[Comprehensive Classics] Detective Mary

"Something happened to the detective!"

The Irish girl almost dragged Mary out of the house, and it wasn't until the two of them got into the carriage that Mary was able to ask, "What's wrong, what's wrong?"

She seldom saw Miss Morstan look so flustered. In Mary's eyes, this red-haired girl is omnipotent. While earning money from her own labor, she wanders around the streets and alleys, with a wide network of contacts, good news, etc. Have you ever seen a big wind and a big wave?Miss Morstan panicked, and Mary also panicked.

But Mary knew she couldn't be equally nervous, and it would be a mess if both of them panicked.So she forcibly endured the anxiety in her heart, reached out and patted Miss Morstan's arm: "Don't worry, you can take a breath before talking."

Anyone could see that Mary was trying to be calm, but it worked.

One of them is calm and will naturally infect the other.Seeing Mary trying to maintain a calm expression, Miss Morstan also gradually calmed down, her brows were deeply furrowed: "When I went back, I heard Dawson say that he saw Mr. Holmes crawling out of the sewer and staggering away. Very bad. He rushed forward and asked the detective if he needed help, but he didn't stop him, he should have stopped the detective!"

"Just him? Where's Dr. Watson?"

"Didn't see Dr. Watson," said Miss Morstan, becoming anxious again. "That's why I think something's wrong!"

Sherlock Holmes chose to go out alone instead of bringing his friend and assistant Watson?It's no wonder that Miss Morstan was worried, Mary also realized the seriousness of the problem when she said this.

According to the original book, such a situation is nothing more than Watson's inconvenient action, or Holmes believes that the situation in the sewer is too dangerous to take Watson on an adventure-no matter which possibility is, it is not a good thing.

The two girls kept urging the coachman to speed up the car, and rushed all the way to Baker Street.

After knocking on the door, Mary didn't even bother to explain the situation to Mrs. Hudson, and pushed the door open with her skirt. There was no one in the living room, but the door of Sherlock Holmes' room was wide open. Mary and Morstan took a look. I saw the detective lying on the ground and Dr. Watson who was doing emergency work beside him.

"What's going on?!" Miss Morstan almost screamed.

However, before they rushed into the scene, the only sane Watson also looked blank: "I heard the sound of opening the window in my room, and there was no answer when I knocked on the door, so I had to open the door, and then saw Holmes fell to the ground."

Open the window and enter the door?This is his own home!

Mary walked forward, smelling the extremely familiar pungent stench almost the moment she stepped into the room.She subconsciously held her breath and looked at the closed window: "You closed the window, doctor?"

Watson: "Of course, it's winter!"

Without further ado, Mary pushed open the window of the room, turned to Watson and said, "Move the detective over here, no matter whether it's cold or not, it's the devil's heel!"

Thank goodness Mary has seen how detectives deal with poisoned victims. The smell of the devil's heel is extremely bad, and the effect of volatilization is extremely fast after burning. regain sanity.

Burnt hallucinogens in the sewers?

Mary didn't know how much hallucinogenic gas the detective had inhaled. Watson carried Holmes into a ventilated place. The doctor bent down and patted his face gently: "Holmes? Holmes! Can you hear me?"

"I don't think he heard," began Miss Morstan, "how can that be done?"

"Is the devil's heel a volatile poison, Miss Mary?"

"I don't know if the powder is also poisonous," Mary said, "but it was true that Henry Deckard was poisoned by inhaling the volatile gas. The detective had him tied up in a ventilated place, and he regained his senses not long after. .”

When Watson heard this, he showed a worried expression: "But he just came back from outside."

The implication is that if it is ventilated, is there any place worse than the outside?What the doctor worried about was that the dose of poison was too high, which damaged Holmes' genius brain.

But Mary remained optimistic: after being poisoned, he was able to hold on and return to Baker Street, proving that the situation was not so serious.

"gentlemen?"

Mary couldn't help shouting in a low voice: "Sir, can you hear us?"

Only then did Holmes open his eyes.

His light-colored eyes followed the voice to look at Mary, but the blank look on his face made Mary feel that he was not sane.The sharp eyes like a detective's falcon looked a little vain at this time, and sweat was all over his handsome face. Even though the cold wind outside the window kept pouring into the city, his cold sweat didn't stop.

