British writer

Because the content is already conceived, Doyle creates very quickly.

new monday,

early morning.

After another overnight, he completed "Six Busts of Napoleon".

In this short story, the core is not the trick, but the sense of suspense brought about by the layer-by-layer and layer-by-layer unfolding of the case, which hits the readers wave after wave, pushing the story to its climax.

This way of writing is more like exploration than reasoning,

But because of this, many film and television works of later generations like to adapt it,

For example, the popular British drama "Sherlock" used this story in the first case of the fourth season.

Doyle has figured it out.

Reasoning, he can't do Lu Shi;

Trick, he still can't do Lu Shi;

Then write an orthodox detective adventure story,

Anyway, that's how Holmes got started, and there's nothing wrong with returning to the basics.

Doyle stretched his waist and muttered to himself: "I must completely distance myself from him in terms of sales and sales."

Writer of popular novels~

than sales,

Not cold.

At this moment, the voice of his beloved wife Hawkins came: "Who are you going to distance yourself from? Is that Mr. Lu Shilu again?"

She knew about the quarrel between her husband and Lu Shi.

Doyle waved his hand.

"No, Lu's novels are nothing compared to mine."

This is a lie.

Some time ago, I don't know who was tossed so hard because of those dancing villains.

Hawkins was happy that her husband regained his confidence,

She said, "Come out to eat. Then, you take a good shower and go to sleep."

As he spoke, he went to the window and opened it,

"The whole room smells of sweat, smoke, and gas lamps...Aren't you afraid of being poisoned?"

Doyle lit his pipe again,

"No more. I'll take a few puffs of cigarettes, rest for a while, and then send the manuscript to Strand Street. It's already Monday. If I don't send it over, it will definitely affect the printing and distribution of "Seaside Magazine."

At this time, the window was opened a crack by Hawkins,

The cool wind blows in,

Doyle's mind was clear.

"Huh~"

He let out a long breath, as if he wanted to spit out the unhappiness accumulated in his heart.

Hawkins said distressedly: "How about you rest at home? Eat your meal, then take a bath, shave your beard, and have a good sleep. I will send you the manuscript."

Doyle pondered, then nodded,

"Well, that's okay, I should take a good rest."

He hasn't slept well during this time.

He stood up straight, walked towards the room, and in the blink of an eye, he flung himself onto the soft bed.

Not long after, a slight snoring sounded in the room.

Hawkins snickered,

Why does my husband look like a half-grown child?

She shook her head, walked to the table, her eyes fell on the manuscript next to the typewriter, and she picked up the pencil, ready to proofread while reading.

Doyle actually checked it out,

But he stayed up all night, and his mind was inevitably confused, and he couldn't see some grammatical errors.

Hawkins took a quick look,

The story of "Six Busts of Napoleon" is simple,

The criminal stole the black pearl a year ago and hid it in one of the six busts of Napoleon he had just made to avoid detection.

Afterwards, the prisoner was imprisoned for wounding,

After he was released, he kept looking for the black pearls in the six busts, which led to various break-ins. He only broke the busts, but did not rob or steal, which is very bizarre.

Of course, when Doyle wrote the book, he must have turned the whole case upside down, writing the effect first and then the cause.

The suspense is kept until the end.

Hawkins nodded with satisfaction,

"This is Sherlock Holmes~"

Before, she felt that her husband should not be irritated by Lu Shi's sharp comments on "The Empty House\

,"Is there anything wrong with writing detective adventures?

Everyone likes to watch it!

Hawkins put away the manuscript, looked into the room again, and found that her husband was still asleep, and then went out.

She got into the carriage and sent the coachman to Strand Street.

...

Sun rise,

The morning fog in London did not dissipate immediately,

In the blur, from time to time, carriages or pedestrians approaching pierced through the thick fog and rushed into the field of vision.

Under such road conditions, the driver can only guide the horse to slow down to avoid accidents.

