《The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb 工程师大拇指案》
Of all the problems which have been submitted to my friend, Mr.Sherlock Holmes, for solution during the years of our intimacy,there were only two which I was the means of introducing to hisnotice–that of Mr. Hatherley’s thumb, and that of ColonelWarburton’s madness. Of these the latter may have afforded afiner field for an acute and original observer, but the other wasso strange in its inception and so dramatic in its details thatit may be the more worthy of being placed upon record, even if itgave my friend fewer openings for those deductive methods ofreasoning by which he achieved such remarkable results. The storyhas, I believe, been told more than once in the newspapers, but,like all such narratives, its effect is much less striking whenset forth en bloc in a single half-column of print than when thefacts slowly evolve before your own eyes, and the mystery clearsgradually away as each new discovery furnishes a step which leadson to the complete truth. At the time the circumstances made adeep impression upon me, and the lapse of two years has hardlyserved to weaken the effect.
It was in the summer of ‘89, not long after my marriage, that theevents occurred which I am now about to summarise. I had returnedto civil practice and had finally abandoned Holmes in his BakerStreet rooms, although I continually visited him and occasionallyeven persuaded him to forgo his Bohemian habits so far as to comeand visit us. My practice had steadily increased, and as Ihappened to live at no very great distance from PaddingtonStation, I got a few patients from among the officials. One ofthese, whom I had cured of a painful and lingering disease, wasnever weary of advertising my virtues and of endeavouring to sendme on every sufferer over whom he might have any influence.
One morning, at a little before seven o’clock, I was awakened bythe maid tapping at the door to announce that two men had comefrom Paddington and were waiting in the consulting-room. Idressed hurriedly, for I knew by experience that railway caseswere seldom trivial, and hastened downstairs. As I descended, myold ally, the guard, came out of the room and closed the doortightly behind him.
“I’ve got him here,” he whispered, jerking his thumb over hisshoulder; “he’s all right.”
Yes, only one.”must havebled considerably.” the?
“What is it, then?” I asked, for his manner suggested that it wassome strange creature which he had caged up in my room.
“It’s a new patient,” he whispered. “I thought I’d bring himround myself; then he couldn’t slip away. There he is, all safeand sound. I must go now, Doctor; I have my dooties, just thesame as you.” And off he went, this trusty tout, without evengiving me time to thank him.
I entered my consulting-room and found a gentleman seated by thetable. He was quietly dressed in a suit of heather tweed with asoft cloth cap which he had laid down upon my books. Round one ofhis hands he had a handkerchief wrapped, which was mottled allover with bloodstains. He was young, not more thanfive-and-twenty, I should say, with a strong, masculine face; buthe was exceedingly pale and gave me the impression of a man whowas suffering from some strong agitation, which it took all hisstrength of mind to control.
“I am sorry to knock you up so early, Doctor,” said he, “but Ihave had a very serious accident during the night. I came in bytrain this morning, and on inquiring at Paddington as to where Imight find a doctor, a worthy fellow very kindly escorted mehere. I gave the maid a card, but I see that she has left it uponthe side-table.”
I took it up and glanced at it. “Mr. Victor Hatherley, hydraulicengineer, 16A, Victoria Street (3rd floor).” That was the name,style, and abode of my morning visitor. “I regret that I havekept you waiting,” said I, sitting down in my library-chair. “Youare fresh from a night journey, I understand, which is in itselfa monotonous occupation.”
“Oh, my night could not be called monotonous,” said he, andlaughed. He laughed very heartily, with a high, ringing note,leaning back in his chair and shaking his sides. All my medicalinstincts rose up against that laugh.
out there, and there was no one upon theplatform?
“Stop it!” I cried; “pull yourself together!” and I poured outsome water from a caraffe.
It was useless, however. He was off in one of those hystericaloutbursts which come upon a strong nature when some great crisisis over and gone. Presently he came to himself once more, veryweary and pale-looking.
“I have been making a fool of myself,” he gasped.
“Not at all. Drink this.” I dashed some brandy into the water,and the colour began to come back to his bloodless cheeks.
“That’s better!” said he. “And now, Doctor, perhaps you wouldkindly attend to my thumb, or rather to the place where my thumbused to be.”
He unwound the handkerchief and held out his hand. It gave evenmy hardened nerves a shudder to look at it. There were fourprotruding fingers and a horrid red, spongy surface where thethumb should have been. It had been hacked or torn right out fromthe roots.
“Good heavens!” I cried, “this is a terrible injury. It must havebled considerably.”
“Yes, it did. I fainted when it was done, and I think that I musthave been senseless for a long time. When I came to I found thatit was still bleeding, so I tied one end of my handkerchief verytightly round the wrist and braced it up with a twig.”
“Excellent! You should have been a surgeon.”
“It is a question of hydraulics, you see, and came within my ownprovince.”
“This has been done,” said I, examining the wound, “by a veryheavy and sharp instrument.”
“A thing like a cleaver,” said he.
“An accident, I presume?”
“By no means.”
“What! a murderous attack?”
“Very murderous indeed.”
was what use you could make of a hydraulic!
“You horrify me.”
I sponged the wound, cleaned it, dressed it, and finally coveredit over with cotton wadding and carbolised bandages. He lay backwithout wincing, though he bit his lip from time to time.
“How is that?” I asked when I had finished.
“Capital! Between your brandy and your bandage, I feel a new man.I was very weak, but I have had a good deal to go through.”
“Perhaps you had better not speak of the matter. It is evidentlytrying to your nerves.”
“Oh, no, not now. I shall have to tell my tale to the police;but, between ourselves, if it were not for the convincingevidence of this wound of mine, I should be surprised if theybelieved my statement, for it is a very extraordinary one, and Ihave not much in the way of proof with which to back it up; and,even if they believe me, the clues which I can give them are sovague that it is a question whether justice will be done.”
“Ha!” cried I, “if it is anything in the nature of a problemwhich you desire to see solved, I should strongly recommend youto come to my friend, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, before you go to theofficial police.”
“Oh, I have heard of that fellow,” answered my visitor, “and Ishould be very glad if he would take the matter up, though ofcourse I must use the official police as well. Would you give mean introduction to him?”
“I’ll do better. I’ll take you round to him myself.”
“I should be immensely obliged to you.”
“We’ll call a cab and go together. We shall just be in time tohave a little breakfast with him. Do you feel equal to it?”
“Yes; I shall not feel easy until I have told my story.”
“Then my servant will call a cab, and I shall be with you in aninstant.” I rushed upstairs, explained the matter shortly to mywife, and in five minutes was inside a hansom, driving with mynew acquaintance to Baker Street.
Sherlock Holmes was, as I expected, lounging about hissitting-room in his dressing-gown, reading the agony column of TheTimes and smoking his before-breakfast pipe, which was composedof all the plugs and dottles left from his smokes of the daybefore, all carefully dried and collected on the corner of themantelpiece. He received us in his quietly genial fashion,ordered fresh rashers and eggs, and joined us in a hearty meal.When it was concluded he settled our new acquaintance upon thesofa, placed a pillow beneath his head, and laid a glass ofbrandy and water within his reach.
“It is easy to see that your experience has been no common one,Mr. Hatherley,” said he. “Pray, lie down there and make yourselfabsolutely at home. Tell us what you can, but stop when you aretired and keep up your strength with a little stimulant.”
“Thank you,” said my patient. “but I have felt another man sincethe doctor bandaged me, and I think that your breakfast hascompleted the cure. I shall take up as little of your valuabletime as possible, so I shall start at once upon my peculiarexperiences.”
Holmes sat in his big armchair with the weary, heavy-liddedexpression which veiled his keen and eager nature, while I satopposite to him, and we listened in silence to the strange storywhich our visitor detailed to us.
“You must know,” said he, “that I am an orphan and a bachelor,residing alone in lodgings in London. By profession I am ahydraulic engineer, and I have had considerable experience of mywork during the seven years that I was apprenticed to Venner &Matheson, the well-known firm, of Greenwich. Two years ago,having served my time, and having also come into a fair sum ofmoney through my poor father’s death, I determined to start inbusiness for myself and took professional chambers in VictoriaStreet.
“I suppose that everyone finds his first independent start inbusiness a dreary experience. To me it has been exceptionally so.During two years I have had three consultations and one smalljob, and that is absolutely all that my profession has broughtme. My gross takings amount to 27 pounds 10s. Every day, fromnine in the morning until four in the afternoon, I waited in mylittle den, until at last my heart began to sink, and I came tobelieve that I should never have any practice at all.
“Yesterday, however, just as I was thinking of leaving theoffice, my clerk entered to say there was a gentleman waiting whowished to see me upon business. He brought up a card, too, withthe name of ‘Colonel Lysander Stark’ engraved upon it. Close athis heels came the colonel himself, a man rather over the middlesize, but of an exceeding thinness. I do not think that I haveever seen so thin a man. His whole face sharpened away into noseand chin, and the skin of his cheeks was drawn quite tense overhis outstanding bones. Yet this emaciation seemed to be hisnatural habit, and due to no disease, for his eye was bright, hisstep brisk, and his bearing assured. He was plainly but neatlydressed, and his age, I should judge, would be nearer forty thanthirty.
“‘Mr. Hatherley?’ said he, with something of a German accent.’You have been recommended to me, Mr. Hatherley, as being a manwho is not only proficient in his profession but is also discreetand capable of preserving a secret.’
“I bowed, feeling as flattered as any young man would at such anaddress. ‘May I ask who it was who gave me so good a character?’
“‘Well, perhaps it is better that I should not tell you that justat this moment. I have it from the same source that you are bothan orphan and a bachelor and are residing alone in London.’
“‘That is quite correct,’ I answered; ‘but you will excuse me ifI say that I cannot see how all this bears upon my professionalqualifications. I understand that it was on a professional matterthat you wished to speak to me?’
“‘Undoubtedly so. But you will find that all I say is really tothe point. I have a professional commission for you, but absolutesecrecy is quite essential–absolute secrecy, you understand, andof course we may expect that more from a man who is alone thanfrom one who lives in the bosom of his family.’