When had I seen Sherlock Holmes in such a state of embarrassment?

Mary felt a little distressed. She bit her lip and took out her handkerchief.

"Doctor," she whispered, "let me wipe the detective's sweat."

Watson moved out of the way, and Mary was seated opposite Holmes.She stretched out her hand, and carefully wiped the sweat from Holmes' brow with the veil.

However, when her hand touched the detective's skin through the veil, he moved suddenly and grabbed Mary's wrist.

Mary:!

"Holmes!"

Watson hastily held him down: "This is Miss Mary, you have been poisoned with hallucinogens, do you remember what happened?"

"Mary?"

At last Holmes spoke.

Because of running for a long time, his voice is a little hoarse.Holmes frowned deeply when Mary's name was said, and his pale eyes fixed on Mary motionlessly, looking straight into her soul as if to pierce her.

Even though Mary felt that in the detective's vision, what he saw was probably not himself, but Holmes was still aware of something in a trance, at least when Mary tried to wipe his sweat off again, the detective didn't move.

Mary didn't know what he saw, but Holmes' cold sweat never stopped. Mary wiped the sweat off his face over and over again, and turned to Watson: "Is there anything I need to do?"

Watson: "I'm going to prepare physiological saline, so that he can take it when he wakes up."

Mary: "You didn't know the detective was out?"

The doctor looked troubled.

"I'm sorry, Miss Mary," he said, holding Holmes by the shoulder, "I don't know. How did you find out what happened to Holmes?"

"My friend saw Holmes leave the sewer," Miss Morstan said, "and he didn't look well, so I called Mary to come with me."

"sewer?"

Watson looked surprised and confused: "But Holmes and I have already been to the sewer once, and we have already got the clues we should get. Why did he turn back alone?"

"We'll have to ask Mr. Holmes himself when he wakes up," said Mary.

Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long.

After about a few minutes, Mary felt that the detective was gradually regaining consciousness: the cold sweat was decreasing until it stopped.He closed his eyes, and the vain and confused expression also faded inch by inch, and finally disappeared.

Sherlock Holmes, who is usually clear and calm, is back.

When he opened his eyes again, he first glanced at Mary, and then raised his eyes to her hand on his forehead.As soon as Mary's movements stopped, she withdrew her veil: "Sir?"

Holmes: "There are no eyes in my hallucinations."

Mary: "..."

Holmes: "So the hallucinations caused by the devil's heel vary from person to person. If Henry Deckard and Sikes saw the same hallucination, there must be other influencing factors."

Mary took a deep breath: "Are you experimenting with yourself, sir?!"

"What?!" Watson and Miss Morstan shouted almost in unison.

The two looked at each other in embarrassment, and before Watson could react, the Irish girl raised her eyebrows: "You went to the sewer by yourself to restore the effect of their traditional Chinese medicine?! Are you crazy? Detective, if something happens to you and you fail to come out of the sewer, you really don't know how to die!"

Seeing that the three of them had serious expressions on their faces, Holmes just smiled.

"The reason why poison is poison is not because the medicine itself is harmful, but because someone uses the herb to harm people," he said. "The devil's heel is a medicine used to treat hysteria in its original place. As long as the dosage is controlled, I will not suffer from it." any harm."

Morstan: "I think you are indeed crazy!"

Although Mary Morstan, who came from a poor background, did not understand the principles of chemistry and pharmacology, she understood that the reason why this thing can harm people is definitely not as harmless as Holmes said-take a step back, even if he really has not been harmed. No harm, but he stumbled all the way through the window and entered the door with hallucinations, wouldn't he be afraid of being hit by a carriage?

"You still go in through the window," Miss Morstan reprimanded aggressively. "Aren't you afraid of frightening Dr. Watson?"

"You underestimate Watson's audacity," countered Holmes. "It's better to frighten Watson than to frighten Mrs. Hudson. What are you two doing here?"

Morstan: "..."

Mary: "..."

In a state of insanity, he still thinks about not disturbing Mrs. Hudson.Mary simply didn't know whether to go along with Morstan's reprimand, or to acknowledge the detective's thoughtfulness.

