The street was so cramped that a carriage could only be allowed to move forward. The clothes worn by male residents and pedestrians on both sides were simple shirts and jackets or just a piece of yellowed cloth. The sleeves were very high, and most of the hats on their heads were old styles.

Such a dress is rarely seen on the streets of ordinary urban areas, because it is not gentle enough, and wearing such clothes, it is impossible to even raise your head and chest to talk to some people in formal clothes.

Because of the clothes, they are inferior.

As for women, they are basically the same simple dresses. Unlike other areas in the city, they pay attention to magnitude and beauty. They also wear aprons on their waists and abdomen, which is almost the same as the maids in ordinary people's homes.

In fact, nearly 50% of them have had the experience of being a maid in a wealthy family, and the remaining 50% include the elderly and children.

Don't get me wrong, being a maid in this era is not a shame. On the contrary, as a person at the bottom of society, being able to be a maid in some decent families is actually a good thing to expect. Not only is the reward higher than weaving cloth at home and weaving baskets, but if you are lucky enough to meet a generous owner, you may also get some extra income.

If you are lucky, young poor girls may be able to get rid of their current poverty life. Even if you can't become a rich wife, you can still become the hostess of middle-class families, wear a decent dress to watch operas and enjoy the performance of the troupe. This is the life that most slum girls have been pursuing for their whole lives.

Among these people, Donald and Sherlock seemed a little out of place, which was not only reflected in their clothes, but also their unique temperament.

This made many people around them look at them, and they had good or bad meanings in their sight, but it was not so comfortable after all.

"Sir, where is No. 6 Fanny Street? We have something to entrust the mouse catcher."

As an assistant, Donald did not have the power to be shy and embarrassed. He adjusted his emotions and met a passerby who looked kind and successfully understood the route.

Even in Bonly District, rat catchers live in relatively remote places. This is because he often deals with rats. In order to conduct some mouse catching experiments, the number of rats in his family is no less than that in some garbage dumps.

Although they are all locked in an iron cage, living next to such a family will definitely be under a lot of pressure. What if one day you wake up and find mice all over the ground?

This is not a horror movie, but it is not much worse.

"That's right ahead?"

Sherlock pointed to an external wooden sign twenty meters ahead, with a mouse outline and a red fork covering most of it.

Compared to the area I passed by, it seems more remote. The houses are almost all disrepaired two-story buildings, cracks, broken wooden boards, and crumbling, as if they are saying that as long as the wind is stronger, it will dare to fall down directly.

“It seems that there are no guests around…”

When I was in the past, I saw that some of the surrounding houses were empty and open. Not to mention the inside, there was a lot of dust on the ground outside.

"It should be an abandoned area. If the building is gone, the building will be empty. After a while, the government department will demolish it or rent out the entire piece of land for building factories. This is very common recently. The land in the city is cheaper than this one, but you can't find a few pieces of land."

The construction of factories attaches great importance to land prices, which is a cost issue. Compared with some shops, this type of building obviously can find good construction land in slums.

The government naturally agreed that factories will not only provide large taxes, but also provide jobs, so that some people in the slums who are usually idle can get jobs, so that they will not go to wander around the city, and the crime rate will also drop accordingly.

A kill of one stone is a good thing!

When I arrived at the door of the mouse-catching shop, the door was closed and there was a curtain inside.

Dongdong ~

"Is anyone here? We have a commission to catch mice!"

Sherlock went up and knocked on the door, waited for 5 seconds without any response.

"Go out? That's right, rat catchers, their usual job is to catch rats from various families."

It is still a bit frustrating to say this. This mouse-catching man is the key clue at present. Whether it is a thief or not, there is always some information. But if the person can't find it, how can he check it down?

"Don't worry, look at this, the lights inside are on, be careful later."

There was a small hole in the curtain on the window next to it, and when Sherlock knocked on the door, he saw a light on inside.

It was a bit difficult to pull the curtains and light the kerosene lamp during the day. I didn’t think it would make people suspicious. I just waited for another 10 seconds, but no one opened the door.

Donald stepped forward and slapped the door twice.

"What does it mean to have a light on inside and you don't open the door? Even if you don't take the job, you have to say it in person. My brother has a bad temper. I will smash your storefront later, don't blame us for being too serious!"

If someone doesn't open the door, it is necessary to use some means.

Scream~

"Two gentlemen, I'm old and have difficulty moving, I'm sorry."

