[Sherlock Holmes] The Legend of the Nightingale

(Nightingale's Diary)

The most dangerous part is over.

But we all know this is not the end.The treasure has not been found yet.Even now that Mei Li seems to be indifferent to that huge inheritance, there is no reason why we can't get it over with.Holmes has now taken the case as a rare challenge in his career.

Both Lal Jorda and his young nephew Frank Jorda were taken away by the police.That mindless young man was not the mastermind and should not receive the same sentence as Joda.Jorda's reaction was unexpectedly calm, for he believed that there was now no obstacle to Merry's inheritance, and his life's work was thus accomplished.Laljoda said he would not defend himself in court that he did kill someone, although he insisted it was not a crime.We'll never know what exactly happened during Sholto's and Morstan's quarrel, or who was responsible for Morstan's death.No one can tell if the Sholto brothers are not dead, will it really be detrimental to Meili who is like a sister.These assumptions are now useless.The whole entanglement ended in the destruction of the whole family.The Sholto and Mostan families now have only one Meili and £40 left somewhere.

"We ought to know where it is," said Holmes musedly, looking at the entrance to the cellar in the backyard. "Sholto has done a very clever job. He himself has taken a fancy to the house in Edinburgh, and he has seen it in Jorda and Merry's house." , even his own two sons filled up a large part of the cellar before they came, leaving only the backyard, so the part under the stairs is sealed. The floor also seems to be solid earth. I thought it was sealed The space under the stairs is a sham, and who knows what better arrangement. Of course, once you find that there is no entrance under the stairs, you will naturally think that the cellar has been filled. What's the matter, Watson?"

"It's not 'natural' at all," said the doctor sarcastically. "I don't see how it comes to that, unless your mind and thinking are jumping."

"It's never jumpy, Watson." Holmes left the table on which he was leaning a little annoyed, and put his hands in his pockets. It may be a coincidence. The existence of the cellar has not been found, and there is nothing hidden under the floor. Could it be that Sholto left this paper to let Miss Merry run from Edinburgh to London, and brought us from London to enjoy the scenery of various places? Is it? You can know this without logical reasoning. Sholto never let down his vigilance on Joda. A place that he couldn’t find for 20 years. The underground is not empty, there is no cellar, and Qiaoda can’t think of anything under his nose. He thought that the treasure was transferred by Shuerto to some distant place that he didn’t know, so he went crazy Chasing the code. If he had calmed down and searched the house first, perhaps he would not have had to do so much trouble. Well, Watson, I will add, for the sake of your conscience, that it is a good thing that Jodas is not so clever."

"You didn't use the other half of the paper at all, did you?" I turned the existing half of the code upside down. "That's enough information to find the treasure. We should go to the cellar now."

"Although the space left in that cellar is only as large as a small room, we can't excavate all of it," said Watson. "A more precise point is needed."

"That's not a problem." Holmes smiled. "I've already thought about it. Call a policeman to help. There are tools in the house. It will take a long time to dig things out."

A constable followed us to the cellar.The space is too small, the air doesn't circulate very much, and it's inconvenient if there are too many people.Holmes jumped down the steps with ease, stood in the middle of the cellar, looked around, and looked confidently at the people following behind.I followed with a candle.

"It's terribly stuffy here," I said. "It's a wonder the candles didn't go out."

"If the candle goes out you will be dead by now," said Watson, who was behind me.

"Gentlemen and ladies, er, no, ma'am." Holmes spread his hands, his eyes flickering in the candlelight. "I probably need an explanation before starting to work, otherwise you will not want to do it in a daze. Hard work. Doctor, have you ever wondered what these two things are for?"

He pointed to the stones on either side.

"I have no time to think of that, I must admit," said Watson. "It may be a table, or some container."

"Who would use a table here? But that's all right." Holmes went to one of the rocks and felt it with his hand. "I'm sure it's a solid thing, not a container. It's a good idea to get these two fellows here." It’s not easy, and it’s done for a reason—especially with carefully selected stones.”

"Carefully selected?" The policeman laughed.

"You will soon understand," said Holmes calmly.When he is perfectly sure to stun the police officers, Holmes will not be annoyed by their distrust.

"Watson, do you feel that the dimensions of these two stones are very similar? I don't need to be too precise, I can say that they are exactly the same. Look at what we have now: a space, a hanging staircase, and symmetrical rectangular objects on each side." , with a large open space in the middle. Doesn't that inspire you?"

Although I knew that I was much slower than Holmes, I still blurted out:

"Is this what's on the drawing? It's the same layout as the second half of the house, but it's scaled down!"

Holmes glanced at me, turned his head suddenly like a stone statue, and stared for a long time.

