It was already 1 p.m. when we left No. 3 Garden Street, Lauriston. Holmes took me to the nearby telegraph office to send a long telegram. Then he called a carriage and asked the driver to take us there.

Send it to the address Raisford told us.

Holmes said: "Evidence obtained directly is more valuable than anything else. In fact, I already have a good grasp of this case, but we should still make it clear what needs to be found out."

I said: "Man, you really don't know why. You may not be as sure of the details you just mentioned as you said!"

"What I said is absolutely right!" He said categorically: "When I got there, the first step I noticed was that there were two deep wheel marks of carriages on the edge of the road stone. Because before it rained last night, there were many tracks for a week.

It was a sunny day, so the carriage that left these two deep wheel marks must have arrived there at night. In addition to this, there were also horse hoof prints. One of the horse hoof prints was clearer than the other three, indicating that this hoof mark

It had just been replaced. Since the carriage arrived there after the rain, and according to Gregson, no carriage came the whole morning, it can be seen that the carriage must have stopped there last night. Therefore,

It can be concluded that it was this carriage that took the two people to the empty house."

"It seems to be very simple." I continued: "But how do you figure out the height of one of them?"

"Eighty to ninety percent of a person's height can be determined based on the length of his steps. Although the calculation method is simple, it is useless for me to teach you step by step now. On the clay outside the house and on the ground inside the house

On the dust, I measured the length of the man's steps. Later, I found a way to test whether my calculation results were accurate. When a person writes on the wall, he will naturally write in an area parallel to the line of sight.

Now the writing on the wall is exactly six feet above the ground. Isn't this just child's play!" he reasoned.

"So, what's his age?" I asked further.

"If a person can effortlessly step over four and a half feet in one step, then he will definitely not be an old man. There is such a wide puddle on the passage in the small garden. It is obvious that this person is one step

The deceased's leather boots went around, while the murderer's square-toed boots walked directly over the puddle. There is nothing mysterious about this at all. I just made some observations made in my article.

Things and reasoning methods are just applied to daily life. Is there anything else that you are confused about?"

"What about fingernails and Indian cigars?"

"The writing on the wall was written by a person with his index finger dipped in blood. I used a magnifying glass to find that some wall powder was scraped off while writing. If this person's fingernails had been trimmed, this would never have been the case. Also, I

I collected some ash from the floor. It was dark in color and undulating, with characteristics only found in Indian cigar ashes. I have studied cigars and their ashes, and I have also written papers on them. I can boldly say

"I can tell the ashes of any brand-name cigar or cigarette immediately once I take a look at them. It is in these details that a mature detective is completely different from the likes of Leisweid and Gregson," he said.

And talk.

"There's also the matter of red faces."

"Oh, that's a bolder reasoning. However, I'm sure I'm right. Under the current circumstances, don't ask me this irrelevant question for the time being, okay?"

I touched my forehead with my hand and said, "I'm really dizzy. The more I think about it, the more incredible it becomes. For example, if there were really two people, how did they get into the empty house? Where was the driver who sent them there?

?How did the murderer force the deceased to take poison? Whose blood was it? If this case was not for money and murder, what was the murderer's purpose? Where did the woman's gold ring come from? The most important question is, why did the murderer have to hang it on the wall before he escaped?

Where's the German word for 'revenge' written on it? To be honest, I really can't quite connect all these questions."

Holmes smiled, as if approving him. He said: "You have summarized the difficult points in the case concisely, which is very good. Although I have understood the main plot, there are still many details that are still not clear enough.

.The blood letter discovered by Leisweid was just a trap by the murderer, implying that it was the revenge of a socialist party or a gangster group in an attempt to lead the police and detectives astray. The blood letter was not written by a German. If you pay attention,

You can find that the letter A is more or less written in imitation of German; however, real Germans usually write in Latin fonts. Therefore, I am nine out of ten sure that the letter A is definitely not written by a German.

It was the work of a clumsy imitator. It can be said that he was superfluous. This was just a simple trick to lead his detective work astray. Doctor, I am not going to tell you any more about this crime.

There is more to say. You understand that if a magician fully discloses his tricks to the public, he will not get everyone's applause. If I tell you too much about my working methods, you will come to this conclusion:

Sherlock Holmes is just an ordinary character."

