Sherlock Holmes's extraordinary talents made us fascinated by the weird and dramatic stories in many mysterious cases, and even we ourselves eventually joined in these stories. I wrote and published short stories based on these cases.

, writing about failures is far less detailed than writing about achievements. The reason I do this is not because of the reputation of Holmes. In fact, whenever he is on the verge of despair, his energy and talent can always be admired - as long as Holmes has

Where he fails, others cannot succeed, and the story will never have an ending. However, there is often a situation where when he makes a mistake, he is still the one who finally finds out the truth. I once noticed

There are five or six cases of this kind, among which the two most obviously fascinating cases are the Masklev Ceremony case and the other case which is the story I want to tell you now.

Holmes himself rarely does any physical activities for physical exercise. Generally speaking, there are very few people who are good at using their physical strength. There is no doubt that among people of his weight, Holmes can be said to be the best I have ever seen.

A boxer, however, he regards blind physical exercise as a waste of energy, so he rarely participates in projects that have nothing to do with his career. However, his energy is extremely strong and almost tireless. About Holmes's health care

He said, it is indeed a bit strange. His diet has always been very simple, and his daily life is also very simple, which can be regarded as frugal. Except for sometimes injecting some cocaine, Holmes has no other bad habits. Whenever there is no case to be investigated, the newspaper

When the news is very boring, Holmes will turn to narcotics to relieve the monotony of life.

One day in early spring, Holmes seemed to be relatively leisurely. He actually had time to accompany me for a walk in the park. At that time, the elm trees had sprouted green buds, and the tops of the chestnut trees had quietly grown new five-petal leaves. We were together for a while.

We walked around in silence for about two hours, which suited us two very well. By the time we hurried back to Baker Street, it was almost five o'clock.

"Excuse me, sir!" said the little servant who opened the door for us. "A gentleman came to see you just now, sir."

Holmes gave me a complaining look.

"It's all the fault of the afternoon walk!" said Holmes. "Does that mean the gentleman has left?"

"Yes, sir."

"Didn't you invite him in?"

"Please, sir, he has come in." "How long has he been waiting?"

"He waited for half an hour after he came in, sir. He looked very restless, pacing up and down the room and stamping his feet. I waited outside the door, sir, but I could hear him. He

Finally, he walked into the corridor and shouted: 'Is he not ready to come back?' Sir, these were his exact words. I said: 'Please wait a little longer!' He then said: 'Then I will go outside.

Wait, I'm going to be suffocated here, I'll come back later.' He left after saying that, and I couldn't keep him here no matter what I said."

"Oh, you are quite right," said Holmes, as we entered the room. "It is very irritating, Watson. I am waiting for a case. From the look of the man's impatience, it seems to be a comparative case.

An important case! Hi! The pipe on the table is not yours, it must have been left behind by this man. It is a pretty good briar pipe with a long handle and is made of a material that tobacconists call amber.

That's right. I don't know how many real amber cigarette holders there are in London. Some people say that the kind with flies inside is real amber. Hey, he actually forgot this cherished pipe, which shows that he

I must be extremely upset."

"How do you know he cherished this pipe?" I asked. "Well, according to my judgment, the original price of this pipe was only 7 shillings and 6 pence, but, you see, it has been repaired twice, and the wood has been repaired twice.

Once on the handle and once on the amber mouthpiece. You can see that each time it was repaired with a silver band, which was much higher than the original price of the pipe. This man would rather repair the pipe than take out the same pipe.

Spending money to buy a new one means that he must cherish this pipe very much."

"Is there anything else?" I asked, as Holmes turned the pipe over and stared at it in a peculiar state of contemplation.

Holmes picked up the pipe and flicked it with his slender index finger, as if a professor were giving a lecture on animal bones.

"Sometimes a pipe is very important." Holmes said: "Apart from watches and shoelaces, the thing that best shows a person's personality is a pipe, but the signs of this pipe are not obvious and it is not important.

.The owner of the pipe is obviously a man of good health, who uses his left hand in daily life, has good teeth, is careless, and is financially well-off."

Holmes said these words casually and without thinking. He was squinting at me to see if I understood his reasoning.

"Do you think he is a wealthy man because he smokes a seven-shilling pipe?" I asked.

"This cigarette is from Grosvenor, costing 1 pound and 8 pence." Holmes said, and a bit of tobacco was knocked out of the pipe in the palm of his hand: "For half the price, he can smoke high-quality cigarettes.

