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adventure08-第2章

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and a touch of color about his necktie。



〃Good…evening; doctor;〃 said Holmes; cheerily。  〃I am

glad to see that you have only been waiting a very few

minutes。〃



〃You spoke to my coachman; then?〃



〃No; it was the candle on the side…table that told me。 

Pray resume your seat and let me know how I can serve

you。〃



〃My name is Doctor Percy Trevelyan;〃 said our visitor;

〃and I live at 403 Brook Street。〃



〃Are you not the author of a monograph upon obscure

nervous lesions?〃 I asked。



His pale cheeks flushed with pleasure at hearing that

his work was known to me。



〃I so seldom hear of the work that I thought it was

quite dead;〃 said he。  〃My publishers gave me a most

discouraging account of its sale。  You are yourself; I

presume; a medical man?〃



〃A retired army surgeon。〃



〃My own hobby has always been nervous disease。  I

should wish to make it an absolute specialty; but; of

course; a man must take what he can get at first。 

This; however; is beside the question; Mr。 Sherlock

Holmes; and I quite appreciate how valuable your time

is。  The fact is that a very singular train of events

has occurred recently at my house in Brook Street; and

to…night they came to such a head that I felt it was

quite impossible for me to wait another hour before

asking for your advice and assistance。〃



Sherlock Holmes sat down and lit his pipe。  〃You are

very welcome to both;〃 said he。  〃Pray let me have a

detailed account of what the circumstances are which

have disturbed you。〃



〃One or two of them are so trivial;〃 said Dr。

Trevelyan; 〃that really I am almost ashamed to mention

them。  But the matter is so inexplicable; and the

recent turn which it has taken is so elaborate; that I

shall lay it all before you; and you shall judge what

is essential and what is not。



〃I am compelled; to begin with; to say something of my

own college career。  I am a London University man; you

know; and I am sure that your will not think that I am

unduly singing my own praises if I say that my student

career was considered by my professors to be a very

promising one。  After I had graduated I continued to

devote myself to research; occupying a minor position

in King's College Hospital; and I was fortunate enough

to excite considerable interest by my research into

the pathology of catalepsy; and finally to win the

Bruce Pinkerton prize and medal by the monograph on

nervous lesions to which your friend has just alluded。 

I should not go too far if I were to say that there

was a general impression at that time that a

distinguished career lay before me。



〃But the one great stumbling…block lay in my want of

capital。  As you will readily understand; a specialist

who aims high is compelled to start in one of a dozen

streets in the Cavendish Square quarter; all of which

entail enormous rents and furnishing expenses。 

Besides this preliminary outlay; he must be prepared

to keep himself for some years; and to hire a

presentable carriage and horse。  To do this was quite

beyond my power; and I could only hope that by economy

I might in ten years' time save enough to enable me to

put up my plate。  Suddenly; however; an unexpected

incident opened up quite a new prospect to me。



〃This was a visit from a gentleman of the name of

Blessington; who was a complete stranger to me。  He

came up to my room one morning; and plunged into

business in an instant。



〃'You are the same Percy Trevelyan who has had so

distinguished a career and own a great prize lately?'

said he。



〃I bowed。



〃'Answer my frankly;' he continued; 'for you will find

it to your interest to do so。  You have all the

cleverness which makes a successful man。  Have you the

tact?'



〃I could not help smiling at the abruptness of the

question。



〃'I trust that I have my share;' I said。



〃'Any bad habits?  Not drawn towards drink; eh?'



〃'Really; sir!' I cried。



〃'Quite right!  That's all right!  But I was bound to

ask。  With all these qualities; why are you not in

practice?'



〃I shrugged my shoulders。



〃'Come; come!' said he; in his bustling way。  'It's

the old story。  More in your brains than in your

pocket; eh?  What would you say if I were to start you

in Brook Street?'



