友情提示:如果本网页打开太慢或显示不完整,请尝试鼠标右键“刷新”本网页!阅读过程发现任何错误请告诉我们,谢谢!! 报告错误
九色书籍 返回本书目录 我的书架 我的书签 TXT全本下载 进入书吧 加入书签

the adventure of the cardboard box-第1章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!



                                SHERLOCK HOLMES

                       THE ADVENTURE OF THE CARDBOARD BOX

                           by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle



  In choosing a few typical cases which illustrate the remarkable

mental qualities of my friend; Sherlock Holmes; I have endeavoured; as

far as possible; to select those which presented the minimum of

sensationalism; while offering a fair field for his talents。 It is;

however; unfortunately impossible entirely to separate the sensational

from the criminal; and a chronicler is left in the dilemma that he

must either sacrifice details which are essential to his statement and

so give a false impression of the problem; or he must use matter which

chance; and not choice; has provided him with。 With this short preface

I shall turn to my notes of what proved to be a strange; though a

peculiarly terrible; chain of events。

  It was a blazing hot day in August。 Baker Street was like an oven;

and the glare of the sunlight upon the yellow brickwork of the house

across the road was painful to the eye。 It was hard to believe that

these were the same walls which loomed so gloomily through the fogs of

winter。 Our blinds were half…drawn; and Holmes lay curled upon the

sofa; reading and re…reading a letter which he had received by the

morning post。 For myself; my term of service in India had trained me

to stand heat better than cold; and a thermometer at ninety was no

hardship。 But the morning paper was uninteresting。 Parliament had

risen。 Everybody was out of town; and I yearned for the glades of

the New Forest or the shingle of Southsea。 A depleted bank account had

caused me to postpone my holiday; and as to my companion; neither

the country nor the sea presented the slightest attraction to him。

He loved to lie in the very centre of five millions of people; with

his filaments stretching out and running through them; responsive to

every little rumour or suspicion of unsolved crime。 Appreciation of

nature found no place among his many gifts; and his only change was

when he turned his mind from the evil…doer of the town to track down

his brother of the country。

  Finding that Holmes was too absorbed for conversation I had tossed

aside the barren paper; and leaning back in my chair I fell into a

brown study。 Suddenly my companion's voice broke in upon my thoughts:

