Holmes has a firm willpower to control his personal emotions. Within two hours, he seemed to have forgotten the strange things we were entangled with. He concentrated on admiring the paintings of modern Belgian masters. From the time we left the art gallery

Until the time he stayed at the Norwegian Boland Hotel, he would not talk about any other topic except art. In fact, his views on art were quite superficial.

When Holmes and I went to Henry's appointment for lunch, "Sir Henry Bascowell is waiting for you upstairs," the accountant said. "He asked me to take you up as soon as you arrive."

"I would like to take a look at your passenger register. Do you have any objection?" said my companion.

"No objection, no objection," the accountant said repeatedly.

It can be found from the passenger register that two more groups of guests came after Henry. The first group was the Shawfield Johnson family from Newcastle; the second group was Omo from Hayloki Town, Australia.

Wife and maid.

"This must be the Johnson I am familiar with!" said my companion to the accountant. "He is a lawyer, isn't he? His hair is gray and he walks with a limp."

"Sir, no, this Mr. Johnson is a gentleman, a coal mine owner, very active, and no older than you."

"You must have mistaken his industry, right?"

"Sir, I am not mistaken. Mr. Johnson has lived in our hotel for many years, and we know him very well."

"Okay. And Mrs. Omo, I seem to remember this name. Please forgive my curiosity. When visiting a friend, you often meet another friend. This is a common thing!"

"Sir, she is a sick lady. Her husband was once the mayor of Gloucester. She always comes to stay at our hotel when she comes to London."

"Thank you! Then I'm afraid I can't say that Mrs. Omer is my friend."

"The questions I just asked have proved a very important fact, Watson." As we went upstairs together, Holmes continued to whisper: "Now, we know clearly that the person who is very important to our new friend

The person of interest did not stay in the same hotel as our new friend. In other words, although he was as keen on tracking our new friend as we saw, he was also

Worried about being seen by our new friends. Oh, that's a particularly telling fact."

"What does this mean?"

"That means—God, my dear friend, what is going on?" Holmes suddenly changed the subject.

It turned out that when we were almost at the top of the stairs, we happened to meet Henry walking towards us. He was very angry, his face was red with anger, and he was holding an old high-top leather shoe in his hand, which was full of dust. He was so angry that he could hardly speak.

When he spoke, his voice sounded higher than in the morning, and his American Western accent was also thick.

"Do the people in this hotel think I'm easy to bully?" Henry shouted in a high-pitched voice, "Let them be careful, otherwise, they will understand that they are joking with the wrong person, how unreasonable! What if they can't find me?

If you lose your new shoes, then they will be in trouble. Mr. Holmes, I am usually the least afraid of joking, but this time they have gone too far."

"Still looking for your leather shoes?"

"Yes, Mr. Holmes, I must find it." "But you said this morning that what you lost was a new high-top brown leather shoe!"

"Yes, Mr. Holmes. But now, I have lost an old black leather shoe."

"Why, did you mean..."

"I just want to say that I have three pairs of shoes in total - the old black one, the new brown one, and the pair of patent leather shoes I am wearing now. Someone took one of my new brown leather shoes last night and stole it again today.

I got an old black one." Henry said to the waiter: "Hey, did you find it? Tell me, don't just stand there stupidly!"

A German waiter came and looked panicked.

"Not found, Sir. I asked everywhere in the hotel, but no one saw your shoes."

"Okay, you must find the shoes for me before the sun goes down! Otherwise, I will go to your boss and tell him that I will leave this hotel immediately." Henry said angrily.

"You can definitely find it, Sir. I just need you to be patient. I promise, you can definitely find your shoes."

"I hope so. I don't want to lose anything more in this den of thieves - Mr. Holmes, please forgive me for bothering you with such a trivial matter..."

"I think this is something that deserves special attention!" "Oh, don't take this too seriously, it's just a trivial matter."

"How do you understand this little thing?"

"I don't want to understand it at all. But it seems that, of all the things I have ever encountered, this is the most angry and weird thing that makes me angry."

"Perhaps, this is the strangest thing..." my companion said meaningfully.

"Mr. Holmes, what do you think of this matter?"

"Oh, I dare not say that I have a complete understanding. Sir Henry, this case is quite complicated! Connect this matter with your uncle's death. I dare not say that in the case I have handled,

Among the 500 important cases, is there one case that is so tortuous and bizarre? But we have already grasped several clues, and we expect that one of them will help us discover the truth. Perhaps, we will also waste some time on the wrong path.

