1. The emotional entanglement between the king and Miss Irene

Sherlock Holmes rarely used other names for her. Every time he mentioned her, he called her that woman. In his opinion, her wisdom and beauty were both unmatched by other women. It was not that he was fond of Ai

Lin Adler has emotions similar to love, because all emotions, especially love, are incompatible with his irrational, rigorous, calm and admirable mind. In my opinion, it can be said that he is

The most flawless machine in the world for observation and reasoning, but as a lover, he will forget his duty. No tender words of love can be heard from his mouth, let alone ridicule and laughter.

He spoke in a sarcastic tone. Those tender words of love are admirable in the eyes of observers, because it is very easy to analyze people's motivations and behaviors through them. An excellent observational reasoner will never allow this.

If emotions appear in his own mind, it will distract his energy, interrupt his meticulous reasoning, and thus doubt the intellectual achievements he has achieved. If a strong emotion is mixed into his character, Bisha will

A particle falling into a precision instrument, or a crack appearing in his high-power magnifying glass, would disturb his thinking even more. Even so, there is still one person, the late woman Irene Adler, who has always existed in his already blurred mind.

in memory.

After I got married, I had very little contact with Holmes, and I hadn’t seen him for a long time. The happiness after marriage and the joy of truly becoming the master of the family made me forget about other things and put all my attention on the family.

. And Holmes still lives in our house on Baker Street, immersed in old books all day long, and is still so unruly and unrestrained, rejecting all the complicated etiquette and norms in society. He is often energetic for a while, and after a while

He was in an unusual slump and took cocaine, alternating between a drug-induced drowsiness and the exuberant energy of his character. As before, he still had a great interest in studying criminal behavior, and was interested in those who were officially considered

There was no hope of solving the case. He used his extraordinary mind and extraordinary observation to find clues and solve the mystery. From time to time, I would hear some news about his solving the case. For example, Holmes was called to Odessa to deal with Trepov.

Assassinations, the bizarre Atkinson brothers massacre in Trincomalee, and many outstanding missions he completed for the Dutch royal family, etc., like others, I read about these situations from newspapers or magazines. As for

I don't know much else about him, my old friend and companion.

On the evening of March 20, 1888, on my way back from a medical visit (I started practicing medicine again at that time), I happened to pass by Baker Street and saw the door of the house I was very familiar with. Deep in my heart, I had always thought of it.

It was connected with my quest and the mysterious incident in "A Study in Scarlet." As I walked through that door, I suddenly had a strong desire to talk to Mr. Holmes and explore his extraordinary powers.

My mind was thinking about something at the moment. The light in several of his rooms was very good and bright. I raised my head and saw his tall, thin black figure passing back and forth on the curtains. He lowered his head and held his hands

Holding it behind his back, he paced back and forth in the room eagerly. I was very familiar with his living habits and various mental states, so his behavior at the moment told me that he was working on a case again. He must have been sleeping from taking cocaine.

I had just woken up and was searching for clues to a certain problem. I rang the doorbell, and he took me to a room, part of which belonged to me before.

I think he was very happy to see me, but his attitude was not very enthusiastic. I rarely see him like this. He pointed to an armchair for me to sit down without saying a word, and then

I threw his cigar box and pointed to the alcohol lamp and stove in the corner. Then he stood by the stove and looked at me with his unique deep eyes.

"It seems that getting married is a good thing for you, Watson!" he said: "You have gained seven and a half pounds since we last met."

"It's seven pounds." I replied.

"I think it's more than seven pounds, really. You are now practicing medicine everywhere, but why haven't I heard you say that you are going to be a doctor?"

"How did you know this?" I was surprised.

"What I observed, I can know through reasoning. I also know that you were caught in the heavy rain recently, and you have a clumsy and careless housekeeper!"

"Oh my God!" I said, "You are so powerful. If you had lived a few centuries ago, you would have been burned at the stake. You are right. I walked there last Thursday.

I took a trip to the countryside and was soaked by the heavy rain when I came back, but I had already changed my clothes. How did you tell that? And the housekeeper Mary Jane had been sent away by my wife. She was really

It’s hopeless, how did you deduce this?”

He chuckled while rubbing his weird, slender hands.

It's actually very simple. I saw six neat cracks on the inside of your left shoe, which is the side facing the fire. Apparently someone accidentally caused it when scraping off the mud bumps on the heel. So I deduced two things from it.

Firstly, you must have encountered a heavy rain, and secondly, the ugly scratches on your shoes are because you hired an inexperienced and careless maid. As for your medical practice, do you know?

Your whole body smells of iodine, there are black spots of silver nitrate remaining on your right index finger, and you once wore a stethoscope which made the right side of your top hat bulge. If I didn't know that you are a doctor, then I would be a failure.