However, the detective's appearance that this matter has nothing to do with you can make Morstan very angry.

"I originally thought that having a decent gentleman would make you a little more conservative in your schedule and behavior," Morstan said angrily, "I didn't expect you to lead the gentleman away, detective, this is too dangerous."

Watson: "...Wait, I didn't return to Whitechapel with him."

Morstan: "Isn't it the first time you ran into the sewer with the detective?"

Watson: "..."

Then we must investigate the case!Watson was wronged.

But unlike Sherlock Holmes, Dr. John Watson understands the principle of not making a lady angry—especially since she is not completely unreasonable, and Miss Morstan would not be so angry if she were not concerned about the personal safety of the two gentlemen.

However, compared to Morstan, Mary has a slightly better mentality.

It's all gone, and it's useless to speak out and blame.If Sherlock Holmes had heeded his lesson, he would never have been evicted by the landlord of his last flat.

Although Mary also felt that it would be too risky to go back to the scene and try the illusion of the devil's heels for herself.

"So," she asked, "what's in the sewers? Where did you find the devil's heels, sir?"

"The herb is not difficult to find in small doses," answered Holmes.

Watson: "There is an altar in the sewers of the Whitechapel."

Mary: "What?"

altar?

Mary trembled when she heard this word, and she almost immediately thought of the Illuminati symbol that Irene Adler drew for her.

"Irene drew a symbol for me," Mary asked her own question without thinking, "A triangular frame framed an eye, which said it was a local mysterious organization in London. I think it is a religious organization, could it be related to this organization. "

"The Illuminati."

One sentence from Holmes confirmed Mary's guess.The detective held out his hand to Mary: "Lend me the handkerchief, Miss Mary."

After taking the veil from Mary, Holmes paused suddenly.He glanced down at the initials on the corner of the handkerchief, it was sh.

—This is the handkerchief he lent Mary earlier.

But the detective didn't say much about it. He wiped the sweat off the back of his neck and said, "Sir Blackwood is a member of the Illuminati. He invited me a few years ago. I don't know what their organization is specifically involved in." What religion, but the members of the organization are basically London figures."

Well, this is similar to the so-called "Illuminati" that Mary learned about. Its members are either politicians or dignitaries. Sherlock Holmes has a superior IQ, so he is naturally recognized by those "big shots".

"But you didn't join their organization," said Watson.

"Thank you for your reasoning, Watson," said Holmes dryly. "I don't think there is any point in the existence of such an organization—although I may have underestimated them. For a long time I thought the Illuminati were nothing more than a plaything of high society." , until Ms. Adler told me that the Illuminati used devil's heels in London."

"In that case," said Mary heavily, "there must be something wrong with Sir Blackwood who appeared at the scene of Sikes' madness!"

Sure enough, my intuition was right.

After sitting by the window for a long time, Holmes finally fully recovered.He stood up, strode to his desk, and shook out a huge piece of paper.

"I drew the appearance of the altar."

With that said, he handed the paper to Mary.

Although Mary didn't know what the sewers in the Whitechapel area looked like, but in the underground far away from the sun, the light must be dark and the stench was extremely strong, just like the scenes in horror movies and games in the 21st century.

And the moment the paper is unfolded——

Mary: "..."

She admitted that she didn't understand.

It's not that Mr. Holmes's drawing skills are abstract, on the contrary, the detective's drawing skills are very good, and almost every detail of the altar is depicted in detail-in fact, if Watson and Holmes both believed that this was an altar, Mary would not be able to see it at all. Come out what does this have to do with religion.

What is presented in the picture is a hall-like indoor area, in which a triangular frame is drawn on the ground, in addition to the columns around the hall.

No matter what the hall was used for, at least Mary could be sure that it should never appear in the underground waterway.

Finally, what attracted Mary was the wall on the hall... I don’t know if it should be the pattern or the totem. In short, in the picture drawn by Mr. It is the result of being washed and corroded by running water all the year round.

In short, the dense grooves are connected together, as if forming some pattern, but Mary can't understand it.As for the others... it also looks like the traces of something crawling.

Mary felt a chill down her spine just thinking about it.

