血字的研究-Chapter 16

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从Lestrade警官的调查得知，Stangerson是被人在旅馆里刺杀而死，并且还有一个送牛奶的孩子看见过这个凶手。

Chapter 16

I glanced at Holmes on hearing the description of the murderer, which tallied（一致）so exactly with his own.

There was, however, no trace of exultation or satisfaction upon his face.

"Did you find nothing in the room which could furnish a clue to the murderer?" he asked.

"Nothing. Stangerson had Drebber's purse in his pocket, but it seems that this was usual, as he did all the paying.

There was eighty odd pounds in it, but nothing had been taken. Whatever the motives of these extraordinary crimes, robbery is certainly not one of them.

There were no papers or memoranda（便条）in the murdered man's pocket, except a single telegram, dated from Cleveland about a month ago, and containing the words, 'J. H. is in Europe.' There was no name appended to this message."

"And was there nothing else?" Holmes asked.

"Nothing of any importance. The man's novel, with which he had read himself to sleep was lying upon the bed, and his pipe was on a chair beside him.

There was a glass of water on the table, and on the window-sill a small chip ointment（药膏）boxcontaining a couple of pills."

Sherlock Holmes sprang from his chair with an exclamation of delight.

"The last link," he cried, exultantly. "My case is complete."
The two detectives stared at him in amazement.

"I have now in my hands," my companion said, confidently, "all the threads which have formed such a tangle（混乱）.

There are, of course, details to be filled in, but I am as certain of all the main facts,

from the time that Drebber parted from Stangerson at the station,

up to the discovery of the body of the latter, as if I had seen them with my own eyes.

I will give you a proof of my knowledge. Could you lay your hand upon those pills?"

"I have them," said Lestrade, producing a small white box; "I took them and the purse and the telegram, intending to have them put in a place of safety at the Police Station.

It was the merest chance my taking these pills, for I am bound to say that I do not attach any importance to them."

"Give them here," said Holmes. "Now, Doctor," turning to me, "are those ordinary pills?"

They certainly were not. They were of a pearly grey colour, small, round, and almost transparent against the light.

"From their lightness and transparency, I should imagine that they are soluble in water," I remarked.

"Precisely so," answered Holmes. "Now would you mind going down and fetching that poor little devil of a terrier（梗犬）which has been bad so long, and which the landlady wanted you toput out of its pain yesterday."

I went downstairs and carried the dog upstair in my arms. It's laboured breathing and glazing eye showed that it was not far from its end.

Indeed, its snow-white muzzle proclaimed that it had already exceeded the usual term of canine（犬科的）existence. I placed it upon a cushion on the rug.

"I will now cut one of these pills in two," said Holmes, and drawing his penknife he suited the action to the word.

"One half we return into the box for future purposes. The other half I will place in this wine glass, in which is a teaspoonful of water.

You perceive that our friend, the Doctor, is right, and that it readily dissolves."

"This may be very interesting," said Lestrade, in the injured tone of one who suspects that he is being laughed at,

"I cannot see, however, what it has to do with the death of Mr. Joseph Stangerson."

"Patience, my friend, patience! You will find in time that it has everything to do with it.

I shall now add a little milk to make the mixture palatable, and on presenting it to the dog we find that he laps it up readily enough."

As he spoke he turned the contents of the wine glass into a saucer and placed it in front of the terrier, who speedily licked it dry.

Sherlock Holmes' earnest demeanour had so far convinced us that we all sat in silence, watching the animal intently, and expecting some startling effect.

None such appeared, however. The dog continued to lie stretched upon the cushion, breathing in a labored（呼吸困难的）way, but apparently neither the better nor the worse for its draught.

Holmes had taken out his watch, and as minute followed minute without result, an expression of the utmost chagrin and disappointment appeared upon his features.

He gnawed（咬）his lip, drummed his fingers upon the table, and showed every other symptom of acute impatience.

So great was his emotion, that I felt sincerely sorry for him, while the two detectives smiled derisively, by no means displeased at this check which he had met.

"It can't be a coincidence," he cried, at last springing from his chair and pacing wildly up and down the room; "it is impossible that it should be a mere coincidence.

The very pills which I suspected in the case of Drebber are actually found after the death of Stangerson.

And yet they are inert（无行动的）. What can it mean? Surely my whole chain of reasoning cannot have been false.

It is impossible! And yet this wretched dog is none the worse. Ah, I have it! I have it!"

With a perfect shriek（尖叫）of delight he rushed to the box, cut the other pill in two, dissolved it, added milk, and presented it to the terrier.

The unfortunate creature's tongue seemed hardly to have been moistened in it before it gave a convulsive shiver in every limb, and lay as rigid and lifeless as if it had been struck by lightning.

Sherlock Holmes drew a long breath, and wiped the perspiration from his forehead. "I should have more faith," he said;

"I ought to know by this time that when a fact appears to be opposed to a long train of deductions, it invariably proves to be capable of bearing some other interpretation.

Of the two pills in that box one was of the most deadly poison, and the other was entirely harmless.

I ought to have known that before ever I saw the box at all."

This last statement appeared to me to be so startling, that I could hardly believe that he was in his sober senses.

There was the dead dog, however, to prove that his conjecture had been correct.

It seemed to me that the mists in my own mind were gradually clearing away, and I began to have a dim（暗淡的）, vague perception of the truth.（1099 words）

-今日短语-

1. put out of去掉

2. pace up and down踱来踱去

3. by no means绝不

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