Holmes was sitting at the table having breakfast. He usually got up late in the morning, except that he often stayed up all night. I stood on a small rug in front of the fireplace and picked up the cane left by the visitor last night. This cane was beautifully made and

It is heavy and has a knot on the top. The wood used to make the cane is produced in Penang Island and is called "betel nut wood". Immediately below the top is a wider silver hoop, about an inch wide, with the words "Gift" engraved on it.

"Given by friends of James Mortimer, Bachelor of the Royal College of Surgeons, C.C.H." and engraved with the date "1884", this is an old-fashioned cane that is both sturdy, practical and dignified and commonly used by private doctors.

"Oh, Watson, what do you think of the cane?"

My partner was sitting there with his back to me, and I thought he hadn't even noticed that I was playing with my cane!

I said, "How do you know what I'm doing? I wonder if you have eyes on the back of your head."

"At least I have a polished silver-plated coffee pot in front of me, which can be like a mirror to see your actions." He said, "But, Watson, what do you think of our guest's walking stick?

Unfortunately, we did not meet him and had no idea of ​​the purpose of his trip. Therefore, this unexpected souvenir is very important. You have carefully inspected the cane. Please describe this person to me.

!”

"I think..." I said, applying Sherlock's reasoning as best I could, "from the fact that people who knew Dr. Mortimer gave him this souvenir of respect, it seems that he was an older and highly respected medical person.

, very respected.”

"Yes!" said my partner, "Exactly!"

"I thought he might be a doctor who treats patients and saves people in rural areas, and he spends most of his time walking."

"Why?" asked Holmes.

"Although this cane was originally very beautiful, it has been severely bruised. It is difficult to imagine that a doctor who treats patients and saves people in the town would still use it. The thick iron cap at the lower end has been badly worn, so it is obvious that

Dr. Mortimer has traveled a lot with it."

"That's right!" said my companion.

"In addition, the silver hoop is engraved with 'Given by friends of C.C.H.'. I speculate that it may refer to a hunter's guild; Dr. Mortimer may have performed surgical treatment on the members of this hunter's guild, so they gave it as a gift."

Give him this gift to express your gratitude."

"Watson, your level has improved a lot!" My partner said, while moving his chair back and lighting a cigarette, he said: I thought that after you enthusiastically served me those

In the records of small achievements, you have become accustomed to underestimating your own abilities. Maybe you don't shine yourself, but you are a conductor of light.

Some people lack talent themselves, but have great energy to stimulate talent. I admit, dear friend, I am so grateful to you.

Holmes had never said so many good things before, and there is no doubt that these words gave me great pleasure and encouragement. Because he had always had a negative attitude towards my sincere admiration for him and my efforts to make his reasoning method public.

Indifference hurt my self-esteem. Now, I have mastered his reasoning method, applied it in practice, and received his praise. Thinking about it, I feel very proud.

Holmes took the cane from my hand, stared at it for several minutes, then put down the cigarette with an air of relish, took the cane to the window, and examined it carefully with a magnifying glass.

"It's very simple, but very interesting," said Holmes, sitting down again at the end of his favorite bench and saying: "Indeed, there are one or two places on the cane that are very revealing and provide a basis for inferences.

.”

"What else have I missed?" I said somewhat self-righteously: "I believe that I have not overlooked the important points."

"Dear Watson, it is very likely that most of your reasoning is wrong. Frankly speaking, when I say that you inspired me, my implication is that when I point out the inappropriateness of your reasoning, I often put it aside.

I lead you to the facts. However, it doesn’t mean that you are completely wrong. He must be a doctor who treats patients and saves people in the countryside, and he does often walk."

"Then, isn't my deduction correct?"

"That's all."

"That should be the whole truth!" I said.

"That's not it. My dear Watson, that's not the whole truth - definitely not the whole truth! For example, I would rather point out that this gift to the doctor came not so much from a certain hunting guild as from

It comes from a certain hospital; because the two prefixes 'C.C.' are placed in front of the word 'hospital' (in English, the prefix of the word 'hospital' is also H). So, naturally, it reminds people of CharingCross

Come with these two words.”

