[Comprehensive Classics] Detective Mary

If there is no mistake, Mary clearly remembers that in the original "The Sign of Four", the officer who found the treasure with Miss Morstan's father was named Sholto.

But in view of the many changes that have taken place in various works in this world, Mary is not surprised.She was even more curious about which work this "Scrooge" came from.Along the way, Mary, Watson and Miss Morstan looked at each other, and she was thinking about which work had this surname.

After thinking about it, Mary didn't get any definite answer.

"It's so mysterious," Watson said, with more realistic worries. "Can Holmes really find the right place? Even if he finds the right place, it's impossible to meet the master directly."

Mary blinked: "I agree with Wiggins."

Watson: "What?"

Mary replied confidently: "Holmes can do anything."

Watson: "..."

Although Watson has become friends with Sherlock Holmes who can exchange lives, and has seen through the relationship between Mary and Holmes, Watson still rolled his eyes in a very ungentlemanly way when he heard Mary's words: This filter is probably true. It's hopeless!

Mary was not in a hurry to refute, she still wore her trademark bright smile.

Until the coachman stopped the carriage, Sherlock Holmes personally proved that he lived up to Mary's "blind trust".

The carriage was parked in the suburbs of London, which was quite different from the rich neighborhood where Mr. Brownlow and little Oliver lived. When Mary stepped out of the carriage, she saw patches of gray, low brick houses and cheap taverns out of place. By the way, even the small villa at the back looked quite simple, and it was newly built at first glance.

Mr. Holmes was standing in front of the third house of brick-walled houses, chatting earnestly with those around him.

"Holmes!"

Watson was extremely surprised, and he cried out, "Why are you here?"—According to the doctor's thinking, even if Holmes has great powers, he should hide in a corner and observe silently, standing directly at the door of someone's house, isn't it? Don't you ask yourself.

Sure enough, when the coachman heard the name passed down by word of mouth recently, he couldn't help being vigilant and said: "You guys have laid an ambush in advance?!"

As for Holmes, holding a pipe with his palms under his armpits, he just glanced at him when he was questioned by the coachman, and said coldly: "Usually, people don't call chatting in the street an 'ambush in advance', sir. .”

Driver: "..."

The man chatting with Holmes laughed out loud: "Holmes really didn't come to ambush, he just passed by and saw me waiting for Miss Morstan outside the door."

"You know each other?" Mary quickly followed her train of thought.

"Clutcher is a boxer," said Holmes, "and I am an amateur."

"Thanks to Sherlock Holmes," Clutchert added triumphantly, "I won a lot of money from boxing while I was the butler of Lord Scrooge."

She just said, Sherlock Holmes can do anything!Mary looked at Watson immediately.

Watson: "..."

He is convinced!Knowing Holmes' plan, Watson didn't point it out, but continued following the words of the housekeeper Cletchet: "Since you know Holmes, it's your master's luck. He is a famous detective. What? Trouble can be solved."

Clutcher's eyes lit up: "Really? I was thinking of an excuse before, but it was too late to say it. Master Scrooge really—"

"—Clatchett!"

A rather cold voice suddenly interrupted the butler from the brick-walled room: "Who are you talking to?"

Clutcher: "It's a friend of mine, Master Scrooge, who just happened to pass by the street."

Scrooge said very violently: "I didn't ask you to come to chat on the street!"

Clutcher was not angry either: "Miss Morstan and her friend are also here. What a coincidence, they just met, and my friend is a detective. Why don't you ask him to come in too, sir? You also read about it in the newspaper I have heard his name, and it is that Sherlock Holmes."

Scrooge in the room muttered a few words.

He was obviously hesitant, but with Cletchet's recommendation first, Scrooge still said stiffly: "Then please come in together."

Cletchet opened the door without saying a word, "Gentlemen and ladies, please follow me."

The four of them followed the butler into the brick-walled room, where the dark corridors and untidy furnishings were no different from the outdoors. It was quite different from what Mary had imagined, and it was even not as bright as the street.

And Scrooge was already waiting in the living room.

He looked older, with a stern look, and sat wrapped in a blanket in the bleak living room.Seeing Clutcher bring someone in, Scrooge said first, "Which one is Miss Morstan?"

"I am," replied Miss Morstan, "what do you want me for, sir? I am a stranger to you."

Scrooge snorted coldly.

"Of course you don't know me before," he said, looking at Holmes. "Don't the newspapers say that this great detective has supernatural powers and can make predictions? Why don't he tell me what I'm asking you to do?"

"master!"

Cletchet stopped him dumbfoundingly: "Even detectives can't be prophets. They speak with clues and evidence. Now that Christmas is approaching, don't make guests uncomfortable on a good day, right?"

Scrooge: "Christmas! Don't say such bad things."

Watson and Miss Morstan showed a look of astonishment-the butler Clutcher could say "Christmas" instead of "Halloween".Why is it so unlucky for a good New Year festival?

They were amazed, but Mary suddenly realized.

It's okay not to talk about Christmas, but when it comes to Christmas, Mary finally remembers which book this Scrooge is from.