"That's what happened, dear Nightingale. This is Sholto's second layer of premeditation. Even if someone finds this place, they will only find an empty cellar, and the treasure is still buried deeper underground. Proportionally, it is in the That."

He raised a finger and calmly tapped a spot under the stairs.

"Get to work, gentlemen. Anyway, it won't be in vain in the end." Holmes took off his coat and threw it to me.

Then came the long excavation work.The whole process is full of a wonderful sense of mystery.In an unremarkable corner of the city of Edinburgh, at the foot of an ordinary house, a space that has been isolated from the world for 20 years creates the illusion of an ancient cave full of treasures.The crude ventilation of the cellar is a bit difficult for large-scale labor. Even after today's toss (Joda is not a novice, he made preparations before going to the cellar), it cannot be compared with the air on the ground.Several men take turns going into battle and resting on the ground.The underground space is very small, and my job is to constantly transport the excavated soil to the backyard.Holmes kept a solemn expression throughout, and he wiped the sweat off his brow casually, showing no signs of fatigue.The only thing he said was to ask if I needed a break.

"No," I said, "it's an easy job compared to gentlemen."

"Then would you bring me some water, please?"

"I kind of want to get straight to the point and not do the logistics."

"Wait until you're as tall as a shovel. Now get the water."

It should be noted that I am indeed taller than a shovel.In short, after two hours and six liters of water, the men entered the old house with a metal box.The police officer looked surprised. He must have felt that all this was unreal.Watson had a complex expression, and it was hard to say what he was thinking.Holmes held the heavy box in his hands and wore a casual smile, but the look in his eyes belied the inner satisfaction.The police officer and officers in charge of the case were so bored that they wanted to play cards while on duty.Mellie was sitting in the living room, where she had spent most of the time curled up on the living room sofa after the incident.At this time, a specific small space often gives people an illusory sense of security.

"Miss Merry, this is yours." Holmes said flatly, "You are the only heir to this treasure, and you have the right to decide how to dispose of it."

I was sure I caught something hidden in Holmes' tone and words.

Mei Li raised her eyes slightly, without any energy. £40 was not enough to ignite her fading flame.She got off the sofa feebly, took the box from Holmes and put it on the coffee table in the living room.There are no locks, because at this point, locks are useless.

She rested her hand on the clasp of the box for a moment.Then, to everyone's surprise, she took her hand back.

"I don't want to touch these."

Everyone was stunned, but there was a subtle difference in their expressions.The policeman was at a loss, inexplicable.Watson's expression lit up for a moment, and then he was overwhelmed by worry.Holmes looked at Merry calmly, as if her reaction was all in his plan.As for me, although I didn't expect it, I also knew why she did it.

"Miss Merry, why?" Holmes asked without any doubt.

"How can I touch it again?" Meryl paused, trying to nonchalantly wipe away the tears that had come, without letting us hear her choking.When she looked up again, her sea-blue eyes were no longer sad, but a kind of tough beauty that I can't describe.

"It has taken four of my relatives directly and indirectly. If I accept it now, I will be using my family's life for every coin I touch for the rest of my life. I don't want to ask Joda how they got this in the first place , for sure in that case it wouldn't be an honorable means, probably more blood than I've had to bear. Nobody wants to inherit a lot of money, but nobody wants to inherit a crime - which doesn't belong to me in the first place , something that has brought suffering because of its forcible take.”

She looked around, and finally fixed her eyes on Holmes' bright eyes: "Gentlemen, I am sorry. Because of me, you have also been involved in this trouble, and there is no result in the end. Mr. Holmes, since I have I am not qualified to dispose of this treasure, and if it is really a rare antique, I think the museum should be the safest place to keep it."

The audience was silent for a long time.Holmes showed a rare gentle smile, not the kind of courtesy reserved for ladies, but from the heart.

"If you really make up your mind, Miss Meili, I don't have any opinion. I suggest that you cooperate with the police to be safer, because tomorrow Edinburgh's major newspapers will publish news worth 40 pounds, and there will be more Reporters have a hundred times more eyes on this little box that you don't care about."

Meili gave a sad smile.I can't describe the mixed feelings of sadness and hope that came to my heart when I saw this scene, and I walked up to her and gave her a big hug.She hugged me too, as if she wanted to grab hold of her last hope in a box.

"Miss Sholto," said the constable hesitantly, "may we..."

"A little request," said Merry, "please call me Morstan. Merry Morstan. The Sholtos don't exist anymore."

The author has something to say: write it like this, but here are a few words other than the plot.It is a despicable act for the colonists to plunder the cultural heritage of the colonies as spoils of war. Although moral condemnation is powerless against power, this is the nature of the matter.I don't deny that a certain museum is a treasure of human civilization, but it doesn't prevent us from expressing our gratitude to the source of some of the things.