"You're probably right," I had to say.

"It should be so. If we regard this as a valid hypothesis, then we will have a new basis. Based on this basis, we can describe this guest we have never met."

"Okay! Assuming that 'C.C.H.' refers to 'Charing Cross Hospital', what further inferences can we draw?" I asked.

"Isn't there a little bit that can show the facts? Since you understand my reasoning, then apply it!"

"I can only draw an obvious inference. Before he went to the countryside to practice medicine, he practiced medicine in the town." I said.

"I think we can be bolder and go one step further than this inference. From this perspective, the most likely situation is, under what circumstances would such gift-giving behavior occur? When would his friends

How about we express our gratitude to him? Apparently, it was when Mortimer left the hospital to go out on his own. We are aware of the gift-giving incident, and we believe that he moved from a town hospital to a rural practice.

.Then, we can infer that this gift was given during this job change period, so it is not a mistake!" Holmes analyzed.

"Of course, it's very possible."

"Now, you can see that he will not be a doctor with a very important position. Only when a doctor has already gained a reputation for practicing medicine in London can he have such a prominent status, and such a famous doctor will not

He will move to the countryside to practice medicine. So, what exactly is he a doctor? If he works in an urban hospital and is not included in the ranks of leading doctors, then he can only be a resident physician or a doctor.

The resident surgeon - a student with a status slightly higher than the highest grade of medical school. He left the town hospital 5 years ago - the year is engraved on his cane, so the image you inferred of the respected middle-aged and elderly doctor is wrong.

Dear Watson, there was a young doctor who appeared here. He was not yet 30 years old. He was content with the status quo, approachable, but a little careless. He also had a beloved dog. I can roughly describe this

The dog is described as smaller than a mastiff and larger than a raccoon dog.”

I couldn't believe it and couldn't help laughing. My partner leaned back on the bench and blew out small smoke rings towards the ceiling, floating slowly.

"As for your subsequent inference, it is difficult for me to test whether it is accurate." I continued, "However, it is very easy to find out a few characteristics about his age and resume." From my small release

From the medical bookshelf, I took out a medical manual and turned to the page number in the name column. There were several people with the surname Mortimer in it, and only one of them might be a guest who came to visit us. I read a record aloud:

James Mortimer, graduated from the Royal College of Surgeons in 1882, was a native of Greenpen, Dartmarsh, Devonshire. From 1882 to 1884, he served as resident surgeon at Charing Cross Hospital.

"Heredity across Generations" and received the Jackson Comparative Pathology Prize. He is a corresponding member of the Swedish Pathological Association. He has authored "Several Abnormalities of Inheritance across Generations" (contained in "The Lancet" in 1882, "Are We Making Progress"

(Published in Acta Psychologica Sinica, March 1883). He served as medical officer for the parishes of Greenpen, Southleigh and Takatsuka.

"Watson, the records don't mention that huntsman!" said my companion with a slightly mocking smile: "As you said, he was just a country doctor; I think my inference is very good.

Correct. As for those adjectives, if I remember correctly, I said he was 'comfortable with the status quo, approachable, but a little careless'. According to my experience, in this world, only people who are comfortable with the status quo will give up the prosperous life in London.

And go to the countryside; only the approachable people will receive souvenirs from friends; only the careless people will wait in our house for an hour and leave not their business cards but a cane."

"And where is his dog?"

"I often follow the owner with this cane in his mouth. Because the cane is very heavy, the dog has to hold the middle part of it tightly, so its teeth marks are left. From the gaps between these teeth marks

Looking at it, I thought that this dog’s chin is narrower than that of a mastiff and wider than that of a raccoon dog. It may be...oh, by the way, it must be a curly-haired long-eared hound."

Holmes stood up and walked up and down the room as he spoke. After a few minutes, he stopped in front of the window sill protruding out of the building. His words were so confident that I couldn't help but look up and cast a surprised look.

look.

I said: "Dear friend, how can you be so sure about this?"

