I.ASCANDALINBOHEMIA
I.
ToSherlockHolmessheisalwaysthewoman.
Ihaveseldomheardhim
noemen
mentionherunderanyothername.Inhiseyessheeclipsesandpredominatesthewholeofhersex.
ItwasnotthathefeltanyemotionakintoloveforIreneAdler.
Allemotions,andthatoneparticularly,wereabhorrenttohiscold,precisebutadmirablybalancedmind.
Hewas,Itakeit,themostperfectreasoningandobservingmachinethattheworldhasseen,butasaloverhewouldhaveplacedhimselfinafalse
positie
position.Heneverspokeofthesofterpassions,savewithagibeandasneer.
Theywereadmirablethingsfortheobserver—excellentfordrawingtheveilfrommen’smotivesandactions.
Butforthetrainedreasonertoadmitsuchintrusionsintohisowndelicateandfinelyadjustedtemperamentwastointroduceadistractingfactorwhichmight
werpen
throwadoubtuponallhismentalresults.Gritinasensitiveinstrument,oracrackinoneofhisownhigh-powerlenses,wouldnotbemoredisturbingthana
sterke
strongemotioninanaturesuchashis.Andyettherewasbutonewomantohim,andthatwomanwasthelateIreneAdler,ofdubiousandquestionable
geheugen
memory.IhadseenlittleofHolmeslately.
My
huwelijk
marriagehaddriftedusawayfromeachother.Myowncompletehappiness,andthehome-centredinterestswhichriseuparoundthemanwhofirstfindshimselfmasterofhisownestablishment,weresufficienttoabsorballmy
aandacht
attention,whileHolmes,wholoathedeveryvorm
formofsocietywithhiswholeBohemianziel
soul,remainedinourlodgingsinBakerStreet,buriedamonghisoldbooks,andalternatingfromweektoweekbetweencocaineandambition,thedrowsinessofthedrug
drug,andthefierceenergyofhisownkeenaard
nature.Hewasstill,asever,deeplyattractedbythe
studie
studyofcrime,andoccupiedhisimmensefacultiesandextraordinarypowersofobservationinfollowingoutthoseclues,andclearingupthosemysterieswhichhadbeenabandonedashopelessbytheofficialpolice.FromtimetotimeIheardsomevagueaccountofhisdoings:
ofhissummonstoOdessainthecaseoftheTrepoff
moord
murder,ofhisclearingupofthesingulartragedyoftheAtkinsonbrothersatTrincomalee,andten slotte
finallyofthemissionwhichhehadaccomplishedsodelicatelyandsuccessfullyforthereigningfamilyofHolland.Beyondthesesignsofhisactivity,
echter
however,whichImerelysharedwithallthereadersofthedailypers
press,Iknewlittleofmyformerfriendandcompanion.Onenight—itwasonthetwentiethofMarch,1888—Iwasreturningfromajourneytoa
patiënt
patient(forIhadnowreturnedtocivilpractice),whenmywayleidde
ledmethroughBakerStreet.AsIpassedthewell-remembereddoor,whichmustalwaysbeassociatedinmymindwithmywooing,andwiththedarkincidentsofthe
Studie
StudyinScarlet,IwasseizedwithakeendesiretoseeHolmesagain,andtoknowhowhewasemployinghisextraordinarypowers.Hisroomswerebrilliantlylit,and,evenasIlookedup,Isawhistall,spare
figuur
figurepasstwiceinadonkere
darksilhouetteagainsttheblind.Hewaspacingtheroomswiftly,eagerly,withhisheadsunkuponhischestandhishandsclaspedbehindhim.
Tome,whoknewhiseverymoodandhabit,hisattitudeandmannertoldtheirownstory.
Hewasatworkagain.
Hehadrisenoutofhisdrug-createddreamsandwashotuponthescentofsomenewproblem.
Irangthebellandwasshownuptothechamberwhichhadformerlybeeninpartmyown.
Hismannerwasnoteffusive.
