Mr. Holmes has been engaged in the detective business for twenty-three years, and during seventeen of those years I have been his faithful collaborator and recorder of cases. At this point, it will be clear to everyone that I must have a considerable amount of money in my hands.

information, so for me, the important thing is how to make choices, not to find materials. On my bookshelf, there are long rows of documents recorded over the years, and there are many document delivery boxes full of information.

These materials are a very complete database not only for studying prisoners, but also for studying social and official scandals in late Victoria. However, for the latter, as long as those who have written worried letters hope to keep their families or famous predecessors secret

Those who hold honors and secrets need not worry at all. When I select materials, I still adhere to the unique caution of my friend Sherlock Holmes and a strict sense of professional responsibility. I will never abuse the trust given to us. However, recently,

I am completely opposed to the act of someone trying to steal and destroy these documents. In fact, we already know who instigated it. I declare in the name of Mr. Holmes that if similar acts occur again, then a certain politician, the lighthouse and the domesticated family will be involved.

All the secrets of the cormorants will be unceremoniously revealed to the public. At least one person knows this.

Moreover, there is no reason to suppose that in all cases Holmes had an opportunity to display his unique genius of insight and analysis, of which I have tried my best to describe in my Memoirs. Sometimes it was necessary for him to spend

He puts a lot of effort into picking the fruit, but sometimes the fruit will fall into his arms, and often it is the most shocking and bizarre tragic case in the world, which is the least suitable for him to display his personal talents. What I am going to describe now is such a case.

, I only changed the names and places, the rest are true stories.

It was one morning at the end of 1896. I received a hastily written note from Holmes, asking me to rush to his house immediately. As soon as I walked to his house, I saw him sitting in a room filled with cigarette smoke, sitting on a chair opposite.

There was an older, fat woman who was chatty.

"This is Mrs. Merillo, from South Brixton." Holmes raised his hand and said, "Mrs. Merillo is not opposed to smoking. Watson, you can fully enjoy your ugly hobby. Mrs. Merillo is going to tell an interesting story.

It may develop, and your presence will play a certain role."

"If I can help..."

"Mrs. Merillo, if I go to visit Mrs. Rundle, I think it would be best to have a witness present. Please go back and make this clear to her first."

"God bless you, Mr. Holmes!" said the guest. "She is so anxious to see you that she won't mind if you take the whole parish with you."

"Then, we'll go there this afternoon. However, we have to make sure that the facts are correct before we go. Let's describe it again together to help Dr. Watson understand the situation. You just said that Mrs. Rundle started living there 7 years ago.

Your house, but you have only seen her face once in such a long time."

"I swear to God, I'd rather never see it once!" Mrs. Merillo said a little excitedly.

"Is her face scarily scarred?"

"Mr. Holmes, that can't even be called a human face, it's too scary. Once she was watching from the window upstairs, and the milkman saw her. The milkman was so frightened that he dropped the milk pail and ran away, causing the milk to splash.

Sprinkled all over the front garden, such was the power of her face. Once I saw her face by chance, she quickly covered it with a veil, and then she said: 'Mrs. Merillo, now you understand me

Why do you always wear a veil?'"

"Do you know anything about her past?" "No idea at all."

"Did she have a letter of introduction when she first rented the apartment?"

"No, but she was not short of cash at all. The first quarter's rent paid in advance was immediately placed on the table without any bargaining. I am a helpless person. In this day and age, how can I

Would you reject such a tenant?"

"Did she explain why she liked your house?"

"My house is far away from the road and is quieter than most tenants' houses. In addition, I only have one tenant and I don't have a family. I guess she has tried other houses and mine is the one she is most satisfied with.

She wants to be quiet, and she doesn't hesitate to spend money."

"You said she has never shown her face since she arrived. Except for that accident, this is indeed a bit strange. No wonder you asked for an investigation."

"Mr. Holmes, I am not asking for an investigation. For me, as long as I can get the rent, I am satisfied. There is no tenant who is quieter and less troublesome than her."

"So how did it become a problem again?"

"Mr. Holmes, it was her health. She looked like she was about to die, and her psychological burden was terrible. Sometimes she would suddenly shout, 'Help, help!' Once at night I heard her shout, 'You

You devil, you cruel beast!’ The cry spread throughout the house, and I felt chills all over.”

I went to see her early the next morning. 'Mrs. Rundle,' I said, 'if you have any burden that is too heavy to bear, you might as well go to the priest, or you can go to the police, they can always help you.