It shows that he is a rich man."

"So, what are the other times?"

"He had a habit of lighting his pipe on an oil lamp or a gas blowtorch. You could see that one side of the pipe was burnt. If you had used a match, it wouldn't be like this. Use a match to light the cigarette, and the side of the pipe would be burnt.

How could it be burnt? But if you light a cigarette on an oil lamp, the pipe will definitely be burnt. And only the right side of the pipe is burnt, so I infer that this person is left-handed. You can now put your

Put the pipe on the lamp and light it, and you will see that since you are accustomed to using your right hand, the side facing the flame is of course the left side. Sometimes you may not light the cigarette like this, but after all, it is not common, so it can only be said that it is habitual.

The person on the left has his amber mouth bitten through, which shows that he is relatively strong and has neat teeth. If I am not mistaken, I heard him walking upstairs, then we can explore something more interesting than this pipe.

Already."

After a while, our door opened and a burly young man walked in. He was wearing sober and elegant dark gray clothes and holding a brown wide-brimmed felt hat. I estimated that he was about 30 years old, but in fact

How much older do you have to be to have sex with him?

"Gentlemen, please forgive me!" he said with a slight embarrassment, "I think I should knock on the door first. Yes, of course I need to knock on the door first. But, in fact, I am upset, please forgive me for my rashness.

." He put his hand on his forehead, as if he was dizzy, turned around and fell on the chair.

"I can see that you haven't slept for a night or two." Holmes said in a gentle and friendly manner. "This is indeed more stressful than work and play. How can I help you?"

"I want to ask you for advice, sir. I don't know what to do. My whole life seems to have collapsed."

"Would you like me to be a consulting detective?"

"It's not just that. You are knowledgeable and sophisticated. I need your advice. I need to know what I should do next. I hope you can tell me."

He spoke incoherently, his voice was trembling, and his breathing was rapid. I felt that speaking itself was extremely painful for him. He was trying hard to control his emotions with his will from beginning to end.

"This matter is very difficult," he said. "No one wants to talk about his or her household affairs to outsiders, especially discussing his wife's behavior with two strangers. It is very embarrassing. Doing so is really embarrassing.

It’s terrible. But I’m at the end of my wits and have to ask others for advice.”

"My dear Mr. Grant Munro," said Holmes.

Our visitor suddenly jumped up from his chair.

"What?" he shouted, "how do you know my name?"

"If you want to conceal your name and identity," Holmes said with a kind smile, "I remind you not to write your name on the inside of your hat in the future, or when you visit strangers, don't put the inside of your hat.

Toward the house. I was about to tell you that my friends and I have heard many strange things in this room, and God bless us, we have had the good fortune to bring peace to many troubled people. I believe that we

I can also do this for you. Since time is very important, please try not to waste time and tell me the whole story as soon as possible!"

This visitor put his hand on his forehead again, as if he was in extreme pain. I inferred from his posture and expression that he should usually be a taciturn and calm person, with some pride in his nature, and would rather cover his face.

He was hurt and unwilling to be exposed. Later, his clenched fist suddenly made a firm gesture, as if he gave up on keeping the secret and began to talk...

Mr. Holmes, the thing is like this, I have been married and have been married for 3 years. In these 3 years, my wife and I have been very loving and have lived a happy life. Like all couples, our thoughts, words and actions are in harmony.

But now, starting from last Monday, a barrier suddenly appeared between us. I found that I couldn't figure out some things about her life and thoughts at all. She was just like a strange woman. We were estranged.

Now, I want to understand why?

But there is one thing you must know, Mr. Holmes, before I go on. It is not that my wife Effie does not love me, and there is no need for any misunderstanding in that regard. She loves me with all her heart, and now she loves me even more strongly.

Yes. I know this and can feel it. There is no need to doubt it. It is not difficult for a man to detect that a woman loves him, but there is a secret between my wife and me. Until we figure out this secret, we cannot

It's not like before anymore.

"Mr. Munro, please tell me the specific facts." Holmes said a little anxiously.

Let me first tell you the history of Effie that I know. When I first met her, although she was very young, only 25 years old, she was already a widow. Her name at that time was Mrs. Heberon.

When she was a child, she went to the United States and lived in Atlanta, where she married Hebron. Hebron was a lawyer and had many clients. They had a child, but yellow fever suddenly became epidemic there.