"Are these traces on the walls," Mary inquired, "are they chiselled?"

"It seems to be corroded." It was Watson who answered her.

Dr. Watson also seemed very puzzled: "It is covered with dried secretions, which seem to be snails or slugs. The underground waterway is very damp. It is not surprising that there are these creatures. The strange thing is..."

"Yes?"

"In the case of molluscs," answered Holmes, "the secretions are of an extraordinary density."

After speaking, he took back the painting from Mary and spread it on the table.

"Here I am," he pointed to the tip of the triangular frame drawn on the ground, "and found the traces of the devil's heel after burning, which is enough to prove that Sikes was indeed poisoned here before he died. After you find He was probably already in a state of hallucinations when he was there, and Sir Blackwood's shot became the last straw that crushed his sanity."

"How are you sure?" Mary asked.

"...after falling into the hallucination of the devil's heel," Holmes explained, "all sensations were amplified, and I developed synaesthesia."

"Synesthesia?" Morstan was a little puzzled.

"The sense of touch becomes smell, the sense of smell becomes vision, the sense of sight becomes taste, the sense of taste becomes hearing, and the sense of hearing can become touch again," Mary explained. "All the senses become one, which is synaesthesia. This kind of reaction is very serious. huh, sir?"

"When your hand touched me, Miss Mary, I felt like—"

"what?"

Holmes paused subtly: "Nothing, but enough to surprise me. Even if you were sitting in front of me, my brain would not be able to recognize that it was you. But I know I'm in Baker Street, so you won't be Enemy. At that time, most of the effect of the medicine had faded, and Watson called out your name, and I confirmed my safety."

So just before the effect of the devil's heel completely evaporated, Sherlock Holmes actually relied on his own intelligence and deduction ability to rely on his memory all the way back to Baker Street from Whitechapel. wide awake.

Stay awake in hallucinations.

Even Holmes himself, who did this, would have shocked Mary.

"Then, then," she widened her eyes, "how do you know it's an altar, sir?"

"The devil's heel is part of the logo of the Illuminati." Holmes raised his eyebrows, as if he thought Mary shouldn't ask such a low-level question. "No matter what the purpose of the Illuminati is, it is natural that the hall was built to achieve a certain purpose." In the underground waterway. Even if it is not for religious purposes, it must not see the light. Among the many motives, the construction for religious purposes is the most likely."

This is true.

Not to mention anything else, in the 21st century, almost any movie with a background in the [-]th century must have such an "evil religious organization", no matter what the Illuminati, the Darkness or other cults, it is always indispensable As soon as the ghosts and gods said, it is probably not wrong to classify it as an altar.

Mary thought for a while: "It would be great if I could go down and see for myself."

Watson: "No!"

Mary was a little surprised. Dr. John Watson had always supported her becoming a "private investigator". Why did he deny it so simply?

Seeing her blank eyes, Watson cleared his throat in embarrassment: "You don't want to know how dirty the sewer is, Miss Mary."

Is she still afraid of getting dirty?

Seeing the disapproval on Mary's face, Watson was helpless. He turned his head and looked at Holmes: "If it suits you to go, I will naturally take you there instead of asking you to go home and visit Ai at the first moment when you find the clue. Miss Lin Adler, is it not, Holmes?"

Holmes took a deep look at Watson who had betrayed him.

Watson was not afraid of him. Even if he was cast with soul-questioning eyes, the doctor was frank. He directly quoted what Holmes said to himself: "In case of any danger, in the underground environment, even Holmes and I Even getting up can't protect you."

Mary: "...Okay."

I have to admit that Watson's words convinced her.

Suppose Mary is a lady in an action movie who can knock down three big men with a skirt, and is fearless even in danger.But she is not, so it is better not to take risks lightly.

She didn't ask herself to be resourceful enough to help Holmes with the facts. At the very least, Mary didn't want to hold the detective back.

But just when Mary was about to give up, Holmes suddenly said, "Wait a minute."

The detective stopped staring at Watson, and the tall, thin man went around behind the desk and stopped in front of Mary.

He looked Mary up and down several times, and then spoke at his usual unhurried pace: "Do you believe in God, Miss Mary?"

Hey?