“‘If I promise to keep a secret,’ said I, ‘you may absolutelydepend upon my doing so.’
“He looked very hard at me as I spoke, and it seemed to me that Ihad never seen so suspicious and questioning an eye.
“‘Do you promise, then?’ said he at last.
“‘Yes, I promise.’
“‘Absolute and complete silence before, during, and after? Noreference to the matter at all, either in word or writing?’
“‘I have already given you my word.’
“‘Very good.’ He suddenly sprang up, and darting like lightningacross the room he flung open the door. The passage outside wasempty.
“‘That’s all right,’ said he, coming back. ‘I know that clerks aresometimes curious as to their master’s affairs. Now we can talkin safety.’ He drew up his chair very close to mine and began tostare at me again with the same questioning and thoughtful look.
“A feeling of repulsion, and of something akin to fear had begunto rise within me at the strange antics of this fleshless man.Even my dread of losing a client could not restrain me fromshowing my impatience.
“‘I beg that you will state your business, sir,’ said I; ‘my timeis of value.’ Heaven forgive me for that last sentence, but thewords came to my lips.
“‘How would fifty guineas for a night’s work suit you?’ he asked.
“‘Most admirably.’
“‘I say a night’s work, but an hour’s would be nearer the mark. Isimply want your opinion about a hydraulic stamping machine whichhas got out of gear. If you show us what is wrong we shall soonset it right ourselves. What do you think of such a commission asthat?’
“‘The work appears to be light and the pay munificent.’
“‘Precisely so. We shall want you to come to-night by the lasttrain.’
“‘Where to?’
“‘To Eyford, in Berkshire. It is a little place near the bordersof Oxfordshire, and within seven miles of Reading. There is atrain from Paddington which would bring you there at about11:15.’
“‘Very good.’
“‘I shall come down in a carriage to meet you.’
“‘There is a drive, then?’
“‘Yes, our little place is quite out in the country. It is a goodseven miles from Eyford Station.’
“‘Then we can hardly get there before midnight. I suppose therewould be no chance of a train back. I should be compelled to stopthe night.’
“‘Yes, we could easily give you a shake-down.’
“‘That is very awkward. Could I not come at some more convenienthour?’
“‘We have judged it best that you should come late. It is torecompense you for any inconvenience that we are paying to you, ayoung and unknown man, a fee which would buy an opinion from thevery heads of your profession. Still, of course, if you wouldlike to draw out of the business, there is plenty of time to doso.’
“I thought of the fifty guineas, and of how very useful theywould be to me. ‘Not at all,’ said I, ‘I shall be very happy toaccommodate myself to your wishes. I should like, however, tounderstand a little more clearly what it is that you wish me todo.’
“‘Quite so. It is very natural that the pledge of secrecy whichwe have exacted from you should have aroused your curiosity. Ihave no wish to commit you to anything without your having it alllaid before you. I suppose that we are absolutely safe fromeavesdroppers?’
“‘Entirely.’
“‘Then the matter stands thus. You are probably aware thatfuller’s-earth is a valuable product, and that it is only foundin one or two places in England?’
“‘I have heard so.’
“‘Some little time ago I bought a small place–a very smallplace–within ten miles of Reading. I was fortunate enough todiscover that there was a deposit of fuller’s-earth in one of myfields. On examining it, however, I found that this deposit was acomparatively small one, and that it formed a link between twovery much larger ones upon the right and left–both of them,however, in the grounds of my neighbours. These good people wereabsolutely ignorant that their land contained that which wasquite as valuable as a gold-mine. Naturally, it was to myinterest to buy their land before they discovered its true value,but unfortunately I had no capital by which I could do this. Itook a few of my friends into the secret, however, and theysuggested that we should quietly and secretly work our own littledeposit and that in this way we should earn the money which wouldenable us to buy the neighbouring fields. This we have now beendoing for some time, and in order to help us in our operations weerected a hydraulic press. This press, as I have alreadyexplained, has got out of order, and we wish your advice upon thesubject. We guard our secret very jealously, however, and if itonce became known that we had hydraulic engineers coming to ourlittle house, it would soon rouse inquiry, and then, if the factscame out, it would be good-bye to any chance of getting thesefields and carrying out our plans. That is why I have made youpromise me that you will not tell a human being that you aregoing to Eyford to-night. I hope that I make it all plain?’
“‘I quite follow you,’ said I. ‘The only point which I could notquite understand was what use you could make of a hydraulic pressin excavating fuller’s-earth, which, as I understand, is dug outlike gravel from a pit.’
“‘Ah!’ said he carelessly, ‘we have our own process. We compressthe earth into bricks, so as to remove them without revealingwhat they are. But that is a mere detail. I have taken you fullyinto my confidence now, Mr. Hatherley, and I have shown you how Itrust you.’ He rose as he spoke. ‘I shall expect you, then, atEyford at 11:15.’
“‘I shall certainly be there.’
“‘And not a word to a soul.’ He looked at me with a last long,questioning gaze, and then, pressing my hand in a cold, dankgrasp, he hurried from the room.
“Well, when I came to think it all over in cool blood I was verymuch astonished, as you may both think, at this sudden commissionwhich had been intrusted to me. On the one hand, of course, I wasglad, for the fee was at least tenfold what I should have askedhad I set a price upon my own services, and it was possible thatthis order might lead to other ones. On the other hand, the faceand manner of my patron had made an unpleasant impression uponme, and I could not think that his explanation of thefuller’s-earth was sufficient to explain the necessity for mycoming at midnight, and his extreme anxiety lest I should tellanyone of my errand. However, I threw all fears to the winds, atea hearty supper, drove to Paddington, and started off, havingobeyed to the letter the injunction as to holding my tongue.
“At Reading I had to change not only my carriage but my station.However, I was in time for the last train to Eyford, and Ireached the little dim-lit station after eleven o’clock. I was theonly passenger who got out there, and there was no one upon theplatform save a single sleepy porter with a lantern. As I passedout through the wicket gate, however, I found my acquaintance ofthe morning waiting in the shadow upon the other side. Without aword he grasped my arm and hurried me into a carriage, the doorof which was standing open. He drew up the windows on eitherside, tapped on the wood-work, and away we went as fast as thehorse could go.”
“One horse?” interjected Holmes.
“Yes, only one.”
“Did you observe the colour?”
“Yes, I saw it by the side-lights when I was stepping into thecarriage. It was a chestnut.”
“Tired-looking or fresh?”
“Oh, fresh and glossy.”
“Thank you. I am sorry to have interrupted you. Pray continueyour most interesting statement.”
“Away we went then, and we drove for at least an hour. ColonelLysander Stark had said that it was only seven miles, but Ishould think, from the rate that we seemed to go, and from thetime that we took, that it must have been nearer twelve. He satat my side in silence all the time, and I was aware, more thanonce when I glanced in his direction, that he was looking at mewith great intensity. The country roads seem to be not very goodin that part of the world, for we lurched and jolted terribly. Itried to look out of the windows to see something of where wewere, but they were made of frosted glass, and I could make outnothing save the occasional bright blur of a passing light. Nowand then I hazarded some remark to break the monotony of thejourney, but the colonel answered only in monosyllables, and theconversation soon flagged. At last, however, the bumping of theroad was exchanged for the crisp smoothness of a gravel-drive,and the carriage came to a stand. Colonel Lysander Stark sprangout, and, as I followed after him, pulled me swiftly into a porchwhich gaped in front of us. We stepped, as it were, right out ofthe carriage and into the hall, so that I failed to catch themost fleeting glance of the front of the house. The instant thatI had crossed the threshold the door slammed heavily behind us,and I heard faintly the rattle of the wheels as the carriagedrove away.
“It was pitch dark inside the house, and the colonel fumbledabout looking for matches and muttering under his breath.Suddenly a door opened at the other end of the passage, and along, golden bar of light shot out in our direction. It grewbroader, and a woman appeared with a lamp in her hand, which sheheld above her head, pushing her face forward and peering at us.I could see that she was pretty, and from the gloss with whichthe light shone upon her dark dress I knew that it was a richmaterial. She spoke a few words in a foreign tongue in a tone asthough asking a question, and when my companion answered in agruff monosyllable she gave such a start that the lamp nearlyfell from her hand. Colonel Stark went up to her, whisperedsomething in her ear, and then, pushing her back into the roomfrom whence she had come, he walked towards me again with thelamp in his hand.
“‘Perhaps you will have the kindness to wait in this room for afew minutes,’ said he, throwing open another door. It was aquiet, little, plainly furnished room, with a round table in thecentre, on which several German books were scattered. ColonelStark laid down the lamp on the top of a harmonium beside thedoor. ‘I shall not keep you waiting an instant,’ said he, andvanished into the darkness.
“I glanced at the books upon the table, and in spite of myignorance of German I could see that two of them were treatiseson science, the others being volumes of poetry. Then I walkedacross to the window, hoping that I might catch some glimpse ofthe country-side, but an oak shutter, heavily barred, was foldedacross it. It was a wonderfully silent house. There was an oldclock ticking loudly somewhere in the passage, but otherwiseeverything was deadly still. A vague feeling of uneasiness beganto steal over me. Who were these German people, and what werethey doing living in this strange, out-of-the-way place? Andwhere was the place? I was ten miles or so from Eyford, that wasall I knew, but whether north, south, east, or west I had noidea. For that matter, Reading, and possibly other large towns,were within that radius, so the place might not be so secluded,after all. Yet it was quite certain, from the absolute stillness,that we were in the country. I paced up and down the room,humming a tune under my breath to keep up my spirits and feelingthat I was thoroughly earning my fifty-guinea fee.
