"The Widow" Bertha

With experience in the Thornfield Manor murder case, Miss Jane Eyre quickly completed the inquiry.

She knocked on the door of the guest room of Mr. Holmes and Miss Marple with the recorded statement. When she entered the door, a couple of "couples" were also enjoying themselves. Mr. Mycroft was sitting on the sofa reading, and Bertha was leaning rather unladylike by the window, choking on something Mycroft could read.

At last it was Mr. Mycroft who closed the book dumbfounded: "Bertha!"

Bertha lazily raised her eyes and smiled deliberately: "What's the matter, I just can't help it."

Jane Eyre:"……"

If it were her, if someone interrupted her reading process, Miss Jane Eyre would have left with her book.But Mr. Mycroft seemed to be enjoying it, and Bertha wasn't the type to interrupt others without being polite. After all, the two of them were idle in the room, joking with each other.

How should I describe Miss Jane Eyre's feelings at this time? She thought about it, and the only thing in her mind was the exclamation of "it really matches".

is it?

Miss Jane Eyre put a question mark in her heart.

Mr. Mycroft stood up very politely, and warmly said to the young lady: "Please sit down, Miss Love, is the inquiry work over?"

Jane nodded: "Thank you, sir. It's over."

Bertha: "Oh?"

The lady by the window was a little surprised, and then she didn't hesitate to praise her: "You are really efficient, my dear! It would be impossible for me to be so fast. Without you, how would I live?"

simple:"…………"

How can there be such an exaggeration!

Seeing Bertha reciting a hymn, the girl who always restrained her emotions couldn't help but burst out laughing.

She sat down following Mr. Mycroft's gesticulation, and then put the finished transcript on the table: "Do you want to see the content, Bertha?"

"Leave it alone."

Bertha simply sat on the window sill, lifted her rose red dress, and raised her legs presumptuously: "Anyway, both of you present know that the murderer is not in the manor at all. Compared with the content of their conversation, I want to know, Jane, do they have any strange reactions when asked?"

Jane thought for a while: "Yes."

Bertha became interested: "Then who is it?"

"Sir James Ward," Jane said clearly, "during the private meeting with me, he looked a little anxious. During the questioning process, he asked me twice whether the case could be solved as soon as possible and when it could be solved. When I When he pointed out that he was overly nervous, Sir Ward simply said that work in London was busy and that he had an important meeting waiting for him."

After finishing speaking, she concluded: "Except for him, among the guests present, there are also many gentlemen who are engaged in government work, and none of them are as worried as he is. Although it may be due to personality, I think... there are other possibilities .”

Bertha agrees very much: "You can't doubt others just because of their emotional problems."

Jane: "And..."

and also?

This was really beyond Bertha's expectation.

She glanced in Mycroft's direction, and asked, "Anyone else you see is wrong."

"Colonel Dent changed his cufflinks today," Jane hesitated, "it's nothing, but the original party is only two days away, no matter how elegant a gentleman is, he won't bring multiple accessories because of such a short itinerary. Isn't it? And..."

"and?"

"There's an odd pattern of cuff-links," said Jane. "I've drawn them. Would you like to see them, Bertha?"

"of course."

Hearing this, Bertha restrained her indifference, and noticed Jane's notes on the table.She stepped forward to pick up the stack of papers, and sure enough, she found Miss Jane Eyre's paintings among them.

In the original book of "Jane Eyre", it was clearly stated that Ming Jian has quite good drawing skills, and now this talent has been well used in the investigation of cases.Her brush strokes are simple and the picture is clear, so that Bertha can see the content clearly at a glance.

On the cufflinks was an image of unknown meaning, which seemed to be a painting, but it was impossible to tell what the painting was;

But Bertha knew the pattern.

This symbol exists in the "murals" that Sherlock Holmes copied from Dr. Lang's laboratory, and the frequency of occurrence is quite high, so Bertha remembers it very clearly.

Mycroft saw the change in Bertha's expression: "Have you seen it?"

Bertha turned the paper over and showed Mycroft the pattern: "This symbol appears in Dr. Long's laboratory mural."

The man showed a little surprise when he heard the words, and then said: "This is interesting."

"I'm afraid this symbol is closely related to the Institute of Truth." Bertha thought about it.

"Then why did Colonel Dent put on this cufflink at this time?" Jane questioned.

"What do you think?"

"..."

"Don't look at Mike," Bertha knew why Jane hesitated, so she smiled, "I want to hear your thoughts, not his."

She said so, can Jane still refuse?

Prior to this, Bertha had roughly told Miss Jane Eyre about the Truth Society and the London gang. In addition to the specific circumstances of this case, although Miss Jane Eyre did not have all the information, it was enough She makes a few inferences.

