[Comprehensive Classics] Detective Mary

When Watson proposed, everyone was stunned.

Even Sherlock Holmes couldn't help being taken aback, and then Mary clearly saw the corner of the detective's lips curled up slightly.He didn't speak, but the smile on his face betrayed Holmes' mood at the moment—it was clearly gloating!

Upon seeing Holmes' expression, Mary also reacted.

It's no wonder that the detective will change his past style of disdain for gossip and emotions, and it's rare for him to gloat.Before Watson tried hard to pursue Miss Morstan, she was indifferent because the class gap between the two was too great.After Miss Morstan's inheritance of 50 pounds was airborne, it was Watson's turn to hesitate: he was a mere veteran doctor, no matter how hard he tried, he could not earn 50 pounds.

Now that Fred lost the treasure, Watson finally waited for the opportunity.

Inherited a thousand pounds from his father, not too little, not too much.Now Miss Morstan, like Mary, can be regarded as an unmarried girl with a little savings, and she is also in the same family as Watson.

The weather is right, the location is favorable, and there are still people and people living together. If Dr. Watson doesn't seize this opportunity, then there will be a problem.

Unfortunately, Mary felt he was doomed, at least not today, at this moment.

Seeing Watson's sincere and affectionate eyes, Miss Morstan came back to her senses. She was surprised and very moved. The smile that slowly appeared on her face made Watson see hope for a while, but then she stretched out her hand and lifted Watson from his eyes. Pulled up on the ground: "I thank you very much, Watson, but I think, even if we want to talk about marriage, please let me move out of the slum first."

"But—" Watson looked anxious.

"No buts."

Miss Morstan interrupted Watson gently and firmly, with a sweet smile on her lips all the time: "Now is not the time, and I didn't say I disagree with you."

At that moment, Dr. Watson's expression was as bright as a flower that bloomed overnight in spring.

Mary snickered.

She really wanted to add that Miss Morstan didn't disagree, but she didn't agree either.But the sympathy for her friends made Mary hold back. Pursuing Miss Morstan was a difficult task for Watson. Seeing that she finally reached the end, her "professional matchmaker" didn't help much, at least don't add to the chaos Well.

Even, Mary really wanted to ask, the reason why Miss Morstan gave up the inheritance of 50 pounds, besides the disgraceful background of the inheritance itself, was there any factor of mutual affection with Watson in it.

"And I think," Miss Morstan turned to Fred, "what is more important is how should Mr. Fred explain to Scrooge?"

"don’t worry."

It's time for Mary to step up.She said in time: "I have a solution, but it needs everyone's cooperation, and Mr. Fred may have a little bad luck—if the plan is successful, maybe Scrooge can let go of his heart disease and regain his youthful self." What about myself."

Fred was rather curious: "Is there such a good thing? Doctors always say that my uncle's headaches are caused by depression in his heart. If it can make him feel relieved, let alone a small bad luck, even a big bad luck is fine. Miss Mary, what do you need me to do? I will definitely do it."

Mary raised a smile: "It's nothing, I just want you to tell Scrooge the truth about the lost treasure."

Inspector Lestrade then took Small back to Scotland Yard, while Mary left the others behind, quickly explaining her plan and assigning tasks to the others.

Fred returned to Scrooge's shabby and low brick house with empty hands, leading a group of parties and witnesses. Butler Cletchet was still so beaming. Seeing Fred's smiling face, he took the initiative to say: " Oh, my lord, look who is here. I think Fred is so proud, I'm afraid he has already got half a million pounds!"

Scrooge was still sitting in his chair, covered with a thick blanket, his guarded and mean expression was in stark contrast to the group of energetic young people.

Hearing Clutcher's report, Scrooge sneered: "Seeing that the inheritance of 50 pounds belongs to him, of course he is happy. Maybe from today onwards, he will wish me to die every day."

Fred was used to being ridiculed by his uncle. He was not angry at all. Instead, he announced happily: "The treasure has fallen to the bottom of the Thames River. You don't have to worry about me coveting your inheritance anymore, uncle!"

Scrooge froze.

"you--"

Since returning to his hometown in India, Scrooge has been thinking about the high treasure promised by Small that day.Although he is now a well-to-do shop owner, for Scrooge, treasure is no longer a matter of money.

He immediately turned to Holmes and said angrily, "Aren't you a great detective? If you can't even get back a treasure, what kind of detective are you?"

Holmes raised his eyebrows, and just as he was about to speak, Fred answered first, "It's nothing to do with Mr. Holmes. He took the treasure back and handed it to Miss Morstan. But the money was extracted from local Indian residents. The blood and sweat of innocent people is on every piece of jewelry, Uncle! So I threw him in the river."

The word "throw into the river" landed, and Scrooge looked like he was about to faint.

"you you you you……"

He beat his chest immediately, almost lost his decent posture, and roared desperately: "Who made you throw into the river, who made you—"

"uncle!"

Fred hurriedly supported Scrooge on the chair, and said helplessly: "Please open your eyes and see, you say I am trying to please you for your inheritance, but I really am not. These ten You have made a lot of money in the past few years, but your life has become more and more unhappy. You even let me spend Christmas with you, and you sit in a daze in a cramped room every day. What is the meaning of life? If you have the money in your hands, God I won't forgive you!"

"I don't need God to forgive me!"

Scrooge pushed Fred away, almost insane.He hurled insults at Fred frantically, blurted out all kinds of obscenities, and finally had another headache, and Clutcher had to help him back to the room.