Hearing him explain it so easily, I couldn't help laughing. Then he said: "Your reasoning sounds so simple. I think I can reason like you, but the strange thing is that after you explain the next step

Before the reasoning, I couldn't find the direction of the reasoning at all. Tell me what's going on, I don't think I'm any weaker than you in observation!"

"There is a difference." He stretched out and reclined comfortably on the armchair, lit a cigarette, and said: "I am observing things and you are watching. There is a clear difference between 'seeing' and 'observing'

.To give you an example, you have seen the stairs from the hall downstairs to this room many times, right?"

"Yes."

"How many times?"

"At least hundreds of times!"

"Then tell me how many stairs there are in total?"

"I don't know about this."

"That's it, you are just 'looking' at the stairs, not what I call 'observing', which is the key. Because I not only looked but observed, I know there are 17 steps in total. By the way, I

Knowing that you like to record some of my experiences, you may be interested in this little thing." He handed me a pink note on the table and said, "This is the last postman.

It was sent here for you to take a look at."

There was no date written on the note, not even a signature or address.

"I came to visit you at 7:30 tonight. I have something important to discuss with you. You have recently served a European royal family wholeheartedly, and we would like to entrust you with important matters. This kind of report has been widely circulated, and we are very familiar with it. By then

Please don’t go out, and please don’t mind if visitors wear masks.”

"It looks mysterious." I said, "What do you think?"

"We don't have any real information yet. If we start to speculate before getting some information, we may make a huge mistake. In that case, we will unconsciously use the guessed facts to adapt to the theory instead of

Use theory to adapt to the truth. But what can you infer from just this note?"

I carefully examined the note and the handwriting on it.

I tried to think like him: "A stack of this kind of paper costs more than half a crown. The paper is very thick and the quality is very good. I think the person who wrote this note is probably very rich."

"Very, that's a very appropriate word," said Holmes. "This paper is not from England. Hold it up to a bright spot and look at it."

I held the note up to the fire and saw some letters in the paper: EgPGt.

"Do you know what that means?" he asked.

"It must be the name of the maker, or more accurately, his initials."

"Totally wrong, 'Gt' stands for 'Gesellschaet', which is German company, just like we use Co to stand for company. As for 'P', of course it stands for the word paper. Only Eg is left. Let's check it out together.

Let’s take a look at the Gazetteer!" He took out a thick brown book from the bookshelf. "Eglow, Eglonitz, there is, Egria - 'Bohemia, the locals speak German, and it is about 1 km from Karlsberg.

Not far away, it is famous for the place where Wallenstein died, and is also famous for its many glass factories and paper factories. 'Ha, man, do you understand what's going on?' He puffed out a puff of blue smoke proudly, his eyes sparkling.

Glow.

"This paper comes from Bohemia."

"Exactly, the person who wrote this note is a German. Look at the grammatical structure of this sentence, 'This kind of narration has been widely circulated and we are very familiar with it.' French and German people generally do not use verbs in this way.

, only Germans would do that. So now we have to figure out what this German who writes notes on Bohemian paper and would rather wear a mask than show his true face wants to do - look, if I'm not wrong

If he comes, our mystery will be solved." Just as he was speaking, there was a crisp sound of horse hooves and the sound of carriage wheels scraping the ground.

Then someone rang the doorbell vigorously, and Holmes whistled triumphantly.

"It sounds like there are two horses in total." He raised his head and glanced out the window: "Yes, a beautiful carriage and a pair of cute ponies. Each horse is worth one hundred and fifty crowns, Watson, if nothing else.

, there is a lot of money in this case."

"I think it's time for me to go back, Holmes."

"Don't go anywhere, man, just stay here. I'd be at a loss if you weren't here! This case looks interesting. It would be a shame to miss it."

"But your client..."

"Don't worry about him, maybe I will need your help! He is here, just sit in that armchair and observe us!"

We heard the man's slow and heavy footsteps going up the stairs to the hallway, and finally stopped at the door. Then there was a loud knock on the door.

"Come in!" said Holmes.

A man with a height of no less than 2.2 meters, broad chest, strong limbs, and richly dressed walked in. But his gorgeous attire looked very vulgar in England. In front of his sleeves and double-breasted buttoned coat, wide lambskin

The trim is set at the slit of the placket, a dark blue cloak lined with scarlet silk is draped over the shoulders, and a brooch inlaid with a single flame-shaped emerald is pinned to the collar; the boot cuffs are trimmed with dark brown fur.

Moreover, he wore calf-length leather boots, which gave people a deeper impression of his rough and luxurious appearance. He wore a black mask that covered his cheekbones, with only the upper part of the mask covering his cheekbones.

Covering the area above his nose. He also held a large-brimmed hat in one hand. When he entered the room, one hand was still on the mask. It was obvious that he had just adjusted the mask. Looking at the lower half of his face,

The lips are thick and droopy, the chin is pointed and straight, and there is a stubborn and decisive look on his face. He should be a person with a strong personality.