Why did you ask this question suddenly.Mary was a little confused: "If this question is about the Illuminati, I can confirm that Sir Blackwood doesn't believe it. He told me personally at Pemberley Manor, and not only does he not believe in God, but he is also an agnostic."

Holmes: "I am asking you, miss, do you believe in the existence of God?"

Mary: "..."

This question completely confused Mary.

But she answered Holmes' question honestly: "I agree with dialectical materialism and historical materialism more than God, sir."

Holmes: "If you don't believe in God, can you believe in ghosts? Or witchcraft, astrolabe, gypsy divination, etc.?"

Mary: "I don't believe it either. I think all ghosts and gods are the unconscious products of the low-level development of human society. They are the products of people's low productivity. Order—so there are no phenomena in this world that cannot be explained by science, and even if there are, it is because social productivity is limited, and after us, people will find the answer.”

Holmes nodded with satisfaction.

He put his hands in his pockets: "Okay, if there is another investigation involving the Illuminati, as long as your personal safety can be guaranteed, please replace Watson as much as possible."

Watson: "Wh-that's not what you said when you sent Miss Mary away, Holmes!"

Holmes sneered.

"Known fears are more menacing than unknown dangers, Watson," he remarked sharply. "If you were less suspicious when you saw the altar, I would not consider changing assistants."

Mary: "..."

Watson: "I respect our cultural beliefs."

Holmes: "You are a doctor in the field. How can you believe in the existence of God? God will never bless the bullet to turn around before hitting the soldier's body. It is you doctors who pulled them back from the brink of hell."

Well, now that the two gentlemen are arguing, Mary probably understands why the detective is displeased.

Dr. Watson may not be a devout Christian, but in European and American culture, Western religion has penetrated into all aspects of the country and society.Even more than a hundred years later, people will sigh "My God" when they are surprised, let alone the Victorian period.

But since the theory of gods and ghosts may be involved, even if Dr. Watson does not really believe in God, the influence of religious culture will inevitably affect his judgment.

For this reason, there is nothing wrong with either point of view.

"That being the case," Mary thought for a while, then changed the subject kindly, "Should I also confirm whether Henry Deckard has been to the underground sewer? He will not be randomly selected by the Illuminati."

"I'll just ask him," said Miss Morstan.

"Also," Mary was still not at ease, "we can no longer ask people to get close to the underground waterway. I think we can ask Inspector Lestrade to put up a cordon nearby."

"Don't go down easily."

Miss Morstan did not forget the purpose of the two of them, and reminded: "Once or twice is fine, if there is more, what if the so-and-so Sir is eyeing you? Even if we Irish live nearby, it is too late to rush to the rescue."

Oh, what a pity.

If possible, Mary still wanted to see what that "altar" looked like in person.There must be something wrong with this hall of unknown purpose.

Not to mention anything else, only a triangular frame was drawn on the floor of the hall, so where did the eyes go?Not to mention inexplicable dents and secretions stuck to the walls.

"Sikes arrived at the 'altar', and he saw visions about eyes under the effect of the devil's heel," Mary asked her own question, "but sir, you also went to the altar, but you didn't see it."

Holmes nodded: "Maybe I didn't trigger the real function of the altar."

Miss Morstan was the first to hear the implication: "Detective, you can't try again!"

"I won't try again."

That's what I said, but everyone can see the unwillingness on Sherlock Holmes' face: "As you said, under such circumstances, we should try our best not to startle the enemy, and we can only start from another angle. Miss Mary, if there is I will notify you of further information."

"thank you, sir."

Holmes was not polite to Mary, he just handed the handkerchief to Mary.But before she could take it, the detective withdrew his hand again.

Mary's hands fluttered: "Sir?"

Holmes: "I'll ask Mrs. Hudson to wash it up and give it to you."

Mary: "It doesn't matter, it's just—"

and many more.

Mary suddenly reacted.

Facing Sherlock Holmes' half-smile expression, she felt her cheeks warming up at the speed of light—the handkerchief belonged to Mr. Holmes in the first place!

The author has something to say: Mary: Why doesn’t this article summarize Harry Potter, please author summarize Harry Potter Thank you, I want to give myself a forgetting spell [blush explosion]