/f of The Dancing Little Man, the complete works of Sherlock Holmes? Kz = 235178147
--------------. He bent his lanky body and stared at a chemical test tube in front of him, which was boiling a particularly smelly compound. The way his head hangs over his chest looks like a lanky strange bird from me, covered with dark gray feathers, but his crown hair is black.
He suddenly said, "Watson, you are not going to invest in South Africa, are you?"
I was taken aback. Although I am used to all kinds of strange skills of Holmes, I still can't explain why he suddenly revealed my mind.
"How do you know? "I asked him.
He turned around on the round stool, holding the steaming test tube in his hand. From his sunken eyes, he slightly showed the appearance of wanting to laugh.
"Now, Watson, you admit that you are surprised," he said.
"I was surprised."
"I should ask you to write this sentence down and sign your name."
"why?"
"Because after five minutes, you will say it's too easy."
"I won't say anything."
"You know, my dear Watson," he put the test tube back on the shelf and began to speak in the tone of the professor's lecture to the students in his class, "it is not difficult to make a series of inferences and make each inference depend on the one in front of it and be simple and clear. Then, as long as you get rid of all the intermediate reasoning and just announce the starting point and conclusion to your audience, you can get amazing and possibly grandiose results. Therefore, when I look at the jaws of your left hand, I feel confident that you have no intention of investing your small amount of capital in the gold mine, which is really not difficult to infer. "
"I don't see the relationship."
"It seems not, but I can tell you this close relationship right away. The missing links in this very simple chain are: first, when you came back from the club last night, there was white powder on your left hand; Second, only when playing billiards, in order to stabilize the club, you put white powder on the tiger's mouth; Third, you never play billiards without thurston's company; Fourth, you told me four weeks ago that thurston has the privilege to buy a South African industry, which will expire in another month. He really wants you to use it with him. Fifth, your checkbook is locked in my drawer, and you never asked me for the key; Sixth, you are not going to invest your money in South Africa. "
"it's so easy! "I cried.
"exactly! "He said unhappily," Every question, once explained to you, becomes very simple. Here's a question that I don't understand yet. See how you can explain it, my friend. "He threw a piece of paper on the table and began to do his analysis again.
I was very surprised to see some absurd symbols painted on the note.
"Hey, Holmes, this is a picture of a child."
"Oh, that's what you think."
"Could it be something else?"
"This is exactly what Mr. Hilton Cupid is anxious to find out. He lives in machang village Manor, Norfolk. This little riddle was delivered by the early mail today, and he himself is going to come here by the second train. The doorbell is ringing, Watson. I wouldn't be surprised if it was him. "
There was a heavy footstep on the stairs, and soon a tall, well-built gentleman with a clean shave came in. Bright eyes and rosy cheeks indicate that he lives in a place far away from the fog in Baker Street. When he came in, he seemed to bring a little rich, fresh and cool air from the east coast. He shook hands with us, and when he was about to sit down, his eyes rested on the note with strange symbols, which I had just carefully read and put on the table.
"Mr. Holmes, how do you explain it? "He said loudly," They told me that you like strange things. I don't think I can find anything more bizarre. I sent this note first so that you could have time to study it before I came. "
"It's really a hard work to understand," Holmes said. "At first glance, it looks like a joke played by children, and some grotesque figures dancing across the paper. How can you attach importance to such a strange painting? "
"I will never, Mr. Holmes. But my wife takes it very seriously. This painting scared her to death. She said nothing, but I could see from her eyes that she was afraid. This is why I want to get to the bottom of this matter. "
Holmes held up the note and let the sun shine on it. It was a page torn from a notebook, and the dancers on it were drawn with pencils, arranged like this:
Holmes looked at it carefully for a while, then carefully folded the note and put it in his wallet.
"This may be the most interesting and unusual case," he said. "You told me some details in your letter, Mr. Hilton Cupid. But I want you to tell my friend Dr. Watson again. "
"I'm not a very good storyteller," said the guest. His big, powerful hands are nervously clenched and released. " If there is anything unclear, just ask me. I want to start around my marriage last year, but I want to say first that although I am not a rich man, our family has lived in machang village for about 5 years, and there is no one more famous in Norfolk. Last year, I went to London to attend the 6th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession to the throne and lived in an apartment in Russell Square, because this is the apartment where Pastor Parker of our parish lives. There is also a young American lady living in this apartment. Her surname is Patrick, and her full name is Elsie Patrick. So we became friends. I haven't lived in London for a month, and I already love her to the extreme. We got married quietly at the registry, and then returned to Norfolk as a couple. You'll think it's crazy for a noble son to marry a wife of unknown origin in this way, Mr. Holmes. But if you have met her and know her, it will help you understand this.
"At that time, she was very straightforward on this point. Elsie is really straightforward. I can't say she didn't give me a chance to change my mind, but it never occurred to me to change my mind. She said to me,' I have been with some hateful people in my life, and now I just want to forget them all. I don't want to mention the past again, because it will make me miserable. If you marry me, Hilton, you will marry a woman who has never done anything that makes you feel ashamed. However, you must be satisfied with my promise and allow me to remain silent about all my experiences before marrying you. If these conditions are too harsh, then go back to Norfolk and let me live my lonely life as usual.' She said these words to me the day before we got married. I told her that I was willing to marry her on her terms, and I always kept my promise.
"We have been married for one year now and have been living happily ever after. However, about a month ago, at the end of June, I first saw the omen of trouble. My wife received a letter from America that day. I saw an American stamp on it. Her face turned white, so she read the letter and threw it into the fire. Later, she didn't mention it, and neither did I, because I had to keep my promise. From then on, she never had a moment's peace, and her face always looked scared, as if she was waiting for something. But I won't say anything unless she talks. Please note, Mr. Holmes, that she is an honest person. No matter what misfortune she had in her life in the past, it wouldn't be her own fault. I'm just an ordinary squire in Norfolk, but there is no one in England whose family reputation can be higher than mine. She knows this very well, and she knew it before she married me. She never wants to bring any stain on our family's reputation, which I fully believe.