, energy, but sooner or later we will always be able to sort out accurate clues."

We had a very pleasant luncheon, during which little talk was made of the case, and after lunch my companion asked Henry in the drawing-room what his intentions were.

"I'm going to Bathcowell Hall," said Henry. "When?"

"this weekend."

"In general..." my partner said: "Sir Henry, I feel that your decision is very wise. I can fully prove that you have been monitored in London, in such a huge city.

, in the vast sea of ​​​​thousands of people, it is difficult to distinguish who this person is or what purpose he has. If he has malicious intentions, he is likely to bring misfortune to you, and we may not be able to prevent unfortunate events from happening.

.Dr. Mortimer, do you know that you two have been followed since you came out of my house this morning?"

Dr. Mortimer was shocked and said: "Being followed! Being followed by who?"

"Unfortunately, that's something I can't tell you at the moment. Are there any acquaintances of yours on Dartmoor who have thick, black beards?"

"I don't think so," said Dr. Mortimer. "Let me see—ah, by the way, Sir Charles' steward Barrymore has a black beard."

"Where is Barrymore now?"

"He must be looking after the manor!"

"We'd better confirm whether Barrymore is indeed staying in the manor. Maybe he is in London!"

"How do you prove this?"

"Please give me a telegram. 'Is everything ready for Henry Bathcowell?' That will do. To Mr. Barrymore at Bathcowell Hall. Telegram near the estate.

Where is the office? Is it Greenpen? Excellent, let's send another telegram to the postmaster at Greenpen, saying: 'Mr. Barrymore's telegram, be sure to give it to me. If I'm not here, please call back and let us know.

Sir Henry Bascowell, Samborland Inn. 'That way we can find out, without leaving it till night, whether Barrymore is indeed at his place of employment at the present time."

"That's very good." Henry said: "Doctor Mortimer, what kind of person is this Barrymore?"

"Oh, he is the son of the late old housekeeper. Their family has been responsible for taking care of Bascoville Manor for four generations. As far as I know, the couple are very respected in the countryside."

Henry said: "It is very clear that these people are simply too comfortable once there are no members of our Bascowell family sitting in the manor."

"That's the truth," said Dr. Mortimer.

"What benefit does Barrymore have to gain from Sir Charles's will?" asked my companion.

"The couple will get £500 each," Dr Mortimer said.

"Oh! Do the couple know that they are going to get this money?"

"They knew because Sir Charles was very fond of talking about the contents of his will."

"This is very meaningful."

"I hope, Mr. Holmes," said Dr. Mortimer, "that you will not regard as a suspect every person who has benefited from the will of Sir Charles, who also left me £1,000!"

"Really? Who else got the benefit?"

"And besides, large sums of money are given to public charity, many small sums are distributed to some individuals, and the remainder belongs entirely to Sir Henry."

"How much is Sir Charles' remaining estate?" "740,000 pounds!"

My partner shrugged his eyebrows in surprise and said, "I didn't expect that there was such a huge wealth."

"Sir Charles is famous for being one of the richest people in the world, but before we counted his securities, we didn't know how rich he really was. It turned out that the total value of his entire property was over 1 million pounds."

"God! No matter who sees such a big bet, he will definitely bet on him desperately, but there is another important question..." Holmes pointed at Henry and said: "Doctor Mortimer, suppose our young friend

Misfortunes have occurred—please pardon my unpleasant supposition—who else is entitled to inherit this huge fortune?"

"Sir Charles's brother Roger died before he was married, so the property passed to his distant cousin, James Dythman, a native of Wysmorland.

Older priest."

"Thank you. All these details are very worthy of attention. Have you met James Daismen?"

"I have seen him. He came to see Sir Charles once. He is a solemn man and lives a holy and simple life. I also know that he refused to accept any property from Sir Childs. Sir Childs once forced him to

He receives a fortune."

"Can this person with no hobbies actually become the heir to Sir Charles' huge fortune?"

"He is likely to become the heir to Sir Charles' huge fortune, as stipulated by law. Unless the current owner, Sir Henry, makes a new will." Dr. Mortimer said.

"Sir Henry, do you intend to make a will?" asked my companion. "I have not yet, Mr. Holmes, I have not time to spare! I did not know the truth of the matter until yesterday. But in any case,

Next, I always feel that money should not be separated from title and property. This is my uncle's legacy. If the owner lacks the money to maintain the property, how can the reputation of the Bathcowell family be restored? Real estate and money must not be

Separation."