Looking down, the old man in front of him had a strange figure, with a hunched back and a figure that only reached Sherlock's chest. He was wearing a black wide-edged silk top hat mentioned by the jeweler Eble, covering his entire face. He could only judge that his age should be quite old by his drooping white beard and hoarse voice.

In addition, he was covered with a black cloak, and part of it was dragged to the ground. The raised piece behind him made people feel uneasy from the bottom.

The tone of speaking was very gentle, and he apologized when he opened the door, which made Donald very embarrassed

"Can we go in and talk? Actually, I want to ask for a certificate for some things."

"Yes, yes... are you sure you want to come in? In the past, customers were not able to stay in the store for more than a minute."

The words of the mouse-catching man made Donald and Sherlock look at each other. Listening to the continuous squeaking sounds behind the door, they could probably think of what was behind the door.

In order to handle the case, you still have to bear this risk. You can step through the threshold without hesitation. Sherlock walked ahead and Donald walked at the end and closed the door. It was not closed. You just gently covered it up. You have to leave a way out for yourself when you enter such a place. Close the door tightly, which is causing trouble for yourself.

The scene on the rooftop is vivid in my mind.

Because the windows were completely covered by curtains, the light in the house was dim and was supported by the kerosene lamp on the beams of the middle. The hall, about 20 square meters, was filled with black iron cages, with various sizes and shapes, and the things in them were the same.

Mouse, mouse, or mouse!

Even if people who are not afraid of this kind of creature, their spine will feel cold layer by layer when they arrive in this place, and goosebumps will keep rising from beginning to end.

Donald is like this, and Sherlock is probably the same, but the two of them have certain abilities in emotional restraint. Even if they are upset by the screams of the rats around them, they are silent on their expressions.

The mouse catcher stood behind the inner workbench, with wires, pliers and a cage that had just been made. What attracted Donald's attention was an old metal bell, somewhat similar to the bells called on the farm.

There is also a large wooden cabinet behind this workbench, with many partitions.

"Don't you two want to catch mice, right? Ordinary employers won't come in. Is there anything wrong?"

The mouse catcher still did not look up, but just fiddled with the iron cage on the table.

"You should have been to his house a few days ago, have you discovered anything strange?"

Sherlock did not directly say his and Donald's guess, but also revealed some information in order to see the reaction of the mouse-catching man.

As soon as he finished speaking, the movements of the mouse-catching man's hands stopped suddenly, and the squeaking sounds behind the two suddenly became noisy... Donald tightened his hand behind him, and glanced at Sherlock's right hand had also been placed on the waistline of his pants, and the black windbreaker covering the outside was unbuttoned at some point.

"Did you find it?"

The mouse-catching man asked without any head or tail.

“What did you find?”

"Those mice...what's wrong!"

The mouse-catching man said this in a hoarse tone, and he seemed to know something.

"Why is something wrong?"

Sherlock asked.

"About half a month ago, more and more people came to me. They told me that there were rats at home, in groups of mice! They drilled into the pipes in the house from the sewer, appeared in warehouses, storage rooms, destroyed furniture, and polluted food... This should not be the habit of mice. I have never seen such a blatant group of rats before. During the rat catching several times ago, I even saw an extremely huge mouse, which knows how to think... I am sure of this!"

The mouse-catching man expressed his opinion, which coincided with the two's previous guesses.

"Is it that big?"

Donald gestured with shape.

"Yes, I saw it on the farm. At that time, it was jumping at a little lamb with a bunch of mice, biting and eating, full of ferocity. Have you seen it?"

"Okay, now isn't it a discussion of who has seen big rats. Did you find any abnormalities when you caught mice at Ebel's house? Why do mice appear in his house in large quantities? I want to know this."

When I learned that these mice were indeed having problems, the rest was to find the root cause of the problem step by step.

"I don't know this... Normally, it's not like this. In the past, where there were large groups of mice, they were usually taverns, shopping malls and other large buildings. This was rare in residential buildings. When I arrived at Mr. Eble's house, I was also shocked. Those mice had no idea where to get into his house. There must be a passage..."

The mouse-catching man spoke on his own, his words intermittently.

"Where did you catch the most rats? Since you have completed the commission, you must have caught the rats?"

"Of course, my skills are the place where the most rats were passed on to me by my father... Near the sink where dishes were washed in the kitchen, I remembered it, and it was a bit strange that the pipes in Mr. Eble's house were thick and different from those in ordinary people's houses."

"Plumbing...is that plumber!"

Sherlock turned his head, his face full of excitement, and he found the key to breaking the deadlock.
Chapter completed!