"Did you receive the note I wrote?" he asked in a deep, hoarse voice with a strong German accent. "I told you I was coming to visit." But he looked a little confused and didn't know.

Who was he talking to, because he took turns staring at the two of us.

Holmes said: "Please sit down! This is Dr. Watson, my friend and colleague, who often assists me in handling cases. What is your name?"

"Count von Kramm is a Bohemian nobleman. I think your friend should be a respectable and very prudent gentleman who can entrust me with extremely important things. Otherwise, we will still be alone."

It’s better to talk.”

When I stood up to leave, Holmes grabbed my wrist and pushed me back into the armchair, and then said: "If you want to talk, we can talk together, or we can't talk. You can talk to me about yourself in front of him."

Everything you want to talk about.”

The count shrugged, and then said: "Then we have to agree that you two must keep this matter secret for two years. At present, it is not an exaggeration to say that it is so important that it may affect the development of the entire European history."

Holmes replied: "No problem." "I promise."

"Do you mind this mask?" Then the stranger continued: "This way you won't know who I am, because my client doesn't want you to know, so I can tell you that what I just said is not mine.

real name."

Holmes replied coldly: "I know."

"The situation is urgent, and we must do everything possible to prevent the matter from developing into a big scandal, so as not to seriously damage a European royal family. To be clear, the great Ormstein family, the hereditary king of Bohemia, will

This matter has been implicated.”

"I know that too," said Holmes in a low voice, then sat down in an armchair and closed his eyes.

Holmes was undoubtedly portrayed in the minds of the visitors as the most thorough reasoner and the most energetic detective in Europe. At this time, he couldn't help but glance at his tired and lazy posture with obvious surprise. Holmes spoke slowly and slowly.

He opened his eyes and looked at the tall client impatiently.

"If your Majesty will condescend to make the case clear," said Holmes, "I shall be able to serve you better."

The stranger stood up suddenly from his chair. He was so excited that he couldn't help pacing up and down the room. Then with a gesture of despair, he tore off the mask from his face and threw it to the ground.

"You are right." He said loudly, "I am the king, why should I hide it?"

"Well, that's true." Holmes murmured. "Your Majesty, with all due respect, before you even opened your mouth, I knew that my distinguished guest was Castle, the Archduke of Feuerstein, of Bohemia.

Hereditary King, Wilhelm Gotreich Sigismund von Olmstein.”

"I think you will understand." The strange visitor sat down again, touched his high and white forehead with his hand and said, "I usually don't do this kind of thing myself. But this matter is too delicate."

, if I want to entrust him to a detective, I must come forward in person, so I traveled incognito from Prague to seek your advice.

"Then please speak, Your Majesty!" said Holmes, and then closed his eyes again.

"This is what happened: About five years ago, during my long-term visit to Warsaw, I met the famous female adventurer Irene Adler. I think you must know this person."

"Doctor, please look up Irene Adler in my data index." Holmes said softly without opening his eyes. Over the years, he has developed a habit of listing information about many people.

Some of the documents of the peacemaker were labeled for reference. Therefore, it was difficult to name a person or thing for which he could not immediately provide information. As for this woman, she had a PhD in Jewish law and had written a monograph on deep-sea fish.

The staff officer found information about her personal experience among the two people's materials.

"Show me." Holmes said, "Oh, born in New Jersey in 1858. Alto... Italian Opera... prima diva of the Warsaw Imperial Opera... That's right! Withdrew from the opera stage... Ha! Lived in

London...it's her! As far as I know, His Majesty has had a relationship with this young woman. You have written several letters to her that might implicate yourself, and you are now anxious to get those letters back."

"That's true, but what should I do..."

"Were you secretly married to her?" "No."

"Are there any legal documents or certificates?" "No."

"Then I don't understand, Your Majesty. If this woman wants to use these letters for blackmail or other purposes, how can she prove that these letters are true?"

"It has my handwriting." "Go! Forged." "My personal envelope." "Stolen."

"My own seal." "Counterfeit."

"My Photo."

"bought."

"There are two of us up there!"

"Oh, that's not going to be easy. His Majesty's life is too disorderly."

"I was so stupid and crazy." "You have already caused trouble for yourself."

"At that time I was just the crown prince and very young. Now I am only 30 years old."

"Then we must get that photo back."

"We have tried many methods without success." "You can buy the photos back with money."

"She won't sell it."

"Then steal it!"

"I have tried five times, hired thieves to search her house twice, switched her luggage while she was traveling, and robbed her twice, but nothing was found."

"There's no trace of that photo at all?" "Yes, not at all."

Holmes laughed and said, "Then there's nothing wrong with this!"

"But for me, this is a very serious problem," the king said reproachfully.