“Suddenly, without any preliminary sound in the midst of theutter stillness, the door of my room swung slowly open. The womanwas standing in the aperture, the darkness of the hall behindher, the yellow light from my lamp beating upon her eager andbeautiful face. I could see at a glance that she was sick withfear, and the sight sent a chill to my own heart. She held up oneshaking finger to warn me to be silent, and she shot a fewwhispered words of broken English at me, her eyes glancing back,like those of a frightened horse, into the gloom behind her.
“‘I would go,’ said she, trying hard, as it seemed to me, tospeak calmly; ‘I would go. I should not stay here. There is nogood for you to do.’
“‘But, madam,’ said I, ‘I have not yet done what I came for. Icannot possibly leave until I have seen the machine.’
“‘It is not worth your while to wait,’ she went on. ‘You can passthrough the door; no one hinders.’ And then, seeing that I smiledand shook my head, she suddenly threw aside her constraint andmade a step forward, with her hands wrung together. ‘For the loveof Heaven!’ she whispered, ‘get away from here before it is toolate!’
“But I am somewhat headstrong by nature, and the more ready toengage in an affair when there is some obstacle in the way. Ithought of my fifty-guinea fee, of my wearisome journey, and ofthe unpleasant night which seemed to be before me. Was it all togo for nothing? Why should I slink away without having carriedout my commission, and without the payment which was my due? Thiswoman might, for all I knew, be a monomaniac. With a stoutbearing, therefore, though her manner had shaken me more than Icared to confess, I still shook my head and declared my intentionof remaining where I was. She was about to renew her entreatieswhen a door slammed overhead, and the sound of several footstepswas heard upon the stairs. She listened for an instant, threw upher hands with a despairing gesture, and vanished as suddenly andas noiselessly as she had come.
“The newcomers were Colonel Lysander Stark and a short thick manwith a chinchilla beard growing out of the creases of his doublechin, who was introduced to me as Mr. Ferguson.
“‘This is my secretary and manager,’ said the colonel. ‘By theway, I was under the impression that I left this door shut justnow. I fear that you have felt the draught.’
“‘On the contrary,’ said I, ‘I opened the door myself because Ifelt the room to be a little close.’
“He shot one of his suspicious looks at me. ‘Perhaps we hadbetter proceed to business, then,’ said he. ‘Mr. Ferguson and Iwill take you up to see the machine.’
“‘I had better put my hat on, I suppose.’
“‘Oh, no, it is in the house.’
“‘What, you dig fuller’s-earth in the house?’
“‘No, no. This is only where we compress it. But never mind that.All we wish you to do is to examine the machine and to let usknow what is wrong with it.’
“We went upstairs together, the colonel first with the lamp, thefat manager and I behind him. It was a labyrinth of an old house,with corridors, passages, narrow winding staircases, and littlelow doors, the thresholds of which were hollowed out by thegenerations who had crossed them. There were no carpets and nosigns of any furniture above the ground floor, while the plasterwas peeling off the walls, and the damp was breaking through ingreen, unhealthy blotches. I tried to put on as unconcerned anair as possible, but I had not forgotten the warnings of thelady, even though I disregarded them, and I kept a keen eye uponmy two companions. Ferguson appeared to be a morose and silentman, but I could see from the little that he said that he was atleast a fellow-countryman.
“Colonel Lysander Stark stopped at last before a low door, whichhe unlocked. Within was a small, square room, in which the threeof us could hardly get at one time. Ferguson remained outside,and the colonel ushered me in.
“‘We are now,’ said he, ‘actually within the hydraulic press, andit would be a particularly unpleasant thing for us if anyone wereto turn it on. The ceiling of this small chamber is really theend of the descending piston, and it comes down with the force ofmany tons upon this metal floor. There are small lateral columnsof water outside which receive the force, and which transmit andmultiply it in the manner which is familiar to you. The machinegoes readily enough, but there is some stiffness in the workingof it, and it has lost a little of its force. Perhaps you willhave the goodness to look it over and to show us how we can setit right.’
“I took the lamp from him, and I examined the machine verythoroughly. It was indeed a gigantic one, and capable ofexercising enormous pressure. When I passed outside, however, andpressed down the levers which controlled it, I knew at once bythe whishing sound that there was a slight leakage, which alloweda regurgitation of water through one of the side cylinders. Anexamination showed that one of the india-rubber bands which wasround the head of a driving-rod had shrunk so as not quite tofill the socket along which it worked. This was clearly the causeof the loss of power, and I pointed it out to my companions, whofollowed my remarks very carefully and asked several practicalquestions as to how they should proceed to set it right. When Ihad made it clear to them, I returned to the main chamber of themachine and took a good look at it to satisfy my own curiosity.It was obvious at a glance that the story of the fuller’s-earthwas the merest fabrication, for it would be absurd to supposethat so powerful an engine could be designed for so inadequate apurpose. The walls were of wood, but the floor consisted of alarge iron trough, and when I came to examine it I could see acrust of metallic deposit all over it. I had stooped and wasscraping at this to see exactly what it was when I heard amuttered exclamation in German and saw the cadaverous face of thecolonel looking down at me.
“‘What are you doing there?’ he asked.
“I felt angry at having been tricked by so elaborate a story asthat which he had told me. ‘I was admiring your fuller’s-earth,’said I; ‘I think that I should be better able to advise you as toyour machine if I knew what the exact purpose was for which itwas used.’
“The instant that I uttered the words I regretted the rashness ofmy speech. His face set hard, and a baleful light sprang up inhis grey eyes.
was during the night, sir, but it has got worse,and the whole place is in a blaze.”were.
“‘Very well,’ said he, ‘you shall know all about the machine.’ Hetook a step backward, slammed the little door, and turned the keyin the lock. I rushed towards it and pulled at the handle, but itwas quite secure, and did not give in the least to my kicks andshoves. ‘Hullo!’ I yelled. ‘Hullo! Colonel! Let me out!’
“And then suddenly in the silence I heard a sound which sent myheart into my mouth. It was the clank of the levers and the swishof the leaking cylinder. He had set the engine at work. The lampstill stood upon the floor where I had placed it when examiningthe trough. By its light I saw that the black ceiling was comingdown upon me, slowly, jerkily, but, as none knew better thanmyself, with a force which must within a minute grind me to ashapeless pulp. I threw myself, screaming, against the door, anddragged with my nails at the lock. I implored the colonel to letme out, but the remorseless clanking of the levers drowned mycries. The ceiling was only a foot or two above my head, and withmy hand upraised I could feel its hard, rough surface. Then itflashed through my mind that the pain of my death would dependvery much upon the position in which I met it. If I lay on myface the weight would come upon my spine, and I shuddered tothink of that dreadful snap. Easier the other way, perhaps; andyet, had I the nerve to lie and look up at that deadly blackshadow wavering down upon me? Already I was unable to standerect, when my eye caught something which brought a gush of hopeback to my heart.
“I have said that though the floor and ceiling were of iron, thewalls were of wood. As I gave a last hurried glance around, I sawa thin line of yellow light between two of the boards, whichbroadened and broadened as a small panel was pushed backward. Foran instant I could hardly believe that here was indeed a doorwhich led away from death. The next instant I threw myselfthrough, and lay half-fainting upon the other side. The panel hadclosed again behind me, but the crash of the lamp, and a fewmoments afterwards the clang of the two slabs of metal, told mehow narrow had been my escape.
“I was recalled to myself by a frantic plucking at my wrist, andI found myself lying upon the stone floor of a narrow corridor,while a woman bent over me and tugged at me with her left hand,while she held a candle in her right. It was the same good friendwhose warning I had so foolishly rejected.
“‘Come! come!’ she cried breathlessly. ‘They will be here in amoment. They will see that you are not there. Oh, do not wastethe so-precious time, but come!’
“This time, at least, I did not scorn her advice. I staggered tomy feet and ran with her along the corridor and down a windingstair. The latter led to another broad passage, and just as wereached it we heard the sound of running feet and the shouting oftwo voices, one answering the other from the floor on which wewere and from the one beneath. My guide stopped and looked abouther like one who is at her wit’s end. Then she threw open a doorwhich led into a bedroom, through the window of which the moonwas shining brightly.
“‘It is your only chance,’ said she. ‘It is high, but it may bethat you can jump it.’
“As she spoke a light sprang into view at the further end of thepassage, and I saw the lean figure of Colonel Lysander Starkrushing forward with a lantern in one hand and a weapon like abutcher’s cleaver in the other. I rushed across the bedroom,flung open the window, and looked out. How quiet and sweet andwholesome the garden looked in the moonlight, and it could not bemore than thirty feet down. I clambered out upon the sill, but Ihesitated to jump until I should have heard what passed betweenmy saviour and the ruffian who pursued me. If she were ill-used,then at any risks I was determined to go back to her assistance.The thought had hardly flashed through my mind before he was atthe door, pushing his way past her; but she threw her arms roundhim and tried to hold him back.
“‘Fritz! Fritz!’ she cried in English, ‘remember your promiseafter the last time. You said it should not be again. He will besilent! Oh, he will be silent!’
“‘You are mad, Elise!’ he shouted, struggling to break away fromher. ‘You will be the ruin of us. He has seen too much. Let mepass, I say!’ He dashed her to one side, and, rushing to thewindow, cut at me with his heavy weapon. I had let myself go, andwas hanging by the hands to the sill, when his blow fell. I wasconscious of a dull pain, my grip loosened, and I fell into thegarden below.
“I was shaken but not hurt by the fall; so I picked myself up andrushed off among the bushes as hard as I could run, for Iunderstood that I was far from being out of danger yet. Suddenly,however, as I ran, a deadly dizziness and sickness came over me.I glanced down at my hand, which was throbbing painfully, andthen, for the first time, saw that my thumb had been cut off andthat the blood was pouring from my wound. I endeavoured to tie myhandkerchief round it, but there came a sudden buzzing in myears, and next moment I fell in a dead faint among therose-bushes.