Itseldomwas;
buthewas
blij
glad,Ithink,toseeme.Withhardlyawordspoken,butwithakindly
oog
eye,hewavedmetoanarmchair,gooide
threwacrosshiscaseofcigars,andindicatedageest
spiritcaseandagasogeneinthecorner.Thenhestoodbeforethefireandlookedmeoverinhissingularintrospectivefashion.
“Wedlocksuitsyou,”heremarked.
“Ithink,Watson,thatyouhaveputon
zeven
sevenandahalfpoundssinceIsawyou.”“Seven!”
Ianswered.
“Indeed,Ishouldhavethoughtalittlemore.
Justatriflemore,Ifancy,Watson.
Andin
praktijk
practiceagain,Iobserve.Youdidnottellmethatyouintendedtogointoharness.”
“Then,howdoyouknow?”
“Iseeit,Ideduceit.
HowdoIknowthatyouhavebeengettingyourselfverywetlately,andthatyouhaveamostclumsyandcarelessservantgirl?”
“MydearHolmes,”saidI,“thisistoomuch.
Youwould
zeker
certainlyhavebeenburned,hadyoulivedafewcenturiesago.ItistruethatIhadacountrywalkonThursdayandcamehomeinadreadful
puinhoop
mess,butasIhavechangedmykleren
clothesIcan’timaginehowyoudeduceit.AstoMaryJane,sheisincorrigible,andmywifehasgivenhernotice,butthere,again,Ifailtoseehowyouworkitout.”
Hechuckledtohimselfandrubbedhislong,nervoushandstogether.
“Itissimplicityitself,”saidhe;
“myeyestellmethatontheinsideofyourleftshoe,justwherethefirelightstrikesit,theleatherisscoredbysixalmostparallelcuts.
Duidelijk
Obviouslytheyhavebeencausedbysomeonewhohasverycarelesslyscrapedroundtheedgesofthesoleinordertoremovecrustedmudfromit.Hence,yousee,my
dubbele
doubledeductionthatyouhadbeenoutinvileweather,andthatyouhadaparticularlymalignantboot-slittingspecimenoftheLondonslavey.Astoyour
praktijk
practice,ifagentlemanwalksintomyroomssmellingofiodoform,withablackmarkofnitrateofsilveruponhisrightforefinger,andabulgeontherightsideofhistop-hattoshowwherehehassecretedhisstethoscope,Imustbedull,indeed,ifIdonotpronouncehimtobeanactivememberofthemedicalprofession.”Icouldnothelp
lachen
laughingattheeasewithwhichheexplainedhisprocessofdeduction.“WhenIhearyougiveyourreasons,”Iremarked,“thethingalwaysappearstometobesoridiculouslysimplethatIcouldeasilydoitmyself,thoughateachsuccessiveinstanceofyourreasoningIambaffleduntilyouexplainyourprocess.
AndyetIbelievethatmyeyesareasgoodasyours.”
“Quiteso,”heanswered,lightingacigarette,and
gooide
throwinghimselfdownintoanarmchair.“Yousee,butyoudonotobserve.
Thedistinctionisclear.
Forexample,youhavefrequentlyseenthestepswhich
leiden
leadupfromthehalltothisroom.”“Frequently.”
“Howoften?”
“Well,somehundredsoftimes.”
“Thenhowmanyarethere?”
“Howmany?
Idon’tknow.”
“Quiteso!
Youhavenotobserved.
Andyetyouhaveseen.
Thatisjustmypoint.
Now,Iknowthatthereareseventeensteps,becauseIhavebothseenandobserved.
Bytheway,sinceyouare
geïnteresseerd
interestedintheselittleproblems,andsinceyouaregoodenoughtochronicleoneortwoofmytriflingexperiences,youmaybegeïnteresseerd
interestedinthis.”Hethrewoverasheetofthick,pink-tintednotepaperwhichhadbeenlyingopenuponthe
tafel
table.“Itcamebythelastpost,”saidhe.
“Readitaloud.”