  〃You are right; Watson;〃 said he。 〃It does seem a most

preposterous way of settling a dispute。〃

  〃Most preposterous!〃 I exclaimed; and then suddenly realizing how he

had echoed the inmost thought of my soul; I sat up in my chair and

stared at him in blank amazement。

  〃What is this; Holmes?〃 I cried。 〃This is beyond anything which I

could have imagined。〃

  He laughed heartily at my perplexity。

  〃You remember;〃 said he; 〃that some little time ago when I read

you the passage in one of Poe's sketches in which a close reasoner

follows the unspoken thoughts of his companion; you were inclined to

treat the matter as a mere tour…de…force of the author。 On my

remarking that I was constantly in the habit of doing the same thing

you expressed incredulity。〃

  〃Oh; no!〃

  〃Perhaps not with your tongue; my dear Watson; but certainly with

your eyebrows。 So when I saw you throw down your paper and enter

upon a train of thought; I was very happy to have the opportunity of

reading it off; and eventually of breaking into it; as a proof that

I had been in rapport with you。〃

  But I was still far from satisfied。 〃In the example which you read

to me;〃 said I; 〃the reasoner drew his conclusions from the actions of

the man whom he observed。 If I remember right; he stumbled over a heap

of stones; looked up at the stars; and so on。 But I have been seated

quietly in my chair; and what clues can I have given you?〃

  〃You do yourself an injustice。 The features are given to man as

the means by which he shall express his emotions; and yours are

faithful servants。〃

  〃Do you mean to say that you read my train of thoughts from my

features?〃

  〃Your features and especially your eyes。 Perhaps you cannot yourself

recall how your reverie commenced?〃

  〃No; I cannot。〃

  〃Then I will tell you。 After throwing down your paper; which was the

action which drew my attention to you; you sat for half a minute

with a vacant expression。 Then your eyes fixed themselves upon your

newly framed picture of General Gordon; and I saw by the alteration in

your face that a train of thought had been started。 But it did not

lead very far。 Your eyes flashed across to the unframed portrait of

Henry Ward Beecher which stands upon the top of your books。 Then you

glanced up at the wall; and of course your meaning was obvious。 You

were thinking that if the portrait were framed it would just cover

that bare space and correspond with Gordon's picture over there。〃

  〃You have followed me wonderfully!〃 I exclaimed。

  〃So far I could hardly have gone astray。 But now your thoughts

went back to Beecher; and you looked hard across as if you were

studying the character in his features。 Then your eyes ceased to

pucker; but you continued to look across; and your face was

thoughtful。 You were recalling the incidents of Beecher's career。 I

was well aware that you could not do this without thinking of the

mission which he undertook on behalf of the North at the time of the

Civil War; for I remember your expressing your passionate

indignation at the way in which he was received by the more

turbulent of our people。 You felt so strongly about it that I knew you

could not think of Beecher without thinking of that also。 When a

moment later I saw your eyes wander away from the picture; I suspected

that your mind had now turned to the Civil War; and when I observed

that your lips set; your eyes sparkled; and your hands clenched I

was positive that you were indeed thinking of the gallantry which

was shown by both sides in that desperate struggle。 But then; again;

your face grew sadder; you shook your head。 You were dwelling upon the

sadness and horror and useless waste of life。 Your hand stole

towards your own old wound and a smile quivered on your lips; which

showed me that the ridiculous side of this method of settling

international questions had forced itself upon your mind。 At this

point I agreed with you that it was preposterous and was glad to

find that all my deductions had been correct。〃

  〃Absolutely!〃 said I。 〃And now that you have explained it; I confess

that I am as amazed as before。〃

  〃It was very superficial; my dear Watson; I assure you。 I should not

have intruded it upon your attention had you not shown some

incredulity the other day。 But I have in my hands here a little

problem which may prove to be more difficult of solution than my small

essay in thought reading。 Have you observed in the paper a short

paragraph referring to the remarkable contents of a packet sent

through the post to Miss Cushing; of Cross Street Croydon?〃

  〃No; I saw nothing。〃

  〃Ah! then you must have overlooked it。 Just toss it over to me。 Here

it is; under the financial column。 Perhaps you would be good enough to

read it aloud。〃

  I picked up the paper which he had thrown back to me and read the

paragraph indicated。 It was headed; 〃A Gruesome Packet。〃



   〃Miss Susan Cushing; living at Cross Street; Croydon; has been made

the victim of what must be regarded as a peculiarly revolting

practical joke unless some more sinister meaning should prove to be

attached to the incident。 At two o'clock yesterday afternoon a small

packet; wrapped in brown paper; was handed in by the postman。 A

cardboard box was inside; which was filled with coarse salt。 On

emptying this; Miss Cushing was horrified to find two human ears;

apparently quite freshly severed。 The box had been sent by parcel post

from Belfast upon the morning before。 There is no indication as to the

sender; and the matter is the more mysterious as Miss Cushing; who

is a maiden lady of fifty; has led a most retired life; and has so few

acquaintances or correspondents that it is a rare event for her to

receive anything through the post。 Some years ago; however; when she

resided at Penge; she let apartments in her house to three young

medical students; whom she was obliged to get rid of on account of

their noisy and irregular habits。 The police are of opinion that

this outrage may have been perpetrated upon Miss Cushing by these

youths; who owed her a grudge and who hoped to frighten her by sending

her these relics of the dissecting…rooms。 Some probability is lent

to the theory by the fact that one of these students came from the

north of Ireland; and; to the best of Miss Cushing's belief; from

Belfast。 In the meantime; the matter is being actively investigated;

Mr。 Lestrade; one of the very smartest of our detective officers;

being in charge of the case。〃



  〃So much for the Daily Chronicle;〃 said Holmes as I finished

reading。 〃Now for our friend Lestrade。 I had a note from him this

morning; in which he says:



  〃I think that this case is very much in your line。 We have every

hope of clearin
返回目录 下一页 回到顶部 0 0
未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
温馨提示: 温看小说的同时发表评论,说出自己的看法和其它小伙伴们分享也不错哦!发表书评还可以获得积分和经验奖励,认真写原创书评 被采纳为精评可以获得大量金币、积分和经验奖励哦!