The young girl sorted out her thoughts, and then said softly: "You disclosed the existence of the letter, and Colonel Dent should understand that he has basically exposed his identity. At this time, he wears cufflinks that may indicate his attribution, proving that he knows that there may be some people in the manor. There are other members of the Truth Society, but the other party does not know Colonel Dent, so he can only remind him in this way."

After finishing speaking, Jane lowered her head rather awkwardly: "It's just my personal guess, Bertha, it can't be taken seriously."

Bertha hooked her lips: "Guess what? The two of us wanted to go together."

Jane's eyes lit up slightly: "That proves that my speculation is correct."

Bertha: "That makes sense, my dear. What would I do without you!"

She was so exaggerated again, Jane pursed her lips, and used other movements to hide the smile on her face.Miss Jane Eyre is not a little girl who is still in a girls' school, and she will not cheer for a few simple compliments, but she can feel Bertha's kindness—whenever she has the opportunity to get in touch with more people and things, she will definitely bring them look at yourself.

Jane has no ability to repay, and the biggest way to repay is to do her best and become better.

So she said, "Is there anything else I can do?"

Bertha: "It's hard work helping me complete the inquiry, you just need to have a good rest. The housekeeper arranged the guest room for you, right?"

Jane nodded slightly, realizing that Bertha had something to discuss with Mr. Holmes, she got up and said goodbye to the two politely, then turned and left.

When the thin and pale girl left, Mycroft said in surprise: "Now, I understand why you always look up to this young lady. How old is she this year?"

"That's right."

Being able to make Mycroft say this proves that Jane's performance is indeed good.Bertha suddenly felt elated, as if the jewels she had been hiding all along had finally been discovered of their value: "I'm going to be 19 soon."

Mycroft mused. "It's about the same age as Shelley."

Bertha: "..."

Mycroft: "What?"

Bertha: "She really likes Edward, don't worry about it."

Mycroft was not angry when his eldest brother's concern was broken, but instead he sighed with a smile: "What a pity! Miss Eyre is so careful and sensitive, I just hope someone can take care of Shelly."

Bertha could not agree with this.

Mycroft is also someone who has experienced it. He worked alone in his 20s, but has anyone taken care of him?Sherlock Holmes is also surnamed Holmes. His style of acting is more extreme than that of his brother, but he is not an unreasonable and unreasonable guy.

You must know that in the original "The Collection of Sherlock Holmes", the great detective often takes care of Dr. Watson.

Therefore, in Bertha's view, Sherlock does not need someone to take care of, he does not need a nanny or an old lady, what he needs is a person who is sincere, straightforward and kind enough to accompany him-at least in the original book, Watson as a friend The doctor is like this, it would be best if there is another girl.

But Bertha would not question Mycroft, he was Sherlock's elder brother, and he was sincerely thinking about his younger brother.

So she just teased: "I think old Mrs. Holmes is more worried about you, Mike. After all, little Shelly is much simpler than you."

Even Mycroft didn't expect Bertha to turn the topic to himself, he tilted his head with great interest: "Oh? Are you praising me or mocking me? "

"Understand for yourself," Bertha laughed.

"Then—I'm not a simple person, I'd better help my dear lover to solve the case," Mycroft subtly draws out his voice, and his always elegant and polite tone turns sour, "As long as you are responsible for watching Colonel Dent can please a beauty, can't he?"

Bertha couldn't help laughing, although she knew that Mycroft did it on purpose, she was still amused.

"No way, Mike," the other party was happy to flirt, and Bertha was not polite, "You even eat your brother's jealousy?"

"If necessary," said Mycroft slowly, "I might even be jealous of your brother."

Of course, the joke was a joke. After the words fell to the ground, Holmes returned to the topic: "Miss Eyre's observation is quite valuable. What are you going to do with Sir Ward and Colonel Dent?"

Bertha thought for a moment: "...If there is no breakthrough tonight, I have to make a breakthrough."

But it turned out that Bertha's luck had always been good.

Just before the first day after the "murder" was about to pass, after dinner, there was a sudden low-pitched quarrel in the room of the Wards.

Not long after, an unfamiliar male servant found Bertha who was still reading the transcript in the study. He hurried forward and whispered: "Miss Marple, Sir Ward had a quarrel with his wife, and now Ward Madame is breathing in the garden alone."

When Bertha heard this, she couldn't help but put down the note in her hand.

It seemed that this male servant was Mycroft's eyeliner. She looked at him for a moment, then stood up: "I see."

Isn't this a ready-made breakthrough?