〃I stared at him in astonishment。



〃'Oh; it's for my sake; not for yours;' he cried。 

'I'll be perfectly frank with you; and if it suits you

it will suit me very well。  I have a few thousands to

invest; d'ye see; and I think I'll sink them in you。'



〃'But why?' I gasped。



〃'Well; it's just like any other speculation; and

safer than most。'



〃'What am I to do ; then?'



〃'I'll tell you。  I'll take the house; furnish it; pay

the maids; and run the whole place。  All you have to

do is just to wear out your chair in the

consulting…room。  I'll let you have pocket…money and

everything。  Then you hand over to me three quarters

of what you earn; and you keep the other quarter for

yourself。'



〃This was the strange proposal; Mr。 Holmes; with which

the man Blessington approached me。  I won't weary you

with the account of how we bargained and negotiated。 

It ended in my moving into the house next Lady…day;

and starting in practice on very much the same

conditions as he had suggested。  He cam himself to

live with me in the character of a resident patient。 

His heart was weak; it appears; and he needed constant

medical supervision。  He turned the two best rooms of

the first floor into a sitting…room and bedroom for

himself。  He was a man of singular habits; shunning

company and very seldom going out。  His life was

irregular; but in one respect he was regularity

itself。  Every evening; at the same hour; he walked

into the consulting…room; examined the books; put down

five and three…pence for every guinea that I had

earned; and carried the rest off to the strong…box in

his own room。



〃I may say with confidence that he never had occasion

to regret his speculation。  From the first it was a

success。  A few good cases and the reputation which I

had won in the hospital brought me rapidly to the

front; and during the last few years I have made him a

rich man。



〃So much; Mr。 Holmes; for my past history and my

relations with Mr。 Blessington。  It only remains for

me now to tell you what has occurred to bring me her

to…night。



〃Some weeks ago Mr。 Blessington came down to me in; as

it seemed to me; a state of considerable agitation。 

He spoke of some burglary which; he said; had been

committed in the West End; and he appeared; I

remember; to be quite unnecessarily excited about it;

declaring that a day should not pass before we should

add stronger bolts to our windows and doors。  For a

week he continued to be in a peculiar state of

restlessness; peering continually out of the windows;

and ceasing to take the short walk which had usually

been the prelude to his dinner。  From his manner it

struck me that he was in mortal dread of something or

somebody; but when I questioned him upon the point he

became so offensive that I was compelled to drop the

subject。  Gradually; as time passed; his fears

appeared to die away; and he had renewed his former

habits; when a fresh event reduced him to the pitiable

state of prostration in which he now lies。



〃What happened was this。  Two days ago I received the

letter which I now read to you。  Neither address nor

date is attached to it。



〃'A Russian nobleman who is now resident in England;'

it runs; 'would be glad to avail himself of the

professional assistance of Dr。 Percy Trevelyan。  He

has been for some years a victim to cataleptic

attacks; on which; as is well known; Dr。 Trevelyan is

an authority。  He proposes to call at about quarter

past six to…morrow evening; if Dr。 Trevelyan will make

it convenient to be at home。'



〃This letter interest me deeply; because the chief

difficulty in the study of catalepsy is the rareness

of the disease。  You may believe; than; that I was in

my consulting…room when; at the appointed hour; the

page showed in the patient。



He was an elderly man; thin; demure; and

common…placeby no means the conception one forms of

a Russian nobleman。  I was much more struck by the

appearance of his companion。  This was a tall young

man; surprisingly handsome; with a dark; fierce face;

and the limbs and chest of a Hercules。  He had his

hand under the other's arm as they entered; and helped

him to a chair with a tenderness which one would

hardly have expected from his appearance。



〃'You will excuse my coming in; doctor;' said he to

me; speaking English with a slight lisp。  'This is my

father; and his health is a matter of the most

overwhelming importance to me。'



〃I was touched by this filial anxiety。  'You would;

perhaps; care to remain during the consultation?' said

I。



〃'Not for the world;' he cr
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