛奶就好吃了，然后把它摆在狗的面前，它会立刻舔光的。” 他说着就把酒杯里的液体倒到盘子里，放在狗的面前，它很快地就把它舔了个干净。福尔摩斯认真的态度已经使我们深信不疑了，我们都静静地坐在那里，留心地看着那只狗，并期待着某种惊人的结果发生。但是，什么特别现象也没有发生，这只狗依旧躺在垫子上，吃力地呼吸着。很明显，药丸对它既没有什么好处，可也没有什么坏的影响。 福尔摩斯早已掏出表来瞧着，时间一分钟一分钟地过去了，可是毫无结果，他的脸上显得极端懊恼和失望。他咬着嘴唇，手指敲着桌子，表现出十分焦急的样子。他的情绪极为激动，我的心中也不由得替他难过。可是这两位官方侦探的脸上却显出讥讽的微笑，他们很高兴看到福尔摩斯受到了挫折。 “这不可能是偶然的事，"福尔摩斯终于大声地说出话来，一面站了起来，在室内情绪烦躁地走来走去，“绝不可能仅仅是由于巧合。在锥伯一案中我疑心会有某种药丸，现在这种药丸在斯坦节逊死后真的发现了。但是它们竟然不起作用。究竟是怎么一回事？肯定地说，我所做的一系列的推论绝不可能发生谬误！绝不可能！但是这个可怜的东西并没有吃出毛病来。哦，我明白了！我明白了！"福尔摩斯高兴地尖叫了一声，跑到药盒前，取出另外一粒，把它切成两半，把半粒溶在水里，加上牛奶，放在狗的面前。这个不幸的小动物甚至连舌头还没有完全沾湿，它的四条腿便痉挛颤抖起来，然后就象被雷电击毙一样，直挺挺地死去了。 福尔摩斯长长地吁了一口气，擦了擦额头上的汗珠。"我的信心还不够坚强；刚才我就应当体会到，如果一个情节似乎和一系列的推论相矛盾，那么，这个情节必定有其他某种解释方法。那个小匣里的两粒药丸，一粒是烈性的毒药，另外一粒则完全无毒。其实在我没有看到这个小盒子以前，早就应该推论到的。” 我认为，福尔摩斯最后所说的这段话过于惊人，很难使人相信他是神智清醒的。但是死狗又明明地摆在眼前，证明他的推断是正确的。我似乎觉得我脑子里的疑云已逐渐消失，我开始对于案子的真象有了隐隐约约的认识。 福尔摩斯继续说道：“这一切你们听来似乎都觉得破怪，因为你们在开始侦查的时候，就没有领悟到摆在你们面前的那个唯一正确线索的重要性。我幸而抓住了这个线索，此后所发生的每件事都足以用来证实我最初的设想，这些事也确是逻辑的必然结果。因此，那些使你们大惑不解并且使案情更加模糊不清的事物，却会对我有所启发，并且能加强我的论断。把破怪和神秘混为一谈，这是错误的。最平淡无破的犯罪行为往往却是最神秘的，因为它看不出有什么新破或特别的地方，足以作为推理的根据。如果这个案子里被害者的尸体是在大路上发现的，而且又没有任何使这个案子显得突出的那些超出常轨和骇人听闻的情节，那么，这个谋杀案解决起来就要困难得多了。所以说，情节破特不但丝毫没有增加解决案子的困难，反而使办案的困难减少了。” 葛莱森先生听着这番议论时，一直表现得非常不耐烦，这时，他再也忍耐不住了。他说：“你看，福尔摩斯先生，我们都承认你是一个精明强干的人，而且你也有你自己的一套工作方法。可是，我们现在要求你的不单是空谈理论和说教，而是要捉到这个凶手。我已经把我所进行的情况说出来了，看来我是错了。夏朋婕这个小伙子是不可能牵连到第二个谋杀案里去的。雷斯垂德一味追踪着他的那个斯坦节逊，看来，他也是错了。你东说一点，西说一点，就似乎比我们知道的多。但是现在是时候了，我们认为我们有权利要求你痛痛快快地说出，你对于这个案情究竟知道多少。你能指出凶手的姓名吗？” 雷斯垂德也说道：“我不能不认为葛莱森的说法是对的，先生。我们两个人都试过了，并且我们也都失败了。从我到你这里来以后，你就不止一次地说，你已经获得了你所需要的一切证据。当然现在你不应该再把它秘而不宣了。” 我说：“如果还迟迟不去捉拿凶手，他就可能有机会又干出新的暴行来了。” 