I said: "I will never think so superficially. Detective skills will develop into a profound science sooner or later, but you have almost established it."

Holmes listened to my words and felt the sincerity of my words. He was very happy and blushed. I had long discovered that when he heard other people praising his extraordinary achievements in detective skills, he was just like a woman hearing

Others are equally sensitive when complimenting her beauty.

He said: "Let me tell you some more clues. The man wearing leather boots and the man wearing square-toed boots came in the same carriage, and they were very close to each other. They might have walked arm in arm from the garden together.

Walking along the yellow path. After they entered the house, there was a person walking back and forth in the house; more specifically, the man wearing leather boots stood still, while the man wearing square-toed boots kept moving around the house.

I could tell these things from the dust on the floor. At the same time, I could also see that he was getting more and more excited as he walked, and his steps became bigger and bigger, which clearly demonstrated this. As he walked, he called out

Then, I finally got angry, and then the tragedy happened. Now, I will tell you all the situations I know; the rest are just some speculations and subjective assumptions. Fortunately, we have a good idea for the next step.

Basics. But we must hurry up, because this afternoon, I will go to the Aller concert to enjoy the music of Norman Neruda!"

While we were talking, the carriage continued through the sleepy streets and cool alleys, arriving at the entrance of an almost deserted and dirty alley, and then stopped. "Audley Courtyard, there

That’s it!” After the coachman finished telling them, he pointed to a narrow alley between two brick walls painted black and said, “When you come back, come find me here.”

Audrey Courtyard is not an elegant place. We walked through the narrow alley and walked into a large square courtyard. The ground in the courtyard was paved with stone slabs and surrounded by some simple and dirty houses. We walked from a group of

They walked past a group of dirty children playing, and through rows and rows of faded clothes, and finally arrived at No. 46. There was a small bronze plaque nailed to the door of No. 46, with the inscription "

"Lance" and other words. We asked other people and found out that the policeman was sleeping. So we walked into a small living room and waited for someone to call him out.

Soon, policeman Lance came to the small living room. He was not very happy because we disturbed his sweet dream. He said: "I have already reported it in detail to the station."

My companion took out a half-pound gold coin from his pocket, played with it in his hand, and said: "We would like you to recount it yourself from beginning to end."

Lance stared at the small gold coin and said, "I am willing to tell you everything I know."

"Then let us hear what happened! You can tell it whatever you want," Holmes encouraged him.

Lance sat on a horsehair sofa, frowning, as if he was determined not to make any omissions in his narrative. He said: "I have to start from the beginning. My duty time starts at 10 o'clock in the evening.

, to 6 o'clock in the morning the next day. At 11 o'clock last night, there was a fight on Burkhart Street. Except for this, the area I was responsible for patrolling was all peaceful. At 1 o'clock that night, it started to rain.

At this time, I met Harry Murcher, who was in charge of patrolling the Dutch Woods area. The two of us stood on the corner of Henrietta Street chatting. It must have been two o'clock or a little after, and I think it was time to

I patrolled around to see if Brixton Road was still safe. The road was remote and muddy, and there was no one on the road. Only a carriage passed me. I walked slowly, thinking

How beautiful it would be to have a glass of hot wine. At this moment, I suddenly found a light coming from the window of that house. I knew very well that the two houses on Lauriston Garden Street had always been empty.

, the last tenant of one of the buildings died of typhoid fever, but the landlord refused to repair the gutters, so it remained empty. As soon as I found a light coming out of that window, I was startled and suspected something was wrong. When I

When we walked to the door of the house——"

"You stopped, turned around and walked to the gate of the small garden." Holmes suddenly interrupted and continued to ask: "Then why did you do this?"

Lance was startled, looking very surprised, and looked at my companion with his eyes wide open. "Oh my God, it is true, sir!" he said, "but how did you know? When I walked to the door

, I felt too lonely alone, and I thought it would be best to find someone to go in with me. I was not afraid of anything else in the world, but I suddenly remembered that maybe the guy who died of typhoid fever was checking for him.

The sewer of life! I was so frightened that I turned around and walked back to the gate of the small garden to see if I could see the lamp in Mochi's hand. But I couldn't even see his shadow, nor anyone else.