Thenotewasundated,andwithouteithersignatureor
adres
address.“Therewillcalluponyouto-night,ataquarterto
acht
eighto’clock,”itsaid,“agentlemanwhodesirestoconsultyouuponamatteroftheverydeepestmoment.YourrecentservicestooneoftheroyalhousesofEuropehaveshownthatyouareonewhomaysafelybetrustedwithmatterswhichareofanimportancewhichcanhardlybeexaggerated.
Thisaccountofyouwehavefromallquartersreceived.
Beinyourchamberthenatthathour,anddonottakeitamissifyourvisitor
draagt
wearamask.”“Thisisindeedamystery,”Iremarked.
“Whatdoyou
denk
imaginethatitmeans?”“Ihavenodatayet.
Itisacapital
vergissing
mistaketotheorisebeforeonehasdata.Insensiblyone
begint
beginstotwistfactstosuittheories,plaats
insteadoftheoriestosuitfacts.Butthenoteitself.
Whatdoyoudeducefromit?”
Icarefullyexaminedthewriting,andthe
papier
paperuponwhichitwaswritten.“Themanwhowroteitwaspresumablywelltodo,”Iremarked,endeavouringtoimitatemycompanion’sprocesses.
“Suchpapercouldnotbeboughtunderhalfacrownapacket.
Itispeculiarly
sterk
strongandstiff.”“Peculiar—thatistheveryword,”saidHolmes.
“ItisnotanEnglish
krant
paperatall.Holdituptothelight.”
Ididso,andsawa
grote
large“E”withasmall“g,”a“P,”andagrote
large“G”withasmall“t”wovenintothetextureofthepapier
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
sceneofthedeathofWallenstein,andforitsnumerousglass-factoriesandpaper-mills.’Ha,ha,myboy,whatdoyoumakeofthat?”Hiseyessparkled,andhesentupagreat
blauwe
bluetriumphantcloudfromhiscigarette.“The
papier
paperwasmadeinBohemia,”Isaid.“Precisely.
AndthemanwhowrotethenoteisaGerman.
Doyounotethepeculiarconstructionofthesentence—‘Thisaccountofyouwehavefromallquartersreceived.’AFrenchmanorRussiancouldnothavewrittenthat.
ItistheGermanwhoissouncourteoustohisverbs.
Itonlyremains,therefore,todiscoverwhatiswantedbythisGermanwhowritesuponBohemian
papier
paperandpreferswearingamasktoshowinghisface.Andherehecomes,ifIamnotmistaken,toresolveallourdoubts.”
Ashespoketherewasthesharpsoundofhorses’hoofsandgratingwheelsagainstthecurb,followedbyasharp
trek
pullatthebell.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
heavystep,whichhadbeenhearduponthestairsandinthepassage,pausedonmiddellijk
immediatelyoutsidethedoor.Thentherewasaloudandauthoritativetap.
“Comein!”
saidHolmes.
Amanenteredwhocouldhardlyhavebeen
minder
lessthansixfeetsixinchesinheight,withthechestandlimbsofaHercules.His
jurk
dresswasrichwitharichnesswhichwould,inEngland,belookeduponasakintobadsmaak
taste.Heavybandsofastrakhanwereslashedacrossthesleevesandfrontsofhisdouble-breastedcoat,whilethedeepbluecloakwhichwas
gegooid
thrownoverhisshoulderswaslinedwithflame-colouredsilkandsecuredatthenek
neckwithabroochwhichconsistedofasingleflamingberyl.Bootswhichextendedhalfwayuphiscalves,andwhichweretrimmedatthetopswith
rijke
richbrownfur,completedtheimpressionofbarbaricopulencewhichwassuggestedbyhiswholeappearance.He
droeg
carriedabroad-brimmedhatinhishand,whilehedroeg
woreacrosstheupperpartofhisface,extendingdownpastthecheekbones,ablackvizardmask,whichhehadapparentlyadjustedthatverymoment,forhishandwasstillraisedtoitasheentered.Fromthelowerpartofthefaceheappearedtobeamanof
sterk
strongcharacter,withathick,hanginglip,andalong,rechte
straightchinsuggestiveofresolutiongeduwd
pushedtothelengthofobstinacy.“Youhadmynote?”
heaskedwithadeepharsh
stem
voiceandastronglymarkedGermanaccent.“ItoldyouthatIwouldcall.”