"It's really serious. What is she going to do with that photo?" "Destroy me."

"How to destroy it?"

"I'm getting married."

"I heard about it."

"I will marry Clotilde Lotman von Sachs-Meiningen, the second princess of the King of Scandinavia. You may know their family's strict family rules, and she is very sensitive.

Man, if I act a little carelessly, this marriage will fall through."

"So what does Irene Adler think about this?"

"She threatened me to give the photos to them. I believe she can do it. You don't know her, she has a very tough character. She has the most beautiful face, but at the same time she has a heart as strong as a man. As long as you don't know her, she has a very strong character."

I married another woman and she could do anything."

"Are you sure she hasn't sent the photos away yet?"

"Sure."

"Why?"

"She told me that she would send the photos out on the day the engagement is announced, which is next Monday."

"I see, there are still three days left." Holmes yawned, "It's a coincidence that I still have two important matters to investigate. Of course, His Majesty currently lives in London?"

"Well, you can find me at the Wrangham Hotel. My alias is Count von Kramm."

"I'll write to you about our progress."

"That would be great."

"Then the question of money..."

"As you wish!"

"Without any conditions?"

"I would trade one of my provinces for that picture, so to speak."

“What about the current costs?”

The king took out a chamois money bag from under his coat and placed it on the table.

"Here are 300 pounds in gold coins and 700 pounds in banknotes."

Holmes scrawled the receipt on a piece of paper in his notebook and handed it to the king.

"That lady's address?" he asked.

"St John's Wood Serpentine Street, Briony House."

Holmes noted it down. "One more question. Is that photo six inches?"

"Yes."

"Okay, goodbye, Your Majesty, I believe we will bring you good news soon!"

"Watson," he continued to say to me, "the royal carriage is driving towards the center of the street at this time. I would like to ask you to come to me at 3 o'clock tomorrow afternoon. I will talk to you about this little matter then.

"

2. Secret visit to Eileen’s mansion

At 3 o'clock sharp the next day, I arrived at Holmes' residence, but he was not at home. The landlady told me that he had gone out at about 8 o'clock in the morning. I planned to stay in the room and wait for him to come back because I was very interested in this case.

I was interested, so I sat down by the fire. Although this case was not as cruel and puzzling as the two cases I had recorded before, the fact that its client was a king was interesting. In addition,

Holmes's ingenious observation methods, keen and thorough reasoning, and his method of quickly solving difficult problems are all worth studying and learning, and I am indeed very interested. I am used to his repeated cases, and I have never

I never thought he would fail.

At about 4 o'clock, a drunken groom came in from outside. He looked very slovenly, his clothes were in tatters, he had a full beard, and his face was red. Although I knew that my friend's makeup skills were very good, I still watched a few

It was only after several times that I was sure it was him. He nodded to me and entered the bedroom. Within 5 minutes, he appeared in front of me as politely as usual. He spread his legs in front of the stove, put his hands in his pockets and shouted loudly

Laughed.

"Ah, is that true?" he said, and then he began to laugh again until he lay down on a chair out of exhaustion.

"what happened?"

"It's so interesting. You can't imagine what I did in the morning or what the results were."

"I can't imagine that maybe you have been observing Irene Adler's daily routine or going to see her house."

"Exactly correct, but the result is very unusual, but I am willing to tell you the situation. I dressed up as an unemployed coachman and went out at around 8 o'clock in the morning. Because there is a beautiful feeling of mutual sympathy and congeniality in the circle of coachmen. If

Become a member of the circle and you can know everything you want to know. So I quickly arrived at the Briony Mansion, which is a small and elegant two-story villa with a garden at the back and the door facing the road.

The door has a Chaparral lock, and the living room is on the right. It is very luxuriously decorated. The windows are very large, and the British window bolts can even be opened by children. I walked around the villa and observed carefully, but except for the corridor on the second floor,

Nothing of interest was found beyond the windows that could be reached from the coach house roof."

Then I walked along the street, and as I expected, there was a row of stables in the alley against the garden wall. So I went in to help the grooms groom the horses, and they gave me two pence, a glass of mixed beer, and two pipes of tobacco.

There was a lot more to say about Miss Adler, and besides that, about six or seven other people, which of course I had no interest in, but I had to listen to.

"How much do you know about Irene Adler?" I asked.

She is the most beautiful woman in the world. Her beauty conquers all the men in the area. People in the stable say so. Adler lived a very quiet life and had a very regular life. He would go out at 5 o'clock in the morning.

She sings and goes home for dinner at 7 o'clock in the evening. If she is not singing, she usually lives in seclusion. She only has a close relationship with one man. That is Mr. Godfrey Norton, who lives in Temple. He is dark-skinned, handsome and handsome.

He came to see her every day, often twice a day. This is the benefit of being a confidant coachman. Those coachmen drive for him every day and know everything about him. After knowing this, I wandered around the Briony mansion again.

