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1章Part2

福尔摩斯探案经典:《恐怖谷》第1章Part2  

"What do you make of it
Holmes?"
"It is obviously an attempt to convey secret information."
"But what is the use of a cipher message without the cipher?"
"In this instance
none at all."
"Why do you say 'in this instance'?"
"Because there are many ciphers which I would read as easily as I do the apocrypha of the agony column: such crude devices amuse the intelligence without fatiguing it. But this is different. It is clearly a reference to the words in a page of some book. Until I am told which page and which book I am powerless."
"But why 'Douglas' and 'Birlstone'?"
"Clearly because those are words which were not contained in the page in question."
"Then why has he not indicated the book?"
"Your native shrewdness
my dear Watson
that innate cunning which is the delight of your friends
would surely prevent you from inclosing cipher and message in the same envelope. Should it miscarry
you are undone. As it is
both have to go wrong before any harm es from it. Our second post is now overdue
and I shall be surprised if it does not bring us either a further letter of explanation
or
as is more probable
the very volume to which these figures refer."
Holmes's calculation was fulfilled within a very few minutes by the appearance of Billy
the page
with the very letter which we were expecting.
"The same writing
" remarked Holmes
as he opened the envelope
"and actually signed
" he added in an exultant voice as he unfolded the epistle. "Come
we are getting on
Watson." His brow clouded
however
as he glanced over the contents.
"Dear me
this is very disappointing! I fear
Watson
that all our expectations e to nothing. I trust that the man Porlock will e to no harm.
"DEAR MR. HOLMES (he says):
"I will go no further in this matter. It is too dangerous--he suspects me. I can see that he suspects me. He came to me quite unexpectedly after I had actually addressed this envelope with the intention of sending you the key to the cipher. I was able to cover it up. If he had seen it
it would have gone hard with me. But I read suspicion in his eyes. Please burn the cipher message
which can now be of no use to you.
FRED PORLOCK."
Holmes sat for some little time isting this letter beeen his fingers
and frowning
as he stared into the fire.
"After all
" he said at last
"there may be nothing in it. It may be only his guilty conscience. Knowing himself to be a traitor
he may have read the accusation in the other's eyes."
"The other being
I presume
Professor Moriarty."
"No less! When any of that party talk about 'He' you know whom they mean. There is one predominant 'He' for all of them."
"But what can he do?"
"Hum! That's a large question. When you have one of the first brains of Europe up against you
and all the powers of darkness at his back
there are infinite possibilities. Anyhow
Friend Porlock is evidently scared out of his senses--kindly pare the writing in the note to that upon its envelope; which was done
he tells us
before this ill-omened visit. The one is clear and firm. The other hardly legible."
"Why did he write at all? Why did he not simply drop it?"
"Because he feared I would make some inquiry after him in that case
and possibly bring trouble on him."
"No doubt
" said I. "Of course." I had picked up the original cipher message and was bending my brows over it. "It's pretty maddening to think that an important secret may lie here on this slip of paper
and that it is beyond human power to perate it."
Sherlock Holmes had pushed away his untasted breakfast and lit the unsavoury pipe which was the panion of his deepest meditations. "I wonder!" said he
leaning back and staring at the ceiling. "Perhaps there are points which have escaped your Machiavellian intellect. Let us consider the problem in the light of pure reason. This man's reference is to a book. That is our point of departure."
"A somewhat vague one."
"Let us see then if we can narrow it down. As I focus my mind upon it
it seems rather less imperable. What indications have we as to this book?"
"None."