I.ASCANDALINBOHEMIA
I.
ToSherlockHolmessheisalwaysthewoman.
Ihave
rarement
seldomheardhimmentionherunderanyothername.Inhiseyesshe
éclipse
eclipsesandpredominatesthewholeofhersex.Itwasnotthathefeltany
émotion
emotionakintoloveforIreneAdler.Allemotions,andthatone
en particulier
particularly,wereabhorrenttohiscold,precisebutadmirablybalancedmind.Hewas,Itakeit,themostperfectreasoningandobservingmachinethattheworldhasseen,butasaloverhewouldhaveplacedhimselfinafalseposition.
Heneverspokeofthesofterpassions,savewithagibeandasneer.
Theywereadmirablethingsfortheobserver—excellentfordrawingtheveilfrommen’smotivesandactions.
Butforthetrainedreasonertoadmitsuchintrusionsintohisown
délicat
delicateandfinelyadjustedtemperamentwastointroduceadistractingfacteur
factorwhichmightthrowadoubtuponallhismentalresults.Gritinasensitive
instrument
instrument,oracrackinoneofhisownhigh-powerlenses,wouldnotbemoredisturbingthanastrongémotion
emotioninanaturesuchashis.Andyettherewasbutonewomantohim,andthatwomanwasthelateIreneAdler,ofdubiousandquestionablememory.
IhadseenlittleofHolmeslately.
Mymarriagehaddriftedusawayfromeachother.
Myowncompletehappiness,andthehome-centredinterestswhichriseuparoundthemanwhofirstfindshimselfmasterofhisown
établissement
establishment,weresufficienttoabsorballmyattention,whileHolmes,whodétestait
loathedeveryformofsocietywithhiswholeBohemiansoul,remainedinourlodgingsinBaker
BakerStreet,buriedamonghisoldbooks,andalternant
alternatingfromweektoweekbetweencocaineandambition,thedrowsinessofthedrug,andtheféroce
fierceenergyofhisownkeennature.Hewasstill,asever,deeply
attiré
attractedbythestudyofcrime,andoccupait
occupiedhisimmensefacultiesandextraordinarypowersofobservationinfollowingoutthoseclues,andclearingupthosemysterieswhichhadbeenabandonedassans espoir
hopelessbytheofficialpolice.FromtimetotimeIheardsome
vague
vagueaccountofhisdoings:ofhissummonstoOdessainthecaseoftheTrepoffmurder,ofhisclearingupofthesingular
tragédie
tragedyoftheAtkinsonbrothersatTrincomalee,andfinallyofthemissionwhichhehadaccomplishedsodelicatelyandsuccès
successfullyforthereigningfamilyofHolland.Beyondthesesignsofhisactivity,however,whichImerelysharedwithallthereadersofthedailypress,Iknewlittleofmyformerfriendand
compagnon
companion.Onenight—itwasonthetwentiethofMarch,1888—Iwasreturningfromajourneytoapatient(forIhadnowreturnedtocivilpractice),whenmywayledmethrough
Baker
BakerStreet.AsIpassedthewell-remembereddoor,whichmustalwaysbeassociatedinmymindwithmywooing,andwiththedarkincidentsoftheStudyin
Écarlate
Scarlet,IwasseizedwithakeendesiretoseeHolmesagain,andtoknowhowhewasemployait
employinghisextraordinarypowers.Hisroomswerebrilliantlylit,and,evenasIlookedup,Isawhistall,sparefigurepasstwiceinadarksilhouetteagainsttheblind.
Hewaspacingtheroom
rapidement
swiftly,eagerly,withhisheadsunkuponhischestandhishandsclaspedbehindhim.Tome,whoknewhiseverymoodandhabit,hisattitudeandmannertoldtheirownstory.
Hewasatworkagain.
Hehadrisenoutofhisdrug-createddreamsandwashotuponthescentofsomenewproblem.
Irangthebellandwasshownuptothechamberwhichhad
auparavant
formerlybeeninpartmyown.Hismannerwasnoteffusive.
It
rarement
seldomwas;buthewasglad,Ithink,toseeme.
Withhardlyawordspoken,butwithakindlyeye,hewavedmetoanarmchair,threwacrosshiscaseofcigars,and
indiqué
indicatedaspiritcaseandagasogeneinthecorner.Thenhestoodbeforethefireandlookedmeoverinhissingularintrospectivefashion.
“Wedlocksuitsyou,”he
remarquer
remarked.“Ithink,Watson,thatyouhaveputonsevenandahalfpoundssinceIsawyou.”
“Seven!”
Ianswered.
“Indeed,Ishouldhavethoughtalittlemore.
Justatriflemore,Ifancy,Watson.
Andinpracticeagain,Iobserve.
Youdidnottellmethatyouintendedtogointoharness.”
“Then,howdoyouknow?”
“Iseeit,Ideduceit.
