The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | Progressively Translated Dutch A2 Books

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | Progressively Translated Dutch A2 Books

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I.ASCANDALINBOHEMIA
I.
ToSherlockHolmessheisalwaysthewoman.
Ihaveseldomheardhim
noemen
mention
herunderanyothername.
Inhiseyessheeclipsesandpredominatesthewholeofhersex.
ItwasnotthathefeltanyemotionakintoloveforIreneAdler.
Allemotions,andthatoneparticularly,wereabhorrenttohiscold,precisebutadmirablybalancedmind.
Hewas,Itakeit,themostperfectreasoningandobservingmachinethattheworldhasseen,butasaloverhewouldhaveplacedhimselfinafalse
positie
position
.
Heneverspokeofthesofterpassions,savewithagibeandasneer.
Theywereadmirablethingsfortheobserver—excellentfordrawingtheveilfrommen’smotivesandactions.
Butforthetrainedreasonertoadmitsuchintrusionsintohisowndelicateandfinelyadjustedtemperamentwastointroduceadistractingfactorwhichmight
werpen
throw
adoubtuponallhismentalresults.
Gritinasensitiveinstrument,oracrackinoneofhisownhigh-powerlenses,wouldnotbemoredisturbingthana
sterke
strong
emotioninanaturesuchashis.
Andyettherewasbutonewomantohim,andthatwomanwasthelateIreneAdler,ofdubiousandquestionable
geheugen
memory
.
IhadseenlittleofHolmeslately.
My
huwelijk
marriage
haddriftedusawayfromeachother.
Myowncompletehappiness,andthehome-centredinterestswhichriseuparoundthemanwhofirstfindshimselfmasterofhisownestablishment,weresufficienttoabsorballmy
aandacht
attention
,whileHolmes,wholoathedevery
vorm
form
ofsocietywithhiswholeBohemian
ziel
soul
,remainedinourlodgingsinBakerStreet,buriedamonghisoldbooks,andalternatingfromweektoweekbetweencocaineandambition,thedrowsinessofthe
drug
drug
,andthefierceenergyofhisownkeen
aard
nature
.
Hewasstill,asever,deeplyattractedbythe
studie
study
ofcrime,andoccupiedhisimmensefacultiesandextraordinarypowersofobservationinfollowingoutthoseclues,andclearingupthosemysterieswhichhadbeenabandonedashopelessbytheofficialpolice.
FromtimetotimeIheardsomevagueaccountofhisdoings:
ofhissummonstoOdessainthecaseoftheTrepoff
moord
murder
,ofhisclearingupofthesingulartragedyoftheAtkinsonbrothersatTrincomalee,and
ten slotte
finally
ofthemissionwhichhehadaccomplishedsodelicatelyandsuccessfullyforthereigningfamilyofHolland.
Beyondthesesignsofhisactivity,
echter
however
,whichImerelysharedwithallthereadersofthedaily
pers
press
,Iknewlittleofmyformerfriendandcompanion.
Onenight—itwasonthetwentiethofMarch,1888—Iwasreturningfromajourneytoa
patiënt
patient
(forIhadnowreturnedtocivilpractice),whenmyway
leidde
led
methroughBakerStreet.
AsIpassedthewell-remembereddoor,whichmustalwaysbeassociatedinmymindwithmywooing,andwiththedarkincidentsofthe
Studie
Study
inScarlet,IwasseizedwithakeendesiretoseeHolmesagain,andtoknowhowhewasemployinghisextraordinarypowers.
Hisroomswerebrilliantlylit,and,evenasIlookedup,Isawhistall,spare
figuur
figure
passtwiceina
donkere
dark
silhouetteagainsttheblind.
Hewaspacingtheroomswiftly,eagerly,withhisheadsunkuponhischestandhishandsclaspedbehindhim.
Tome,whoknewhiseverymoodandhabit,hisattitudeandmannertoldtheirownstory.
Hewasatworkagain.
Hehadrisenoutofhisdrug-createddreamsandwashotuponthescentofsomenewproblem.
Irangthebellandwasshownuptothechamberwhichhadformerlybeeninpartmyown.
Hismannerwasnoteffusive.
Itseldomwas;
buthewas
blij
glad
,Ithink,toseeme.
Withhardlyawordspoken,butwithakindly
oog
eye
,hewavedmetoanarmchair,
gooide
threw
acrosshiscaseofcigars,andindicateda
geest
spirit
caseandagasogeneinthecorner.
Thenhestoodbeforethefireandlookedmeoverinhissingularintrospectivefashion.
“Wedlocksuitsyou,”heremarked.
“Ithink,Watson,thatyouhaveputon
zeven
seven
andahalfpoundssinceIsawyou.”
“Seven!”
Ianswered.