Yeah!'

'Oh, I don't want to go to the police!' She said: 'The pastor can't change the past. But if someone can understand what's going on in my heart before I die, my heart will be somewhat better.'

'Hi!' I said, 'if you don't want to go to the regular police, there's a detective in the papers' - I'm sorry, Mr. Holmes, but she agreed as soon as she heard your name.

'Yes, this person is just right.' She said, oh, why didn't I think of that! Mrs. Merillo, please invite him here quickly! If he refuses to come, tell him that I am from the circus Rundel.

Wife, just say this and give him the name, 'Abbas Barwa.' This is the note she wrote. She said, if he is really the person I know, he will definitely know the place name when he sees it.

Come.

"I will go," Holmes said. "Mrs. Merillo, I will talk to Dr. Watson first. This will basically last until lunch time. We will arrive at your house at about three o'clock."

Our guest wiggled out like a duck - and so she did, and my friend Holmes sprang from his seat, dove into the large pile of extracts in the corner of the room, and rummaged through the pages.

After the "swish" sound of the pages for a few minutes, there was a grunt of satisfaction from him, presumably because the thing had been found. He was obviously very excited, and didn't even bother to stand up, but crossed his legs like a strange Buddha.

He was sitting on the floor with a circle of large books around him and a book on his knees.

"Watson, I was troubled by this case at that time, and here are the marginalia to prove it. I knew that I was unable to solve the case, but I was convinced that the coroner was wrong. That tragedy of Abbas Barwa, you

No impression?"

"I really can't remember."

"But you went with me at the time. Of course, my impression is a bit blurry. Since there is no clear conclusion, and the person involved did not ask me for help, do you need to see the record?"

"Can you tell me the key points?"

That's easy. Maybe listening to me can evoke your memory of the scene at that time. It can be said that the surname Langdell is well known to the world. He was the competitor of Wormwell and Sanger, and Sanger was the most popular person at that time.

A famous circus. However, Rundle had become an alcoholic at the time of the incident, and both he and his circus were on a downward spiral. The incident occurred while his circus was spending the night in the small village of Barwa in Berkshire.

This tragedy happened. I remember that they were on their way to Wimbledon. They were traveling by land. Everyone was camping instead of performing. Since the village was small, it was not worth performing.

They brought with them a North African lion named the Sahara King. Landl and his wife used to be in the cage when they performed. This photo was taken during the performance. It is not difficult to see that Landl is a man as thick as a wild boar. His

My wife was a very elegant woman. During the autopsy, someone swore that the lion had shown signs of danger, but everyone was paralyzed by constant contact and did not pay attention to the signs of danger.

The task of feeding the lions at night is always undertaken by Langdel or his wife, either alone or together. They never let others feed them. They think that as long as they are the feeders, the lions will treat them.

Show gratitude and never hurt them. That night seven years ago, the couple went together, and a tragedy happened, the details of which have never been understood.

Near midnight, the roar of a lion and the scream of a woman suddenly came, waking up everyone in the camp. The grooms and workers ran out from their respective tents holding lanterns. When they raised the lanterns, they saw a scene in front of them.

Horrifying scene: About 10 meters away from the cage, Langdel was lying on his back. The back of his head collapsed inward, leaving deep paw prints on it. The cage door had been opened, and just outside the cage door, the lion was squatting.

Mrs. Rundle was roaring as she lay on her back. Her face was torn into a ball of flesh and blood. No one thought she could survive. Several circus performers led by Hercules Leonardo and Clown Griggs

, used a long pole to drive the lion away, the lion jumped back into the cage, and everyone quickly closed the door. However, how the lion came out of the cage has always been an unsolved mystery. It is usually guessed that the couple was preparing to enter the cage.

, but as soon as the door was opened, the lion suddenly jumped out and knocked them down. Among all the evidence, the only revealing thing is that after Mrs. Rundle was carried back to the caravan where she spent the night, she kept shouting in a coma: 'Coward! Coward!

!' Her body recovered for 6 months before she could testify. However, the autopsy had already been performed as usual, and it was natural that the death was due to accident.

"Is there any other possibility?" I said.

"It's not unreasonable to say that. There are one or two doubts that have always made Edmond, a young police officer of the Berkshire Police Department, feel that something was wrong. He is a smart young man! Later he was sent to Allahabad. I

I came into contact with this incident because he came to visit me and talked about the case while smoking."

