I.ASCANDALINBOHEMIA
I.
ToSherlockHolmessheisalwaysthewoman.
Ihaveseldomheardhimmentionherunderanyothername.
Inhiseyessheeclipsesandpredominatesthewholeofhersex.
ItwasnotthathefeltanyemotionakintoloveforIreneAdler.
Allemotions,andthatoneparticularly,wereabhorrenttohiscold,precisebutadmirablybalancedmind.
Hewas,Itakeit,themostperfectreasoningandobservingmachinethattheworldhasseen,butasa
ljubavnik
loverhewouldhaveplacedhimselfinafalseposition.Heneverspokeofthesofterpassions,savewithagibeandasneer.
Theywereadmirablethingsfortheobserver—excellentfordrawingtheveilfrommen’smotivesandactions.
Butforthetrainedreasonertoadmitsuchintrusionsintohisowndelicateandfinelyadjustedtemperamentwastointroduceadistractingfactorwhichmightthrowadoubtuponallhismentalresults.
Gritinasensitiveinstrument,oracrackinoneofhisownhigh-powerlenses,wouldnotbemoredisturbingthanastrongemotioninanaturesuchashis.
Andyettherewasbutonewomantohim,andthatwomanwasthelateIreneAdler,ofdubiousandquestionablememory.
IhadseenlittleofHolmeslately.
Mymarriagehaddriftedusawayfromeachother.
Myowncomplete
sreća
happiness,andthehome-centredinterestswhichriseuparoundthemanwhofirstfindshimselfmasterofhisownestablishment,weresufficienttoabsorballmyattention,whileHolmes,wholoathedeveryformofsocietywithhiswholeBohemiansoul,remainedinourlodgingsinBakerStreet,buriedmeđu
amonghisoldbooks,andalternatingfromweektoweekbetweencocaineandambition,thedrowsinessofthedrug,andthefierceenergyofhisownkeennature.Hewasstill,asever,
duboko
deeplyattractedbythestudyofcrime,andoccupiedhisimmensefacultiesandizvanredne
extraordinarypowersofobservationinfollowingoutthoseclues,andclearingupthosemysterieswhichhadbeenabandonedashopelessbytheofficialpolice.FromtimetotimeIheardsomevagueaccountofhisdoings:
ofhissummonstoOdessainthecaseoftheTrepoffmurder,ofhisclearingupofthesingulartragedyoftheAtkinsonbrothersatTrincomalee,andfinallyofthemissionwhichhehadaccomplishedsodelicatelyandsuccessfullyforthereigningfamilyofHolland.
Beyondthesesignsofhisactivity,however,whichImerelysharedwithallthereadersofthedailypress,Iknewlittleofmyformerfriendandcompanion.
Onenight—itwasonthetwentiethofMarch,1888—Iwasreturningfromajourneytoapatient(forIhadnowreturnedtocivilpractice),whenmywayledmethroughBakerStreet.
AsIpassedthewell-remembereddoor,whichmustalwaysbeassociatedinmymindwithmywooing,andwiththedarkincidentsoftheStudyinScarlet,IwasseizedwithakeendesiretoseeHolmesagain,andtoknowhowhewasemployinghis
izvanredne
extraordinarypowers.Hisroomswerebrilliantlylit,and,evenasIlookedup,Isawhistall,
rezervni
sparefigurepasstwiceinadarksilhouetteagainsttheblind.Hewaspacingtheroomswiftly,eagerly,withhisheadsunkuponhis
prsima
chestandhishandsclaspedbehindhim.Tome,whoknewhisevery
raspoloženje
moodandhabit,hisattitudeandmannertoldtheirownstory.Hewasatworkagain.
Hehadrisenoutofhisdrug-createddreamsandwashotuponthescentofsomenewproblem.
Irangthe
zvono
bellandwasshownuptothechamberwhichhadformerlybeeninpartmyown.Hismannerwasnoteffusive.
Itseldomwas;
buthewasglad,Ithink,toseeme.
Withhardlyawordspoken,butwithakindlyeye,hewavedmetoanarmchair,threwacrosshiscaseofcigars,andindicatedaspiritcaseandagasogeneinthe
uglu
corner.Thenhestoodbeforethefireandlookedmeoverinhissingularintrospectivefashion.
“Wedlocksuitsyou,”heremarked.
“Ithink,Watson,thatyouhaveputonsevenandahalfpoundssinceIsawyou.”
“Seven!”
Ianswered.
“Indeed,Ishouldhavethoughtalittlemore.
Justatriflemore,Ifancy,Watson.