“Indeed,Ishouldhavethoughtalittlemore.
Justatriflemore,Ifancy,Watson.
Andin
praktijk
practice
again,Iobserve.
Youdidnottellmethatyouintendedtogointoharness.”
“Then,howdoyouknow?”
“Iseeit,Ideduceit.
HowdoIknowthatyouhavebeengettingyourselfverywetlately,andthatyouhaveamostclumsyandcarelessservantgirl?”
“MydearHolmes,”saidI,“thisistoomuch.
Youwould
zeker
certainly
havebeenburned,hadyoulivedafewcenturiesago.
ItistruethatIhadacountrywalkonThursdayandcamehomeinadreadful
puinhoop
mess
,butasIhavechangedmy
kleren
clothes
Ican’timaginehowyoudeduceit.
AstoMaryJane,sheisincorrigible,andmywifehasgivenhernotice,butthere,again,Ifailtoseehowyouworkitout.”
Hechuckledtohimselfandrubbedhislong,nervoushandstogether.
“Itissimplicityitself,”saidhe;
“myeyestellmethatontheinsideofyourleftshoe,justwherethefirelightstrikesit,theleatherisscoredbysixalmostparallelcuts.
Duidelijk
Obviously
theyhavebeencausedbysomeonewhohasverycarelesslyscrapedroundtheedgesofthesoleinordertoremovecrustedmudfromit.
Hence,yousee,my
dubbele
double
deductionthatyouhadbeenoutinvileweather,andthatyouhadaparticularlymalignantboot-slittingspecimenoftheLondonslavey.
Astoyour
praktijk
practice
,ifagentlemanwalksintomyroomssmellingofiodoform,withablackmarkofnitrateofsilveruponhisrightforefinger,andabulgeontherightsideofhistop-hattoshowwherehehassecretedhisstethoscope,Imustbedull,indeed,ifIdonotpronouncehimtobeanactivememberofthemedicalprofession.”
Icouldnothelp
lachen
laughing
attheeasewithwhichheexplainedhisprocessofdeduction.
“WhenIhearyougiveyourreasons,”Iremarked,“thethingalwaysappearstometobesoridiculouslysimplethatIcouldeasilydoitmyself,thoughateachsuccessiveinstanceofyourreasoningIambaffleduntilyouexplainyourprocess.
AndyetIbelievethatmyeyesareasgoodasyours.”
“Quiteso,”heanswered,lightingacigarette,and
gooide
throwing
himselfdownintoanarmchair.
“Yousee,butyoudonotobserve.
Thedistinctionisclear.
Forexample,youhavefrequentlyseenthestepswhich
leiden
lead
upfromthehalltothisroom.”
“Frequently.”
“Howoften?”
“Well,somehundredsoftimes.”
“Thenhowmanyarethere?”
“Howmany?
Idon’tknow.”
“Quiteso!
Youhavenotobserved.
Andyetyouhaveseen.
Thatisjustmypoint.
Now,Iknowthatthereareseventeensteps,becauseIhavebothseenandobserved.
Bytheway,sinceyouare
geïnteresseerd
interested
intheselittleproblems,andsinceyouaregoodenoughtochronicleoneortwoofmytriflingexperiences,youmaybe
geïnteresseerd
interested
inthis.”
Hethrewoverasheetofthick,pink-tintednotepaperwhichhadbeenlyingopenuponthe
tafel
table
.
“Itcamebythelastpost,”saidhe.
“Readitaloud.”
Thenotewasundated,andwithouteithersignatureor
adres
address
.
“Therewillcalluponyouto-night,ataquarterto
acht
eight
o’clock,”itsaid,“agentlemanwhodesirestoconsultyouuponamatteroftheverydeepestmoment.
YourrecentservicestooneoftheroyalhousesofEuropehaveshownthatyouareonewhomaysafelybetrustedwithmatterswhichareofanimportancewhichcanhardlybeexaggerated.
Thisaccountofyouwehavefromallquartersreceived.
Beinyourchamberthenatthathour,anddonottakeitamissifyourvisitor
draagt
wear
amask.”
“Thisisindeedamystery,”Iremarked.
“Whatdoyou
denk
imagine
thatitmeans?”
“Ihavenodatayet.
Itisacapital
vergissing
mistake
totheorisebeforeonehasdata.
Insensiblyone
begint
begins
totwistfactstosuittheories,
plaats
instead
oftheoriestosuitfacts.
Butthenoteitself.
Whatdoyoudeducefromit?”
Icarefullyexaminedthewriting,andthe
papier
paper
uponwhichitwaswritten.
“Themanwhowroteitwaspresumablywelltodo,”Iremarked,endeavouringtoimitatemycompanion’sprocesses.
“Suchpapercouldnotbeboughtunderhalfacrownapacket.