“How long I remained unconscious I cannot tell. It must have beena very long time, for the moon had sunk, and a bright morning wasbreaking when I came to myself. My clothes were all sodden withdew, and my coat-sleeve was drenched with blood from my woundedthumb. The smarting of it recalled in an instant all theparticulars of my night’s adventure, and I sprang to my feet withthe feeling that I might hardly yet be safe from my pursuers. Butto my astonishment, when I came to look round me, neither housenor garden were to be seen. I had been lying in an angle of thehedge close by the highroad, and just a little lower down was along building, which proved, upon my approaching it, to be thevery station at which I had arrived upon the previous night. Wereit not for the ugly wound upon my hand, all that had passedduring those dreadful hours might have been an evil dream.
“Half dazed, I went into the station and asked about the morningtrain. There would be one to Reading in less than an hour. Thesame porter was on duty, I found, as had been there when Iarrived. I inquired of him whether he had ever heard of ColonelLysander Stark. The name was strange to him. Had he observed acarriage the night before waiting for me? No, he had not. Wasthere a police-station anywhere near? There was one about threemiles off.
“It was too far for me to go, weak and ill as I was. I determinedto wait until I got back to town before telling my story to thepolice. It was a little past six when I arrived, so I went firstto have my wound dressed, and then the doctor was kind enough tobring me along here. I put the case into your hands and shall doexactly what you advise.”
We both sat in silence for some little time after listening tothis extraordinary narrative. Then Sherlock Holmes pulled downfrom the shelf one of the ponderous commonplace books in which heplaced his cuttings.
“Here is an advertisement which will interest you,” said he. “Itappeared in all the papers about a year ago. Listen to this:’Lost, on the 9th inst., Mr. Jeremiah Hayling, agedtwenty-six, a hydraulic engineer. Left his lodgings at teno’clock at night, and has not been heard of since. Wasdressed in,’ etc., etc. Ha! That represents the last time thatthe colonel needed to have his machine overhauled, I fancy.”
“Good heavens!” cried my patient. “Then that explains what thegirl said.”
“Undoubtedly. It is quite clear that the colonel was a cool anddesperate man, who was absolutely determined that nothing shouldstand in the way of his little game, like those out-and-outpirates who will leave no survivor from a captured ship. Well,every moment now is precious, so if you feel equal to it we shallgo down to Scotland Yard at once as a preliminary to starting forEyford.”
Some three hours or so afterwards we were all in the traintogether, bound from Reading to the little Berkshire village.There were Sherlock Holmes, the hydraulic engineer, InspectorBradstreet, of Scotland Yard, a plain-clothes man, and myself.Bradstreet had spread an ordnance map of the county out upon theseat and was busy with his compasses drawing a circle with Eyfordfor its centre.
“There you are,” said he. “That circle is drawn at a radius often miles from the village. The place we want must be somewherenear that line. You said ten miles, I think, sir.”
“It was an hour’s good drive.”
“And you think that they brought you back all that way when youwere unconscious?”
“They must have done so. I have a confused memory, too, of havingbeen lifted and conveyed somewhere.”
“What I cannot understand,” said I, “is why they should havespared you when they found you lying fainting in the garden.Perhaps the villain was softened by the woman’s entreaties.”
“I hardly think that likely. I never saw a more inexorable facein my life.”
“Oh, we shall soon clear up all that,” said Bradstreet. “Well, Ihave drawn my circle, and I only wish I knew at what point uponit the folk that we are in search of are to be found.”
“I think I could lay my finger on it,” said Holmes quietly.
“Really, now!” cried the inspector, “you have formed youropinion! Come, now, we shall see who agrees with you. I say it issouth, for the country is more deserted there.”
“And I say east,” said my patient.
“I am for west,” remarked the plain-clothes man. “There areseveral quiet little villages up there.”
“And I am for north,” said I, “because there are no hills there,and our friend says that he did not notice the carriage go upany.”
“Come,” cried the inspector, laughing; “it’s a very prettydiversity of opinion. We have boxed the compass among us. Who doyou give your casting vote to?”
“You are all wrong.”
“But we can’t all be.”
“Oh, yes, you can. This is my point.” He placed his finger in thecentre of the circle. “This is where we shall find them.”
“But the twelve-mile drive?” gasped Hatherley.
“Six out and six back. Nothing simpler. You say yourself that thehorse was fresh and glossy when you got in. How could it be thatif it had gone twelve miles over heavy roads?”
“Indeed, it is a likely ruse enough,” observed Bradstreetthoughtfully. “Of course there can be no doubt as to the natureof this gang.”
“None at all,” said Holmes. “They are coiners on a large scale,and have used the machine to form the amalgam which has taken theplace of silver.”
“We have known for some time that a clever gang was at work,”said the inspector. “They have been turning out half-crowns bythe thousand. We even traced them as far as Reading, but couldget no farther, for they had covered their traces in a way thatshowed that they were very old hands. But now, thanks to thislucky chance, I think that we have got them right enough.”
But the inspector was mistaken, for those criminals were notdestined to fall into the hands of justice. As we rolled intoEyford Station we saw a gigantic column of smoke which streamedup from behind a small clump of trees in the neighbourhood andhung like an immense ostrich feather over the landscape.
“A house on fire?” asked Bradstreet as the train steamed offagain on its way.
“Yes, sir!” said the station-master.
“When did it break out?”
“I hear that it was during the night, sir, but it has got worse,and the whole place is in a blaze.”
“Whose house is it?”
“Dr. Becher’s.”
“Tell me,” broke in the engineer, “is Dr. Becher a German, verythin, with a long, sharp nose?”
The station-master laughed heartily. “No, sir, Dr. Becher is anEnglishman, and there isn’t a man in the parish who has abetter-lined waistcoat. But he has a gentleman staying with him,a patient, as I understand, who is a foreigner, and he looks asif a little good Berkshire beef would do him no harm.”
The station-master had not finished his speech before we were allhastening in the direction of the fire. The road topped a lowhill, and there was a great widespread whitewashed building infront of us, spouting fire at every chink and window, while inthe garden in front three fire-engines were vainly striving tokeep the flames under.
“That’s it!” cried Hatherley, in intense excitement. “There isthe gravel-drive, and there are the rose-bushes where I lay. Thatsecond window is the one that I jumped from.”
“Well, at least,” said Holmes, “you have had your revenge uponthem. There can be no question that it was your oil-lamp which,when it was crushed in the press, set fire to the wooden walls,though no doubt they were too excited in the chase after you toobserve it at the time. Now keep your eyes open in this crowd foryour friends of last night, though I very much fear that they area good hundred miles off by now.”
And Holmes’ fears came to be realised, for from that day to thisno word has ever been heard either of the beautiful woman, thesinister German, or the morose Englishman. Early that morning apeasant had met a cart containing several people and some verybulky boxes driving rapidly in the direction of Reading, butthere all traces of the fugitives disappeared, and even Holmes’ingenuity failed ever to discover the least clue as to theirwhereabouts.
The firemen had been much perturbed at the strange arrangementswhich they had found within, and still more so by discovering anewly severed human thumb upon a window-sill of the second floor.About sunset, however, their efforts were at last successful, andthey subdued the flames, but not before the roof had fallen in,and the whole place been reduced to such absolute ruin that, savesome twisted cylinders and iron piping, not a trace remained ofthe machinery which had cost our unfortunate acquaintance sodearly. Large masses of nickel and of tin were discovered storedin an out-house, but no coins were to be found, which may haveexplained the presence of those bulky boxes which have beenalready referred to.
How our hydraulic engineer had been conveyed from the garden tothe spot where he recovered his senses might have remainedforever a mystery were it not for the soft mould, which told us avery plain tale. He had evidently been carried down by twopersons, one of whom had remarkably small feet and the otherunusually large ones. On the whole, it was most probable that thesilent Englishman, being less bold or less murderous than hiscompanion, had assisted the woman to bear the unconscious man outof the way of danger.
“Well,” said our engineer ruefully as we took our seats to returnonce more to London, “it has been a pretty business for me! Ihave lost my thumb and I have lost a fifty-guinea fee, and whathave I gained?”
“Experience,” said Holmes, laughing. “Indirectly it may be ofvalue, you know; you have only to put it into words to gain thereputation of being excellent company for the remainder of yourexistence.”
