福尔摩斯探案全集哪个版本最好 福尔摩斯探案经典:《恐怖谷》第4章Part1

福尔摩斯探案经典:《恐怖谷》第4章Part1  

At three in the morning the chief Sussex detective
obeying the urgent call from Sergeant Wilson of Birlstone
arrived from headquarters in a light dog-cart behind a breathless trotter. By the five-forty train in the morning he had sent his message to Scotland Yard
and he was at the Birlstone station at elve o'clock to wele us. White Mason was a quiet
fortable-looking person in a loose eed suit
with a clean-shaved
ruddy face
a stoutish body
and powerful bandy legs adorned with gaiters
looking like a small farmer
a retired gamekeeper
or anything upon earth except a very favourable specimen of the provincial criminal officer.
"A real downright snorter
Mr. MacDonald!" he kept repeating. "We'll have the pressmen down like flies when they understand it. I'm hoping we will get our work done before they get poking their noses into it and messing up all the trails. There has been nothing like this that I can remember. There are some bits that will e home to you
Mr. Holmes
or I am mistaken. And you also
Dr. Watson; for the medicos will have a word to say before we finish. Your room is at the Westville Arms. There's no other place; but I hear that it is clean and good. The man will carry your bags. This way
gentlemen
if you please."
He was a very bustling and genial person
this Sussex detective. In ten minutes we had all found our quarters. In ten more we were seated in the parlour of the inn and being treated to a rapid sketch of those events which have been outlined in the previous chapter. MacDonald made an occasional note; while Holmes sat absorbed
with the expression of surprised and reverent admiration with which the botanist surveys the rare and precious bloom.
"Remarkable!" he said
when the story was unfolded
"most remarkable! I can hardly recall any case where the features have been more peculiar."
"I thought you would say so
Mr. Holmes
" said White Mason in great delight. "We're well up with the times in Sussex. I've told you now how matters were
up to the time when I took over from Sergeant Wilson beeen three and four this morning. My word! I made the old mare go! But I need not have been in such a hurry
as it turned out; for there was nothing immediate that I could do. Sergeant Wilson had all the facts. I checked them and considered them and maybe added a few of my own."
"What were they?" asked Holmes eagerly.
"Well
I first had the hammer examined. There was Dr. Wood there to help me. We found no signs of violence upon it. I was hoping that if Mr. Douglas defended himself with the hammer
he might have left his mark upon the murderer before he dropped it on the mat. But there was no stain."
"That
of course
proves nothing at all
" remarked Inspector MacDonald. "There has been many a hammer murder and no trace on the hammer."
"Quite so. It doesn't prove it wasn't used. But there might have been stains
and that would have helped us. As a matter of fact there were none. Then I examined the gun. They were buckshot cartridges
and
as Sergeant Wilson pointed out
the triggers were wired together so that
if you pulled on the hinder one
both barrels were discharged. Whoever fixed that up had made up his mind that he was going to take no chances of missing his man. The sawed gun was not more than o foot long--one could carry it easily under one's coat. There was no plete maker's name; but the printed letters P-E-N were on the fluting beeen the barrels
and the rest of the name had been cut off by the saw."
"A big P with a flourish above it
E and N smaller?" asked Holmes.
"Exactly."
"Pennsylvania Small Arms Company--well-known American firm
" said Holmes.