, consider how I should act.

This Godfrey Norton is a lawyer, which doesn’t sound good, but he is obviously a key figure. What is the relationship between the two of them? What is the purpose of him constantly visiting her? Is she his client, friend or mistress?

?If it was the client, the photo should be with him. If it was the mistress, then Adler would not have handed over the mixed beer: a mixture of half and half dark beer and strong beer or two young beers.

He. Only after clarifying this can I decide whether I should continue to investigate the Briony Mansion or turn my attention to that gentleman's house, so I must handle it carefully, otherwise the scope of the investigation will be expanded. You don't want to know what I said.

I'm going to get bored, but if you want to know what's going on, I have to let you know my situation.

"I'm listening very carefully!" I replied.

When I was hesitating, a two-wheeled carriage stopped at the Briony Mansion, and a man got out of the car. He was very handsome, with dark skin, a hooked nose, and small hair.

The bearded man was obviously Godfrey Norton. He looked very anxious. He spoke loudly to the coachman and asked him to wait for him. Then he passed by the maid who came to open the door. He looked unrestrained.

He probably stayed in the house for about half an hour. Through the window of the living room, I vaguely saw him walking around excitedly in the house, waving his arms and talking about something. As for Miss Adler, I didn't see anything.

Afterwards, he came out of the house, looking even more anxious than before. When he boarded the carriage, he took out a gold watch from his pocket, looked at it excitedly, and shouted to the coachman: "Hurry up."

Go to the Grosse Hankey's Hotel, Regent Street, and then to St. Monica's Church in the Ephesian Road. If you get there within twenty minutes, you'll be given half a guinea.'

Just like that, they disappeared in a flash. While I was still wondering whether to follow them, I saw a small and exquisite four-wheeled carriage running out of the alley. The driver's coat was only half-buttoned.

, the tie was crooked to one side, and the metal hoops of the harness on the carriage were protruding from the buckles. The carriage had not stopped yet, and he saw Miss Adler running out of the door impatiently, and then ducking in

Entering the carriage, I only had one glance and I could already tell that her beauty was enough to make a man fall for her.

'Come to St. Monica's, John!' she shouted, 'and if you get there in twenty minutes, I'll give you half a pound of gold.'

Boy, this is a golden opportunity, and I was just wondering what to do when a cab came up the street, and I jumped in before the driver could say otherwise. 'To St. Mony.

Card Church, if you arrive within 20 minutes, I will give you half a pound of gold coins.' It was 11:35, and it was already clear what was going to happen.

The carriages were running very fast. I had never been in a carriage that fast. When we arrived at the church, the two carriages were already parked at the door, and several horses were panting. I hurriedly paid the fare and entered.

Church. In addition to the two of them, there was a priest in white cassocks in the church, who seemed to be advising them. The three of them were gathered in front of the altar. I pretended to be like other idle people who occasionally wandered into the church, walking along the

Walking along the passage. To my surprise, all three of them suddenly turned to look at me, and then Godfrey Norton ran towards me.

'Oh my God! I'm glad you're here,' he shouted. 'Come here quickly! Come here!'

'What happened?' I asked.

'Brother, I only delay you for 3 minutes, otherwise it will be illegal.'

I was dragged to the altar, and before I could figure out what was going on, I was murmuring and wondering how they should respond to what they said to me, and I was testifying for them.

In other words, to bear witness to the union of Irene Adler and the bachelor Godfrey Norton. The ceremony ended quickly. Each of them stood aside to express their thanks to me. The minister stood in front of me and smiled at me.

.This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever encountered in my life. I couldn’t help but laugh when I thought about it just now. It seems that they had no witnesses and the pastor refused to marry them. It just so happened that my appearance saved the groom from having to marry them.

Then I ran to the street to find a witness. The bride gave me a pound of gold coins, and I planned to put it on my watch chain as a souvenir.

"This was so unexpected." I asked, "What happened then?"

"Well, I feel that my plan is about to suffer. They are likely to leave here immediately, so I must take effective measures immediately. They broke up at the door of the church and went back to their homes. I heard Miss Adler saying when they broke up

Said: 'As usual, I'll take the carriage to the park at five o'clock.' Their carriage went in a different direction, and I left there to make other arrangements."

"What arrangement?"

"Hey, landlady, could you please bring me some braised beef and a glass of beer? Oh, thank you!" He pressed the phone and said to the phone. Then he looked up at me and continued: "I'm very busy.

I forgot to eat because I was busy, I’m going to be even busier in the evening. By the way, man, I’m going to need your help!”

"no problem."

"Aren't you afraid of breaking the law?"

"Not afraid at all."

"What if I get arrested?"

"The goal is noble and I am not afraid of it."

"This goal could not be more noble."

"Then I am the person you are looking for."

"I believed I could rely on you."