HowdoIknowthatyouhavebeengettingyourselfverywetlately,andthatyouhaveamostclumsyandcareless
servante
servantgirl?”“MydearHolmes,”saidI,“thisistoomuch.
Youwouldcertainlyhavebeenburned,hadyoulivedafewcenturiesago.
ItistruethatIhadacountrywalkonThursdayandcamehomeina
terrible
dreadfulmess,butasIhavechangedmyclothesIcan’timaginehowyoudeduceit.AstoMaryJane,sheisincorrigible,andmywifehasgivenhernotice,butthere,again,Ifailtoseehowyouworkitout.”
Hechuckledtohimselfand
frotté
rubbedhislong,nervoushandstogether.“Itis
simplicité
simplicityitself,”saidhe;“myeyestellmethatontheinsideofyourleftshoe,justwherethefirelightstrikesit,the
cuir
leatherisscoredbysixalmostparallelcuts.Obviouslytheyhavebeencausedbysomeonewhohasverycarelessly
gratté
scrapedroundtheedgesofthesoleinordertoremovecrustedboue
mudfromit.Hence,yousee,mydoubledeductionthatyouhadbeenoutinvileweather,andthatyouhada
particulièrement
particularlymalignantboot-slittingspecimenoftheLondonslavey.Astoyourpractice,ifagentlemanwalksintomyroomssmellingofiodoform,withablackmarkofnitrateofsilveruponhisrightforefinger,andabulgeontherightsideofhistop-hattoshowwherehehassecretedhisstethoscope,Imustbedull,indeed,ifIdonot
prononce
pronouncehimtobeanactif
activememberofthemedicalprofession.”Icouldnothelplaughingatthe
facilité
easewithwhichheexplainedhisprocessofdeduction.“WhenIhearyougiveyourreasons,”I
remarquer
remarked,“thethingalwaysappearstometobesoridiculouslysimplethatIcouldeasilydoitmyself,thoughateachsuccessiveinstanceofyourreasoningIambaffleduntilyouexplainyourprocess.AndyetIbelievethatmyeyesareasgoodasyours.”
“Quiteso,”heanswered,
allumant
lightingacigarette,andthrowinghimselfdownintoanarmchair.“Yousee,butyoudonotobserve.
The
distinction
distinctionisclear.Forexample,youhave
souvent
frequentlyseenthestepswhichleadupfromthehalltothisroom.”“Frequently.”
“Howoften?”
“Well,somehundredsoftimes.”
“Thenhowmanyarethere?”
“Howmany?
Idon’tknow.”
“Quiteso!
Youhavenot
observé
observed.Andyetyouhaveseen.
Thatisjustmypoint.
Now,Iknowthatthereareseventeensteps,becauseIhavebothseenand
observé
observed.Bytheway,sinceyouareinterestedintheselittleproblems,andsinceyouaregoodenoughtochronicleoneortwoofmytriflingexperiences,youmaybeinterestedinthis.”
Hethrewovera
feuille
sheetofthick,pink-tintednotepaperwhichhadbeenlyingopenuponthetable.“Itcamebythelastpost,”saidhe.
“Readitaloud.”
Thenotewasundated,andwithouteither
signature
signatureoraddress.“Therewillcalluponyouto-night,ataquartertoeighto’clock,”itsaid,“agentlemanwhodesiresto
consulter
consultyouuponamatteroftheverydeepestmoment.YourrecentservicestooneoftheroyalhousesofEuropehaveshownthatyouareonewhomaysafelybetrustedwithmatterswhichareofan
importance
importancewhichcanhardlybeexaggerated.Thisaccountofyouwehavefromallquartersreceived.
Beinyourchamberthenatthathour,anddonottakeitamissifyour
visiteur
visitorwearamask.”“Thisisindeedamystery,”I
remarquer
remarked.“Whatdoyouimaginethatitmeans?”
“Ihavenodatayet.
Itisacapitalmistaketotheorisebeforeonehasdata.
Insensiblyonebeginsto
tordre
twistfactstosuittheories,insteadoftheoriestosuitfacts.Butthenoteitself.
Whatdoyoudeducefromit?”
Icarefully
examiné
examinedthewriting,andthepaperuponwhichitwaswritten.“Themanwhowroteitwas
vraisemblablement
presumablywelltodo,”Iremarquer
remarked,endeavouringtoimitatemycompanion’sprocesses.“Suchpapercouldnotbeboughtunderhalfa
couronne
crownapacket.Itispeculiarlystrongandstiff.”
“Peculiar—thatistheveryword,”saidHolmes.
“ItisnotanEnglishpaperatall.
Holdituptothelight.”
Ididso,andsawalarge“E”withasmall“g,”a“P,”andalarge“G”withasmall“t”wovenintothe
texture
textureofthepaper.“Whatdoyoumakeofthat?”
askedHolmes.
“Thenameofthe
fabricant
maker,nodoubt;orhismonogram,rather.”
“Notatall.
