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Part4

福尔摩斯探案经典:《恐怖谷》第1章Part4  

"An almanac!"
"Excellent
Watson! I am very much mistaken if you have not touched the spot. An almanac! Let us consider the claims of Whitaker's Almanac. It is in mon use. It has the requisite number of pages. It is in double column. Though reserved in its earlier vocabulary
it bees
if I remember right
quite garrulous towards the end." He picked the volume from his desk. "Here is page 534
column o
a substantial block of print dealing
I perceive
with the trade and resources of British India. Jot down the words
Watson! Number thirteen is 'Mahratta.' Not
I fear
a very auspicious beginning. Number one hundred and enty-seven is 'Government'; which at least makes sense
though somewhat irrelevant to ourselves and Professor Moriarty. Now let us try again. What does the Mahratta government do? Alas! the next word is 'pig's-bristles.' We are undone
my good Watson! It is finished!"
He had spoken in jesting vein
but the itching of his bushy eyebrows bespoke his disappointment and irritation. I sat helpless and unhappy
staring into the fire. A long silence was broken by a sudden exclamation from Holmes
who dashed at a cupboard
from which he emerged with a second yellow-covered volume in his hand.
"We pay the price
Watson
for being too up-to-date!" he cried. "We are before our time
and suffer the usual penalties. Being the seventh of January
we have very properly laid in the new almanac. It is more than likely that Porlock took his message from the old one. No doubt he would have told us so had his letter of explanation been written. Now let us see what page 534 has in store for us. Number thirteen is 'There
' which is much more promising. Number one hundred and enty-seven is 'is'--'There is' "--Holmes's eyes were gleaming with excitement
and his thin
nervous fingers itched as he counted the words-- "'danger.' Ha! Ha! Capital! Put that down
Watson. 'There is danger--may--e--very--soon--one.' Then we have the name 'Douglas'--'rich--country--now--at--Birlstone--House--Birlstone-- confidence--is--pressing.' There
Watson! What do you think of pure reason and its fruit? If the green-grocer had such a thing as a laurel wreath
I should send Billy round for it."
I was staring at the strange message which I had scrawled
as he deciphered it
upon a sheet of foolscap on my knee.
"What a queer
scrambling way of expressing his meaning!" said I.
"On the contrary
he has done quite remarkably well
" said Holmes. "When you search a single column for words with which to express your meaning
you can hardly expect to get everything you want. You are bound to leave something to the intelligence of your correspondent. The purport is perfectly clear. Some deviltry is intended against one Douglas
whoever he may be
residing as stated
a rich country gentleman. He is sure--'confidence' was as near as he could get to 'confident'--that it is pressing. There is our result--and a very workmanlike little bit of analysis it was!"
Holmes had the impersonal joy of the true artist in his better work
even as he mourned darkly when it fell below the high level to which he aspired. He was still chuckling over his success when Billy swung open the door and Inspector MacDonald of Scotland Yard was ushered into the room.
Those were the early days at the end of the '80's
when Alec MacDonald was far from having attained the national fame which he has now achieved. He was a young but trusted member of the detective force
who had distinguished himself in several cases which had been intrusted to him. His tall
bony figure gave promise of exceptional physical strength
while his great cranium and deep-set
lustrous eyes spoke no less clearly of the keen intelligence which inkled out from behind his bushy eyebrows. He was a silent
precise man with a dour nature and a hard Aberdonian accent.
Twice already in his career had Holmes helped him to attain success
his own sole reward being the intellectual joy of the problem. For this reason the affection and respect of the Scotchman for his amateur colleague were profound
and he showed them by the frankness with which he consulted Holmes in every difficulty. Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself; but talent instantly recognizes genius
and MacDonald had talent enough for his profession to enable him to perceive that there was no humiliation in seeking the assistance of one who already stood alone in Europe
both in his gifts and in his experience. Holmes was not prone to friendship
but he was tolerant of the big Scotchman
and smiled at the sight of him.
"You are an early bird
Mr. Mac
" said he. "I wish you luck with your worm. I fear this means that there is some mischief afoot."
"If you said 'hope' instead of 'fear
' it would be nearer the truth
I'm thinking
Mr. Holmes
" the inspector answered
with a knowing grin. "Well
maybe a wee nip would keep out the raw morning chill. No
I won't smoke
I thank you. I'll have to be pushing on my way; for the early hours of a case are the precious ones
as no man knows better than your own self. But--but--"
The inspector had stopped suddenly
and was staring with a look of absolute amazement at a paper upon the table. It was the sheet upon which I had scrawled the enigmatic message.
"Douglas!" he stammered. "Birlstone! What's this
Mr. Holmes? Man
it's witchcraft! Where in the name of all that is wonderful did you get those names?"
"It is a cipher that Dr. Watson and I have had occasion to solve. But why--what's amiss with the names?"
The inspector looked from one to the other of us in dazed astonishment. "Just this
" said he
"that Mr. Douglas of Birlstone Manor House was horribly murdered last night!"