It is the most popular "A Christmas Carol" among Dickens's many works that have been handed down to the world.

Compared with "A Tale of Two Cities", which describes the French Revolution, and "David Copperfield", which describes the ups and downs of the protagonist's life and adventures, "A Christmas Carol" is short in length and has little realistic criticism.The story is simple: it tells the story of Scrooge, the shopkeeper who is miserly and indifferent by nature. On Christmas Eve, the spirits of the past, present and future take him to review his childhood memories, the happiness of his relatives in this world and the bleak funeral in the future. After seeing the beauty of human nature and his own tragic ending in the future, Scrooge regained his conscience, regained the true meaning of life, and became a generous and kind man.

It is such a short story, but when Dickens was reborn, it received a more enthusiastic response than other works.

People all over the world love fairy tales. They are heart-warming and involve Christmas, the most important festival in the West. Naturally, they are widely circulated.

only……

In this world, is there really a spirit of time to awaken Scrooge's conscience?

Mary was very skeptical about this. After all, Blackwood spent most of his life researching how to summon the Outer Gods. The summoning ceremony was done in a decent manner, it cost so much, and so many people died, and the Outer Gods did not respond to his call.

"Christmas is nothing more than a time to spend money," Scrooge said cursingly, "you all have to ask for leave, why don't you go home and spend Christmas? Do I pay you wages just to let you go home and enjoy the blessings?" Don’t tell me about Christmas, Christmas is what I hate the most—you, big detective, since Cletchet said you have supernatural powers, and invited you in, you have to show your skills to prove that you are not a fraud. "

Holmes raised an eyebrow.

"You are strangers to Miss Morstan," said the detective bluntly, "but not necessarily to her father."

"..." Scrooge paused.

"what?"

Miss Morstan exclaimed: "You mean, there is news about my father?"

Holmes did not answer, but looked at Scrooge: "The blanket on your body was made in India, and the letter you wrote to Miss Morstan was also written on Indian soil paper, which is enough to prove that you have a deep understanding of India, especially the one you chose. Mr. Scrooge, unless you have been to India yourself and lived there for a long time, most people would not choose this expensive soil as their customary paper—if it is convenient to write, the local paper in England will suffice.”

"What does this prove?" Scrooge asked relentlessly.

"But this is not enough to prove anything," continued Holmes, "but you are sitting upright, in a soldier's manner. Your right knee is covered by the blanket, and you rubbed your right leg during the conversation. The weather is not very good today." , suddenly turning cold, and showing signs of snow. People who have been wounded often have a bad leg, don't they, Watson?"

When Watson heard this, he subconsciously rubbed his left knee: "It's true, my left knee is not very comfortable."

Holmes: "From your sitting position and your injured leg, you should have been in the army, Mr. Scrooge. Knowing Indian ex-soldiers, I venture to guess that you are an officer stationed in India. Stan himself said that the biological father who abandoned her mother and daughter was also an Indian army officer."

After finishing speaking, Holmes didn't wait for Scrooge to greet him, and directly sat on the sofa opposite his master, and replied coldly: "It is not a surprise if you have known each other before, as long as your identity is connected with the identity of Morstan's father." Things. Although such an inference is not a prophet, I think it is enough to prove my professionalism."

Scrooge: "..."

He looked at Holmes gloomyly, obviously Scrooge was very dissatisfied with Holmes proving himself almost provocatively.But he made an insult first, and Scrooge didn't say anything after all.

"Sit down," he greeted the other guests, and stretched out his hand to Cletchet, "Bring me the letters and information boxes from my bedroom."

Cletchet smiled warmly at everyone, and bowed exaggeratedly, as if he was not serving a mean but rich veteran officer, but some Indian king.

Compared with the rude Scrooge, Clutcher is really likable.

After the butler left, Scrooge looked back at the guests.He looked around, and finally his eyes rested on Miss Morstan.

"Your father, Major Arthur Morstan," he said, "is dead."

Miss Morstan's face suddenly became extremely pale.

But compared to the loss of two close friends before, the news of Major Morstan's death, which she had never seen before, did not make Miss Morstan overly sad.The red-haired Irish girl closed her eyes, and when she opened them again she regained her composure.

Watson showed an unbearable expression, and he reached out and touched Miss Morstan's shoulder.

Miss Morstan shook her head: "I'm fine."

"He hasn't heard from him since he left," she smiled wryly. "Either he has forgotten his mother, or he passed away. In contrast, the latter answer is more reassuring."

Scrooge sneered: "It doesn't matter if he was murdered?"

Holmes: "That is why you invited Miss Morstan."

At this point, Clutcher came back with the letter and information box that Scrooge said. He put the things in front of Scrooge, but Scrooge asked him to hand them to Holmes.

"Major Morstan and I, as well as Major Sholto, were both officers stationed in India," Scrooge explained while Holmes was flipping through the documents. "We discovered priceless treasures in India together. Please Sholto took it back to London first, but he had the idea of ​​taking it privately. Once he returned to London, there was no news, and Major Morstan set off to go, but he never came back after meeting him. Sholto also claimed that the treasure was also missing."