Hawkins pulled the curtains and said to the driver: "If you meet a newsboy or pass a bookstore later, you can stop for a while, I want to buy some newspapers."

The coachman responded: "Good!"

After speaking, he shook the rein again.

The horse hooved forward slowly on the road.

Not long after, there was a shout from a newsboy outside: ""Manchester Guardian"! The latest issue of "Manchester Guardian"!"

The carriage stopped immediately.

Hawkins beckoned to the newsboy,

"Come here, boy. A copy of the Scotsman, the Manchester Guardian, and the Daily Telegraph."

The reason she didn't buy The Times was because it was already subscribed at home.

Unexpectedly, the newsboy spread his hands,

"Excuse me, ma'am, I only have the Manchester Guardian."

Hawkins was slightly surprised,

"The other papers are sold out?"

"..."

The newsboy said nothing.

Hawkins was stunned for half a second before he could react. He handed a few coins to the other party, took a copy of "Manchester Guardian", and then said, "You answer my question just now."

When the newsboy sees the tip, he immediately becomes eloquent and eloquent,

"The Manchester Guardian is the best seller, so I get a lot of it," he said.

Hawkins wondered,

"The implication is that you don't get enough of the "Daily Telegraph"? But looking at the current situation, I want to buy the "Daily Telegraph", but you don't have it. Wouldn't it be impossible to make money? Calculate it like this If not, it’s still a loss.”

The newsboy blushed at the words,

"I was doing it to get my money back quickly," he argued.

Hawkins would have liked the coachman to go on,

As a result, when I heard the other party's words, I couldn't help being amused,

"Do you still know what 'returning funds' is? Then tell me, what do you want to do to withdraw funds quickly?"

The newsboy said: "I don't know Madam. Today the Royal Publishing Bureau published a new novel called "Roger's Mystery". But it is too expensive to get goods from the bookstore. Sell ​​some newspapers."

As he spoke, the newsboy began counting with his fingers,

"Books from the Royal Publishing Office have always sold well, and made more money than newspapers. If I could sell one today, I'd be able to make a shilling. If two—"

The newsboy chattered for a while.

But Hawkins didn't listen at all,

She subconsciously asked: "The Royal Publishing Bureau also publishes novels? Could it be... um... Is the author of "Roger's Mystery" Lu?"

The newsboy tilted his head and thought for a while,

"When you put it that way, it seems to be. I remember it was two letters... Ah, could it be that Lu? The Lu who wrote "And There Were None"? I sold his books before, but I made a lot of money."

Hawkins' complexion changed,

She said to the coachman, "Before going to Strand Street, take a detour to the nearest bookstore."

The coachman knew that the Doyle and his wife had always been generous, so they didn't have to worry about tips, so they didn't have any complaints about the temporary change of destination.

The carriage arrived at Strand Street all the way, and before going to the "Seaside Magazine" magazine, it turned to the other side of the street.

Not long after, the carriage stopped in front of a bookstore.

Hawkins jumped out of the car unladylike.

I saw a lot of people gathered in front of the bookstore, roughly counted, at least twenty.

They scrambled,

"Get a copy of Roger's Mystery!"

"I want one too."

"I belong to the magazine, I want three copies!"

...

All came to buy "Roger's Mystery".

Hawkins didn't care about the etiquette between men and women, quickly squeezed into the crowd, and said to the boss: "Boss, give me a copy of "The Mysterious Case of Roger."

The boss looked at her,

"Madam, you are lucky, there are only two books left."

Hawkins frowned, thinking that the boss was implying something, so he said, "Okay, then give me the remaining two books."

Unexpectedly, the boss waved his hand,

"That won't work, I gave you the book, what should I read by myself?"

It was only then that Hawkins realized that the other party was not trying to package and sell, but was really boasting about his good luck.

The boss handed over the books and said, "That's right on Strand Street. I don't have to worry about selling. That's why I buy a hundred hardcover books. If other bookstores buy ten or twenty books, I'm afraid It was sold out a long time ago. Sigh, I’m still conservative, I should get two or three hundred copies.”

