[Sherlock Holmes] The Legend of the Nightingale

(Nightingale's Diary)

Heart stopped.I could feel the bullet passing over my ear above my left shoulder.The person on the opposite side let out a short scream, squatted down covering his right shoulder, and dropped the gun.Seeing the gun lying on the ground, my consciousness suddenly recovered, I took a step forward to pick up the gun, and aimed the gun at the man with the weapon opposite Irene, although I didn't know how to use this thing at all .Someone shot him from behind me, I don't know if it was an enemy or a friend.

"Be careful, sir, Miss Green can't use a gun. If you make her too nervous, she might go off."

The same pleasant voice sounded from behind me.I shivered violently, but controlled myself and didn't look back.The person on the opposite side took a step back slowly, still holding his gun.

"As soon as the gun goes off, someone will call the police," the voice continued. "I will not shoot casually. If you don't want to make a big deal, get out of my house."

The man didn't speak any more, dragged his injured accomplice, and the two climbed out of the window through the window.Erin next to me let out a sigh of relief.

"I said, you are slow to react." She said in a teasing tone.

"It's okay." The person behind replied softly.

I turned around slowly, because I was worried that the sharpshooter behind me might misunderstand me if I moved too fast.I almost collapsed looking at the source of that voice.

That voice was as gentle as water and as calm as a nun.

The second time I saw her, I felt less exaggerated, but I still felt a soft light in front of my eyes.Standing in the doorway was Irene Adler whom I had seen in church.She is wearing a long white dress and holds a revolver/gun in her hand.Beside her stood the page, also with a gun.I looked back at Erin next to me, and she smiled at me and blinked.

"Do you know that you almost died just now?" She pointed to the direction behind her and said, "When the man was shot, his hand trembled and he went off. Fortunately, he didn't aim."

My stiff hand holding the gun began to shake.Following her finger, there is a dark patch of wallpaper obliquely behind us.The bullet went diagonally from between the two of us and hit the wall.I took a few deep breaths.

"Miss Green, if you can, please put the gun down steadily first, and then we will talk slowly." Irene at the door said.Now I am afraid of the gun in my hand, so I put it on the desk as carefully as possible.

"Wait!" My mind was in confusion, "I'm here to see Irene Adler, chief singer of the Warsaw Imperial Opera House. May I ask who is it?"

"Miss, you said you wanted to see Miss Adler, so I brought you here. The person you mentioned just now should be Mrs. Irene Adler Norton." The servant answered this question.

I actually forgot that Eileen just got married today.

"Then... this is..."

"Very few people know that I have a sister who looks a lot like me, Iris Adler. While I was in Italy, she was making a living alone in London."

Irene - the real Irene Adler this time - reminded me gently.

I. Adler.It turned out to be Iris.

"It's just an unsuccessful courtesan." Iris said without hesitation, "As soon as you said you wanted to see Irene, I knew you made a mistake."

I slapped myself hard on the forehead.Why didn't I think there were two people at all!

Irene whispered some instructions to the footman and let him go out.Then she continued to say to me: "Now, can you explain why you are here?"

"I'm just here..." I said, a little desperately.

"Visiting me? Hilda's friend, the piano boy? Dear Miss Green, you do play the piano, perhaps, but your hands are relatively too slender for a professional pianist at your age. See Your hands should be used for writing, right? Why don't you tell the truth?"

No matter what Irene said, her tone seemed to be comforting someone.But when I heard her words, I started to break out in a cold sweat.Why didn't anyone tell me she was a female Sherlock Holmes? !Seeing that I didn't speak, she slowly walked up to me.I couldn't help but stare at her gun.She smiled slightly, raised her hand and put the gun on the desk.

"I know you are not with them. If they hadn't forced their way in, and my sister couldn't see what's wrong with you, I'm afraid you would really come up with some useful words. I'm curious, who would safely send a How about a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl who can't even handle a gun?"

I was silent for a while.Irene's eyes didn't feel oppressive at all, as if she wasn't in a hurry to know my answer.

"Actually, you already... know..." I whispered.

"Yes. The Earl wanted his letters. There was only one person in London who could possibly do that, and that person had a rather young assistant—Sherlock Holmes and his pupil, Angela Nightingale. She happened to have been Helped Hilda clear her name, and is now Hilda's best friend."

I turned to face her, leaning against the desk.Not only me, but even Sherlock Holmes was exposed.I don't know if it was my mistake, but it was a complete mess.Holmes did not go ahead with the plan. He should have known that something had happened when he heard the gunshot.But I don't want to be kicked out just like that.That's when I remembered that there was a last-ditch effort with little hope.

"Why are you still holding that picture?" I said, my voice trembling a little, "You're married, and I think it's what you want, because there's nothing stopping you from marrying whoever you want. You don't need to hang around with that guy anymore. I know he's sorry for you—I don't like him personally—but..."

Well, I can't say what comes after the "but".Unexpectedly, Irene frowned and said:

"What picture?"

"You're not pretending not to know, are you?" I almost yelled, "The photo of you and the count is what you used to threaten him so that he can't marry another woman."

