Mary's Nineteenth Century

On Christmas Day, Rathbone was "invited" to the Palace of Leisure.He is the best friend of dealer Singer, as can be seen from the frequency of communication between the two.

After being kidnapped from France to Germany, even though Rathbone was not physically injured, he was mentally listless and could not even swear at others.

"What exactly do you want? I told you that I don't know where Singer went, and I didn't provide him with a hiding place."

Rathbone was very helpless, "How can I let me go? Do you think that using me as a bargaining chip can make Singer surrender?"

Manager K also doesn’t want to spend money to support idlers, “The Leisure Palace will definitely not embarrass a good person, but I just want to catch Singer. According to his past behavior style, if he knows that his friend is trapped, he will never sit idly by.

Mr. Rathbone, I can only wrong you for a while, and stay here for a few days.Just stay for a month and see the situation. "

Rathbone didn't care about K's self-confidence, and he was also very surprised when he learned that his friend Singer was guarding himself, just like hearing that France counterattacked Germany and won.

The past is the past, and now Singer has stolen an antique watch that can be sold at a sky-high price. Can he still be the same as he used to be?Would you throw yourself into a trap for friendship?

In fact, everyone knows that nine days have passed since the incident, and Singer should not be expected to find out his conscience and surrender with the antique watch.

Even if he really came back because of his friends, judging from the time when the theft happened, it is estimated that this watch has already been sold, and it is not easy to get it back.

At present, the casino promises that as long as the whereabouts of the antique watch are found, it is willing to pay the bill and redeem it.

This loss has to be admitted.

Even if the steward K was concerned about the money, if the casino recklessly stated that whoever wanted the pocket watch would pay for it, he had every reason to believe that Mycroft would credit the casino with the money he paid out of his own pocket.

In the end, Mycroft won the bet from the first floor to the top floor, and the loss was the Leisure Palace.It would be better to declare from the beginning that the Leisure Palace will be responsible, which not only establishes the credibility of the Leisure Palace, but also shows favor to the Marquis T in London.

What if the ransom is sky-high?

Mycroft didn't think that was the problem, but where the pocket watch went.

Assuming that Singer really used the pocket watch as medical expenses, what purpose did the witch doctor who received the pocket watch ask for this form of medical expenses?

It's nothing more than a hobby for money or antique collection. I'm afraid that after getting a pocket watch, it will be disassembled and used for weird purposes.

Now, Mike Rowe

Foot began asking Rathbone, "Do you know anything about Singer's physical condition? He was using absinthe a lot, not just drinking it, but putting the plant under his pillow. Do you know what that means?" "

Rathbone shook his head in confusion, "What does it mean?"

Mycroft smiled, and didn't mean to be confusing.

Steward K saw that Rathbone was at a loss, and this reaction was justified.

Last night, when he heard the "deep meaning" of falling asleep with a wormwood plant on his pillow, he was also surprised.Normal people have nothing to do to study folk remedies for impotence.

Mycroft went on, "Did Singer mention any intention of marrying or courting anyone?"

Rathbone knew the answer to that question. "Yes, Singer has a sweetheart, Miss Mayer, his neighbor before he came out to work. However, Miss Mayer and her family moved to the United States four years ago to settle down, and I haven't heard any more about her. Singer occasionally I mentioned that I want to visit the United States next year.”

As he spoke, Rathbone belatedly asked, "What does that absinthe mean?"

"A folk remedy for men's minor problems."

Manager K seemed to explain kindly, "I don't think you would want to use it."

In hindsight, Singer was pretty good at hiding things.

Manager K has never noticed that this subordinate is treating illnesses, and he is not seen taking medicine on weekdays.Perhaps it was hard to talk about impotence, which made Singer more secretive.

In this way, it is reasonable to say that the watch is stolen and replaced.

Before Singer goes to the United States to pursue his sweetheart, he needs to cure his hidden illness.From this derivation, it is necessary to determine where the healer who gave the absinthe remedy was located.

The Black Forest area is very large, and if you search blindly, you can't find it after a year or two.At present, the most advisable approach is to search for similar witch doctor treatment events and locate possible witch doctors.

But bizarre treatment cases are not something you can inquire about.If you suffer from impotence and other diseases, nine out of ten will not make it public.

The calendar page after page was turned.

Seeing that the New Year's Day is about to enter the new year from the Christmas holiday, in the middle of the night on the penultimate day of 1871, all kinds of strange news collected finally came back.