Hawkins was shocked,

"One hundred copies sold and only two left? How much is this book?"

The boss said: "Six pounds and two shillings, thank you for your patronage."

Hawkins was even more confused.

"So expensive?"

You know, at the beginning of the 20th century, the weekly salary of a skilled worker in the UK was only about £10.

The boss shook his head,

"Actually, it's not that expensive anymore. Before, it was also Lu's work, "And There Were None" was divided into two volumes, and the sum was more expensive than this. Besides, "Roger's Mystery" has more words .”

Hawkins certainly understands this truth,

She just couldn't understand why a book for six pounds two shillings sold so quickly?

She counted out the cash, handed it to the other party, then sat back in the carriage again, said "Let's go", and couldn't wait to start reading "Roger's Mystery".

The carriage headed in the direction of the "Seaside Magazine" again, and it didn't take long to reach its destination.

The coachman reined in the horse,

"Ma'am, here we are."

However, no one in the car responded at all.

The coachman frowned, came to the carriage, knocked on the door, opened a crack at the same time, and said, "Madam, we are here."

The cold wind poured into the carriage, making Hawkins shiver,

She just came back to her senses,

"Okay, I'll go down now."

As she spoke, she looked at "Roger's Mystery" again with some reluctance, and carefully brushed off the dust on the pages. Afterwards, she casually stacked the original manuscripts of her husband's "Six Busts of Napoleon" and made them into bookmarks. to the book.

The corners of the manuscript can be folded, but "Roger's Mystery" must be well protected.

The treatment of the two is quite different.

...

the other side,

Doyle mansion.

Doyle didn't sleep well and kept dreaming.

In the dream, he seemed to be being pursued by a five-clawed Chinese dragon, biting him from time to time,

At the moment when the dragon was about to take his life away, he woke up with a start, sat up straight suddenly, his whole body was drenched in cold sweat, and he was panting violently.

"Huh~"

Doyle stroked his chest to calm himself down.

Knowing that he couldn't continue to sleep, he got up and got out of bed. He didn't have the appetite to eat the breakfast left by his wife, so he changed his clothes and went out.

Because of the long-term industrial pollution, London is always filled with a vague stench,

But Doyle has been "retreating and practicing" during this time, so he feels that the air is full of freshness. He even took a few deep breaths, sucking the stench into his heart and lungs, and feeling comfortable all over.

He decided to go to the bookstore near his home to have a look.

When he usually hangs out, his favorite place to go is the bookstore.

The Mette Bookstore near my home is only separated by a main road. Doyle took a walk and soon arrived at the door.

At this time, the bookstore owner was arguing with a customer.

The guest looks like a gentleman in a suit and leather shoes,

His attitude was very strong, and he said to the boss: "Boss, don't you still have a copy of "Roger's Mystery" in your hand? Sell it to me, and I will pay three times... No, I will give you twenty pounds directly. Pass it on to me."

Books for twenty pounds! ?

Doyle was listening, almost dropping his jaw.

As a result, the boss's answer was even more surprising,

I just heard him say: "Sorry, I want to read this book myself, you can only wait for three days before coming back. Or, if you are not in a hurry, go to another bookstore to try your luck."

The face of the guest turned black,

"I've already gone to three bookstores."

The boss is unmoved,

"Well... how about you go to the Royal Publishing Bureau and try?"

The guest's complexion became even worse, and he said, "Is there anyone who does business like this? You obviously have a book in your hand, but you just refuse to sell it? Where is the professional ethics?"

The boss chuckled and took out a handful of banknotes from his pocket.

He counted and picked out six pounds two shillings, and pocketed the rest,

Then he said, "You're watching."

He passed the money in his hand from his left hand to his right, and said, "Thank you for your patronage."

After a series of performances, the air was filled with unspeakable weirdness.