Andinpracticeagain,Iobserve.
Youdidnottellmethatyouintendedtogointoharness.”
“Then,howdoyouknow?”
“Iseeit,Ideduceit.
HowdoIknowthatyouhavebeengettingyourselfverywetlately,andthatyouhaveamostclumsyandcarelessservantgirl?”
“MydearHolmes,”saidI,“thisistoomuch.
Youwouldcertainlyhavebeenburned,hadyoulivedafewcenturiesago.
ItistruethatIhadacountrywalkon
Četvrtak
Thursdayandcamehomeinadreadfulmess,butasIhavechangedmyclothesIcan’timaginehowyoudeduceit.AstoMaryJane,sheisincorrigible,andmywifehasgivenhernotice,butthere,again,Ifailtoseehowyouworkitout.”
Hechuckledtohimselfandrubbedhislong,nervoushandstogether.
“Itissimplicityitself,”saidhe;
“myeyestellmethatontheinsideofyourleftshoe,justwherethefirelightstrikesit,theleatherisscoredbysixalmostparallelcuts.
Obviouslytheyhavebeencausedbysomeonewhohasverycarelesslyscrapedroundtheedgesofthesoleinordertoremovecrustedmudfromit.
Hence,yousee,mydoubledeductionthatyouhadbeenoutinvileweather,andthatyouhadaparticularlymalignantboot-slittingspecimenoftheLondonslavey.
Astoyourpractice,ifa
gospodin
gentlemanwalksintomyroomssmellingofiodoform,withablackmarkofnitrateofsilveruponhisrightforefinger,andabulgeontherightsideofhistop-hattoshowwherehehassecretedhisstethoscope,Imustbedull,zaista
indeed,ifIdonotpronouncehimtobeanactivememberofthemedicinske
medicalprofession.”Icouldnothelplaughingattheeasewithwhichheexplainedhis
proces
processofdeduction.“WhenIhearyougiveyourreasons,”Iremarked,“thethingalwaysappearstometobesoridiculouslysimplethatIcould
lako
easilydoitmyself,thoughateachsuccessiveinstanceofyourreasoningIambaffleduntilyouexplainyourproces
process.AndyetIbelievethatmyeyesareasgoodasyours.”
“Quiteso,”heanswered,lightingacigarette,andthrowinghimselfdownintoanarmchair.
“Yousee,butyoudonotobserve.
Thedistinctionisclear.
For
primjer
example,youhavefrequentlyseenthestepswhichleadupfromthehalltothisroom.”“Frequently.”
“Howoften?”
“Well,somehundredsoftimes.”
“Thenhowmanyarethere?”
“Howmany?
Idon’tknow.”
“Quiteso!
Youhavenotobserved.
Andyetyouhaveseen.
Thatisjustmypoint.
Now,Iknowthatthereareseventeensteps,becauseIhavebothseenandobserved.
Bytheway,sinceyouareinterestedintheselittleproblems,andsinceyouaregoodenoughtochronicleoneortwoofmytriflingexperiences,youmaybeinterestedinthis.”
Hethrewoverasheetofthick,pink-tintednotepaperwhichhadbeenlyingopenuponthetable.
“Itcamebythelastpost,”saidhe.
“Readitaloud.”
Thenotewasundated,andwithouteithersignatureoraddress.
“Therewillcalluponyouto-night,ataquartertoeighto’clock,”itsaid,“agentlemanwhodesirestoconsultyouuponamatteroftheverydeepestmoment.
YourrecentservicestooneoftheroyalhousesofEuropehaveshownthatyouareonewhomaysafelybetrustedwithmatterswhichareofanimportancewhichcan
teško
hardlybeexaggerated.Thisaccountofyouwehavefromallquartersreceived.
Beinyourchamberthenatthathour,anddonottakeitamissifyourvisitorwearamask.”
“Thisis
zaista
indeedamystery,”Iremarked.“Whatdoyouimaginethatitmeans?”
“Ihavenodatayet.
Itisacapitalmistaketotheorisebeforeonehasdata.
Insensiblyonebeginstotwistfactstosuittheories,insteadoftheoriestosuitfacts.
Butthenoteitself.
Whatdoyoudeducefromit?”
I
pažljivo
carefullyexaminedthewriting,andthepaperuponwhichitwaswritten.“Themanwhowroteitwaspresumablywelltodo,”Iremarked,endeavouringtoimitatemycompanion’sprocesses.
“Suchpapercouldnotbeboughtunderhalfacrownapacket.
Itispeculiarlystrongandstiff.”
“Peculiar—thatistheveryword,”saidHolmes.