"Is he just a thin man with yellow hair?" "Yes, I told you that you would remember him."

"What is he worried about?"

"Both he and I were dissatisfied because we couldn't imagine the whole process clearly. From the lion's point of view, what did it do when it rushed out? It jumped forward for about five or six steps and reached Langdel.

. He turned around and ran away - there were paw prints on the back of his head to prove this, but the lion caught him. Then, the lion did not run forward, but turned around and pounced on Mrs. Rundle. The woman standing next to the cage at that time was naturally attracted by the lion.

She was thrown down and her face was scratched. She screamed in a coma, as if she was blaming her husband for betraying her. But how could he help her at that time? Did you find a loophole? "

"That's right."

"Oh, I remembered another point. Just when the lion roared and Mrs. Rundle screamed, there was evidence that there was also a man's frightened cry."

"Of course it's Mr. Rundle."

"If his skull had been caved in, it would have been impossible to hear his voice. At least two witnesses mentioned that a man's shout was mixed with the woman's scream."

"I think that when encountering such a scene, no one in the whole camp would scream loudly. When it comes to other doubts, I have an explanation."

"I'd love to hear it."

"The couple were together when the lion came out, about 10 meters away from the cage. The woman tried to run to the cage and close the cage door, which was her last refuge. She ran to the cage, but she didn't reach the cage door until

, the lion jumped over and knocked her down. She hated that her husband turned around and ran away when he was in danger, which made the stimulated lion even more ferocious. If they worked together to deal with the lion, they might scare it away. So she shouted, '

coward'."

"It's very good, Watson, but there is a slight flaw." "Is there any doubt about it?"

"If the two of them were about 10 meters away, how did the lion come out?"

"Could it be that he was released by his enemies?"

"So, why did the lion, which used to play with them and perform in the cage together, pounce on them this time?"

"Perhaps the enemy deliberately angered the lion."

Holmes fell into deep thought and remained silent for several minutes.

"Watson, there is one inference that is very helpful to you, that is, Landel does have many enemies. Edmund told me that Landel became extremely violent after drinking. He is an out-and-out powerful thug.

Just yelling at people and beating them up. I think her landlord just said that Mrs. Rundle screamed for the devil at night because she was dreaming about her dead relatives. But no matter what, until we get the facts, any guess is just a guess. Okay.

, Watson, there is a plate of cold pheasant and a bottle of Burgundy white wine in the cupboard, let us replenish our energy before setting off!"

As soon as our carriage arrived at the door of Mrs. Merillo's house, we saw the fat woman leaning on the door. Yes, it was an extremely simple, and of course quite secluded house. It was obvious that her main purpose was to keep this lady.

She is a precious tenant, so before she took us there, she repeatedly told us not to say or do anything that might cause her to lose this tenant. After we agreed to her, she led us onto a room covered with tattered carpets.

He walked up the straight stairs and then walked to the mysterious tenant's house.

The house was not well ventilated, and the air was dull and musty. This was normal because the owner had been locked in the house. Due to a funny fate, this woman changed from a habit of keeping animals around people in cages to

An animal that is often kept in a cage. She is sitting on a shabby sofa in the dark corner of the room. Due to long-term inactivity, her figure has become slightly fatter, but she used to be quite beautiful.

Even now, she still retains her charm. She wears a short dark-colored thick veil, and her beautiful mouth and round chin are exposed. It is not difficult for me to imagine that she was a graceful woman in the past, and her

The sound is also very beautiful.

"Mr. Holmes, my last name should be familiar to you," she said. "I understand you will come."

"Yes, ma'am, but I don't know how you would think I would be interested in your case?"

"After I basically recovered, the local detective Edmond talked to me and I heard about it from him. I didn't tell him the truth. Maybe it would be better to tell the truth."

"Generally speaking, telling the truth is the smartest thing to do, but why did you hide it from him?"

"Because my words are directly related to the fate of another person. Although I know very well that he is a worthless person, I still don't want to destroy him and make my conscience uneasy. Our relationship was very close - very

Very close!"

"Does this barrier no longer exist today?"

"Yes, this person has passed away."

"Then why don't you tell the police everything you know?"

"Because I have another person to consider, and that person is myself. I can't stand the rumors brought about by the police court trial. My life is not long, but I hope to die peacefully. I still hope to find someone

Someone with a clear mind, let him truly understand my horrific experience, so that the truth can be revealed after I die."