在我们交往很密切的那些年月里，提供我朋友歇洛克·福尔摩斯解决的所有问题中，只有两件案子是通过我介绍而引其他注意的：一件是哈瑟利先生大拇指案，另一件是沃伯顿上校发疯案。在这两件案子中，对一位机敏而又有独到见解的读者来说，后一件可能更值得探讨。但是，前一件，一开头就十分奇特，事情的细节又非常富有戏剧性，因此它也许更值得记述，虽然它很少用得上我朋友取得卓越成就所运用的那些进行推理的演绎法。我相信，这个故事在报纸上已经登载过不止一次了。但是，就象所有其它诸如此类的叙述那样，只用半栏篇幅笼统地登出来，结果远未引仆人们的注意。因此，还不如让事实慢慢地在你眼前展开，并且让案情之谜随着每一项有助于进一步使人了解全部事实真相的新发现而逐渐得到解决，这样更加引人入胜。当时的情景，给我的印象很深，尽管时光流逝，两年过去了，我似乎还记忆犹新。
我现在要扼要讲讲的故事发生在我结婚后不久的一八八九年的夏天。我那时已重新开业行医，并且终于把福尔摩斯一个人舍弃在贝克街的寓所里，虽然我还不时地探望他，甚至偶尔还劝说他去掉他那豪放不羁的习性来我家作客。我的业务蒸蒸日上，凑巧我的住处离帕丁顿车站不远，有几位铁路员工就到我这里来看病。由于我治好了他们当中一位所患的痛苦缠绵的病，他就不厌其烦地到处大肆宣传我的医术，尽量将他能够对之施加影响的每一个病人都送到我这里来诊治。
一天早晨，将近七点钟的时候，我被女佣人的敲门声吵醒。她对我说，从帕丁顿来了两个人，正在诊室里等候。我急忙穿上衣服，匆匆下楼。因为经验告诉我，铁路上来的人，病情大都是相当严重的。我下楼后，我的老伙伴——那个铁路警察从诊室里走了出来，并随手把门紧紧地关上。
“我把他带到这儿来了，”他把大拇指举到肩头朝后指指，悄悄地说：“他现在问题不大了。”
“这是怎么回事？”我问道，因为他的举止使我感到似乎他把一个怪物关在我的房间里了。
“是一个新病人，”他悄悄地说，“我认为我最好还是亲自把他送来，这样他就溜不掉了。我现在就得走，大夫，我和你一样，还得值班去，他现在在里边安然无恙了。”说完，这位忠实的介绍人，甚至不让我有向他道谢的机会，就一下子走掉了。
我走进诊室，发现有一位先生坐在桌旁。他穿着朴素，一身花呢衣服，一顶软帽放在我的几本书上面。他的一只手裹着一块手帕，手帕上斑斑点点尽是血迹。他很年轻，看上去最多不超过二十五岁，容貌英俊，但面色极其苍白。给我的印象是，他正在用他全部的意志来极力控制由于某种剧烈的震动而产生的痛苦。
“我很抱歉这么早就把您吵醒了，大夫，”他说，“我在夜里遇到了一件极其严重的事故。今天早晨我乘火车来到这里，在帕丁顿车站打听什么地方可以找到医生时，一位好心人非常热心地把我护送到这里来了。我给了女佣人一张名片，我看到她将它放到旁边的桌子上了。”
我拿起名片瞧了一下，见上面印着：维克托·哈瑟利先生，水利工程师，维多利亚街１６号甲（四楼）。这就是这位客人的姓名、身份和地址。“很抱歉，让您久等了，”我边说边坐在我的靠椅上，“我看得出您刚刚坐了一整夜的车，夜间乘车本来是一件单调乏味的事情。”
“噢，我这一宵可不能说是单调乏味，”他说着不禁放声大笑起来，笑声又高又尖。他身子往后靠在椅子上，捧腹大笑不忍。这笑声引起我医学本能极大的反感。
“别笑了！”我喊道，“镇定镇定吧！”我从玻璃水瓶里倒了一杯水给他。
然而，这根本不起作用，他正在歇斯底里大发作。这是一种性格坚强的人在渡过一场巨大危难之后所产生的歇斯底里。片刻间，他又清醒过来，精疲力竭，面色苍白。
“我真是出尽了洋相，”他气喘吁吁地说。
“没有的话，把这喝下去吧。”我往水里掺了些白兰地，他那毫无血色的双颊开始有些红润了。
“好多了！”他说，”那么，大夫费心给我瞧瞧我的大拇指吧，应当说，瞧瞧我的大拇指原来所在的部位。”
他解开手帕，将手伸了出来。这场面就是铁石心肠的人也会目不忍睹的！只见四根突出的手指和一片鲜红可怕的海绵状断面，这里本来该是大拇指的部位。大拇指已被迫根剁掉或硬拽下来了。
“天哪！”我喊着，“多么可怕的创伤，一定流了不少血。”
“是的，流了不少血。受伤后我昏迷过去，我相信我一定有很长一段时间失去了知觉。等我苏醒过来时，我发现它还在流血，于是我把手帕的一端紧紧地缠在手腕上，并用一根小树枝把它绷紧。”
“包扎得好极了！您本应该当一名外科医生才对！”
“您瞧，这是一项水利学问题，属于我自己的专业知识范围之内的。”
“这是用一件非常沉重、锋利的器具砍的。”我边检查伤口边说道。
“象是用屠夫的切肉刀砍的。”他说。
“我想，这是意外事故，对吗？”
“决不是。”
“什么？是有人蓄意凶残地砍的吗？”
“嗯，确实极其凶残。”
“真吓人。”
我用海绵洗涤了伤口，揩拭干净，将它敷裹好，最后用脱脂棉和消毒绷带将它包扎起来。他躺在那里，并没有因为疼痛而动一动，尽管他不时地咬紧牙关。
包扎好后，我问道，“现在您觉得怎样？”
“好极了，您的白兰地和绷带，使我觉得自己变成另外一个人了，原先我非常虚弱。但是我还有许多事情要办。”
“我看您最好还是别谈这件事。很明显，这对您的神经是一种折磨。”
“噢，不会，现在不会了。我还得把这桩事报告警察；但是，不瞒您说，如果我不是有这个伤口为证的话，他们会相信我的话才怪呢，因为这是一件极不寻常的事，而我又没有什么证据足以证明我的话是真实的。况且，即使他们相信我，我所能提供的线索也是非常模糊的，他们是否会为我主持正义还是个问题。”
“嘿！”我喊道，“如果您真想解决什么问题，我倒要向您大力推荐我的朋友福尔摩斯先生。在你去找警察之前，不妨先去找他。”
“噢，我听说过这个人，”我的客人回答说，“假如他受理这个案子，我将非常高兴，尽管同时也要报告警察。您能为我介绍一下吗？”
“岂止为您介绍，我还要亲自陪您去走一趟。”
“那就太感谢您了！”
“我们雇一辆马车一块儿走，我们还来得及赶上同他一起吃点早餐。您觉得这样做身体行吗？”
“行，不讲讲我的遭遇，我心里就觉得不舒坦。”
“那么，让我的佣人去雇一辆马车。我去去马上就来。”我匆匆跑到楼上，简单地对妻子解释了几句。五分钟后，我和这位新相识，已坐上一辆双轮小马车直奔贝克街。
正象我所预料的那样，歇洛克·福尔摩斯穿着晨衣正在他的起居室里一边踱步，一边读着《泰晤士报》上刊载的寻人、离婚等启事的专栏，嘴上叼着早餐前抽的烟斗。这个烟斗装的都是前一天抽剩下来的烟丝和烟草块。这些东西被小心地烘干了之后就堆积在壁炉架的角落上。他和蔼可亲地接待了我们，吩咐拿来咸肉片和鸡蛋跟我们一起饱餐了一顿。餐后，他把我们的新相识安顿在沙发上，在他的脑后搁了一个枕头，并在他手边放了一杯掺水白兰地。
“不难看出您的遭遇很不寻常，哈瑟利先生。”他说，“请您就在这里随便躺躺，不要拘束。就您所能将经过告诉我们，累了就稍事休息，喝口酒提提神。”
“谢谢，”我的病人说，“但是自从医生给我包扎以后，我就感到判若两人，而我认为您这顿早餐使得整个治疗过程臻于完满。我尽可能少占用您的宝贵时间，因此，我就马上开始叙述我那奇怪的经历吧！”
福尔摩斯坐在他的大扶手椅里，脸上带着一副疲倦困乏的样子，掩饰了他那敏锐和热切的心情。我坐在他的对面，我们静静地倾听着我们的客人细说他那桩稀奇的故事。
“您二位要知道，”他说，“我是个孤儿，又是个单身汉，孤单一个人住在伦敦。就职业来说，我是水利工程师，在格林威治的一家著名的文纳和马西森公司的七年学徒生涯中，我获得了这一行相当丰富的经验。两年前，我学徒期满。在可怜的爸爸去世后，我又继承了一笔相当可观的钱。于是我就决心自己开业，并在维多利亚大街租到了几间办公室。
“我想，每个人都会发现，第一次独自开业是一件枯燥无味的事。这对我来说，尤譬如此。两年之间，我只受理过三次咨询和一件小活儿，而这就是我的职业带给我的全部工作。我的总收入共计二十七英镑十先令。每天从上午九点到下午四点，我都在我的斗室里期待着，直到最后心灰意冷为止。我终于意识到，将永远不会有任何一个主顾上门了。
“然而，昨天正当我想离开办公室的时候，我的办事员进来通报，有位先生为业务上的事情希望见我，同时递给我一张名片，上面印着莱桑德·斯塔克上校的名字，紧跟着他进屋的就是上校本人。他中上等身材，只是极其瘦削，我从来没有见到过这么瘦削的人。他的整个面部瘦削得只剩下鼻子和下巴，两颊的皮肤紧绷在凸起的颧骨上。然而他这种憔悴模样看来是天生的，而不是由于疾病所致，因为他目光炯炯，步伐轻快，举止自如。他的衣着简朴整齐。他的年龄，据我判断，大约将近四十岁。
“’是哈瑟利先生吗？’他说，有点德国口音，‘哈瑟利先生，有人向我推荐说，您不但精通业务，而且为人小心谨慎，能够保守秘密。’
“我鞠了一躬，就象任何一个青年那样，听到这类恭维的话就感到飘飘然。’我可以冒昧地问一下，是谁把我说得这么好呢？’
“’哦，也许目前我还是不告诉您为好。我从同一消息来源还听说您既是一个孤儿，又是一个单身汉，并且是独身一人住在伦敦。’