Her husband and children were killed by yellow fever, and I saw Hebron's death certificate. This made her resent the United States, and she returned home. In Pinnar, Middlesex,

She lives with her unmarried aunt. I would also like to explain that her ex-husband left her a considerable inheritance, about 4,500 pounds. When her ex-husband was alive, he made a profit from investing in this asset, with an average annual interest of 7

When I met her, she had only been in Pinnar for six months. We fell in love with each other and we were married a few weeks later.

I am a hop merchant with an annual income of 700 to 800 pounds. In Norbury, we rented a small villa with a rent of 80 pounds a year and lived very comfortably. Although our small place is close to the city,

It has a rural flavor. Not far from our villa, there are two houses and a small hotel. There is a separate small villa on the field in front of our door. Apart from this, the only way to see the house is halfway to the station.

My profession requires me to go to the city only during certain seasons, but in the summer I don't need to go to the city. So my wife and I enjoy ourselves in our country house. I might as well tell you that when this unfortunate incident occurred

In the past, nothing unhappy happened between us as husband and wife.

There is one more thing I should tell you in advance before going on. When we got married, my wife transferred all the property to my name. This was not my original intention, because I thought that if my career failed,

It would have been very difficult to turn around. But, she insisted on doing it, and I had to do it. Oh, about 6 weeks ago, she came to see me.

'Jack:' she said, 'when you accepted the money from me, you said so, I will ask for it when I need it.'

'That's right,' I said, 'that money was originally yours!'

'Okay!' she said, 'I want 100 pounds.'

I was actually a little surprised when I heard this, because I thought she just wanted to buy a new dress or something like that.

‘Honey, what’s going on?’ I asked.

'Oh!' she said jokingly, 'you said you were just going to be my bank custodian, and you know bank custodians never ask these questions.'

‘If you really need this money, of course I can give it to you.’ I said.

'Oh, yes, I really need it.'

'Can't you let me know what the money is for?'

'Jack, I can tell you in a few days, but not now.' So I had to do this. But if there is any secret between my wife and I, this is the first time I made an exception. I handed over a check

I gave it to her and then forgot about it. This matter may have nothing to do with what happened later, but I think it's better to say it.

Well, I just told you that there is a small villa near the villa where we live. There is a field in between, but if you want to go to the small villa, you need to walk along the avenue to the opposite side, and then go around to a small road.

There is a lush Scotch fir tree next to the cottage. I usually like to go for a walk there. Yes, walking in the forest always makes people refreshed. The cottage has been empty for 8 months.

It was such a pity. The little two-story villa was beautiful, with an ancient verandah and honeysuckles blooming all around. I often stayed there, and often thought it would be great to live there.

Last Monday evening, I was walking on this road and saw an empty car turning onto the path. At the same time, I saw some carpets and other things piled up on the grass next to the verandah. Apparently, this small villa was finally rented.

. I walked forward and looked around casually and curiously, wanting to know who lived here. After all, it was my nearest neighbor. But while I was looking around, I suddenly felt that there was a face in the window above.

He is also watching me.

Mr. Holmes, I didn't know what this face looked like at the time, but I felt like a cold sweat was running down my spine. I was standing a little further away, so I couldn't see the face clearly, but this face was very unnatural.

It didn't look like a human face, that was my impression at the time. I walked forward, hoping to see the person peeping at me clearly. But when I got closer, the face suddenly disappeared, as if it had been quickly

I was pulled into the darkness of the room. I stood there for 5 minutes, thinking about the matter carefully, and preparing to analyze the impression I received. This face was too far away from me, and I couldn't tell clearly whether it was a man's face.

It was still a woman's face, but the color of this face impressed me deeply. It was like blue-gray chalk, and it looked stiff and unnatural. It was very scary. I felt a little uneasy, so I decided to go and take a look at this small town.

The new resident of the villa. I walked to the door and knocked on the door, and immediately a thin but tall woman came out. It was she who opened the door. This woman's face was very ugly, which made people look a little scared.

'What are you going to do?' she asked with a northern accent. 'I live across from you.' I nodded my head towards my residence and continued: 'I see you have just moved in, so I thought

Is there anything you can do to help...'

'Hey, we will invite you when we need you.' She said and actually closed the door. I was very angry after receiving such a rude rejection, so I turned around and went home. Throughout the night, although I tried hard not to go

I was thinking about this, but the image of the weirdo and the rude woman at the window could not be erased from my mind. I decided not to tell my wife about this because she was timid and easily excited, and I didn’t want her to suffer the unpleasantness I encountered.