我们大家这样一逼，福尔摩斯反而显出迟疑不决的样子。他不停地在房里走来走去，头垂在胸口上，紧皱着眉，他思索时总是这样的。 “不会再有暗杀发生了，"最后，他突然站定了，对着我们说，“你们可以放心，这一点已不成问题了。你们问我是不是知道凶手的姓名。我知道。但是，仅仅知道凶手的名字，那算不了什么，如果把凶手捉到才算真有本领呢。我预料很快我就能把他捉住了。对于这件工作，我很愿意亲自安排，亲自下手。但是办法要细致周到，因为咱们要对付的是一个非常凶恶而又狡猾的人。而且曾有事实证明，他还有一个和他一样机警的人在帮助他。只要这个凶手感觉不出有人能够获得线索的话，那就有机会可以捉住他。但是，只要他稍有怀疑，他就会更名改姓，立即消逝在这个大城市的四百万居民之中了。我决无意伤害你们两位的感情，但是，我必须说明，我认为官方侦探绝不是他们的对手，这就是我为什么没有请求你们协助的原因。如果我失败了，当然，没请求你们协助这一层我不能辞起咎。但是，我准备承当这个责任。现在我愿保证，只要对于我全盘筹划没有危害，到时候，我就一定立刻告诉你们。” 葛莱森和雷斯垂德对于福尔摩斯的这种保证以及对于官方侦探的这样轻蔑的嘲讽，极为不满。葛莱森听了之后，满脸通红，一直红到发根；雷斯垂德瞪着一对滚圆的眼睛，闪烁着既惊异又恼怒的神色。但是他们还没有来得及开口，就听见门外有人敲门，原来正是街头流浪儿的代表，那个微不足道的小维金斯驾到。 维金斯举手敬礼说：“先生，请吧，马车已经喊到了，就在下边。” “好孩子，"福尔摩斯温和地说，“你们苏格兰场为什么不采用这样的手铐呢？"他继续说道，一面从抽屉里拿出一副钢手铐来说，“请看锁簧多好用，一碰就卡上了。"雷斯垂德说： “只要我们能够找到戴用的人，这种老式的也尽够用了。” “很好，很好。"福尔摩斯一面说，一面微笑了起来，“最好让马车夫来帮我搬箱子。去叫他上来，维金斯。” 我听了这话不禁暗自诧异，因为照我伙伴的说法，似乎他是要出门旅行去，可是他却一直没有对我说起。房间里只有一只小小的旅行起箱，他就把它拉了出来，忙着系箱上的皮带。他正在忙着的时候，马车夫走进房来。 “车夫，帮我扣好这个皮带扣。"福尔摩斯曲膝在那里弄着起箱，头也不回地说。 这个家伙紧绷着脸，不大愿意地走向前去，伸出两只手正要帮忙。说时迟，那时快，只听到钢手铐咔哒一响，福尔摩斯突然跳起身来。 “先生们，"他两眼炯炯有神地说道：“让我给你们介绍介绍杰弗逊•侯波先生，他就是杀死锥伯和斯坦节逊的凶手。” 这只是一霎那间的事。我简直来不及思索。在这一瞬间，福尔摩斯脸上的胜利表情，他那响亮的语声以及马车夫眼看着闪亮的手铐象魔术似地一下子铐上他的手腕时的那种茫然、凶蛮的面容，直到如今，我还记忆犹新、历历在目。当时，我们象塑像似地呆住了一两秒钟之久。然后，马车夫愤怒地大吼一声，挣脱了福尔摩斯的掌握，向窗子冲去，他把木框和玻璃撞得粉碎。但是，就在马车夫正要钻出去的时候，葛莱森、雷斯垂德和福尔摩斯就象一群猎狗似地一拥而上，把他揪了回来。一场激烈的斗殴开始了。这个人凶猛异常，我们四个人一再被他击退。他似乎有着一股疯子似的蛮劲儿。他的脸和手在跳窗时割破得很厉害，血一直在流，但是他的抵抗并未因此减弱。直到雷斯垂德用手卡住他的脖子，使他透不过起来，他才明白挣扎已无济于事了。就是这样，我们还不能放心，于是我们又把他的手和脚都捆了起来。捆好了以后，我们才站起身子来，不住地喘着起。 “他的马车在这里，"福尔摩斯说，“就用他的马车把他送到苏格兰场去吧。好了，先生们，"他高兴地微笑着说，“这件小小的神秘莫测的案子，咱们总算搞得告一段落了。现在，我欢迎各位提出任何问题，我决不会再拒绝答复。” |
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