"But what are you going to do?"

"I'm telling you now..." At this moment, the landlady Mrs. Turner brought a plate of food. He turned to the food brought by the landlady hungrily and said: "Let me tell you while eating, there is not much

It's time, it's almost 5 o'clock, we have to get to the location of the operation within 2 hours. Miss Adler, oh, it should be Mrs., will arrive at 7 o'clock, we are going to be in Briony

Meet her at the mansion."

"Then what?"

"I'll just do this. I've already made arrangements for what's going to happen. Now I have to make one thing clear. No matter what happens, you must not interfere. Do you understand?"

"Is it possible that I don't have to worry about anything?"

"Yes, something unpleasant may happen, but don't get involved. Everything will be fine when I'm brought into the house. In a few minutes, the living room window will be opened and you'll be right next to me.

Keep guard by the window."

"OK."

"You must keep an eye on me, I will always appear where you can see me."

"yes."

He raised his hands and said: "It's like this - when I raise my hands, you throw what I want you to throw into the room, and at the same time shout, 'Fire', what else don't you understand about me?"

Of?"

"Absolutely understand."

"It's not a big deal." He took out a cigar-like roll from his pocket and said, "This is a plumber's smoker. It has caps on both ends and can spontaneously ignite. All you have to do is keep this.

Thing, when you shout fire, there will definitely be a lot of people coming to put out the fire. At this time, you quickly walk to the other end of the street. I will meet you in 10 minutes. I hope you understand what I said.

."

"I will not intervene in your conversation, then stand near the window and stare at you. When I see the signal, I will throw the fireworks in, shout that it is on fire, and then go to the corner of the street to wait for you."

"That's absolutely true."

"Then just wait and see how I perform!"

"Great, I think it's time for me to prepare for my new role."

He entered the bedroom and after a few minutes came out dressed as an amiable and simple priest. With his large black hat, baggy trousers, white tie, sympathetic smile and gaze, he was probably the only one in John's class.

Mr. Lear can be compared with him. He did not simply change his clothes. His expression, demeanor, and his soul all changed together with his new role. When he became an expert on crime

, there is one outstanding actor missing on the stage.

At 6:15, we set off from Baker Street and arrived at Serpentine Street 10 minutes early. It was already dark. As we walked back and forth outside Briony House, the lights came on. This house and Sherlock Holmes

The description is the same, but the neighborhood is not as peaceful as I imagined. On the contrary, compared to other quiet streets nearby, this street is very lively. There is a group of people wearing rags on the street corner, talking and laughing,

There was a man with a bicycle sharpening scissors, two guards who were flirting with the nanny, and a few well-dressed young people who were smoking cigars and looking carefree.

While we were still walking up and down in front of the house, Holmes said: "You see, they have made things simpler by getting married. The picture is now a double-edged weapon, and Miss Irene is afraid that it will be used by Godfrey Norton."

See, just as our client was afraid of it appearing in front of the princess. The question now is, where are we to find the photo."

"Yeah, where can we find it?"

"She is least likely to carry it with her. The six-inch photo is too big to carry on her body. And she should know that the king will stop her. After all, this has happened twice, so it can be inferred that she will not

Take it with you."

"So, where should it be?"

"There are two possibilities, in her home or in the hands of a lawyer, but I think neither of them is realistic. Women naturally like to keep secrets. They are willing to hide things by themselves. Why should others keep it? And a person who handles practical matters.

She didn't know what political or other influences it might have. In addition, she planned to use this photo within a few days, so it must be somewhere she could easily get it, that is, somewhere in her home.

In a house.”

"But the house has been burglarized twice."

"Humph, that's because they don't know how to find it." "Then how are you going to find it?"

"I don't need to look for it." "Huh?"

"I want her to show it to me herself." "She definitely won't do that."

"She will definitely do this. I heard the sound of wheels. It's her carriage. Now you must do what I ask."

While he was talking, the light from the lights on both sides of the carriage came along the street. A beautiful four-wheeled carriage stopped in front of the Briony House. At this time, a homeless man rushed up from the corner and opened the door, hoping that

I could earn some copper, but I was squeezed out of the way by another homeless man, and a fierce quarrel broke out. Two guards and the scissors grinder stood nearby and saw the two of them quarreling more and more fiercely. Then I don't know who opened the car door.

As soon as Mrs. Irene got off the car, she was caught in the middle of the crowd. The group of people twisted together and beat each other with red faces. Holmes quickly rushed to protect the lady, but as soon as he reached her side, he shouted and fell to the ground.

On the ground, blood was pouring from his face. Seeing that someone was injured, the two guards and the homeless people ran away. At this time, some well-dressed people who were not involved in the fight crowded over to help. Irene Adler hurriedly ran up the steps

, then stopped on the top step, the light from the door illuminated her extremely attractive figure. She asked towards the street: "Is that gentleman seriously injured?"