“’一点也不错，’我回答说，‘但是请您原谅，我看不出这些和我业务能力有什么关系，据我所知，您是为了一件业务上的事情来同我洽谈的。’
“’的确如此。但是您会发现我没有半句废话。我们有一件工作想委托您，但是最重要的是绝对保密，绝对保密，你懂吗？当然，我们可以希望一位独居的人比一位和家属生活在一起的人更能做到绝对保密。’
“’您可以绝对相信，’我说，‘如果我向您保证严守秘密，那我就一定会做到的。’
“我说话的时候，他的眼睛一直紧紧地盯着我，我几乎从未见过如此猜忌多疑的眼光。
“末了，他说：‘那么，您作出保证啦？’
“’是的，我保证做到。’
“’在事前事后以及整个事情进行的过程中，完全彻底保持缄默，绝对不提这件事，口头上和书面上都不提，能做到吗？’
“’我已经向您保证过了。’
“’那好极了。’猛然间他跳了起来，闪电般地跑过房间，砰地推开了门，外面过道上空无一人。
“’还不错！’他走了回来。‘我知道办事员们有时对他们东家的事情是很好奇的。现在，我们可以安全地谈话了。’他把椅子拉到紧贴我身边的地方，又一次以充满怀疑和探索的眼光打量着我。
“看到这瘦骨嶙峋的人的古怪行为，我的心里泛起了一种反感和近乎恐怖的感觉，甚至失去主顾的担心也抑制不住我流露出来的不耐烦情绪。
“’请您说说您的事吧，先生，’我说，‘我的时间是很宝贵的。’愿上帝饶恕我说的后一句话，但这句话是脱口而出的。
“’工作一个晚上五十个畿尼你感到合适吗？’他问。
“’可真不少。’
“’我说是一个晚上的工作，实际上可能只需要一个小时，我只不过是想请熬您有关一台水力冲压机齿轮脱开的事。只要您指出毛病在什么地方，我们自己很快就会把它修好的。对于这样一桩委托，您觉得怎么样？’
“’工作看来很轻松，报酬却极为优厚。’
“’一点不错，我们想请您今天晚上乘坐末班车来。’
“’到哪儿去？’
“’去伯克郡的艾津。那是接近牛津郡的一个小地方，①②离雷丁不到七英里。帕丁顿有一班车可以在十一点十五分左右送您到那儿。’
“’很好。’
“’我会坐一辆马车来接您。’
“’那么，还得坐马车赶一段路程了？’
“’是的，我们那小地方完全是在乡下，离艾津车站足足有七英里。’
“’这么说午夜前我们是赶不到那儿了。我估计赶不上回程的火车，那么我就不得不在那儿过夜了。’
“’对，我们会给您安排过夜的地方的。’
“’那很不方便，我不能在更方便的时候去吗？’
“’我们认为，您最好晚上来。正是为了补偿您的不便之处，我们才对您这个默默无闻的年轻人，出那么大的价钱。这个价钱用来请教您这一行中最高明的人士也是足够了。当然，如果您想推掉这笔业务，现在还来得及。’
“我想到了五十个畿尼，以及这笔钱对我将是多么有用。’我不是这个意思，’我说，‘我将十分愉快地满足您的愿望。我倒是想更清楚地了解一下，您要我做的是什么工作。’
“’是啊，我们要您一定保证严守秘密，这会很自然地引起
①②均为英格兰中南部一郡。——译者注您的好奇心，我们并不打算委托您办一件事情而又不让您知道它的底细。我想，绝对不会有人偷听吧？’
“’绝对不会。’
“’那么，事情是这样的，您可能知道，漂白土是一种非常贵重的矿产，在英国，只有一两处发现有这种矿藏？’
“’我听说过。’
“’不久以前，我在距离雷丁不到十英里的地方买了一小块地——非常小的一块地，我非常幸运地发现，其中一块地里有漂白土矿床。然而，经过探查之后，我发现这个矿床是比较小的。但它却连接了左右两个大得多的矿床——可是，这两处全在我的邻居的地里。这些善良的人们，对于在他们的土地里蕴藏着和金矿同样贵重的矿藏却一点儿也不知道。自然，在他们发现他们土地的真正价值之前把他们的地买下来是很上算的。但是，不幸我缺乏购买土地的资金。为此，我找了几个朋友秘密商量。他们提议我们应该悄悄地、秘密地开采我们自己那小块矿床，用这种方法来筹集购买邻居土地的资金。到目前为止，我们已经这么干了一段时间了。为了便于操作，我们安装了一台水压机。正象我先前已经说过的那样，这台机器出了毛病，我们希望能得到你的指点。我们小心翼翼地保守着秘密，可是，一旦有人知道我们曾请过水利工程师到我们的小房子来，很快就会引仆人们的好奇。那时，如果真象泄露出去，那么获得这些土地和实行我们的计划的机会就全完了。这就是我要您保证不对任何人透露您今天晚上要到艾津去的缘故。我希望我已经把一切都讲清楚了。’
“’我听得很明白，’我说，‘唯一不太明白的一点是，水压机对你挖漂白土有什么用处？据我所知，漂白土是象从矿坑里掏沙砾那样挖出来的。’
“’啊，’他不在意地说，‘我们有我们自己的方法，我们把土碾压成砖坯，以便在搬运的时候不致于泄露它们是什么东西。但那只不过是一些细节。现在我已经向您透露了全部秘密，哈瑟利先生，并且向您表示了我是多么信任您。’他边说边站了起来。’那么，十一点十五分在艾津见。’
“’我一定到那里去。’
“’绝对不能对任何人说。’最后，他又久久地以怀疑的眼光凝视着我。然后，用他那湿冷的手和我握了一下，就急急忙忙走出了房间。
“后来，正如您们两位可以想象出来的，当我冷静下来，全盘考虑这件事时，我对我所接受的这件突如其来地委托给我的业务感到十分惊讶。当然，一方面我很高兴，因为假如给我的任务定个价格，他出的酬金至少是十倍于我所要求的，并且很可能这次任务会导致其它一些任务。另一方面，我的主顾的那副尊容和举止给了我一个很不愉快的印象，我觉得他关于漂白土的解释不足以说明我深夜前往的必要性，也不足以说明他为什么那么担心，唯恐我会对别人谈到我这件差事。不管怎么样，我把一切恐惧置诸脑后，饱餐了一顿晚饭，驱车前往帕丁顿，接着就上了路，严格遵守主顾要我守口如凭的禁令。
“在雷丁，我不仅必须换车，而且必须更换车站。但是，我刚好赶上了开往艾津的最后一班火车，十一点钟以后，就到达了那灯光暗淡的小站。我是在那里下车的唯一的乘客，除了一个提着灯笼显得发困的搬运工人之外，站台上阒无一人。然而当我走出检票口时，我发现我早上结交的那位相识正在另一边没有灯光的暗处等待着我。他一言不发就攥住了我的胳膊，催我赶紧登上一辆一直敞开着车门的马车。他拉上两边的窗子，敲了敲马车的木板，马就飞快地奔跑了起来。”
“只有一匹马吗？”福尔摩斯突然插话问道。
“对，只有一匹。”
“您注意到它的颜色了吗？”
“是的，当我跨进车厢时，借着边灯我瞧了一下。是匹栗色的马。”
“看上去很蔫还是生气勃勃的？”
“唷，生气勃勃，毛色非常光润。”
“谢谢，对不起，打断了您的话，您的叙述很有趣，请您接着往下讲。”
“就这样，我们上了路，马车行驶了至少有一个小时。莱桑德·斯塔克上校说过只有七英里远，但是我总觉得，从我们行进的速度和所花的时间来看，肯定将近有十二英里的路程。整个行程中，他一直默默地坐在我的旁边，有几次我朝他那个方向瞟过去，觉察到他一直在紧张地盯着我。那个地方的乡间道路看来不太好，因为车子颠簸得很厉害，弄得我们东倒西歪。我尽力向窗外看去，想看看我们是到了什么地方。但是窗子是毛玻璃的，除了偶尔经过有灯的地方时看到一片模模糊糊的亮光以外，我什么也看不清。我不时地找几句话来打破旅途的沉闷，但是上校只是用只言片语来回答我。这样，话也就谈不下去了。最后，马车由在崎岖不平的路上颠簸向前变成在砾石路上平稳行驶，接着就停了下来。莱桑德上校跳下马车，我跟随在后面，他突然一把将我拉进了就在我们面前敞开着的大门。我们仿佛是一跨出马车便进入了大厅，以致我连粗略地平视一下房子正面的机会都没有。我一跨进门槛，门就在我的身后砰的一声重重地关上了。我隐隐约约地听到了马车离开时吱吱嘎嘎的车轮声。
“房子里漆黑一团，上校摸索着寻找火柴，并低声地咕哝着。这时走廊的另一端有一扇门忽然打开。一道长长的金色亮光射向我们这个方向。灯光越来越亮，接着出现了一个女人，手里掌着一盏灯，高高举在头顶上，她朝前探身注视着我们。我看得分明，她长得很漂亮，灯光照在她那黑色的服装上，从反射出来的光泽我看出那是很华丽的衣料。她说了几句外国话，听口气好象是在问话。当我的伙伴粗暴地三言两语地回答时，她是那样的吃惊，手里的灯差一点掉了下来。斯塔克上校走到她身边，对着她的耳朵悄声地说了些什么，然后把她推回她从那里出来的房间里。随后他手里提着灯又朝着我走过来。
“’也许得请您在这房间里稍等几分钟，’他说着，推开了另一个房门。这是一间平静、陈设简单的小房间。房间中间有一张圆桌，上面散乱地堆着几本德文书。斯塔克上校把灯放在门旁边一架小风琴的顶上。’我不会让您久等的。’说着，他就隐没到黑暗中去了。
“我瞧着桌子上的书，尽管我不懂德文，我还是看出其中有两本是科学论文，其它是诗集。我随后走到窗口，希望能看一看乡间的景色，但是一扇关闭得很严的栎木百叶窗遮住了窗子。房间里寂静的出奇，一座旧钟在走廊里不知什么地方滴嗒滴嗒地响着。除此之外，一切都是死一般的沉寂。一阵模模糊糊的不安的感觉渐渐支配了我。这些德国人是些什么人？他们卜居在这穷乡僻壤干些什么勾当？这个地方又是在哪儿？我只知道这里距离艾津十英里左右，但是连东西南北，都分不清楚。