At 10:30 in the evening, Mary and Mycroft rushed to the Leisure Palace to read the information as soon as possible.

"It's all what happened in the towns around the Black Forest."

Mary read the news, "On December 12, in the town of Freudenstadt, three girls fought with each other and punched each other's noses. It was later found that their noses were stuffed with yarrow. It is said that

Playing an ancient game of divination? "

According to the accounts of the girls who participated in the fight, they hit each other's noses for divination - assuming that nose bleeding proves that their sweetheart likes them.

Don't worry about bleeding from the nose, because yarrow is a good herb to stop bleeding, as long as the partners involved in divination don't hit too hard.

"what?"

Mary looked at the intelligence file in bewilderment.

This game of divination is said to have originated in medieval England.If the nose bleeds, it can express the love between the two.

How should I say it? It's 1871, and there are still people playing these.Divination is okay, but it can't harm the body. Isn't there such a simple common sense?

Girls in small towns in Germany say the game has been around for a while.Around the beginning of November, news of this divination game came from herbalists in the town of Freudenstadt.

It is said that the witch doctor from the Black Forest gave advice, and the name of the witch doctor is Gulu.

Among other oddities, Mycroft finds the witch doctor who is also a "Guru".

"The incident in Gengenbach happened earlier. A lady learned a curse method. In order to avenge her cheating husband, she bought a bunch of onions, a bunch of candles, and a bunch of needles."

According to the witch doctor's secret method, as long as you write the name of the betrayer on the onion and the candle, and then pierce 13 needles each, when the candle burns out, the betrayer will be as painful as ten thousand needles piercing the heart.

"The wife who bought the onions was disappointed because she pierced through two hundred onions, but the husband was still running around and even found a new lover."

Mycroft looked at the report and didn't know how to comment.

The lady scolded the herb dealer who provided the curse method, saying that he was selling fake products, which were not the real curse formula of the famous doctor Guru who lived in the Black Forest.The itinerant peddler who was reprimanded sold the curse prescription and disappeared long ago.

Limited by today's communication means, the speed of information dissemination can be very slow, and the people in the town don't know where the hawker is.

However, Leisure Palace cast a wide net to investigate the news.Now put together the news and get the latest developments after comparison.

Keen people have already noticed that the rumored witch doctor Guru never showed up, and it was the itinerant herb dealer who kept showing up.There is a peddler Bell who is similar to the description in several witchcraft incidents. He has recently been selling gold.

The survey report on the table is very detailed: "The new drug promoted by Bell is aimed at men over 50 years old, and the slogan is 'Professional Benefits the Middle-aged and the Elderly'

People, get the power of youth with just one swipe'. "

Mary and Mycroft looked at it, with the same expression, they couldn't say a word, and they didn't know what to say.

Would it be necessary to delve into the fact that the way of using the medicine is not to take it orally, but to smear it, and then continue to discuss the application site?

There is no need to think about that kind of insignificant technical operation.It's better to study the route of the herb dealer Bell, and find someone as soon as possible to ask the witch doctor Guru what's going on.

From those unreliable witchcraft healing cases, it is not difficult to find that the name of witch doctor guru is very useful.

According to the available information, Gulu is one of the few witch doctors who are well-known among the people, but so far no one who has actually seen him has been found.It is rumored that Guru specializes in treating difficult and miscellaneous diseases, and he has eccentricities. He lives in the Black Forest and does not treat people easily.

How does the Guru connect with the patient?Where exactly is the treatment?

These are mysteries.The cured people kept their promises and could not speak to the outside world, and only the herb dealers who went in and out of the Black Forest had some gossip.

"Bell, the herb-monger, has recently moved west to the Rhine Valley."

Mary stringed together the locations of several towns where the strange incident occurred, "It is estimated that he will go to the town of Rust or Edingen next, or go south to the town of Achkaren. Mr. Holmes, are you interested in blocking people halfway?" ?"

Casting a net to find people is mainly done by the steward K sending additional manpower.

Mycroft could have stayed comfortably in Baden-Baden, enjoying a leisurely hot spring bath for a few days, and waiting for Bell to be invited back to the Leisure Palace.

However, he thought about it and decided to go there himself.

Unlike inviting dealer Singh's friends to the Leisure Palace, itinerant drug dealers have rich experience in traveling.Maybe the steward K failed to catch him and let him slip away halfway.In that way, it is unknown when the stolen pocket watch can be recovered.