"He is already dead." Several people said together.

"No, he's not dead," said another, "but he will be before we get him to the hospital."

"He is very brave!" a woman said: "If it hadn't been for him, my wife's wallet and watch would have been robbed by those gangsters. They are really a bunch of rough guys. Oh, he can breathe!"

"We can't let him lie in the street. Can we carry him inside, ma'am?"

"Of course, you can carry him to the living room. There is a comfortable sofa there. Please come with me!" Together they slowly carried Holmes into Briony House and placed him in the living room. At this time

I stood near the window and watched what happened. Because the curtains were not closed, I could see how he was put on the sofa. I don’t know what he was thinking at the time, but I saw the man we were conspiring to oppose together.

The woman, who served the injured with a gentle manner, felt sincerely guilty. However, it was really a shameful betrayal of Holmes to turn away from Holmes's commission at this time. I calmed down, after all, we were not trying to hurt the lady.

Just because I didn't want her to hurt others, I took out the fireworks tube from my pocket.

Holmes was lying on the sofa. He acted as if he needed air. A maid hurriedly ran over and opened the window. In an instant, he raised his hand. I quickly threw the fireworks in and shouted

"It's on fire!" As soon as I finished speaking, people in the room, both well-dressed and not so well-dressed, screamed together: "It's on fire!" Thick smoke billowed from the room and came out of the windows.

I could see the shaking figures of people running outside. After a while, I heard Holmes's voice to reassure everyone. He told everyone that it was just a false alarm. I quickly passed through the screaming crowd and ran to the corner at the other end of the street.

Less than 10 minutes later, my friend appeared. He grabbed my arm and fled the commotion. He walked forward quickly and silently until we reached a quieter street on Epworth Road.

"Man, you did a great job!" he said. "Couldn't have been better!"

"Did you get the photo?" "I know where it is." "How did you find it?"

"I told you, she showed me the photo." "I don't understand."

"I don't want to make things very mysterious." He said with a smile: "It's very simple. You can definitely see that the people on the street are all from our group. They are all hired by me."

"I guessed this."

"When they started fighting, I ran over with wet red paint in my hand, pretended to fall, and quickly put my hands on my face. It was a pathetic look. It's an old trick."

"I guess that's the same thing."

Then she had to get me in, and she had no other choice. Once I was carried in, she put me in the living room, which was exactly the room I expected, and the photo was in this room or her bedroom.

, all I have to do is to figure out which room it is? I was put on the sofa, and in order to let them open the window, I deliberately made exaggerated movements that needed to breathe air. In this way, you have the opportunity to throw the fireworks.

Here it comes.

"What's the point of doing this?"

"It is so useful that when a person learns that the house is on fire, she will instinctively rush to save her most important things. The impulse is completely irresistible and I have taken advantage of it several times. Substituting Scandal in Darlington

and Arnworth Castle. We already know that to Mrs. Irene Adler, the thing we are looking for is the most precious thing in the house, and she will definitely rush to get it.

It was well protected. The fire alarm was set off very well, and the smoke and the shouts were enough to shake anyone's nerves. The photo is kept in a niche just above the bell's cable on the right.

Behind the movable panel, she reacted very quickly and paused for a moment. When she pulled out the photo halfway, I saw it. When I shouted that it was a false alarm, she pulled the photo out again.

She put it back. She looked at the fireworks tube and ran out of the house, and I didn't see her after that. I stood up and found an excuse to sneak out. I wanted to try to get the photo, but the groom came in

Yes, it seems that he is deliberately wary of me. For the sake of safety, he still waits for the opportunity. If something goes wrong, the whole thing may be messed up."

"Then what do we do now?" I asked.

"I have completed my investigation and will go with the king to visit Mrs. Irene Adler tomorrow. If you are willing, you can come together. Someone will lead us into the living room to see her, but when she comes out

By that time, the photo was no longer with us. I think His Majesty would be very satisfied if he got the photo in person."

"What time will you be there tomorrow morning?"

"At 8 o'clock in the morning, before she gets up, we can let it go. In addition, it's time for us to take action, because after getting married, her living habits may change. I want to send a telegram to the king right away.

"

By this time we had walked all the way to the house on Baker Street. When he was taking out the keys, a man passed by and said hello to him: "Good night, Mr. Holmes."

There were several people on the street at that time, and the speaker seemed to be a very tall young man wearing a coat.

"I've heard that voice before." He said, looking at the dim street in surprise, "but I don't know who is saying hello to me."

3. Interesting facts about photos

I did not go home that night, but stayed all night in Baker Street. The next morning, while we were having breakfast and drinking coffee, the King of Bohemia came running in from outside.

"Did you really get the photo?" He was so excited that he grabbed Holmes' shoulders with both hands and asked eagerly.

"not yet."

