[Comprehensive Classics] Detective Mary

"You must help me, sir, or my life may be at risk!"

The remark of a factory owner with a rich family and a high status surprised almost everyone—except Sherlock Holmes.

Faced with Mr. Hamp's help when he was desperate, the detective remained calm. He may have been used to all kinds of people waiting for help.

"In that case," said Holmes, "you must tell me the information you have."

"I'll tell," returned Mr. Hamp hastily, "I know everything."

"Who is that 'Professor'?"

"..."

He said he knew everything on the front foot, but he was silent when the detective asked the key question on the back foot.Mr. Hamp hesitated: "'Professor' is not a key person..."

Hearing this, Miss Morstan couldn't bear it first: "Since he is not a key person, why did you fire Henry?"

Mr. Hamp: "It's—it's not that simple, how did you get in, Morstan?!"

There are hundreds of workers in the Hamp factory in London, but the factory owner even remembers who Mary Morstan is. It seems that this Irish girl can be regarded as a talkative figure among the workers on weekdays.

Morstan: "I'm here to make an argument for Henry."

Hamp: "You get out!"

Sherlock Holmes snorted: "Mr. Hamp! Your secretive appearance doesn't seem like your life is in danger, but it seems that you still have the ability to deal with troubles independently."

Hamp: "..."

Seeing Mr. Hamp's flickering expression, Mary struck while the iron was hot: "Miss Morstan and Henry Deckard have told us everything, sir, if you are really afraid of losing your fortune or your life, at least let the detective know What the hell happened?"

Hearing this, Mr. Hamp let out a long sigh, and finally chose to give up struggling.

He wiped his forehead, and said hastily in his tone, "It's not that I don't want to resort to everything, Holmes, but that I don't know much more than you."

"But you at least know the name of that 'professor'." Mary asked, she just wanted to confirm whether it was Professor Moriarty who manipulated the cotton raw material market behind the scenes.

Unexpectedly, Mr. Hamp shook his head when he heard Mary's question.

"I really do not know."

He responded with regret: "I only know that everyone calls him 'Professor' - I don't know the exact name, gender, age, or nationality."

Mr. Bingley had a strange look on his face: "Then you still trust him, and even want to recruit me into the gang?"

Mr. Hamp: "I can't help it!"

The owner of a large London factory, when he heard the accusation from his partner, was extremely embarrassed.He rubbed his hands repeatedly at the desk, and finally said directly as if he was going all out: "In the past two years, most of the factories that have replaced cheap cotton from abroad have closed down because of the sudden bankruptcy or disappearance of the source of raw materials and the lack of liquidity."

Mary: "But there are always exceptions."

Mr. Hamp: "And most of the exceptions are people who are under the protection of 'Professor'."

Mary shivered.

The factory owner, who was restless just now, finally calmed down.

With a solemn face, he looked at Holmes: "The price of cotton raw materials in this country is high, and it is very difficult to compete with other cotton spinning mills. I have inquired many times, and then I got the news--Sir, at present, the countries in the Caribbean, Egypt and other countries Most of the cheap cotton production areas are controlled by the 'professor'. Except for a few factories that are protected and recognized by him, other businessmen are just playthings in the hands of the 'professor'!"

When Holmes heard the sensational words, he just said blankly: "He is manipulating the cotton spinning industry, so?"

Mr. Hamp: "So I entrusted a lot of connections, and finally got the opportunity to contact the 'Professor' agent."

"Captain Carter?" Mary asked.

"Yes," Mr. Hamp nodded, "he said that the 'Professor' admired my personality and was willing to introduce me to safe foreign suppliers... so I am going to recruit Mr. Bingley and Mr. Thornton. I swear I really do it out of good intentions, Holmes, and I will never harm my partner!"

This is.Although strictly speaking Mr. Bingley invested in Mr. Thornton's factory, Mr. Hamp and Mr. Thornton's factory in Milton was very close.Whether it is the price of cotton cloth or the labor force, the two factories are closely related.

At this point in Mr. Hamp's words, Mr. Holmes turned his head and fell into deep thought.

His light-colored eyes flashed, and then he said: "But the agent of 'Professor' unilaterally tore up this cooperation."

"Yes."

"Captain Carter sent someone to steal Mr. Bingley's contract in order to destroy the evidence."

"Yes, yes," Mr. Hamp nodded desperately. "The name of the cotton supplier is left on the unsigned contract, which is tantamount to revealing their own people."

"What caused him to intend to break the contract?"

"It's you."

Mr. Hamp answered gravely.