Share. However, before I went to bed, I told her that the small villa was now occupied, but she made no response.

I usually sleep very deeply, and my family often makes fun of me, saying that nothing can wake me up at night. But this night, because of this or other reasons, I don’t know, I didn’t sleep at all.

As heavy as usual. Half asleep and half awake, I vaguely felt someone moving in the room, and gradually realized that my wife was fully dressed, put on a cloak, and put on a hat. I murmured a few words of surprise.

I objected to her untimely move. When my sleepy eyes suddenly fell on my wife's face under the candlelight, I was so surprised that I couldn't speak. I had never seen her like this before.

Her expression was definitely not fake. Her face was as pale as a dead person, and her breathing was very rapid. When she fastened her cloak, she secretly looked at me on the bed to see if I had been awakened. Later, I thought I was still there.

In her sleep, she quietly slipped out of the house. Soon, there was a sharp creaking sound, which was obviously the sound of the door hinges. So I sat up from the bed and opened the door with my hands.

I tapped on the bedrail, wondering if I was really awake. Then I took out my watch from my pillow and saw it was 3 o'clock in the morning. Oh, my wife went outside at 3 o'clock in the morning. What on earth was she going to do?

I sat there for about 20 minutes, thinking about this matter, trying to find some possible explanations. The more I thought about it, the more bizarre and inexplicable it became. While I was thinking hard about it, I heard the door gently closing again, and after a while, my wife

Come upstairs.

‘Where have you been in the middle of the night, Effie?’ I couldn’t wait to ask as soon as she came in.

As soon as I told her, she turned pale with fright and suddenly screamed. This startle and scream troubled me more than anything else, because it contained an indescribable sense of guilt. My wife's temperament has always been sincere and sincere.

Frankly, I saw her sneaking into her house secretly, and when her husband asked her questions, she actually screamed, cowered, and felt uneasy. This made me very chilled.

'You're awake, Jack!' she said loudly with a forced smile, 'I thought nothing could wake you!'

‘Where have you been?’ I asked more sternly.

'No wonder you're surprised,' she said. I noticed that her fingers as she unbuttoned the cloak were trembling: 'Well, I've never done anything like this before. In fact, it's like this: I feel a little angry.

I felt so stuffy that I just wanted to go out and breathe fresh air. If I didn't go out, I really felt like I would faint. I stayed outside the door for a few minutes, and I feel better now.'

When she said these words, she kept avoiding my eyes, and her tone of voice was completely different from usual. It was obvious that she was lying. I said nothing more, and turned my face to the wall very sadly, with all kinds of malice in my heart.

speculations and suspicions. What did my wife hide from me? Where did she go during this strange outing? I think I will not be able to gain real peace until I find out the details of this matter.

However, after she lied to me once, I had no interest in asking her any more questions. I couldn't sleep that night. I kept tossing and turning, feeling uneasy, and guessing over and over again, but the more I thought about it, the more I couldn't figure it out.

I was supposed to go to the city the next day, but I was too distracted to take care of business. My wife seemed to be just as confused as I was. She kept paying attention to my face, and her doubtful eyes showed that she

It was obvious that I doubted what she was saying, and now I was at a loss as to what to do. Neither of us said a word during breakfast, and then I immediately went for a walk, hoping to think about it in the fresh morning air.

I walked as far as Crystal Palace and stayed there for an hour. It was already one o'clock when I returned to Norbury. I happened to pass the little villa and stopped to look at the window.

Let's see if we can see the face of yesterday. Mr. Holmes, you can't imagine how surprised I was. While I was standing there, the door of the cottage suddenly opened, and my wife came out.

When I saw her, I was so shocked that I couldn't speak. But when our eyes met, my wife looked more shocked than me. In an instant, she seemed to be ready to retreat to the villa again.

Later, realizing that she could no longer hide it, she stepped forward with a pale face, her eyes full of fear. Although she forced a smile, it was obviously not appropriate at all.

'Ah, Jack!' she said, 'I just came to see if the new neighbor needs any help. Why are you looking at me like that? Jack, are you angry with me?'

'So...' I said, 'this is where you came last night.'

'What do you mean?' she shouted.

'I have every reason to believe that you came here last night. Who are the people living here? You actually came to visit them in the middle of the night?'

'This is my first time here.'