“就这个地方的位置来说，雷丁可能还有其它一些大镇子的位置都是在这个半径范围之内，所以这个地方可能并不那么偏僻。然而，这里是那么寂静，可以十分肯定我们是在乡间。我在房间里踱来踱去，低声地哼着小调来壮胆，并感觉到我完全是为了挣那五十畿尼的酬金来的。
“突然，在这极度寂静之中，事先没有听到一点响声，我房间的门慢慢地打开了。那个女人站在门缝里，身后是黑暗的大厅，我那盏灯上昏黄的灯光照在她那热切而美丽的面庞上。我一眼就看出她惶恐不安的神色，这个情景使我感到胆战心寒。她哆哆嗦嗦地举起一只手指警告我不要作声，飞快地对我说了声不太象样的英国话。她的眼睛就象一匹受惊的马驹那样，匆匆地回顾身后的阴暗处。
“’我要是您我就跑掉了，’她说。看来她是在力图使自己讲得平静一些，‘我要是您我就跑掉了，我不会留在这儿。留下来对您没有好处。’
“’但是，夫人，’我说，‘我还没有做为此而来的工作呢。我在看过机器之后，才能离开这里。’
“’不值得一等，’她接着说，‘您可以从这扇门走出去，没有人会阻拦您。’她见我微笑着摆摆头，突然摆脱了局促的状态，向前走了一步，两手紧握在一起。‘看在上天的面上！’她低声说，‘趁现在还来得及，快点逃跑！”
“但是我这个人天生有点固执，在从事某项工作而遇到阻碍时，就会更加坚持不懈。我想到我那五十畿尼的酬金，那一趟疲惫的旅行，还有看来摆在我面前的将是一个很不愉快的夜晚。是否这一切都毫无代价地让它们付诸东流呢？为什么我不完成委托给我的任务，也不领取我应得的报酬就偷偷逃走呢？就我所看到的，她可能是个偏执狂的女人。因此，尽管她的神态给我的震动大大超过了我所愿意承认的程度，我却态度坚定，依旧摇摇头，表明我要留在那里的意图。她正要重新提出她的恳求，这时只听见楼上有很响的关门声，接着就听到楼梯上的一些脚步声。她倾听了片刻，举起双手做了一个绝望的姿势，便和她来时一样，悄无声息地遽然消失了。
“进来的是莱桑德·斯塔克上校和一个身材矮胖、双下巴的褶痕上长着栗鼠胡须的人。上校向我介绍他是弗格森先生。
“’这位是我的秘书兼经理，’上校说，‘顺便说一下，我记得我刚才是让这扇门关着的。我担心穿堂风吹着您。’
“’恰恰相反，’我说，‘是我自己把门打开的，因为我感到这个房间有点闷人。’
“他狐疑地看了我一眼。‘那么，我们最好还是着手进行我们的事吧，’他说，‘弗格森先生和我准备领您到上面去看看机器。’
“’我想，我最好还是戴上帽子吧。’
“’噢，没有必要，就在这所房子里面。’
“’什么？你们在房子里挖漂白土？’
“’不，不。这只是我们压砖坯的地方。不过这无关紧要。我们希望您做的只是检查一下机器，并让我们知道是什么毛病。’
“我们一起上了楼，上校提着灯走在前面，胖经理和我跟在他后面。这是一座迷宫似的古老房子，有许许多多走廊、过道、狭窄的盘旋式楼梯、低矮的小门，所有的门槛，由于几代人的践踏已凹陷了下去。在底层的地板上没有地毯，也没有安放过家具的痕迹，墙上的灰泥已经剥落，绿色肮脏的污渍上还在冒出湿气。我尽量摆出一副不在意的姿态，但是我并没有忘记那位夫人的警告，尽管我没有把它当一回事，我还是留神注意着我的两位伙伴。弗格森看样子是个乖僻沉默的人，可是从他所说的很少几句话里还是可以判断出他至少是一位同胞。
“最后莱桑德·斯塔克上校在一扇矮门前站住，打开了锁。门内是一个小小的方形房间，我们三个人不能同时进去。弗格森留在外面，上校领我走了进去。
“’我们，’他说，‘现在实际上是在水压机里面，如果有谁把它开动的话，对我们来说那将是一桩非常不愉快的事。这个小房间的天花板，实际上是下降活塞的终端，它下落到这个金属地板上时带有好几吨的压力。在外面有些小的横向的水柱，里面的水受压力后就会按照您所熟悉的方式传导和增加所受的压力。机器很容易运转，只是在运转时有点不灵活，浪费掉一小部分压力。请费心查看一下，并告诉我们怎样才能把它修好。’
伊利斯！’他咆哮着。
“我从他手里拿过灯，非常彻底地检查那机器。这确实是一台庞大的机器，能够产生巨大的压力。然而，当我走到外面，压下操纵杆时，就听到有飕飕声，我马上明白这是机器里有细微的裂隙，裂隙使得水能经由一个侧活塞回流。经过检查表明传动杆头上的一个橡皮垫圈已经皱缩了，因而不能塞住在其中来回移动的杆套。这很明显是浪费压力的原因，我向我的伙伴指出了这一点。他非常仔细地听着我的话，并问了几个关于应该怎么修理好这台机器的实际问题。对他们交代清楚以后，我回到机器的主室内。为了满足我的好奇心，我仔细地打量着这个小房间。只要看一眼就会明白，关于漂白土的故事，完全是胡扯。因为如果认为这个功效如此之大的机器竟然是为这么不恰当的目的而设计的，那才真是荒唐可笑呢。房间的墙壁是木头做的，但是地板却是由一个大铁槽构成的。当我开始察看它时，我看到上面积了满满一层金属积屑。我弯下腰去，正用手指去挖，想看看到底是什么东西，这时只听到一声德语的低沉的惊叫，同时看到上校那张死灰色的脸正朝下望着我。
“’你在那儿干什么？’他问道。
“由于上了他那精心编造的故事的当，我感到很生气。‘我正在欣赏您的漂白土，’我说，‘我想如果我知道了使用这台机器的真正目的，我不是更能向您提供一些有关它的建议吗？’
“可是话一出口，我立即就为自己鲁莽的语言而感到后悔。他的脸色变得很难看，灰色的眼睛里射出了邪恶的光芒。
“’很好，’他说，‘你会知道这机器的一切！’他向后退了一步，砰地一声关上了小门，将插在锁孔里的钥匙转动了一下。我向门冲去，使劲地拉着把手，但是这门关得严严实实，尽管我连踢带推，它却纹丝不动。
“’喂！’我大叫起来。’喂，上校！放我出去！’
“这时，在寂静之中，我突然听到了一种声音，这声音一下子使我急得心都要跳出来了。那是杠杆的铿锵声和水管漏水的飕飕声。他开动了机器。灯还在地板上，是我检查铁槽时放在那里的。借着灯光我看到黑黝黝的房顶正缓慢地、摇摇晃晃地向我压下来。没有人比我更清楚了，它的压力足够在一分钟内把我碾成烂肉酱。我尖声呼喊，用身体撞门，用指抠门锁。我苦苦哀求上校放我出去，但是无情的杠杆铿锵声淹没了我的呼喊。房顶离我的头只有一两英尺了，我举起手就能摸着那坚硬粗糙的表面。这时候我心里突然掠过一个念头，想到一个人死亡时的痛苦很大程度上是取决于临死时的姿势。如果我是趴着的，重量就会落在脊椎骨上。一想到那压断骨头时可怕的劈啪声，我不禁浑身打起颤来。也许另一个姿势会好一些；然而是否我有胆量仰面躺在那里眼巴巴地望着那一团要命的黑影摇摇晃晃地向我压下来呢？我已经站不直了，突然我的眼光落在一件东西上，心里迸发出了希望的火花。
“我曾经说过，虽然房顶和地板是铁的，墙壁却是木头的。在我向四周投以最后的一平时，我看到两块墙板之间透过来一线微弱的黄色亮光。随着一小块嵌板被往后推去，亮光也变得越来越亮，一刹那间我简直不敢相信这儿确实是一扇死里逃生之门。我立刻就从那里冲了出去，失魂落平地躺在墙的另一边。嵌板在我身后又阖上了，但是那盏灯的碎裂声以及其刻后两块铁板的撞击声表明我是怎样千钧一发地脱了险。
“我是被人发狂似地拉扯着我的手腕才苏醒过来的。我发现我躺在一条狭窄走廊的石头地面上，一个女人右手拿着一根蜡烛俯身用她的左手使劲地拉着我。她不是别人，就是那位好心的朋友！当初我是多么愚蠢地拒不接受她的警告！
“’快！快！’她上岂不接下平地喊着，‘他们马上要到这里来了，他们会发现您不在那里。哎呀，可不要浪费这宝贵的时间啦，快！’
“这次，我至少没有无视她的劝告。我蹒跚地站了起来，跟着她沿着走廊跑去，紧接着跑下一条盘旋式楼梯。楼梯下面是另一条宽阔的过道。就在我们刚跑到过道时，我们听到奔跑的脚步声和两个人的叫嚷声。一个人在我们刚才待的那一层，另一个在他的下一层，两个人互相呼应着。我的向导停了下来，好象一个走投无路的人那样朝四周看看。紧接着她推开一扇通向一间卧室的房门，皎洁月光从窗户照进了卧室。
“’这是您唯一的机会了，’她说，‘很高，但您也许能跳下去。’
“就在她说话的时候，过道的尽头处闪现着灯光。我看到莱桑德·斯塔克上校急步奔来的瘦削的身影，他一只手提着提灯，另一只手拿着一把象屠夫的切肉刀那样的凶器。我拚命跑过卧室，猛地推开窗户向外望去。月光下的花园看上去是多么恬静，多么芳香，多么生气盎然，它就在下面最多不过三十英尺的地方。我爬到窗台上，但是在我知道我的救命恩人和追赶我的恶棍之间会发生什么事情之前，我踌躇着，没有就跳下去。因为如果她被迫负，我决心不管冒什么危险都要回去援助她。这个念头刚在我的脑海里闪现，只见他已到了门口，想推开她闯过来，但是她伸开两臂抱住了他，使劲把他往后推。
“’弗里茨！弗里茨！’她用英国话喊着，’记住你上次事①