"It's you, Mr. Holmes," he continued. "A few months ago, when Mr. Bingley had just purchased a house in the southern country and was about to move there, Captain Carter suddenly learned that his good friend Mr. Darcy, and you His family is a family friend."

"..."

Feelings are still Mr. Darcy's fault!

All the fragments are thus connected in series, and Mary quickly understands the general idea without Mr. Hamp's further explanation.

As early as in Netherfield Manor, Mr. Holmes bluntly stated that the purpose of his country theft case was of course not the theft itself, but that there was a bigger conspiracy hidden behind the theft of the contract.

The workers in London had a good relationship with him. When several Irish workers heard the name of Sherlock Holmes, they seemed to have seen Marx and Engels.And Mr. Detective himself said that he learned about the inexplicable closure of many factories from the workers.

From this point of view, the "professor" had already discovered that Sherlock Holmes was pursuing this matter, but the detectives in the past had no specific clues and could not proceed to the next step.

At this time, Captain Carter suddenly discovered that Mr. Bingley's social circle was connected with Holmes' own social circle.

For reasons that are still unknown, the "professor" did not intend to let Holmes continue to pursue him—at least he did not intend to reveal his own existence, so he asked his agent to cut off the clues. Unexpectedly, it was self-defeating, and the contract was not destroyed. Led the detective to Netherfield Manor and the case itself.

From this point of view, Mr. Hamp is indeed not an important part of it.

The important thing was indeed Captain Carter.

Mary felt that, as an agent, he would never be like Mr. Hamp, who didn't even know the real name of "Professor".

"When Captain Carter was in Meryton," Mary frowned, "he was also very close to my sister Lydia, presumably he got a lot of useful clues."

That silly girl!

If you don't ask her for help, don't hold back anyway.When she thought that Lydia had a fierce fight with the underlings behind the scenes, Mary felt terrified.

I'll have to write to Lydia and tell Lydia about it, and it's better to say it in a terrible way, Mary thought in her heart, scare her hard, and see if she dares to go around frivolously and talk about officers.

"I see."

Mr. Holmes still had a cold expression, as if Mr. Hamp's words were not what he expected.

"So it seems," Mr. Holmes said unwillingly, "I must meet Captain Carter for a while."

"Did you not want to see him, sir?" Mary asked curiously.

The detective glanced at her, but answered Mary's question: "Once his agent is found, the 'Professor' will know how far our investigation has progressed."

This is true.

They have all come to the door, whether Captain Carter cooperates or not, the mastermind behind the scenes will know that Holmes has found him.

"What if Captain Carter doesn't admit it?" Mr. Bingley expressed his concern, "Need the police inspector arrest him?"

"Not only to catch, but also to catch on the spot."

Holmes said firmly: "Mr. Hamp! You want to save your reputation and position, don't you?"

Hamp was shocked when he heard this: "I can give my life."

Holmes was quite dismissive: "Unfortunately, your life is of little value to the case."

It sounded like the detective didn't like the factory owner very much.But just now he said that he begged Holmes for help, and now he said that he could risk his life. Which sentence was true and which sentence was false, even a three-year-old child could tell.

Mary laughed out loud, "I don't think it's that serious, is it, detective?"

"You don't need the factory owner's life," the detective continued, "you just need to tell Captain Carter that Mr. Bingley thinks there is a fraud, come to your door to argue with you, and return the unsigned contract."

Looks like I'm going to catch a turtle in the urn!

Mary's spirit shook: "Are you going to set up a trap, sir? When?"

Mr. Hamp cast a rather surprised glance at Mary.

Even though Sherlock Holmes waited for this Miss Mary Bennet for the first time before the opening, Mr. Hamp still didn't take Mary seriously. He thought she was some important witness.

But judging from her familiarity with the detective, the two seem to be working together to track down clues.

"That," Mr. Hamp gently reminded, "Captain Carter has a cautious personality, and every secret meeting is arranged at night. This Miss Bennet...is not suitable to be there."

For an unmarried lady, traveling across half of London to the factory after nightfall, the indignity and rumors are secondary, the important thing is that it is not safe.

Mr. Bingley supported Mary as always: "I am responsible for the safety of the ladies. Please rest assured, Hamp. Although she is a young girl, she may be smarter than you and me. Miss Mary is extremely sensitive to the case. Her detective The novel has just passed the draft of "Seashore Magazine", and it will be published soon."

Holmes: "A detective story?"

The detective who had been concentrating on the case paused when he heard this. He turned his head and his sharp eyes fell on Mary: "Are you writing a detective novel?"