'Why are you lying to me?' I shouted loudly, 'your voice has completely changed. What did I hide from you? I must go in and find out everything about this matter.'

'No... no, Jack, for God's sake! Don't go in.' She was so excited that she couldn't control herself and said breathlessly. When I walked to the door, she grabbed my sleeve hard and pulled me

Went back.

'I beg you, don't do this, Jack,' she shouted. 'I promise you, I will tell you everything in a few days. If you insist on entering this villa, you will only be asking for trouble and nothing else.

A little benefit.' Later, I broke away from her hand, but she held me tightly, begging me like crazy.

'Please believe me, Jack!' she shouted, 'even if you believe me just this once, you will not regret it. You must understand that if it is not for your own good, I will not hide it from you.

, This directly affects our entire life. If you go home with me, everything will be fine. If you insist on entering the villa, then everything will be over between us.'

Her attitude was so sincere and so desperate that I had to stand in front of the door hesitantly.

'There must be one condition, and one condition only, for me to trust you,' I finally said, 'that from now on, you must stop this secret activity. You have the right to keep your secrets, but you must

Promise me that you will never go out at night or do anything without telling me. If you can promise me that nothing like this will happen again in the future, I will forget everything that happened before.'

'I knew you would believe me.' She breathed a sigh of relief and said loudly, 'I can completely follow your wishes. Come on, ah, leave here and go back to our house.'

She never let go of my sleeves and pulled me away from the villa. When I left, I looked back and saw a leaden face looking at us from behind the window above the villa. This weirdo and I

What does it have to do with my wife? What does it have to do with the rude and ugly woman I saw yesterday? This is a strange mystery. I know that until I solve this mystery, I will not be able to understand my mood.

Calm.

After that, I stayed at home for two days, and my wife faithfully kept her promise and did not go out again. But on the third day, I had sufficient evidence to prove that her promise was invalid, and she could not get rid of the mysterious attraction, which made her

She turned her back on her husband and her responsibilities.

I went into the city that day, but instead of taking the usual 3:36 train back, I took the 2:40 train instead. As soon as I entered the house, the maid ran into the living room with a panicked look on her face.

‘Where is my wife?’ I asked.

'I think she should go for a walk outside,' she replied.

Suspicious clouds instantly arose in my mind, and I ran upstairs to confirm that she was indeed not in the house. At this time, I inadvertently looked out the window and saw the maid running across the fields towards the small villa. Naturally, I knew this very well at that time.

What happened? My wife went there again and told the maid to call her as soon as possible if I came home. I was so angry that I trembled all over, rushed downstairs and went straight to the villa, determined to investigate the matter.

The truth came to light. I saw my wife and maid walking back along the path, but I didn't stop to talk to them. There was a hateful secret hidden in this little villa, which affected my happy life. I made up my mind to...

No matter what, I couldn't let it continue. I walked directly to the house, turned the door button and rushed into the corridor without even knocking on the door.

There was silence downstairs, the kettle on the stove in the kitchen was hissing, and a big black cat was lying in a basket. I found no trace of the woman I had seen before. I rushed into another room.

, there was also no one. I ran upstairs, and there was no one in the other two rooms. It turned out that the villa was empty. The pictures and furniture in the room were very ordinary, even vulgar, except for the room where I saw the strange face from the window.

The bedroom looked quite comfortable. Oh, there was a full-length photo of my wife hanging on the mantelpiece. The moment I found it, all my doubts burned into a painful flame. That was what I gave her three months ago.

Photographed!

I stayed indoors for a while, and after making sure no one was there, I walked out. My heart was filled with a heaviness I had never felt before. When I entered the house, my wife walked into the front hall, but I was very sad and very sad.

I was so angry that I didn't want to talk to her, and rushed straight past her into my study. But she followed me in before I closed the door.

'I'm very sorry for not keeping my promise, Jack,' she said, 'but if you knew the whole truth, I'm sure you would forgive me.'

'Then tell me all this!' I said.

No, Jack, I can't!' she shouted. 'If you don't tell me who lives in that villa and who the person you sent the photo to is, we can no longer trust each other.

'Yes,' said I, walking away from her, and out of the house. This happened yesterday, Mr. Holmes, and I have not seen her since. All I know of this strange thing is

So much. This is the first time there has been discord between us, which shocked me very much. I don’t know what to do. This morning, it suddenly occurred to me that you could help me guide me, so I hurried to you.