"The reason is very simple. Now, I have seen that the dog is on the steps of our door, and the sound of its owner ringing the bell is also heard. Don't go away, Watson, you are traveling with him, you are here

Here, maybe it will be helpful to me. Watson, this is the most dramatic moment of fate. Do you hear the footsteps on the stairs? He is coming into your life, but you don't know whether it is a blessing or a curse.

, this man from the medical field, James Mortimer, what question does he want to ask the crime expert Sherlock Holmes? Come in!"

The appearance of the visitor was really surprising to me, because I initially expected him to be a typical simple country doctor, but he turned out to be a thin and tall man with a long nose like a beak, with two sharp noses protruding from his nose.

The distance between the gray eyes is closer than that of ordinary people. Behind a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes are burning. He is wearing the clothes that doctors often wear, but he looks quite lonely. His coat

It was already very dirty, and his pants were badly worn. Although he was still young, his long back was slightly bent, so when he walked, his head was tilted forward. However, he had the kind demeanor of a nobleman.

As soon as he entered the room, his eyes immediately fell on the cane held by my companion, and with a shout of joy he ran towards Holmes.

"I'm so happy!" he said. "I'm not sure whether I left it here or left it in the steamship company. I'd rather lose everything else than lose it!"

"I think it's a gift from your friends!" my friend asked.

"Yes, sir," replied Dr. Mortimer.

"Friends of Charing Cross Hospital?"

"It was given to me by two friends there when I got married."

"Hey! Oops!" my partner said, shaking his head.

Dr. Mortimer looked through his glasses, blinked in slight surprise, and asked, "What's so bad?"

"Because you messed up a few of our tiny inferences. Are you sure it was during the wedding, right?"

"Yes, sir, as soon as I got married, I left this town hospital and gave up the hope of being promoted to a consultant doctor. However, in order to build my own happy family, this is 100% necessary."

"Oh! We're finally right about that," said my companion. "Oh, Dr. James Mortimer..."

"You can just call me 'Sir' because I am just a lowly student of the Royal College of Surgeons."

"But it's obvious that you are a sophisticated thinker."

"A man who knows something about science and technology, a man who picks colorful shells on the beaches of the vast unknown ocean. I think I am talking to Mr. Sherlock Holmes, not..."

Holmes introduced: "This is my partner Dr. Watson." "Nice to meet you, sir. I have heard people compare you to Mr. Sherlock Holmes." Dr. Mortimer greeted me first, and then said to me

His companion said: "You interest me very much, Mr. Holmes. I never expected to see such a long head or such deep eye sockets. I want to run my fingers along the seam of your head and feel it. You

Don't you object? Until I get a physical copy of your skull, a model of your skull would be a good specimen for any anthropological museum. I don't want to be annoying, but I have to admit

,I really envy your skull.”

Holmes invited our guest to sit down in a chair by signs, and said: "Sir, I see that you are as keen on thinking about the problems of your trade as I am on mine." He said.

Said: "From your index finger, I can see that you roll your own cigarettes and smoke them. You're welcome, please smoke one!"

Dr. Mortimer took out the cigarette paper and tobacco, and rolled it into a cigarette in his hands with an extremely skillful technique, his long fingers trembling like insect tentacles.

My companion was relatively calm, but from the rapid movement of his eyes, I could see that he was already interested in this strange guest.

"I thought, sir," Holmes finally spoke, "that your visit last night and your visit today were not just for the purpose of studying my strange head?"

"Of course not, although I would be very happy if I had the opportunity to do so. I have come to you, Mr. Holmes, because I am aware that I am a man without practical experience, and that I have suddenly come across a most serious and extremely

Special question, because I am sure you are the second most skilled expert in Europe..."

"Sir, may I ask, who is so honored to be in the first place?" my partner asked a little uncomfortable.

Dr. Mortimer said: "For a man with a precise scientific mind, Mr. Bertillon's method of handling cases has the most powerful appeal."

"Then, wouldn't it be better for you to ask Bertillon for advice?" Dr. Mortimer emphasized again: "I am saying that for a person with a precise scientific mind. However, as far as actual experience of things is concerned,

It is obvious to everyone that you are peerless. I believe, Mr. Holmes, that I have not unintentionally belittled you."
Chapter completed!