The boss said: "See, I bought the last "Roger's Mystery" from myself. Now, you should be satisfied, right?"

Can you still do this?

Doyle: "..."

guest:"……"

They were all speechless.

After a while, the guest said: "That's not okay, you're jumping the queue! I'm clearly at the front."

The boss's mouth moves slightly,

From the looks of it, it seems to be a sentence: "Crazy!"

Afterwards, he put on a professional smile and said, "In terms of queuing, I've been queuing since the bookstore opened today. So, I'm sorry."

The boss directly closed the door.

boom--

There was a loud bang from the door.

The guest touched the ashes on his nose, with a helpless expression on his face.

Doyle hurried up and asked the other party: "Sir, I'm sorry, the book you just mentioned is..."

The guest looked Doyle up and down,

As a fan of suspense, he had seen Doyle's photo, but because Doyle looked like a savage now, he didn't recognize it.

The guest sighed,

"Oh, that's Lu's new novel—"Roger's Mystery". Just by the name, you can tell it must be a suspense detective work. I thought that Lu's serialization of "The Hobbit" in "The Scotsman" would not be a problem." meeting……"

Halfway through the conversation, the guest suddenly noticed that Doyle was shaking a bit,

He hurried forward to hold him,

"Sir? Sir!"

Doyle waved his hand and said, "I'm fine. You continue...continue."

The guests are afraid of being touched, so how can they dare to wait too long?

He let go of Doyle and said, "I'm just a fan of "And There Were None" and I like Lu's works. Haha...hahaha...I'll go first."

After speaking, he ran away in a hurry.

Doyle's face was uncertain,

He stood there for an unknown amount of time before walking to the door of the bookstore and knocking on the door.

The door was opened immediately,

The boss stood impatiently at the door,

"How many times have I said... um... Dr. Doyle? Why are you like this?"

Doyle touched his stubble, a little embarrassed,

He changed the topic: "Well, old Mate, I want to read that "Roger Mystery", can I?"

The boss looked embarrassed,

"this……"

Doyle interrupted the other party and said, "Don't worry, I won't take people's love. It's just that when you are reading, you want to take a look at it."

The boss has no reason to refuse this request.

He let Doyle inside and put up a "Close" sign outside.

Doyle said, "The book sold really well?"

The boss nodded,

"It's so good. I ordered 30 copies, but they were sold out in half the morning. I stopped a customer at that time and asked him what was going on. If you don’t read it, it’s better to keep it for appreciation.”

Buy books to increase in value, this is the treatment that Sherlock Holmes only has in "The Sign of Four" and "Scarlet Study\

,"As for the later serials in "Seaside Magazine", because the circulation has increased and the number of retentions is large, there is no room for appreciation.

Doyle said, "How many copies of this "Roger Mystery" were printed?"

The boss shook his head,

"I don't know the exact number, but it is estimated that there must be 5,000 copies. But judging by the popularity of sales today, I am afraid that the old men in London will have one copy, and it will not be a problem to sell tens of thousands of copies. You know , they like arty style the most, even if they don’t read it, they are willing to buy it home and collect it.”

Doyle looked ugly,

The Sherlock Holmes series also published hardcover books, but the sales were not satisfactory.

Unexpectedly, this matter was actually done by Lu Shi.

Why is "Roger's Mystery" so magical?

Doyle said: "Let's not talk about that first, let's read books."

The boss nodded again and again, and opened "Roger's Mystery\

,"The two read together.

At first, Doyle was prepared to read with a critical eye,

As a result, after a few minutes, he was deeply attracted by the story:

On a Friday night, Roger was found dead in his study by "I" and his housekeeper Parker,

Because "I" knew Roger better and "I" was not at the scene, "I" became the assistant of the great detective Poirot.

...

First-person narration is common in fiction,

For example, in the Sherlock Holmes series, "I" is Dr. Watson who plays an important role in the whole novel, and is one of the well-deserved dual protagonists.