“ItisnotanEnglishpaperatall.
Holdituptothelight.”
Ididso,andsawalarge“E”withasmall“g,”a“P,”andalarge“G”withasmall“t”wovenintothetextureofthepaper.
“Whatdoyoumakeofthat?”
askedHolmes.
“Thenameofthemaker,nodoubt;
orhismonogram,rather.”
“Notatall.
The‘G’withthesmall‘t’standsfor‘Gesellschaft,’whichistheGermanfor‘Company.’Itisacustomarycontractionlikeour‘Co.’‘P,’ofcourse,standsfor‘Papier.’Nowforthe‘Eg.’LetusglanceatourContinentalGazetteer.”
Hetookdownaheavy
smeđi
brownvolumefromhisshelves.“Eglow,Eglonitz—hereweare,Egria.
ItisinaGerman-speakingcountry—inBohemia,notfarfromCarlsbad.
‘RemarkableasbeingthesceneofthedeathofWallenstein,andforitsnumerousglass-factoriesandpaper-mills.’Ha,ha,myboy,whatdoyoumakeofthat?”
Hiseyessparkled,andhesentupagreatbluetriumphantcloudfromhiscigarette.
“ThepaperwasmadeinBohemia,”Isaid.
“Precisely.
AndthemanwhowrotethenoteisaGerman.
Doyounotethepeculiarconstructionofthesentence—‘Thisaccountofyouwehavefromallquartersreceived.’AFrenchmanorRussiancouldnothavewrittenthat.
ItistheGermanwhoissouncourteoustohisverbs.
Itonlyremains,
dakle
therefore,todiscoverwhatiswantedbythisGermanwhowritesuponBohemianpaperandpreferswearingamasku
masktoshowinghisface.Andherehecomes,ifIamnotmistaken,toresolveallourdoubts.”
Ashespoketherewasthe
oštar
sharpsoundofhorses’hoofsandgratingwheelsagainstthecurb,followedbyaoštar
sharppullatthebell.Holmeswhistled.
“Apair,bythesound,”saidhe.
“Yes,”hecontinued,glancingoutofthewindow.
“Anicelittlebroughamanda
par
pairofbeauties.Ahundredandfiftyguineasapiece.
There’smoneyinthiscase,Watson,ifthereisnothingelse.”
“IthinkthatIhadbettergo,Holmes.”
“Notabit,Doctor.
Staywhereyouare.
IamlostwithoutmyBoswell.
Andthispromisestobeinteresting.
Itwouldbea
šteta
pitytomissit.”“Butyourclient—”.
“Nevermindhim.
Imaywantyourhelp,andsomayhe.
Herehecomes.
Sitdowninthatarmchair,Doctor,andgiveusyourbestattention.”
Aslowandheavystep,whichhadbeenhearduponthestairsandinthepassage,pausedimmediatelyoutsidethedoor.
Thentherewasaloudandauthoritativetap.
“Comein!”
saidHolmes.
Amanenteredwhocould
jedva
hardlyhavebeenlessthansixfeetsixinchesinheight,withtheprsima
chestandlimbsofaHercules.Hisdresswasrichwitharichnesswhichwould,inEngland,belookeduponasakintobadtaste.
Heavybandsofastrakhanwereslashedacrossthesleevesandfrontsofhisdouble-breastedcoat,whilethedeepbluecloakwhichwasthrownoverhisshoulderswaslinedwithflame-colouredsilkandsecuredattheneckwithabroochwhichconsistedofasingleflamingberyl.
Bootswhichextendedhalfwayuphiscalves,andwhichweretrimmedatthetopswithrichbrownfur,completedtheimpressionofbarbaricopulencewhichwassuggestedbyhiswholeappearance.
Hecarriedabroad-brimmed
šešir
hatinhishand,whileheworeacrosstheupperpartofhisface,extendingdownpastthecheekbones,ablackvizardmasku
mask,whichhehadapparentlyadjustedthatverymoment,forhishandwasstillraisedtoitasheentered.Fromthelowerpartofthefaceheappearedtobeamanofstrongcharacter,withathick,hanginglip,andalong,straightchinsuggestiveofresolutionpushedtothelengthofobstinacy.
“Youhadmynote?”
heaskedwithadeepharshvoiceandastronglymarkedGermanaccent.
“ItoldyouthatIwouldcall.”
Helookedfromonetotheotherofus,asifuncertainwhichtoaddress.
“Praytakeaseat,”saidHolmes.
“Thisismyfriendandcolleague,Dr.Watson,whoisoccasionallygoodenoughtohelpmeinmycases.