"Madam, I'm afraid I'm not qualified. Besides, I'm also a person with a strong sense of social responsibility. I can't promise you. After you say it, I will keep it confidential from the police."

"Mr. Holmes, I accept your idea. Your character and working methods are not unfamiliar to me. I have been paying close attention to your deeds over the years. The last happiness that fate left me is reading, so what happens in society

Son, I usually browse. No matter how you put it, I want to try my luck. You can use my tragedy however you want. Maybe after telling the facts, I can feel more relaxed."

"Then, my friend Watson and I are happy to hear what you have to say." Mrs. Merillo stood up, opened the drawer and took out a photo of a man. It was obvious that he was a professional acrobat, and he was in good health. There were two figures in the photo.

A strong arm was crossed in front of the bulging chest muscles, and the plump lips under the lush beard were filled with a self-satisfied smile that conquered the opposite sex.

"His name is Leonardo," she said.

"The strong man who testified, right?"

"Yes, look at this picture of my husband again."

This is simply a humanoid pig, or simply a humanoid wild boar, because it has a more powerful and terrifying wild side. People can imagine that this ugly face will spit and open and close when it is angry; it can also be imagined that,

These ferocious little eyes shoot out vicious glances at people. Savage, bully and scoundrel - this is all the information presented by this face with a big chin.

Gentlemen, these two photos will help you see my experience. I grew up on sawdust as a poor circus performer, and I started performing hoops before I was 10 years old. When I was a minor, this man

He fell in love with me, if his lust can be called love. In a moment full of disaster, I became his wife. From then on, my life fell into hell.

The so-called husband was the devil who tormented me. Everyone in the circus knew his abuse of me. He turned his back on me to find a new love. If I complained at all, he would tie me up and whip me with a riding crop.

Everyone sympathizes with me, and they all hate and hate him, but what can they do? They are all afraid of him. He is always scary, but when he is drunk, he is more like a ferocious desperado. He is accused of beating people time and time again.

He was cited for animal cruelty, but he had plenty of money and no worries about fines. Excellent actors were leaving one after another, and the circus was declining day by day. It relied entirely on Leonardo, me, and little Griggs, the clown, for the troupe to be successful.

To keep things going, poor little Griggs didn't have much to do, but he still managed to keep things going.

Later, Leonardo got closer to me. You have seen his appearance. In this beautiful body, now I can figure out what a cowardly spirit lives in it. However, compared to my so-called husband, he can even be called a

Angel. He took pity on me and helped me. Soon our closeness turned into love - a deep and passionate love. This is a love that I dream of but dare not ask for. This aroused my husband's suspicion, but I feel that he is not just

The bully was still very timid, and the only person he was afraid of was Leonardo. He retaliated in his own way, which was to torture me even more. Late one night, I screamed so hard because of the abuse.

Leonardo appeared at the door of our caravan. A tragedy almost happened that day. Afterwards, Leonardo and I both felt that sooner or later a tragedy would happen. My husband did not deserve to be alive in this world, and we would try to let him die.

Leonardo was very smart, and he finally figured out a way. I'm not shirk responsibility from him, because I was willing to follow him. But I couldn't come up with such an idea anyway. Leonardo did it

He used a special stick with five long steel nails with pointed outwards on the lead head, which was shaped like a lion's claw. He used this stick to beat my husband to death, and then released the lion, creating the illusion of being killed by a lion.

That night, when my husband and I went to feed the lions with raw meat in zinc buckets as usual, it was very dark. Leonardo was hiding at the corner of the caravan that we had to pass. He moved too slowly, and we all passed by.

He hadn't started yet, but he followed us quietly. I heard with my own ears the sound of the stick cracking my husband's skull. When I heard the sound, my heart jumped with joy. I quickly went to

He rushed forward and opened the latch of the door that locked the lion.

Then something terrible happened. You may know that beasts are especially good at smelling human blood, and human blood has a huge temptation for them. Due to some strange instinct, the lion immediately sensed that a living person was dead. The door latch

As soon as I opened it, it suddenly rushed out and jumped on me. Originally, Leonardo could save me. If he ran up to the lion and hit it with a stick, it might scare the lion away, but he was frightened.