But when Doyle reads "Roger's Mystery", he always has a strange feeling, as if the "I" in the book is not a clue character, but a particularly important character, playing a leading role in the case.

He wants to read as quickly as possible,

But Boss Mette is old, not a writer, and his reading speed is very slow,

Doyle often had to stop and wait.

After reading for a while, the boss suddenly rubbed his eyes and said, "Lu really likes this way of writing."

Doyle didn't understand what the boss meant,

"how?"

The boss pointed to a passage in the book, and explained: "Look here, the dinner is held in a 'spacious hall' full of guests. Isn't there a similar plot in "None Survived"?"

In fact, this is not Lu Shi's habit, but Sha Po's habit.

The people involved in the case gathered together, which is a very ceremonial scene.

Doyle nodded.

"Old Mate, you are right."

He bowed his head and pondered for a moment, then took the opportunity to say: "I see that you are a little tired from reading, how about you give me the book first, and I'll flip through it quickly?"

The corner of the boss's mouth curled up,

"Haha, Doctor Doyle, do you think I am a slow reader?"

Doyle was a little embarrassed and didn't say anything.

The boss waved his hand,

"Forget it, read as much as you like, and I should also rest my mind and eyes. This book is really well written, but it takes a lot of effort to read."

He handed the book to Doyle, and at the same time said: "Let's say it first, don't spoil it to me."

Doyle nodded.

"clear."

He first turned the book to the table of contents, and looked at the titles of each chapter.

The last three chapters,

"The Whole Truth\

,""And Nothing But The Truth\

,""Apologia";

Just looking at the names alone, it's very interesting.

Since "All the Facts" has already been explained in Chapter 25, why does "The Truth Come Out" be included in Chapter 26?

As for "Apologia" in Chapter 27...

"How should this word be understood?"

Doyle muttered.

Boss Mette on the side said: "It's agreed not to spoil, don't read it out, hey!"

Doyle quickly explained: "No, I'm just looking at the catalog."

After speaking, he set his sights on the chapter title again,

Apologia,

statement of defense,

As a chapter name, why is it placed in the last chapter?

Doyle was puzzled.

His heart was like a cat scratching, but he couldn't hold back his curiosity after all, and turned directly to the last chapter.

He wasn't the one to read the ending first, but this book is really different.

The content of the last chapter hits the eye,

There are only a dozen natural paragraphs, and Doyle quickly reads to the end:

"

'Sleeping pills? It was a poetically just punishment, not because I was responsible for Mrs. Ferrer's death. This is her retribution for murdering her husband, and I have no sympathy for her. '

'I don't pity myself either. '

'Only let sleeping pills do the trick. '

"

So, "I" is the murderer?

So, "Apologia" should not be understood as "defense", but should be understood as "confession"?

Doyle was numb all over.

It was impossible for him to think that there would be such a novel way of writing in this world.

This shit...

"This TM is a novel that humans can write?!!!!"

Doyle was shocked.

The boss was startled, turned around,

"Doctor Doyle, what's wrong with you? Why did you suddenly yell?"

Doyle waved his hand.

"No, I'm just... I'm just... Fxxk! I want to withdraw the manuscript I just submitted to "Seaside Magazine."

He was no longer willing to continue serializing when Lu Shi published the book,

It's not a good feeling to act as a background board.

Doyle asked, "Old Mate, you estimated the sales just now, what did you say?"

Old Mette touched his chin, and repeated his guess,

The final conclusion is: "Sell at least 30,000 copies."

Dalton suddenly turned into a bitter face,

Just a few days ago, Herbert comforted him: "Don't forget that the unit price of "Seaside Magazine" is several times higher than that of "The Scotsman". Therefore, you are crushing both sales and sales for Lu." , It’s all like this, what reason do you have for not being confident?”

It's better now...

"It's over, I'm crushed."

Doyle sat down slumped, his Dao heart completely broken.