"You are right. Oh, Sir Henry, I agree with you that you should go back to Devonshire immediately. However, there is one condition. You must not go back alone."

"Dr. Mortimer is coming back with me."

"However, Dr. Mortimer has his own work, and his home is several kilometers away from the manor. Although he has great kindness towards you, he may be beyond his reach and unable to take good care of you. This will not work.

Sir Henry, you must find someone else who is trustworthy and can go to the manor with you."

"Mr. Holmes, are you going to go yourself?" Henry asked.

"If the matter reaches the level of a huge crisis, I will definitely try my best to take action personally. However, as you know, I have a business of receiving a large number of detective consultations, and there are often things from all aspects. If I am asked to leave London for a long time, it will be

Impossible. Now, a very respectable young gentleman in England is being inexplicably threatened and insulted. Only I can stop this serious slander from continuing to happen. As you can see, at the moment, I have to go to Dart Marsh in person.

It’s almost impossible.”

"So, who are you going to ask to accompany me?"

My companion patted the back of my hand with his hand and said: "If my friend Watson is willing, there is no better person to accompany you and protect you when you are in danger.

It’s more appropriate, and no one can say this with more confidence than me.”

Holmes's unexpected suggestion left me at a loss as to what to do. Before I could agree, Henry held my hand and shook it enthusiastically. He said, "Ah, Dr. Watson, your affectionate

Thank you very much for your kindness. You understand the dangerous situation I am currently in, and I will remember it in your heart if you can come to Bascoville Manor to accompany me."

The attraction to adventurous activities has always been powerful to me, and I was touched by the compliments of my companions and by Henry's sincere regard for me as a good friend.

"Definitely, I will definitely go!" I said, "This is a worthwhile use of my time and energy."

"Watson, you will report to me very carefully," said my companion, "and when the crisis comes, which will come sooner or later, I will direct your conduct. I think you will be ready to go on Saturday.

.”

"Doctor Watson, is this convenient for you?" Henry asked. "Convenient, convenient." I said quickly.

Holmes said: "Unless I inform you otherwise, we will meet at the station on Saturday and take the 10:30 train from Paddington."

When Holmes and I stood up to say goodbye, Henry suddenly let out a cheer, then rushed to the corner of the room and took out a long brown leather shoe from under the cupboard.

"These are the new shoes I lost." Henry shouted.

"Would that all difficulties and dangers disappeared like this!" said my companion.

"But it is very strange," said Dr. Mortimer. "I looked carefully about the house before lunch."

"I've looked for it too!" Henry said, "I've looked for it everywhere in the house."

"The shoe was certainly not in the house at that time," said Dr. Mortimer.

Henry said: "In that case, the waiter must have let it in when we had lunch."

The German waiter was called, but he said that he knew nothing about the matter. No matter how we asked, we couldn't figure it out. Mysterious incidents with unclear purposes continued to happen one after another, and now

One more thing. In addition to the terrible story of Sir Charles' violent death, a series of unexplainable strange things happened within two days, including Henry receiving a letter made up of printed words, and in the chariot.

The stalker with the black beard, the new brown leather shoes and the old black leather shoes mysteriously disappeared one after another, the new leather shoes are now being returned, etc.

As we rode back to our house in Baker Street, my companion sat silently, and it was evident from his frown and serious expression that in his mind he was as busy as myself in trying to piece together something.

This series of strange events could be explained by conjectures that apparently seemed to be unrelated to each other. After returning home, Holmes sat for the entire afternoon, immersed in tobacco and meditation.

We were just about to have dinner when two telegrams arrived. The content of the first telegram was:

"Barrymore is indeed at the manor. Henry Bascowell."

The content of the second telegram is:

"Following the instructions, I visited 23 hotels, but the torn copy of The Times was not found. Sorry. Here comes Carter."

"Watson, both of my clues have been broken. There is nothing more annoying than when everything goes wrong in a case. We must change our thinking and look for other clues."

"We can still find the coachman who drives the pursuer!" "Yes, I have sent a telegram asking the Licensing Department to find out the name and address of the coachman. If I can get the answer to the question, it is not worth it.

Strange."

It turned out that the ringing of the doorbell brought a satisfactory answer beyond our expectations. As soon as the door opened, a man with vulgar behavior came in. It was obvious that he was the coachman we were looking for.

"I received a notice from the General Administration saying that there is a gentleman here who is looking for the driver of car No. 2704." He said, "I have been driving for 7 years and I have never heard a word of dissatisfaction from a customer. I came here directly from the parking lot.