Irene glanced at Iris, and the two sisters looked at each other for a while, laughing together.Irene's smile was still very graceful. Iris leaned back against the wall and said with a smile, "He actually said that to you? I really want to know where he wants you to find it!"

I froze in place.

"There are no photos of me and him at all, and I haven't threatened anyone. I don't think Detective London will..." Irene didn't finish speaking, but fell into deep thought.Alice said to me:

"The idiot my sister loved was not even entitled to be threatened by her. She didn't even take a photo with him. What we got was proof of his wrongdoing, so he chased after him."

"I don't know who's trustworthy right now," I said. "Looks like that's the only thing I'm sure of right now."

At this time the doorbell rang suddenly.We all pause for a moment.

"You just need to send a message, don't worry about anything else." Irene put her hand on my shoulder, "Tell your teacher, before making a plan next time, please find out if his client is telling the truth."

I sighed.

"Holmes never helped those who kept the truth from him. I can assure you of that."

At this moment the footman entered.He stood upright at the door and said to Irene:

"Ma'am, a gentleman wants to see you."

"what's up?"

"He came to take his students back."

Eileen let the footman go and looked at me.

"Come to claim it. Sure enough, he won't let you here alone."

"Thank goodness," I whispered, "there's still 'claim' value."

"You don't seem to realize that you are working for the earl just like them." Irene said meaningfully, "You could have pointed that gun at Iris just now, but you chose to stand on our side .”

I never thought it was a problem, but it was baffling to hear her say that.

"It's nothing surprising. Who's going to help someone who just put a gun to his heart?"

Erin and Iris looked at each other.This kind of unintelligent answer, in their opinion, should be pediatrics.

"Come on, I'll take you out. Oh, and this..."

She picked up her pistol/gun from the table and held it in front of me.

"Someone will teach you how to use it."

I was stunned and didn't dare to reach out to pick it up.She shoved the gun straight into my hand.

"Let's go. Iris, you don't have to go out."

I put the gun in my coat pocket and followed Irene out of the living room dazedly, not knowing how I got to the gate.

That familiar figure stood quietly at the foot of the steps in front of the door, with his hands in his coat pockets, and when he saw us coming, he took off his top hat without saying a word.

"I thought you would wait outside for her to come out, Mr. Holmes," said Irene. "It would amount to a complete exposure."

"It was already completely exposed." Holmes' voice was as cold as the night, "When it came to the point of shooting, I should at least know whether my students are safe."

Erin smiled. "She passed by the bullet just now, and she is still standing so steadily, which is not bad. Those two people have been dealt with by Mr. Holmes?"

"Accurately speaking, there are also some enthusiastic people. Scotland Yard has just come to take them away on the charge of burglary." Holmes said, holding out a hand, palm up, as if inviting a dance.

"Let's go, Nightingale. If it's okay, let's go home."

I can't describe the emotions I felt when I saw him say those two words in front of me after being pointed at by a gun for the first time.The porch was dimly lit, but I could still see Holmes' calm face.No reproach, no sign of joy, not indifference, just calm.If--just if--he happened to pass by one day when I was leaving get off work from the Adams's, he would certainly say in the same tone: Let's go, let's go home.

I went down the steps and stopped beside Holmes.Erin's voice came from behind:

"Mr. Holmes, I took the liberty of giving mine to your student when I saw that she had no gun. I hope you will not prohibit her from using it."

"Of course not." Holmes put his hand on my shoulder and pulled me closer. "One last thing. Scotland Yard will come to pick you up later to assist in the investigation. They won't pursue it because of me. Nightingale's presence. Her ability to deal with the detectives is far inferior to yours, if you don't want her to be a breakthrough, please don't mention her."

Erin showed a reassuring smile.

"Not in a threatening tone, I understand. Good night, Mr. Holmes."

"I hope you will forgive me for my offense. Good night, Mrs. Norton. Give my regards to the other Miss Adler."

Erin didn't look surprised at all.After she had entered, Holmes and I hurried from the grounds, and called a cab.

"Where's Watson?" I asked as soon as I got into the car.

"Following the police and taking the robbers to Scotland Yard."

"How did you find out there were two Adlers?"

"They both looked the same height, but the other Miss Adler was wearing high heels. That means she was shorter than Irene at the wedding."

"How do you know Eileen wasn't wearing high heels at the wedding? Her dress would hide them."

"I heard it. Didn't think of it before. It was a stupid mistake. Not many women wear those shoes."

A moment of silence.

"Did she fire one of the shots? The other misfired?" asked Holmes suddenly.

"Correct."

"They're not going to shoot lightly. It's only the Adlers. I know."

I don't know why, I suddenly couldn't control myself, and tears came out of my eyes.I wept silently on his arm.In the darkness I heard Holmes sigh.He patted my shoulder lightly.

The author has something to say: I forgot to say before, the earl in the setting of this article is really the earl, not the king in disguise, because the things involved in the following plots, I think the king's doing is a bit out of character.The consequence is that I feel a little wronged by Irene. According to the original book, apart from her lack of status, her quality is completely qualified as a queen.