①德国人的诨名，带有贬意。——译者注后答应我的诺言。你说过这种事情再也不会发生了。他不会说出去的！哎呀，他不会说出去的！’
“’你疯啦，伊利斯！’他咆哮着，竭力从她的双臂中挣脱出来。’你会毁了我们的。他看到的太多了，我说，让我过去！’他把她摔倒在一边，奔到窗口，用他那沉重的凶器向我砍来。这时我身子已经离开窗口，当他砍下来时，我的两手还抓着窗台。我感觉到一阵隐痛，松开了手，我掉到下面的花园里。
“我只是震动了一下，并没有摔伤，我急忙站了起来，拚着命冲到矮树丛中，我明白我还远未脱离危险。可是，正当我向前跑着，我突然感到一阵要命的晕眩和恶心。我瞅了一眼那只疼得阵阵抽搐的手，这时我才第一次发现我的大拇指被砍掉了，血正从伤口不断地涌出来。我竭尽全力用手帕把伤口裹了起来，这时突然一阵耳鸣，接着我就昏厥过去，倒在蔷薇的花丛之中。
“我不知道我昏迷了有多久。时间一定很长，因为当我苏醒过来时，正是星沉月落，旭日东升。我的衣服全被露水浸湿了，袖子被伤口的血浸透了。伤口剧烈的疼痛立刻使我回忆起夜里的危险遭遇，一想到我可能还没有摆脱追赶我的人，我顿时就跳了来。但是使我大吃一惊的是，当我朝周围张望的时候，既看不到房子，也看不到花园。原来我一直躺在紧挨着公路的树篱的一个角落里，前面不远是一座长长的建筑物。当我走近看时，原来就是我昨天晚上下车的那个车站。要不是有我手上这个吓人的伤口，在这一段可怕的时间里所发生的一切，很可能只不过是一场恶梦。
“我昏昏沉沉地走进车站，打听早班火车的时间，知道一小时内将有一班开往雷丁的火车。我发现值班的还是我来时就在那儿的那位搬运工。我询问他是否听说过莱桑德·斯塔克上校这个人，看来他对这个名字很陌生；我问他是否注意到昨天晚上等候我的一辆马车，他说没有；问他附近是否有警察局，他说三英里外有一个。
“象我这样，伤疲交加，这段距离对我来说实在是太远了。我决定回到城里以后再去报警。回到城里时才六点稍过一点，所以我先去包扎伤口。难为这位医生陪送我来到这里，我把这个案子托付给您，我将完全按照您的意见办。”
听完这段不寻常的叙述之后，我们两个人沉默地坐了好一会儿。然后，歇洛克·福尔摩斯从架子上取下一本贴剪报的笨重的大本子。
“这里有一则会使你们感兴趣的广告，”他说，“大约一年以前所有的报纸都刊登过。您听我念念：’寻人。杰里迈亚·海林先生，现年二十六岁，职业水利工程师，于本月九日晚十时离寓所后下落不明。身穿……’等等，等等。哈！我想，这表示上一次上校需要对他的机器进行大检修。”
“天哪！”我的病人叫道。”那么这解释了那夫人所说的话。”
“毫无疑问。很清楚，上校是一个冷酷的亡命之徒，他决不会让任何东西妨碍他的小行当，就象那些彻头彻尾的海盗一样，他们决不会在被他们俘获的船上留下一个活人。好啦，现在每一分钟都十分宝贵，所以，如果您还能支持得住，我们得马上赶到苏格兰场报案去，这是我们去艾津的第一步措施。”
大约过了三个小时，我们一起上了火车，从雷丁出发前往伯克郡的小村子。一行数人有歇洛克·福尔摩斯、那个水利工程师、苏格兰场的布雷兹特里特巡官，还有一位便衣侦探和我。布雷兹特里特在座位上铺开一张本郡的军用地图，忙着用圆规以艾津为中心画了一个圆圈。
“就在这儿，”他说，“这个圆圈是以这个车站为中心、十英里为半径画的。我们要找的那个地方大约是在靠近这边线的某个地方。先生，我记得您说的是十英里。”
“马车足足跑了一小时。”
“您以为他们是在您昏迷之中把您从那么老远送回来的吗？”
“想必他们是这样做的。我模模糊糊地有点记得似乎是被抬起来运到什么地方去过。”
“我不能理解的是，”我说，“为什么他们在发现您昏迷在花园里时会饶了您？可能那个坏蛋由于那个女人求情心软了？”
“我认为那不大可能。我一生中从来没有见到过比那更冷酷的面孔。”
“哦，我们不久就会把这一切搞清楚的。”布雷兹特里特说。“瞧，我已经划好这个圆圈，我唯一希望知道的是在哪一点上我们能找到我们要找的那个家伙。”
“我想我能指出来。”福尔摩斯平静地说。
“真的吗？现在！”巡官叫了起来，“您已经做出了判断！那么好，让我们看看谁和您的看法一致。我说是在南面，因为那一带乡间更为荒凉。”
“我说在东面，”我的病人说。
“我说在西面，”那便衣侦探说道，“那一带有好几个非常平静的小村子。”
“我说在北面，”我说，“因为那一带没有山，而我们的朋友说他注意到马车没有上过坡。”
“咳！”巡官笑着喊道，“意见分歧还不小。我们兜了一个圈子，您这决定性的一票投给谁呢？”
“你们全错了。”
“但是我们不可能全错呀！”
站长放声大笑起来，“不对，先生，比彻医生是个英国人。
“哦，是的，你们全错了。你们听听我的观点，”他将手指放在圆圈的中心，“这就是我们会找到他们的地方。”
“但是，那十二英里的路程呢？”哈瑟利气喘吁吁地说。
“去六英里，回来六英里。没有比这再简单的了。您自己说过当您上马车的时候，那骑马精神饱满，毛色光泽。如果它已经奔驰了十二英里那么难走的路，怎么会是那个样子呢？”
“确实，很可能是这么一个诡计，”布雷兹特里特若有所思评论说，”当然，至于这个匪帮是什么性质的也就毫无疑问了。”
“那当然是毫无疑问的罗。”福尔摩斯说，“他们是大规模伪造货币的罪犯，他们使用那台机器铸造合金来代替白银。”
“我们发现有一伙机灵的坏家伙在干着这个行当有一段时间了。”巡官说，“他们一直在大批大批地铸造半克郎硬币。我们甚至一直追踪他们到雷丁，但再远就没有线索了，因为他们使用了某种掩蔽他们踪迹的方法。这说明他们是精于此道的惯犯。但是现在，多亏这个侥幸的机会，他们是跑不掉的了。”
但是这位巡官错了，这些罪犯命中注定不会落入法网。当我们所乘的火车驶进艾津车站时，只见一股巨大的浓烟，从邻近的一个小树丛后面滚滚而上，有如一匹硕大无比的驼鸟毛悬挂在美丽的田园上空。
我们最好还是着手进行我们的事吧。
“是房子失火了吗？”当火车喷着气开出车站时，布雷兹特里特问道。
“是的，先生，”车站站长回答说。
“什么时候起火的？”
“我听说是夜里起火的，先生。但是火越烧越旺，现在已成了一片火海了。”
“是谁的房子？”
“比彻医生的。”
“告诉我，”工程师插了一句，“比彻医生是个德国人，非常瘦削，有个又长又尖的鼻子，对不对？”
站长放声大笑起来，“不对，先生，比彻医生是个英国人，在我们这个教区里还没一个人比他穿得更讲究。据我了解，倒是有位先生和他住在一起，那位先生是外国人，是一个病人，但是看起来您请他饱餐一顿上好的牛排，他也不会觉得油腻的。”
站长的话还没说完，我们已急急忙忙朝着失火的方向奔去。这条路一直通到一座低矮的小山顶上。在我们面前出现了一座高大的白灰粉刷的建筑物。每一扇窗，每一道缝都还在向外喷着火舌，前面的花园里三辆救火车正徒劳地尽力想把火势压下去。
“就是这里！”哈瑟利显得特别激动地喊着，“瞧这沙石路！那边就是我躺过的蔷薇花丛。那第二扇窗就是我跳出来的地方！”
“那么，”福尔摩斯说，“起码您已经报了仇了。毫无疑问，是您的油灯被那台机器压碎的时候烧着了木板墙。无疑他们在追赶您的时候太激动了，以至当时没有发觉。您现在睁大眼睛看看，人群里有没有您昨天晚上的那几位朋友？不过，我恐怕他们目前已经走出足足有一百英里了。”
福尔摩斯的担心果然成为事实。从那一天气直到现在，无论是那位漂亮的女人，那个阴险的德国人，还是那乖僻的英国人，再也没有人知道他们的踪迹。当天清晨，有一位农民遇到过一辆马车，载着几个人和几只沉重的大箱子，朝着雷丁的方向飞快地驶去。但是这些亡命之徒逃到那里以后就销声匿迹了，甚至足智多谋的福尔摩斯，也无从发现哪怕只是一点点有关他们去向的线索。
消防队员们发现房子里面的布置很奇怪，感到很伤脑筋。更使他们不安的是在三楼的一个窗台上发现了一截刚被砍下来的大拇指。大约在日落西山的时候，他们才总算没有白费劲，终于控制了这场大火。但是房顶已经烧塌了，整个现场已变成了一片废墟，以至除了一些弯曲的气缸和铁管子外，我们的不幸的朋友为之付出如此巨大代价的那台机器，竟没有留下任何其它的遗迹。我们发现了贮藏在一间附属的外屋里的大量镍锭和锡锭，但却没有找到硬币。这情况也许可以说明为什么有上面提到的那些沉重的大箱子。
要不是那块松软的泥土给我们留下了清楚的足迹，我们这位水利工程师是如何从花园里被送到他恢复知觉的那个地方，可能会永远是个谜。显而易见他是被两个人抬过去的。一个人的脚异常小，另一个人的脚却大得出奇。总的来说，很可能那个沉默寡言的英国人不象他的同伙那么胆大妄为，或者说不象他的同伙那么凶残。是他帮助那个女人把失去知觉的人抬离险地的。
当我们再次坐上火车返回伦敦的时候，我们的这位工程师沮丧地说，“唉，这对我说来真是件糟糕的事情。我失去了我的大拇指，失去了五十畿尼的酬金，而我得到的是什么呢？”
“经验！”福尔摩斯笑着说，“您要明白，间接地说这可能是有价值的；只要这事一宣扬出去，在您今后的生活中，您的事务所就会获得很好的声誉。”