In fact, in all fairness, Fred's behavior is indeed to go beyond Scrooge's assertion.Although the money does belong to Scrooge after his death, according to the agreement, the money does belong to Scrooge and not to Fred.Even if the mean uncle took his nephew to court in a fit of rage, there are laws to follow.

But Scrooge didn't.

Insults are insults, but when he got angry just now, Scrooge didn't say that I don't want you as a nephew, or that we will see you in court.

So even though the scene was rather ugly, Mary couldn't help but feel that... Fred, a good-tempered young man, insisted that his uncle still had a kind side, and it was not unreasonable.

Clutcher helped Scrooge back to the bedroom, and let him take the medicine before returning to the living room.

As soon as he entered the living room, the humorous butler laughed heartily: "You are the only one in the world who can make the master so angry, Master Fred!"

Knowing that the housekeeper was teasing him, Fred was not angry: "Stop mocking me, Cletchet, this Miss Mary said that she has a way to make my uncle feel relieved."

Clutchett: "Oh? I thought Watson was the only doctor among you."

Mary: "You're right, Mr. Housekeeper. Dr. Watson is a man of integrity and knowledgeable in medicine. Naturally, he is not good at curing people's heart diseases. But as for me, I am bold and pay more attention, so I have a folk prescription."

Cletchet: "Miss Mary, do you have any recipes?"

Mary: "Scrooge keeps saying he doesn't believe in God, doesn't he?"

Cletchet showed an embarrassed expression: "The master just talked about it, Miss Mary, he didn't mean to be blasphemous. He has never seen a miracle, so naturally the master doesn't believe in gods."

What an age, and she didn't mean to accuse Scrooge of not believing in God!

"It doesn't matter, I'm also an atheist," Mary explained dumbfoundingly, "Don't worry, Mr. Housekeeper. I just think that since he doesn't believe in miracles, we can create one."

"Then I take my words back."

Clutcher said seriously: "I really think that Master Scrooge is blaspheming, but since you are an atheist, you two are the same, so blasphemy is blasphemy."

Mary: "..."

This butler is so interesting!

Although there is sarcasm in his speech, it can also be seen that he is tactful.One sentence pointed out his own attitude, but it also expressed his support for Mary's casual actions.This made Mary couldn't help laughing: "Well, it's nothing, just need to change Scrooge's medicine on Christmas night."

"I will not cheat my master back." Cletchet replied.

"I don't want to kill myself," said Mary. "Scrooge's headache comes from heart disease. I think most of the medicines prescribed by the doctor are only calming. In the last case, we just got a drug that also has the same soothing effect." The effective prescription has a little side effect, that is, it will cause people to see hallucinations under the condition of being suggested, but if it is only used once, the side effects are not too serious, as Dr. Watson can prove."

"That also requires me to look over the prescription myself." Clutcher said.

"No problem, your request is very reasonable."

"And assuming the medicine is harmless, what are you going to do, Miss Mary?"

"It's up to you and Fred to emphasize that Christmas is a big day," Mary began, "and then wait until after Scrooge has taken the drug the night before, and you need someone to pretend to be someone who was close to Scrooge before." , but those who have passed away, do you have any good suggestions?"

"I think Marley could," put in Fred. "He was my uncle's partner, and he was as . . . serious. Died a few years ago."

"I think it's more appropriate to say nothing." Cletchet laughed.

"That would be the best."

Mary nodded: "Find someone pretending to be Marley and wake him up the night before Christmas, saying that he is very unhappy in hell, and he is here to persuade Scrooge to rein in the precipice. Mr. Holmes knows some street boys Let them pretend to be young Scrooge, present Scrooge, and future Scrooge, respectively, to talk to him, my boy. Since Fred thinks his uncle in the past was quite different from the present, I think, recall The good life in the past, compared with the cramped and deserted room now, may help him figure it out."

Originally, Mary wasn't sure if this would work.After all, it’s one thing to read a story, but it’s another thing to actually face a strange old man like Scrooge who is unreasonable and snarky.

But just now he tried his best to insult Fred, but he didn't say a word about his blood relationship, and he didn't mean to ask this nephew to go away.Mary felt that this Scrooge clearly wanted to be alone with her, but what he had experienced made him forget his own needs.

With the help of the special function of the devil's heel, it might replace God and the soul that does not exist in this world.

Clutcher was skeptical of Mary's idea, but he didn't say anything, which servant doesn't want his master to be better?So Cletchet just said: "Miss Mary, you'd better send me the prescription first."

"I'll send someone over tomorrow." Mary promised.

Next, it's Christmas.

Mary returned home happily, and as soon as she entered the door, she couldn't wait to tell Catherine and Lydia about today's adventure.She thought that the "Four Signatures" matter had come to an end, but she didn't expect that it was not that simple.

That night, before going to bed, when Mary was sitting in the study, Lydia suddenly opened the door and asked blankly, "Did you see Katie?"

Mary looked blank: "She's not with you?"

The two Bennet girls looked at each other, their four eyes filled with the same confusion.Unable to move, Mary had to put down her books and leave her bedroom. Fortunately, Catherine did not disappear, let alone go straight to the house at night.She just sat silently on the floor of the living room balcony, staring at the dark and foggy night sky in London.

"Katie?"

Mary pushed open the balcony door carefully: "What's wrong with you?"

Catherine looked up, and Mary realized...she was crying secretly.