"Need to leave as soon as possible."

Mycroft estimated the distance. In the deep winter, it snowed from time to time, and the journey was not easy. He also calculated the accommodation and other details along the way. "The weather will be fine for the next two days. Why don't you leave after lunch, and you can arrive in Rust Town on the third day at the earliest."

Mary has no objection, she has long been ready to leave at any time.Right now, let's quickly plan the traffic jam route for the next few days.

After finishing everything, the midnight bell rang.

The leisure palace is still brightly lit.The casinos and dance halls are full of feasting and feasting, and the guests are still enjoying themselves.

Mary and Mycroft had nothing to do with the excitement.

The two left the living room of the Leisure Palace

, walked through the long corridor, and quickly went downstairs to the exit.Go back to the hotel early, go to bed and rest as soon as possible, and drive on the road at dawn tomorrow.

"By the way, before chasing and intercepting, there is one more thing to pay attention to."

"Especially don't look like you're going to arrest someone," Mycroft said.

From the collected information, a conclusion can be drawn.

Herbmongers are more often found in small villages and small towns than in larger towns.It even avoided Baden-Baden, where celebrities often gather.

It is not difficult to judge, this is intentional.

Drug dealers are avoiding the possibility of being arrested by powerful forces. They more or less know how unreliable the prescriptions they sell are.

Mycroft said, "I'll take on a false identity, lest any well-informed dealer think I'm after a pocket watch."

Mary nodded, "Yes. We must also prepare in advance. Once it is confirmed that the witch doctor Guru is related to the escaped Singh, we must try to get the peddler Bell to take us into the Black Forest. We can pretend to be patients who are eager to come to see a doctor, and even more Can be successfully introduced to the witch doctor."

As for contacting witch doctors in the name of treating what kind of disease?

The two didn't think about it for the time being.

After reading those weird cases, it is said that witch doctors specialize in difficult and miscellaneous diseases, so it is necessary to make up an outrageous one.

"The choice of illness can be taken step by step, and a conclusion can be made after the herbal medicine dealer Bell is blocked."

Mary smiled and said, "Mr. Holmes, you don't have to worry that we are too normal-minded to appear out of tune with those who turn to witch doctors."

Mycroft couldn't help laughing at the man who dared to use the word "too normal". "Mr. Minton, are you sure?"

"decide what?"

Of course Mary knew what Mycroft was laughing at, but she wanted to change the subject. "I'm sure I can play the role of the nagging medicine seeker perfectly, do I need to prove it to you?"

Before Mycroft could answer, he glanced at the lawn beyond the corridor.

Most of them are covered by snow, only near the corners, some plants are still growing tenaciously.

Among them were sage leaves that had not yet withered.

Immediately Mary hurried to the corner, picked a dozen sage leaves, and handed them carelessly to Mycroft.

"Look! I know all about occult remedies, like this English rumor. If you want to know what your future partner will look like, pick twelve sage leaves at midnight, and you'll be able to see them clearly looks like. What do you think

what? "

"This is the same as the rumor that you can see the other half when you peel an apple in the mirror at midnight. It's all nonsense!"

Mycroft couldn't speak out with confidence.He couldn't help but quickly glanced around. There were only him and Mr. Minton in the entire corridor.

At this moment, there can be a simple derivation question.

Question: Assuming that Mr. Minton picked 12 sage leaves, he would see his destined other half, so who is he seeing now?Who is Mr. Minton's destined lover?

Mycroft looked down at the sage leaves being handed over lightly, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but want to go up

However, he perfectly restrained his smile the moment he raised his head, and said without changing his face, "Mr. Minton, you asked me how I feel? I think you are very good."

Mary:?

That said, what does it mean that she is very good?Yes, she knew she was fine, always fine.

Mycroft seemed to feel that the words were somewhat ambiguous, and quickly added, "I mean you are doing well, and you can act well. I believe in your acting skills. It's getting late, we should go back to our respective hotels. "

This time, Mycroft got into the carriage first, and seemed a bit reluctant to talk further.

Mary got into the last carriage and headed in the other direction.

When she got into the car, she found something was missing.The twelve sage leaves were all taken away by Mycroft, and he didn't throw them back to the lawn.

Mary couldn't help thinking, was Mycroft taking the leaves unintentionally?

The author has something to say: For methods of divination with yarrow, curse of onion, and prediction with sage, refer to the book "Legend of Aphrodisiac Plants".