Itispeculiarly
sterk
strong
andstiff.”
“Peculiar—thatistheveryword,”saidHolmes.
“ItisnotanEnglish
krant
paper
atall.
Holdituptothelight.”
Ididso,andsawa
grote
large
“E”withasmall“g,”a“P,”anda
grote
large
“G”withasmall“t”wovenintothetextureofthe
papier
paper
.
“Whatdoyoumakeofthat?”
askedHolmes.
“Thenameofthemaker,no
twijfel
doubt
;
orhismonogram,rather.”
“Notatall.
The‘G’withthesmall‘t’standsfor‘Gesellschaft,’whichistheGermanfor‘Company.’Itisacustomarycontractionlikeour‘Co.’‘P,’ofcourse,standsfor‘Papier.’Nowforthe‘Eg.’LetusglanceatourContinentalGazetteer.”
Hetookdownaheavybrownvolumefromhisshelves.
“Eglow,Eglonitz—hereweare,Egria.
ItisinaGerman-speakingcountry—inBohemia,notfarfromCarlsbad.
‘Remarkableasbeingthe
toneel
scene
ofthedeathofWallenstein,andforitsnumerousglass-factoriesandpaper-mills.’Ha,ha,myboy,whatdoyoumakeofthat?”
Hiseyessparkled,andhesentupagreat
blauwe
blue
triumphantcloudfromhiscigarette.
“The
papier
paper
wasmadeinBohemia,”Isaid.
“Precisely.
AndthemanwhowrotethenoteisaGerman.
Doyounotethepeculiarconstructionofthesentence—‘Thisaccountofyouwehavefromallquartersreceived.’AFrenchmanorRussiancouldnothavewrittenthat.
ItistheGermanwhoissouncourteoustohisverbs.
Itonlyremains,therefore,todiscoverwhatiswantedbythisGermanwhowritesuponBohemian
papier
paper
andpreferswearingamasktoshowinghisface.
Andherehecomes,ifIamnotmistaken,toresolveallourdoubts.”
Ashespoketherewasthesharpsoundofhorses’hoofsandgratingwheelsagainstthecurb,followedbyasharp
trek
pull
atthebell.
Holmeswhistled.
“Apair,bythesound,”saidhe.
“Yes,”hecontinued,glancingoutofthe
raam
window
.
“Anicelittlebroughamandapairofbeauties.
Ahundredandfiftyguineasapiece.
There’smoneyinthiscase,Watson,ifthereisnothingelse.”
“IthinkthatIhadbettergo,Holmes.”
“Notabit,Doctor.
Staywhereyouare.
IamlostwithoutmyBoswell.
Andthispromisestobe
interessant
interesting
.
Itwouldbeapitytomissit.”
“Butyourclient—”.
“Nevermindhim.
Imaywantyourhelp,andsomayhe.
Herehecomes.
Sitdowninthatarmchair,Doctor,andgiveusyourbestattention.”
Aslowand
zware
heavy
step,whichhadbeenhearduponthestairsandinthepassage,paused
onmiddellijk
immediately
outsidethedoor.
Thentherewasaloudandauthoritativetap.
“Comein!”
saidHolmes.
Amanenteredwhocouldhardlyhavebeen
minder
less
thansixfeetsixinchesinheight,withthechestandlimbsofaHercules.
His
jurk
dress
wasrichwitharichnesswhichwould,inEngland,belookeduponasakintobad
smaak
taste
.
Heavybandsofastrakhanwereslashedacrossthesleevesandfrontsofhisdouble-breastedcoat,whilethedeepbluecloakwhichwas
gegooid
thrown
overhisshoulderswaslinedwithflame-colouredsilkandsecuredatthe
nek
neck
withabroochwhichconsistedofasingleflamingberyl.
Bootswhichextendedhalfwayuphiscalves,andwhichweretrimmedatthetopswith
rijke
rich
brownfur,completedtheimpressionofbarbaricopulencewhichwassuggestedbyhiswholeappearance.
He
droeg
carried
abroad-brimmedhatinhishand,whilehe
droeg
wore
acrosstheupperpartofhisface,extendingdownpastthecheekbones,ablackvizardmask,whichhehadapparentlyadjustedthatverymoment,forhishandwasstillraisedtoitasheentered.
Fromthelowerpartofthefaceheappearedtobeamanof
sterk
strong
character,withathick,hanginglip,andalong,
rechte
straight
chinsuggestiveofresolution
geduwd
pushed
tothelengthofobstinacy.
“Youhadmynote?”
heaskedwithadeepharsh
stem
voice
andastronglymarkedGermanaccent.
“ItoldyouthatIwouldcall.”
Helookedfromonetotheotherofus,asifuncertainwhichtoaddress.
“Praytakeaseat,”saidHolmes.