Okay, I'm all in charge of you. If there's anything I can't explain clearly, just ask me. But please tell me what to do as soon as possible. I really can't stand the pain.

Holmes and I listened with rapt attention to the strange story. The man was very excited and spoke fitfully. Holmes rested his chin on his hand and sat quietly, thinking.

"Tell me," said Holmes at last, "whether the face you saw at the window was certainly that of a man."

"Every time I see this face, it's far away, so I can't guarantee it."

"But your impression of this face is obviously very bad." "The color seems very unnatural, and the appearance is strangely dull. But when I got closer, it suddenly disappeared."

"How long ago did your wife ask you for £100?" "About two months ago."

"Have you seen the photos of her ex-husband?"

"Never. Shortly after his death, there was a fire in Atlanta and all her papers were burned."

"But she had a death certificate in her hand. You said you saw it, right?"

"Yes, she got a copy after the fire."

"Have you met anyone who knew her in the United States?" "No."

"Or have you received a letter from there?" "No."

"Thank you, I need to think about this a little now. If this villa is still empty, it will be a little difficult for us. However, I think it is very likely that the residents inside were warned before you went in yesterday.

, therefore took shelter in advance, and now it is very likely that he has returned to the house. It is not very difficult for us to find out. I advise you to return to Norbury first, and then carefully observe the windows of the small villa. If you are sure that someone lives there

Inside, you don't need to force your way in, just send us a telegram. As long as we receive the telegram, we will rush to your place within an hour, and the truth of the matter will be clear soon."

"What if the villa is still vacant now?"

"If that's the case, I'll go there tomorrow and discuss it with you later. Goodbye! However, there is one thing. Before the matter is clarified, you'd better stop worrying."

"I don't think this is a good thing, Watson." Holmes said to me when he came back after sending Mr. Grant Munro to the door. "What do you think?"

"It's very difficult to do," I replied.

"By the way, if I'm not mistaken, there must be a fraud involved!" "Then, who is the one who committed the fraud?"

"Ah, who could it be but the one who lives in the only comfortable room, and hangs her wife's picture on the mantelpiece? Indeed, Watson, that dull face in the window is worthy of note, and I

No matter what, we must take care of this case."

"Have you made any inferences?"

"Yes, this is just a tentative inference, but if this inference proves to be wrong, it will inevitably surprise me. I think this woman's ex-husband lives in the small villa."

"Why do you think so?"

"Otherwise, how can we explain her behavior of being so panic-stricken and resolutely preventing her current husband from entering? According to my inference, the facts are basically like this: this woman got married in the United States, and her ex-husband had some kind of bad habit, or

She contracted some troublesome disease that made other people unwilling to contact or impaired her ability. She finally abandoned him, returned to England and changed her name, hoping to start a new life. What she showed her husband was a

It was just someone else's death certificate. Now that she had been married for three years, she felt that her situation was safe enough. But her traces were suddenly traced by her ex-husband, or in other words, a certain ** who was involved with the patient.

They found out. They wrote to the wife, threatening to expose her, so she asked for 100 pounds to try to get rid of them, but they still came. When the husband told his wife that there was a new tenant in the villa, she clearly tracked him.

Her people came. After her husband fell asleep, she ran out quietly, hoping to try to persuade them, but this time she failed. She went again early the next morning, but just as her husband said, when she came out

She happened to meet him. At this time, she had to promise not to go there again, but two days later, guided by a strong desire to get rid of such horrible neighbors, she made another attempt. This time, she brought them to her

She brought the photos she requested. She was meeting her ex-husband when the maid suddenly ran over and told the master that he had gone home. She knew her husband would definitely come to the villa, so she asked the people in the room to escape from the back door into the surrounding fir trees. Therefore.

, he didn’t see anyone in the house, it was an empty house. But if he goes there again tonight, it would be weird and the house is still empty. What do you think of my inference? "

"This is all speculation."

"But at least it is consistent with all the facts. If we find any new discrepancies, it will not be too late for us to reconsider. Until that friend gets a telegram from Norbury, we can only stay where we are."

However, we didn't wait too long before we finished our refreshments and received a telegram. The telegram said: "There are still people living in the villa, and I saw the face in the window. Please take the 7 o'clock train to meet you. All

The matter is waiting for you to come and handle it."

When we got off the train, he was already waiting on the platform. Under the station lights, he looked pale and worried, and his whole body was shaking.