"ok, now I'll talk about the suspicious place of this matter. About a week ago, last Tuesday, I found some dancing funny people painted on a windowsill, exactly like those on that paper, drawn in chalk. I thought it was painted by the groom, but he swore that he had no idea. Anyway, those clowns were painted at night. I brushed them off before I mentioned it to my wife. To my surprise, she took it very seriously and begged me to show her such a painting if it appeared again. For a week, nothing appeared. By yesterday morning, I found this note on the garden sundial. I showed it to Elsie and she fainted at once. After that, she was like dreaming, in a trance, and her eyes were full of fear. At that time, Mr. Holmes, I wrote a letter and sent it to you together with the note. I can't give this note to the police because they will laugh at me, but you will tell me what to do. I'm not rich, but if anything happens to my wife, I'm willing to spend all my money to protect her. "
He is a beautiful man who grew up in England-simple, honest and elegant, with honest blue eyes and a Zhang Xiuqing face. From his face, we can see his love and trust for his wife. After listening attentively to his story, Holmes sat and pondered for a while.
"Don't you think, Mr. Cupid," he finally said, "the best way is to directly ask your wife to tell you her secret?"
Hilton Cupid shook her head.
"A promise is always a promise, Mr. Holmes. If Elsie is willing to tell me, she will. If she doesn't want to, I won't force her to say it. However, I can always find a way by myself. I must find a way. "
"Then I'd like to help you. First of all, have you heard that strangers have come to your home? "
"No."
"I guess your area is a very quiet place, and any strange face will attract attention, right?"
"it's like this in a very nearby place. However, not too far from us, there are several places to drink livestock, where farmers often stay outside. "
"These difficult symbols obviously have their meanings. If it is painted at random, we probably can't explain it. On the other hand, if it is systematic, I believe we will make it clear thoroughly. However, the only one is too short for me to start. The information you provided is too vague to be the basis of the investigation. I suggest you go back to Norfolk, keep a close eye on it and copy any new dancers as they are. It's a great pity that we don't have a copy of the dancers who were painted on the windowsill with chalk earlier. You should also inquire carefully about any strangers who have been around. Come here again when you collect new evidence. All I can give you now is these suggestions. If there is any urgent new development, I can always go to your home in Norfolk. "
This interview made Holmes very silent. For several days in a row, I saw him take the note out of his notebook several times and carefully study the strange symbols written on it for a long time. However, he never mentioned it. It was not until almost two weeks later that I was about to go out one afternoon when he stopped me.
"Watson, you'd better not go."
"what's the matter?"
"Because I received a telegram from Hilton Cupid this morning. Do you remember him and those dancers? He should arrive at Liverpool Street at 1: 2 and be here at any time. From his telegram, I speculate that something very important has happened. "
We didn't wait long before this Norfolk gentleman came straight from the station in a carriage. He seems to be anxious and depressed, with tired eyes and wrinkled forehead.
"I can't stand this, Mr. Holmes," he said, just like an exhausted man plopping into a chair. "It's bad enough when you feel surrounded by people and don't know who is calculating you. Plus, you see that this matter is torturing your wife bit by bit, which is beyond the endurance of flesh and blood. She was emaciated by torture, and I saw her lose weight. "
"Did she say anything?"
"No, Mr. Holmes. She hasn't said yet. However, several times the poor man wanted to say it, but he couldn't muster up the courage to start it. I tried to help her, too. Maybe I was stupid, but she was too scared to say anything. She talked about my ancient family, our business cards in the whole county and our proud reputation of innocence. At this time, I always thought she would get to the point, but somehow, the conversation changed before it got there. "
"But did you find something yourself?"
"quite a lot, Mr. Holmes. I brought you some new paintings, and more importantly, I saw that guy. "
"what? Is it the man who painted these symbols? "
"That's him. I saw him draw it. Let me tell you everything in order. After I visited you last time, the first thing I saw the next morning when I came home was a new line of dancers, drawn with chalk on the tool door. This tool room is next to the lawn, facing the front window. I copied one just the same, right here. "He opened a folded piece of paper and put it on the table. Here is the symbol he copied:
"Wonderful! "Holmes said." That's wonderful! Please go on. "
" After copying, I erased these marks on the door, but after two mornings, only new ones appeared. I also have a copy here. "
Holmes rubbed his hands and laughed softly for joy.
"Our data are accumulating quickly! "He said.
"After three days, I found a piece of paper on the sundial with a pebble on it. A line of little people was scrawled on the note, exactly the same as the last one. From then on, I decided to stay at night, so I took out my revolver and sat in the study, because I could see the lawn and garden from there. At about two o'clock in the morning, I heard footsteps behind me. It turned out that my wife was coming in her pajamas. She begged me to go to bed, so I made it clear to her that I wanted to see who was playing tricks on us like this. She said it was a meaningless prank and told me to ignore it.
"'If it really makes you angry, Hilton, we can travel and get away from such annoying people.'
"'what? Let a prankster kick us out of here?'
"'Go to sleep,' she said.' We'll discuss it during the day.'
"As she was talking, I saw her face suddenly turn paler in the moonlight, and she clutched my shoulder with one hand. Just in the shadow of the tool room, something is moving. I saw a dark figure, sneaked around the corner and squatted down in front of the tool door. I grabbed my pistol and was about to rush out when my wife hugged me hard. I tried hard to get rid of her, and she clung to me desperately. Finally, I broke free. When I opened the door and ran to the tool room, the guy was gone. but