Guts, after I heard him scream, I turned around and ran away alone. At this time, the lion's teeth tore into my face, and I was paralyzed by its hot and smelly breath. I didn't understand the pain for a while. I tried my best to use

I pushed the steaming, blood-stained mouth with my palms and screamed for help. I felt that everyone in the camp was alarmed, but I only knew that Leonardo, Griggs, and a few other people would be there.

I was dragged away from the lion's paw. This was my last impression, Mr. Holmes. It took me several painful months to get better. When I finally regained consciousness and saw my face in the mirror,

I deeply cursed that lion! - Not because it took away my beauty, but because it did not take away my life! Mr. Holmes, at that time, I only had one wish left, that is, I did not want to spend money on plastic surgery.

, that’s why I covered my disfigured face with a veil, and then went to live in a completely unfamiliar place. This was the only thing I could do, and I did it, a miserable injured animal.

, lived in its cave and quietly ended her life - this was the pitiful ending of Eugenia Rundle.

There was a moment's silence as we listened to the unhappy woman's story. My friend Holmes, with a rare display of sympathy, patted her gently on the arm.

"Poor woman!" he said, "Fate is really unpredictable. If there is no retribution in the afterlife, then this world will be a ruthless game. But what happened to Leonardo later?"

"I haven't had any news about him since. Maybe I don't have to hate him so much. How can I expect him to love an ugly monster whose face is ruined by a lion's mouth for the rest of his life! But for a woman, her love is difficult to get rid of. Although

When I fell into the paws of lions, he abandoned me; when I fell into hardship, he stayed away from me. But I still couldn't bear to send him to the gallows. Personally, I don't care about any consequences, because

There is nothing more terrifying in the world than my current life, but the first thing I consider is his fate."

"Is he gone?"

"He drowned while swimming next to Magath last month. I read that in the newspaper."

"What did he do with the five-pronged stick? The most unique and ingenious stick in your account."

"Mr. Holmes, I don't know about this either. There is a chalk mine next to the camp, and at the bottom is a deep green pool. Maybe it was thrown into that pool."

"In fact, it doesn't matter anymore. The case has been closed a long time ago."

"Yes." The woman said, "The case is closed."

At this time, we had stood up and were about to leave, but there was something strange in the tone of the poor woman in front of us, which made Holmes immediately turn to her and said: "Your life does not belong to you alone.

You have no right to attack yourself."

"Is this kind of life of any use to other people?" "How do you know it is useless? For an impetuous world, the perseverance to endure suffering itself is the most rare example."

The woman's answer was frighteningly powerful. Without saying a word, she tore off her veil and walked into the light.

"Can you bear it?" she said.

Suddenly, everyone in the room was stunned. The scene was very terrifying: the entire face was completely destroyed, and there was no way to express it in words. Under the rotten face, a pair of beautiful yellow eyes looked infinitely sad.

Looking out, it was even more chilling. Holmes raised one of his hands with helplessness, pity and injustice, and we walked out of the room together.

Two days later, I arrived at Holmes's apartment. He proudly pointed out to me a small blue bottle on the mantelpiece. There was a red label on the bottle, marked with the word "Vicious". I unscrewed the bottle.

Lid, a hint of almond sweetness comes out.

"Hydrocyanic acid?" I said.

Yes, it came by mail. The attachment said:

'I send you what calls me, and I accept your counsel.'

"Watson, this strong woman who sent the letter, it's not difficult for us to guess who she is, right?"

【Legal Commentary】

Mr. Holmes' recorder recorded many cases for him, which involved many secrets, that is, "right to privacy." The civil law protects the right to privacy and the "General Principles of the Civil Law of the People's Republic of China" protects citizens' personal rights and property rights. Regarding property rights,

Article 5 stipulates: “The legitimate civil rights of citizens and legal persons are protected by law and may not be infringed upon by any organization or individual.” Article 75 stipulates: “Citizens’ personal property includes citizens’ lawful income, savings, daily necessities, cultural relics,

Books, materials, forests, livestock and other means of production and other legal property allowed by the law to be owned by citizens. The legal property of citizens is protected by law, and any organization or individual is prohibited from misappropriating, looting, destroying or illegally sealing, impounding, freezing and confiscating. "For citizens."

Intellectual property rights provide protection. Regarding personal rights, the "General Principles of the Civil Law" stipulates that citizens enjoy the right of name, the right to use and change their names in accordance with regulations, and prohibit others from interfering, misappropriating, and counterfeiting; citizens enjoy the right of portrait, and may not use or change their names without their consent.
Chapter completed!