Helookedfromonetotheotherofus,asifuncertainwhichtoaddress.
“Praytakeaseat,”saidHolmes.
“Thisismyfriendandcolleague,Dr.Watson,whoisoccasionallygoodenoughtohelpmeinmycases.
WhomhaveIthehonourtoaddress?”
“Youmayaddressmeasthe
Graaf
CountVonKramm,aBohemiannobleman.Iunderstandthatthisgentleman,yourfriend,isamanofhonouranddiscretion,whomImaytrustwithamatterofthemostextremeimportance.
Ifnot,Ishouldmuchprefertocommunicatewithyoualone.”
Irosetogo,butHolmescaughtmebythewristand
duwde
pushedmebackintomychair.“Itisboth,ornone,”saidhe.
“Youmaysaybeforethisgentlemananythingwhichyoumaysaytome.”
The
Graaf
Countshruggedhisbroadshoulders.“ThenImustbegin,”saidhe,“bybindingyoubothtoabsolutesecrecyfortwoyears;
attheendofthattimethematterwillbeofnoimportance.
AtpresentitisnottoomuchtosaythatitisofsuchweightitmayhaveaninfluenceuponEuropeanhistory.”
“Ipromise,”saidHolmes.
“AndI.”
“Youwillexcusethismask,”continuedourstrangevisitor.
“Theaugustpersonwhoemploysmewisheshis
agent
agenttobeunknowntoyou,andImayconfessatoncethatthetitlebywhichIhavejustcalledmyselfisnotexactlymyown.”“Iwasawareofit,”saidHolmesdryly.
“Thecircumstancesareofgreatdelicacy,andeveryprecautionhastobetakentoquenchwhatmightgrowtobeanimmensescandaland
ernstig
seriouslycompromiseoneofthereigningfamiliesofEurope.Tospeakplainly,thematterimplicatesthegreatHouseofOrmstein,hereditarykingsofBohemia.”
“Iwasalsoawareofthat,”murmuredHolmes,settlinghimselfdowninhisarmchairandclosinghiseyes.
Ourvisitorglancedwithsomeapparent
verbazing
surpriseatthelanguid,loungingfiguur
figureofthemanwhohadbeennodoubtdepictedtohimasthemostincisivereasonerandmostenergeticagent
agentinEurope.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
agentwithoutputtingmyselfinhispower.IhavecomeincognitofromPragueforthepurposeofconsultingyou.”
“Then,
bid
prayconsult,”saidHolmes,shuttinghiseyesoncemore.“Thefactsarebrieflythese:
Somefiveyearsago,
tijdens
duringalengthyvisittoWarsaw,Imadetheacquaintanceofthewell-knownadventuress,IreneAdler.Thenameisnodoubtfamiliartoyou.”
“Kindlylookherupinmyindex,Doctor,”murmuredHolmeswithoutopeninghiseyes.
Formanyyearshehadadopteda
systeem
systemofdocketingallparagraphsconcerningmenandthings,sothatitwasmoeilijk
difficulttonameasubjectorapersononwhichhecouldnotatoncefurnishinformatie
information.InthiscaseIfoundherbiographysandwichedinbetweenthatofaHebrewrabbiandthatofastaff-commanderwhohadwrittenamonographuponthedeep-seafishes.
“Letmesee!”
saidHolmes.
“Hum!
Geboren
BorninNewJerseyintheyear1858.Contralto—hum!
LaScala,hum!
PrimadonnaImperialOperaofWarsaw—yes!
Retiredfromoperaticstage—ha!
LivinginLondon—quiteso!
YourMajesty,asIunderstand,becameentangledwiththisyoungperson,wrotehersomecompromisingletters,andisnowdesirousofgettingthoselettersback.”
“Preciselyso.
Buthow—”.