"But you can get it, right?"

"Yes."

"Then let's go quickly, I can't wait to get it right away."

"First we must hire a carriage."

"No, my carriage is right outside!"

"That's great." We went downstairs together and set off to Briony House again.

"Mrs. Irene Adler is married," said Holmes.

"Married! When?"

"yesterday."

"Who is the man?"

"A British lawyer named Norton."

"But she won't love him."

"I hope she loves him."

"Why do you say that?"

"If that's the case, Your Majesty will save you a lot of trouble. If she likes her husband, she doesn't love Your Majesty, so there will be no reason to interfere with your wedding."

"That's true! But...well, if only she had the same status as me, she would be a great queen." After saying this, the king fell into silence until we reached Serpentine Street.

The door of Briony's house was open, and an elderly woman stood at the door, looking at us as we got off the carriage with contempt.

"Is this Mr. Holmes?" she said.

"I am." My friend replied, looking at her in confusion and a little astonishment.

"As expected, my mistress told me that you would definitely come over. She and her husband took the 5:15 train this morning. They went from Caerincross to the European continent."

"What?" Holmes staggered backward, his face turning pale with surprise.

"You mean they have left England?" asked the king. "They will never come back."

"Where's the photo?" The king asked in astonishment, and said dejectedly: "Everything is over."

"We want to see for ourselves." Holmes pushed aside the servant and rushed into the living room, followed closely by the king and me. The furniture in the room was scattered all over the floor, and the drawers were opened. It seemed that the lady was about to leave.

Before leaving, I hurriedly searched. My friend rushed directly to the bell's cable, opened a small door, reached inside and took out a photo and a letter. On the photo was Irene Ade.

Mrs. Le was wearing a formal dress, and she was alone. The envelope read: Personally signed by Mr. Sherlock Holmes. Holmes opened the letter, and the king and I gathered together to read the letter. The letter was written in the morning, and the content is as follows

:

Dear Mr. Holmes:

You did it beautifully, and I was totally fooled by you. I had no suspicion at all until you sent out the fire alarm. But when I found out I had given away my secret, I started to get suspicious. Within a few months

Some people have told me to be wary of you before. They said that if the king is going to hire a detective, it will definitely be you, and they also told me your address. Despite this, I still let you discover where the photos are hidden.

. Even after I began to doubt you, it was still hard for me to believe that the elderly, kindly pastor could have malicious intentions. But you know, I am an experienced actress myself, and I have male clothes, because

I often dress up as a man to take advantage of the freedom it brings. I asked the coachman John to keep an eye on you for me, and then I ran upstairs and changed into men's casual clothes. You just left when I came down.

Then I followed you all the way to your door. In this way, I was sure that you were the famous Mr. Sherlock Holmes. So I wished you a good night with some impudence, and set off for Temple.

Go find my husband.

After the two of us discussed it, we decided that we were going to be targeted by you, so the Thirty-Six Strategy was the best option. So when you get here, you will find that we have left. As for that photo, your client can rest assured that I love my husband.

And he loves me too. The king can do whatever he wants without fearing that the people he has hurt will hinder him. The reason why I keep that photo is to protect myself. This

The photograph is a weapon which will protect me against the means he may resort to in the future. I enclose a photograph which he may be willing to accept. I pay my respects to you, my dear Mr. Sherlock Holmes.

Sincerely, Irene Adler Norton

"What an amazing woman! She is such an amazing woman!" we said loudly after reading the letter.

"I told you, she is a witty and decisive woman. If she becomes queen, she will definitely be admirable! It's a pity that her status prevents us from being together!"

"In my opinion, this lady is indeed extraordinary." Holmes said flatly, "I'm sorry that I couldn't give your Majesty a successful ending."

"On the contrary, Mr. Holmes," the king said, "the outcome of this matter could not have been better. She is a person of her word, and now the photo is as good as burning."

"I'm very happy to hear His Majesty say that."

"I'm really grateful to you. Please tell me how to reward you! How about this ring?" The king took a snake-shaped emerald ring from his finger, put it on his hand and handed it to him.

"Your Majesty has another thing that I think is more valuable."

"You can have whatever you want."

"this picture."

The king stared at him in surprise.

"Pictures of Erin?" he shouted, "if you want, of course."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Now this matter is settled! Good morning!" He bowed to the king, then turned and left. The king extended his hand to him without even looking at it, so I went with him.

Back to Baker Street.

This is how it happened that a great scandal threatened the kingdom of Bohemia, and it was entrusted to Sherlock Holmes to deal with it, but his brilliant plan was thwarted by the cleverness of a woman. He used to laugh at women's cleverness, but he rarely listened to it these days.

To such ridicule. He rarely used other names for Irene Adler. Every time he mentioned her or her photo, he addressed her as that woman.

【Legal Commentary】
Chapter completed!