"They are still there." He said, holding Holmes's sleeve tightly with his hand. "When I passed by the villa, I saw a light. We must solve it decisively and thoroughly now."

"What, then, are your plans?" asked Holmes, as we entered the dark tree-shaded path.

"I'm going to break in and see with my own eyes who is in the house. I hope you two can be witnesses."

"Your wife reminded you that it's best not to solve this mystery. Have you decided to take the risk?"

"Yes, I have made up my mind."

"Well, I think you are right. It is better to find out the truth than to be suspicious. We'd better go there right away. Of course, it is legally wrong for us to do this, but I think it is worth it.

.”

It was dark that night, so we came down from the road and turned onto a narrow path with hedges on both sides. It started to rain lightly. Mr. Grant Munro couldn't wait to run forward, and we followed him as closely as possible.

Walking with one foot shallow and one foot flat.

"That light belongs to my house." He pointed to the light flashing between the trees and whispered, "This is the villa I want to enter."

When he spoke, we had turned a corner on the path, and the house was very close. There was a yellow light on the ground in front of the door, indicating that the door was ajar, and a window upstairs was also very bright. We headed there

Looking over, I saw a dark shadow passing by the curtain.

"That's the monster!" Grant Munro shouted excitedly. "You can see with your own eyes that there is someone here. Now please come with me, and we will soon get to the bottom of everything."

As we approached the door, a woman suddenly walked out of the darkness and stood under the yellow light of the lamp. I couldn't see her face clearly in the dark, but I saw her raising her arms in a pleading manner.

attitude.

"For God's sake, don't do this! Jack," she shouted, "I expect you will definitely come tonight. My dear, please think carefully again! Trust me one last time, you will not

You will regret it.”

"Effie, I have believed you for too long," he shouted sharply. "Let me go! Get out of the way! I have to get in. My friends and I are going to settle this once and for all!" He pushed his wife aside.

With a push, we followed him and walked over. As soon as he opened the door, an old woman ran out and tried to stop her, but he pushed her away, and in a blink of an eye we were all upstairs. Grant

Munro ran to the lighted room, and we followed him in.

The bedroom was well decorated, warm and comfortable. There were two lit candles on the table and two on the mantelpiece. In a corner of the room, there seemed to be a little girl sitting bent over the table. We

As soon as she walked in the door, she turned her face away. She was wearing a red top and a pair of long white gloves. When she suddenly turned to us, I couldn't help but screamed in horror. Her face was very

The strange lead-grey color, the whole face was stiff and expressionless. In an instant, the mystery was solved. Holmes smiled and put his hand behind the little girl's ear, and a mask fell off her face.

It turned out that she was a charred little black girl. When she saw us stunned, she happily showed a row of white teeth. Seeing her funny look, I couldn't help laughing. But Grant Munro

He put a hand on his throat and stood there blankly looking at everything in front of him.

"Oh, my God!" he shouted. "How can this be?"

"Let me tell you what this is all about." His wife looked firm and proud, glanced at the people in the room, and said, "You forced me to tell you against my wishes, and now we must seek it.

A proper way. My ex-husband died in Atlanta, but our children are still alive."

"Your child?"

She took out a big silver box from her arms and said, "You've never seen it opened!"

"I don't think it can be opened!"

She clicked the spring lightly, and the lid of the box opened immediately, revealing a portrait of a man with a fresh and handsome face and a gentle demeanor, but his appearance was obviously of African descent.

"He is John Hebron of Atlanta." His wife said, "He is the noblest man in the world. In order to marry him, I broke off the relationship with people of my own kind, but when he was alive, I never

I have never regretted it. Unfortunately, our only child, unlike me, did not inherit the blood of his ancestors. As whites and blacks often intermarry, little Lucy is actually much darker than her father, but no matter whether she is black or white, she

They are all my dearest daughters and my mother's darlings." Having said this, the little girl ran forward and snuggled up to the woman's side. It was only because she was not in good health that a change of soil and water might not be good for her, so I

I entrusted her to the care of our former servant, a very loyal Scotswoman. I never thought of abandoning my child. But since I met you, Jack, and knew that I fell in love with you, I did not have the courage to tell you

I have a child, and I beg God to forgive me, because I was afraid of losing you, so I didn’t dare to tell you. I could only choose one of you. I was so cowardly that I finally gave up my child and chose you.

I have kept this matter secret from you for three years, but I often get information from the nanny that she is fine. However, I finally couldn't control my desire to see the child, although I always tried to suppress it.