WhomhaveIthehonourtoaddress?”
“YoumayaddressmeastheCountVonKramm,aBohemiannobleman.
Iunderstandthatthis
gospodin
gentleman,yourfriend,isamanofhonouranddiscretion,whomImaytrustwithamatterofthemostextremeimportance.Ifnot,Ishouldmuch
radije
prefertocommunicatewithyoualone.”Irosetogo,butHolmescaughtmebythewristandpushedmebackintomychair.
“Itisboth,ornone,”saidhe.
“Youmaysaybeforethisgentlemananythingwhichyoumaysaytome.”
TheCountshruggedhisbroadshoulders.
“ThenImustbegin,”saidhe,“bybindingyoubothtoabsolutesecrecyfortwoyears;
attheendofthattimethematterwillbeofnoimportance.
AtpresentitisnottoomuchtosaythatitisofsuchweightitmayhaveaninfluenceuponEuropeanhistory.”
“Ipromise,”saidHolmes.
“AndI.”
“Youwillexcusethismask,”continuedourstrangevisitor.
“Theaugustpersonwhoemploysmewisheshisagenttobe
nepoznat
unknowntoyou,andImayconfessatoncethatthetitlebywhichIhavejustcalledmyselfisnotexactlymyown.”“Iwasawareofit,”saidHolmesdryly.
“Thecircumstancesareofgreatdelicacy,andeveryprecautionhastobetakentoquenchwhatmightgrowtobeanimmensescandalandseriouslycompromiseoneofthereigningfamiliesofEurope.
Tospeakplainly,thematterimplicatesthegreatHouseofOrmstein,hereditarykingsofBohemia.”
“Iwasalsoawareofthat,”murmuredHolmes,settlinghimselfdowninhisarmchairandclosinghiseyes.
Ourvisitorglancedwithsomeapparentsurpriseatthelanguid,loungingfigureofthemanwhohadbeennodoubtdepictedtohimasthemostincisivereasonerandmostenergeticagentinEurope.
Holmes
polako
slowlyreopenedhiseyesandlookedimpatientlyathisgiganticclient.“Ifyour
Veličanstvo
Majestywouldcondescendtostateyourcase,”heremarked,“Ishouldbebetterabletoadviseyou.”Themansprangfromhischairandpacedupanddowntheroominuncontrollableagitation.
Then,withagestureofdesperation,hetorethe
masku
maskfromhisfaceandhurleditupontheground.“Youareright,”hecried;
“IamtheKing.
WhyshouldIattempttoconcealit?”
“Why,indeed?”
murmuredHolmes.
“Your
Veličanstvo
MajestyhadnotspokenbeforeIwasawarethatIwasaddressingWilhelmGottsreichSigismondvonOrmstein,GrandDukeofCassel-Felstein,andhereditaryKingofBohemia.”“Butyoucanunderstand,”saidourstrangevisitor,sittingdownoncemoreandpassinghishandoverhishighwhiteforehead,“youcanunderstandthatIamnotaccustomedtodoingsuchbusinessinmyownperson.
YetthematterwassodelicatethatIcouldnotconfideittoanagentwithoutputtingmyselfinhispower.
IhavecomeincognitofromPragueforthe
svrhu
purposeofconsultingyou.”“Then,prayconsult,”saidHolmes,shuttinghiseyesoncemore.
“Thefactsarebrieflythese:
Somefiveyearsago,duringalengthyvisittoWarsaw,Imadetheacquaintanceofthewell-knownadventuress,IreneAdler.
Thenameisnodoubt
poznato
familiartoyou.”“Kindlylookherupinmyindex,Doctor,”murmuredHolmeswithoutopeninghiseyes.
Formanyyearshehadadoptedasystemofdocketingallparagraphsconcerningmenandthings,sothatitwasdifficulttonamea
temu
subjectorapersononwhichhecouldnotatoncefurnishinformation.InthiscaseIfoundherbiographysandwichedinbetweenthatofaHebrewrabbiandthatofastaff-commanderwhohadwrittenamonographuponthedeep-seafishes.
“Letmesee!”
saidHolmes.
“Hum!
BorninNewJerseyintheyear1858.
Contralto—hum!
LaScala,hum!
PrimadonnaImperialOperaofWarsaw—yes!
Retiredfromoperaticstage—ha!
LivinginLondon—quiteso!
Your
Veličanstvo
Majesty,asIunderstand,becameentangledwiththisyoungperson,wrotehersomecompromisingletters,andisnowdesirousofgettingthoselettersback.”“Preciselyso.
Buthow—”.