“Thisismyfriendandcolleague,Dr.Watson,whoisoccasionallygoodenoughtohelpmeinmycases.
WhomhaveIthehonourtoaddress?”
“Youmayaddressmeasthe
Graaf
Count
VonKramm,aBohemiannobleman.
Iunderstandthatthisgentleman,yourfriend,isamanofhonouranddiscretion,whomImaytrustwithamatterofthemostextremeimportance.
Ifnot,Ishouldmuchprefertocommunicatewithyoualone.”
Irosetogo,butHolmescaughtmebythewristand
duwde
pushed
mebackintomychair.
“Itisboth,ornone,”saidhe.
“Youmaysaybeforethisgentlemananythingwhichyoumaysaytome.”
The
Graaf
Count
shruggedhisbroadshoulders.
“ThenImustbegin,”saidhe,“bybindingyoubothtoabsolutesecrecyfortwoyears;
attheendofthattimethematterwillbeofnoimportance.
AtpresentitisnottoomuchtosaythatitisofsuchweightitmayhaveaninfluenceuponEuropeanhistory.”
“Ipromise,”saidHolmes.
“AndI.”
“Youwillexcusethismask,”continuedourstrangevisitor.
“Theaugustpersonwhoemploysmewisheshis
agent
agent
tobeunknowntoyou,andImayconfessatoncethatthetitlebywhichIhavejustcalledmyselfisnotexactlymyown.”
“Iwasawareofit,”saidHolmesdryly.
“Thecircumstancesareofgreatdelicacy,andeveryprecautionhastobetakentoquenchwhatmightgrowtobeanimmensescandaland
ernstig
seriously
compromiseoneofthereigningfamiliesofEurope.
Tospeakplainly,thematterimplicatesthegreatHouseofOrmstein,hereditarykingsofBohemia.”
“Iwasalsoawareofthat,”murmuredHolmes,settlinghimselfdowninhisarmchairandclosinghiseyes.
Ourvisitorglancedwithsomeapparent
verbazing
surprise
atthelanguid,lounging
figuur
figure
ofthemanwhohadbeennodoubtdepictedtohimasthemostincisivereasonerandmostenergetic
agent
agent
inEurope.
Holmesslowlyreopenedhiseyesandlookedimpatientlyathisgiganticclient.
“IfyourMajestywouldcondescendtostateyourcase,”heremarked,“Ishouldbebetterabletoadviseyou.”
Themansprangfromhischairandpacedupanddowntheroominuncontrollableagitation.
Then,withagestureofdesperation,hetorethemaskfromhisfaceandhurleditupontheground.
“Youareright,”he
huilde
cried
;
“IamtheKing.
WhyshouldIattempttoconcealit?”
“Why,indeed?”
murmuredHolmes.
“YourMajestyhadnotspokenbeforeIwasawarethatIwasaddressingWilhelmGottsreichSigismondvonOrmstein,GrandDukeofCassel-Felstein,andhereditaryKingofBohemia.”
“Butyoucanunderstand,”saidourstrangevisitor,sittingdownoncemoreandpassinghishandoverhishighwhiteforehead,“youcanunderstandthatIamnotaccustomedtodoingsuchbusinessinmyownperson.
YetthematterwassodelicatethatIcouldnotconfideittoan
agent
agent
withoutputtingmyselfinhispower.
IhavecomeincognitofromPragueforthepurposeofconsultingyou.”
“Then,
bid
pray
consult,”saidHolmes,shuttinghiseyesoncemore.
“Thefactsarebrieflythese:
Somefiveyearsago,
tijdens
during
alengthyvisittoWarsaw,Imadetheacquaintanceofthewell-knownadventuress,IreneAdler.
Thenameisnodoubtfamiliartoyou.”
“Kindlylookherupinmyindex,Doctor,”murmuredHolmeswithoutopeninghiseyes.
Formanyyearshehadadopteda
systeem
system
ofdocketingallparagraphsconcerningmenandthings,sothatitwas
moeilijk
difficult
tonameasubjectorapersononwhichhecouldnotatoncefurnish
informatie
information
.
InthiscaseIfoundherbiographysandwichedinbetweenthatofaHebrewrabbiandthatofastaff-commanderwhohadwrittenamonographuponthedeep-seafishes.
“Letmesee!”
saidHolmes.
“Hum!
Geboren
Born
inNewJerseyintheyear1858.
Contralto—hum!
LaScala,hum!
PrimadonnaImperialOperaofWarsaw—yes!
Retiredfromoperaticstage—ha!
LivinginLondon—quiteso!
YourMajesty,asIunderstand,becameentangledwiththisyoungperson,wrotehersomecompromisingletters,andisnowdesirousofgettingthoselettersback.”
“Preciselyso.
Buthow—”.