.”

"Is there really no one on the street?"

"There was not even a human figure, sir, not even a dog. I had to muster up the courage to go back and push open the door. It was quiet inside, so I walked into the lighted room.

I saw only one candle burning on the mantelpiece, a red candle. In the flickering light of the candle, I saw-"

"Well, I understand what you saw." Holmes interrupted him again: "You walked around the house several times, squatted down next to the deceased, and then walked over and pushed the kitchen door.

,Then--"

When Lance heard this, he suddenly jumped up, showing a look of surprise and fear, with a trace of doubt in his eyes. He shouted loudly: "Where were you hiding at that time, and you could see so clearly? In my opinion, you

You shouldn't know these things."

My partner laughed, took out his business card, and threw it to Lance across the table: "Don't think that I am related to the murderer." He said: "I am a hound, not a wolf. That's what Leis thought.

Both Messrs. De and Gregson will testify for me. Okay, please continue, what did you do after that?"

Lance sat down again, but his suspicious look had not disappeared. "I returned to the gate of the small garden and blew the siren. Mochi and two other colleagues came over quickly."

"Was there really no one in the street at that time?" Holmes asked again.

"Yes, any serious person would have gone home long ago." Lance said.

"A serious person? What do you mean?"

Lance smiled and said: "There is only one drunkard! I have seen many drunkards, but I have never seen one as drunk as that guy. When I came out, he was standing at the gate, leaning on the railing and letting out his voice, loudly

He was singing that little tune that Kaoleng sang, or something similar. He couldn't even stand on his feet, there was nothing he could do."

"What kind of fellow is this?" asked Holmes.

When he interrupted like this, Lance seemed a little unhappy again. The policeman said: "It's a rare drunkard! If we weren't very busy, this drunkard would inevitably be sent to the police station!"

"Did you notice his face and his clothes?" Holmes asked again.

"I think I paid attention at that time, because Mochi and I helped him. He was taller, had a red face, and had a ring on his bottom -"

"Enough!" Holmes shouted: "What happened to him later?"

"We were so busy at the time that we didn't have time to pay attention to him." Lance said: "I bet! This drunkard should know the way home."

"What is he wearing?"

"A coat, brown."

"Does he have a riding crop in his hand?"

"Horse whip? No."

He must have lost it." Holmes murmured: Did you see or hear a carriage later? "No." "Here is this half-pound gold coin for you." Holmes said, stood up, and put on the

Putting on his hat, he said: Lance, I'm afraid it will be difficult for you to rise in the police force. Your mind should not be just for decoration, it should be of some use. Last night, you were supposed to get a sergeant or something. Look last night

The drunkard who arrived is the biggest clue to this mysterious case. Now, we are looking for him, and there is no use arguing at this moment. I tell you, this is the fact. Let's go, doctor!

After he finished speaking, we went out together to look for the carriage waiting for us. Lance was still doubtful, but obviously felt uneasy.

As we were riding home in the carriage, my companion said venomously: "What a fool! He just let go of such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

I felt like I was in a fog, so I asked: "Even if the drunkard described by the police is the same as the murderer you imagined, why did he go and come back? This is not like the behavior of a murderer.

Woolen cloth!"

"Gold ring, doctor, gold ring, this is what he came back for. If we have no other way to catch him, we can use the gold ring as bait and let him take the bait. I will definitely catch him, doctor - I dare to follow

You make a bet, the bet is 2 to 1. I will definitely be able to catch him. For all of this, I would like to thank you. If it were not for your instigation, I would not be involved in this case! Then, I will lose this rare and best chance.

The best research opportunity, let's call it 'research in scarlet', okay? It doesn't hurt if we use some beautiful words. In ordinary life, murder is like a red thread running through it. Our responsibility is to

Reveal the truth, clean it up from the mediocrity of life, and completely. Now, let's go to dinner first, and then enjoy the music of Norman Neruda. Her fingering and bowing skills are wonderful.

Indescribable. She played that little piece by Chopin so well. Tra-la-la-lila-lila-come on..."

My companion Sherlock Holmes, the unofficial detective, leaned against the carriage and sang like a lark.
Chapter completed!