This wish did not work at all. I was aware of the danger and was determined to have the child come, even if it was only for a few weeks. So I sent the nanny £100 and informed her that I had a small cottage nearby and she could come.

As my neighbor, I didn’t have to show up to contact her. I even told her not to let the child go outside during the day, and to cover the child’s face and hands. Even if someone saw her from the window, there would be no gossip.

Said that there was a little black man living in the neighbor's house. If I hadn't been too careful, I might have done something smarter, but because I was very worried about you seeing the truth, I was a little at a loss.

Someone was staying in this small villa. You were the first to tell me. I was supposed to wait until early morning, but I was so excited that I couldn't fall asleep because I thought you wouldn't usually be woken up, so I sneaked out quietly. I didn't expect that you would wake me up.

I found out, and my troubles began. You noticed my secret behavior the next day, but you forgave me and did not pursue it. Three days later, you broke in directly through the front door, but the nanny and the child escaped through the back door.

Went. The truth finally came out tonight. What are you going to do with me and the child? She clasped her hands and waited for a response.

After about 10 minutes, Grant Munro broke the silence first. His answer left me with a very pleasant memory. He picked up the little girl, kissed her, and then held the child in one hand.

Holding his wife's arm with one arm, he turned and walked toward the door.

"Why don't we go home first and then have a calm discussion!" He said, "Although I am not a saint, Effie, I think it will always be better than you imagine!"

Holmes and I also walked out of the path. At this time, Holmes pulled my sleeve.

"I think," he said, "we had better go back to London, where we would be more useful than staying in Norbury."

Throughout the night, Holmes never mentioned the case again, until finally he walked to the bedroom with a lit candle and said: "Watson, if in the future you feel that I am overconfident in my abilities, or that I have not worked hard enough in handling a case,

If that's not enough, please whisper 'Norbury' in my ear, and I will definitely be grateful."

【Legal Commentary】

In this story, first of all, we should express our appreciation for Effie's behavior of breaking through the barriers of racial discrimination for the sake of love. To have such courage in North America at the end of the 19th century was indeed beyond the capabilities of ordinary women. But after the death of her ex-husband, dealing with the children

There are some shortcomings in parenting.

my country's "Marriage Law" stipulates that after the death of one party to the marriage, the marriage relationship is automatically dissolved, then the child's custody issue should first be borne by the mother Effie. Article 36, paragraph 3, of the "Marriage Law" stipulates: After divorce, the breastfeeding period The principle is that the children who are still in the nursing period shall be raised by the nursing mother. If the two parties cannot reach an agreement due to disputes over the custody of the children after the nursing period, the people's court shall make a judgment based on the rights and interests of the children and the specific circumstances of both parties. Then in accordance with the "About the People's Article 1 of the "Several Specific Opinions of the Court on Handling Child Custody Issues in Divorce Cases" stipulates: Children under two years old generally live with their mother. If the mother has one of the following circumstances, she can live with her father: (1) Suffering from a disease that cannot be cured for a long time If the child is not suitable to live with the child due to infectious diseases or other serious diseases; (2) The child cannot fulfill the child support obligation due to the conditions for raising him, but the father requires the child to live with him; (3) Due to other reasons, the child is indeed unable to live with the mother. If there is a dispute over minor children over 10 years old living with their father and mother, the opinions of the children themselves should be taken into consideration. Paragraph 1 of Article 37 of the Marriage Law stipulates: "After divorce, for the children raised by one party, the other party shall bear the necessary expenses Part or all of the living expenses and education expenses, the amount of the expenses and the length of the period shall be agreed upon by both parties; if an agreement cannot be reached, the People's Court shall make a decision."

Paragraph 2 of Article 21 of the "Marriage Law" stipulates: "When parents fail to fulfill their child support obligations, children who are minors or cannot live independently have the right to require their parents to pay child support." When parents do not fulfill their child support obligations, they have the right to demand child support from their parents.

When children need support, they have the right to ask their parents to pay support, and may request the obligor's unit and relevant departments to mediate. If the parents still do not assume the obligation to support, minors and children who cannot live independently may file a petition with the People's Court

If a lawsuit is filed, the People's Court shall hear such cases. The People's Court shall first conduct mediation, and if the mediation fails, it shall make a judgment. If necessary, the People's Court may make a ruling first, and the obligor shall pay alimony in advance to protect minors and
Chapter completed!