"When did that happen?" asked Holmes.

"[-]," answered Scrooge.

So it has been more than ten years now.Mary couldn't help looking at Miss Morstan, and Scrooge probably understood what the others were thinking, so he said bluntly: "We have a military order before, and we must not return to London easily. Your father is not a heartless man, Miss Morstan, but His parents forced him to leave your mother on the grounds of family status, and if he didn't go off to India to serve in the army, he would be forced to marry a woman he didn't love. Major Morstan's thoughts before returning to London were you and your mother .”

Miss Morstan: "Then why didn't he write to us?"

Scrooge: "Major Morstan can't reach you, miss. Letters and remittances are always returned. If your name hadn't been reported a few days ago, I would have thought you were dead."

The redhead took a deep breath.

It turned out that everything was a misunderstanding.

With Scrooge's explanation, Mary Morstan easily spliced ​​together the fragments of past memories.

When Major Morstan was forced to leave his beloved woman, he couldn't wait to send it back to Ireland when he earned the first sum of money, but the reply he got was the news that the woman with whom he had privately planned his life and was already pregnant had gone away.

No wonder Miss Morstan's mother, the epidemic in Ireland was so serious, she was pregnant with her daughter and couldn't live on her homeland, so she had to go to London to make a living out of livelihood.

As for why Miss Morstan would say that the father abandoned their mother and daughter...

Perhaps it is also because of the long distance from India to Britain. Under the shadow of long waiting and hunger, young pregnant women gave up hope.

If you wait, you will end up with two lives. Instead of holding on to hope that is out of reach, it is better to find a living.

"The six pearls were given to you by me," said Scrooge. "They were a luxury left to me by Major Morstan, and should be part of your estate."

"Just a part?" Watson grasped the point keenly.

"Ha, of course."

Scrooge put on a mocking expression, and said in a strange way: "When Sholto said that the treasure disappeared with Major Morstan, who would believe such a lame lie? Sure enough, not long ago, Sholto's son The treasure was found. That's why I found Miss Morstan, and we are going together to claim her part and mine."

"If the six pearls are only a part," Watson concluded, "that would be a lot of money."

"A lot of money, indeed," answered Scrooge.

"Is there . . . six thousand pounds?" Watson asked tentatively.

"Six thousand?"

Scrooge slapped the armrest as if insulted: "Equally divided, we should each get 50!"

£50 million? !

Not to mention Watson, even Mary, who already knew the plot of the original novel, was inevitably shocked by Scrooge's tone.

It’s okay to read novels, but it’s a completely different concept to actually hear this number.50 pounds in the 50th century, Mr. Darcy is a rich man with [-] pounds a year, and with an inheritance of [-] pounds, Miss Morstan may become one of the richest ladies in London.

Just when Scrooge was indignant and others were surprised, Clutcher walked in again.

He stopped in front of the living room: "Master Scrooge, your nephew Fred is here."

Scrooge: "No!"

Cletchet was very embarrassed: "Huh? But I have already invited Master Fred in."

Scrooge became irritable immediately, and he looked at Clutcher angrily: "Who told you to invite him in? This kid has long been malicious. He was greedy for my shop property before, and now he knows about the treasure. It's a gallantry. Well, let him in, he's got another half-million-pound heir sitting in the drawing-room, and he's got a lot to do!"

The old officer's voice fell, and a young man walked in.

Scrooge's voice was so loud that the young man who walked in could hear it clearly.This young man was handsome and had clear eyes. After hearing Scrooge's words, he was not angry, but instead smiled helplessly.

"I've only come to invite you to my house for Christmas," said Fred earnestly, taking off his hat. "What have you got to do with me, Uncle?"

"Don't call me uncle."

Scrooge said harshly: "This Miss Morstan is about to get her 50 pounds. I think if you are good at calculating accounts, you might as well propose to her now, so that after I die, you can get a full 100 million pounds." property!"

Miss Morstan: "..."

Watson: "..."

Seeing Fred, a young man who entered the door, with a dazed expression on his face, and Watson's expression as if he saw an old enemy, Mary couldn't hold back, and burst out laughing.

The Irish female worker suddenly received an inheritance of 50 pounds, which was enough for Watson, a retired military officer, to have a big head. Now there is another strong "competitor"?

Things are getting more and more interesting!

The author has something to say: I am going home!It's been long and hard work again, this chapter has 0 words, I'm awesome 0v[-]!

Watson: She said she was not good enough for me before, but now I can't afford it, and after that, a competitor came?Your little crucifix won't work, Mary!

Mary: If you talk about it again, I will hold up a small cross for others :)

Reese Crooked, the original author of "A Christmas Carol", is a shopkeeper, and his nephew is married.However, the chaotic and evil Jiang Hua said that the more things like chaos in your circle, the better, hehe.Oh, of course, the materialistic world view still needs to be materialistic, see how Jiang Hua breaks ww