Yes, I want to ask you in person, sir, what are you dissatisfied with me about."

"I have nothing against you," said my companion. "On the contrary, if you can answer my question clearly, I will give you half a pound of gold."

The coachman grinned and said, "I'm really lucky today! Sir, what do you want to ask me?"

"First, I need to know your name and address so that I can find you again when needed in the future."

"John Clayton lives at No. 3 Teppy Street in the town. The carriage I drive is rented from Sipley Yard near Waterloo Station."

My companion wrote this down, and said: "Well, now, Clayton, tell us what happened to the fellow who came to watch my house this morning, and who afterwards followed the two gentlemen in Regent Street."

It seemed that Clayton was shocked and a little unprepared. "Sir, it seems that I don't need to tell you any more about this matter. It seems that you know as much as I do." Clayton said, "Facts

Yes, that's what happened. The gentleman once told me that he was a detective and he was not allowed to tell anyone about him."

"Clayton, this is a very serious matter. If you try to hide anything from me, you will be out of luck. Are you telling me that your passenger told you that he was a detective?"

"Yes, that's what he said."

"When did he say that?"

"When he got in the car."

"Did he say anything else?"

"He said his name."

My partner gave me a quick, winning look and asked, "Oh, he mentioned his name, didn't he? That's really interesting. What did he say it was?"

"Sir," said Clayton, "his name is Sherlock Holmes."

I have never seen Holmes so astonished as when he heard these words. For a moment he sat in his chair in astonishment, and then he burst into laughter.

"Watson, that's wonderful," said Holmes. "I feel that he is really a man as smart as me, and he makes me look really good. Clayton, his name is Sherlock Holmes

,Yeah?"

"Yes, sir, that is his name."

"Please tell me where he hitched your carriage, and what happened after that."

"At half-past nine, in Trefgar Square, he hailed my carriage. He said he was a detective, and said he would give me £2 if I would obey his instructions exactly the whole day, without asking any questions.

Gold coins. I was very happy and agreed. We first rushed to the Nosunbolan Hotel. There, we waited until two gentlemen came out and got into a carriage. We followed their carriage until it stopped at your

Near the residence.”

"Is this the gate?" my friend asked.

"Well, I'm not sure about that. But I dare say that my passenger seemed to know everything. We stopped in the street and waited for an hour and a half. Then the two gentlemen walked beside my carriage.

In the past, we just followed Baker Street and followed..."

My partner interrupted and said, "I know all this."

"When we were about three-quarters of the way through Regent Street, suddenly, my passenger opened the roof sliding window and shouted to me: 'Hurry! Get the car to Waterloo Station!' I raced hard, but no

We arrived at Waterloo Station in 10 minutes. As expected, he gave me 2 pounds of gold coins and got off the car and entered the station. When he hadn't gone far, he turned back to me and said: 'If you knew

It may interest you, my name is Sherlock Holmes.' That's how I found out his name."

"So that's it. You never saw him again after that, right?"

"I haven't seen him since he entered the station." "Now, please describe this Mr. Sherlock Holmes."

Clayton scratched his head and said: "Oh, he is really not that easy to describe. I think he is about 40 years old, with a medium build. He seems to be two to three inches shorter than you, sir. He also dresses like

A gentleman with a black beard, neatly trimmed, and a bit pale. I think that's all I can say."

"What's the color of your eyes?"

"I really can't say anything."

"You can't remember anything else?"

"Sir, I can't remember."

"Okay, then, I'll give you this half-pound gold coin. In the future, if you can bring more news, you can get another reward. Good night, Clayton."

"Good night, sir."

Clayton walked away with a smile. My partner shrugged his shoulders, turned to me with a disappointed smile, and said: "The third clue is broken again. Just after I touched the doorway, I lost it again."

Confused."

Holmes went on: "What a cunning rogue! He has found our trump card. He knows that Henry Bascoville has come to see us. He has noticed who I am in Regent Street and knows that I have written down the number of the carriage.

, we will definitely go to the coachman, so he left this teasing message for us. Watson, this time, we really met an opponent worthy of a good fight. I suffered a setback in London City

, I hope your luck in Dewen County will be better than here, but I really can’t worry about it.”

"What are you worried about?"

"I am not at ease about sending you to deal with this matter. Watson, this matter is really difficult. Not only is it difficult, but it is also dangerous. The more I think about it, the more unhappy I become. Watson, you can laugh at me, but...
Chapter completed!