The‘G’withthesmall‘t’standsfor‘Gesellschaft,’whichistheGermanfor‘Company.’Itisacustomarycontractionlikeour‘Co.’‘P,’ofcourse,standsfor‘Papier.’Nowforthe‘Eg.’LetusglanceatourContinentalGazetteer.”
Hetookdownaheavybrown
volume
volumefromhisshelves.“Eglow,Eglonitz—hereweare,Egria.
ItisinaGerman-speakingcountry—inBohemia,notfarfromCarlsbad.
‘RemarkableasbeingthesceneofthedeathofWallenstein,andforitsnumerousglass-factoriesandpaper-mills.’Ha,ha,myboy,whatdoyoumakeofthat?”
Hiseyes
scintillaient
sparkled,andhesentupagreatbluetriomphant
triumphantcloudfromhiscigarette.“ThepaperwasmadeinBohemia,”Isaid.
“Precisely.
AndthemanwhowrotethenoteisaGerman.
Doyounotethe
particulière
peculiarconstructionofthesentence—‘Thisaccountofyouwehavefromallquartersreceived.’AFrenchmanorRussiancouldnothavewrittenthat.ItistheGermanwhoissouncourteoustohisverbs.
Itonlyremains,therefore,to
découvrir
discoverwhatiswantedbythisGermanwhowritesuponBohémien
Bohemianpaperandpreferswearingamasktoshowinghisface.Andherehecomes,ifIamnotmistaken,to
résoudre
resolveallourdoubts.”Ashespoketherewasthesharpsoundofhorses’hoofsandgratingwheelsagainstthe
trottoir
curb,followedbyasharppullatthebell.Holmes
sifflé
whistled.“Apair,bythesound,”saidhe.
“Yes,”hecontinued,glancingoutofthewindow.
“Anicelittlebroughamandapairofbeauties.
Ahundredandfiftyguineasapiece.
There’smoneyinthiscase,Watson,ifthereisnothingelse.”
“IthinkthatIhadbettergo,Holmes.”
“Notabit,Doctor.
Staywhereyouare.
IamlostwithoutmyBoswell.
Andthispromisestobeinteresting.
Itwouldbeapitytomissit.”
“Butyourclient—”.
“Nevermindhim.
Imaywantyourhelp,andsomayhe.
Herehecomes.
Sitdowninthatarmchair,Doctor,andgiveusyourbestattention.”
Aslowandheavystep,whichhadbeenhearduponthestairsandinthe
passage
passage,pausedimmediatelyoutsidethedoor.Thentherewasaloudandauthoritativetap.
“Comein!”
saidHolmes.
Amanenteredwhocouldhardlyhavebeenlessthansixfeetsixinchesinheight,withthechestandlimbsofaHercules.
Hisdresswasrichwitharichnesswhichwould,inEngland,belookeduponasakintobadtaste.
Heavybandsofastrakhanwereslashedacrossthesleevesandfrontsofhisdouble-breastedcoat,whilethedeepbluecloakwhichwasthrownoverhisshoulderswaslinedwithflame-coloured
soie
silkandsecuredattheneckwithabroochwhichconsistedofasingleflamingberyl.Bootswhichextendedhalfwayuphiscalves,andwhichweretrimmedatthetopswithrichbrown
fourrure
fur,completedtheimpressionofbarbaricopulencewhichwassuggestedbyhiswholeapparence
appearance.Hecarriedabroad-brimmedhatinhishand,whileheworeacrosstheupperpartofhisface,extendingdownpastthecheekbones,ablackvizardmask,whichhehadapparently
ajusté
adjustedthatverymoment,forhishandwasstillraisedtoitasheentered.Fromthelowerpartofthefaceheappearedtobeamanofstrongcharacter,withathick,hanging
lèvre
lip,andalong,straightmenton
chinsuggestiveofresolutionpushedtothelongueur
lengthofobstinacy.“Youhadmynote?”
heaskedwithadeep
dure
harshvoiceandastronglymarkedGermanaccent
accent.“ItoldyouthatIwouldcall.”
Helookedfromonetotheotherofus,asifuncertainwhichtoaddress.
“Praytakeaseat,”saidHolmes.
“Thisismyfriendand
collègue
colleague,Dr.Watson,whoisoccasionnellement
occasionallygoodenoughtohelpmeinmycases.WhomhaveIthehonourtoaddress?”
“YoumayaddressmeastheCountVonKramm,a
Bohémien
Bohemiannobleman.Iunderstandthatthisgentleman,yourfriend,isamanofhonourand
discrétion
discretion,whomImaytrustwithamatterofthemostextrême
extremeimportance.Ifnot,Ishouldmuchpreferto
communiquer
communicatewithyoualone.”Irosetogo,butHolmescaughtmebythe
poignet
wristandpushedmebackintomychair.“Itisboth,ornone,”saidhe.
“Youmaysaybeforethisgentlemananythingwhichyoumaysaytome.”
TheCountshruggedhisbroadshoulders.
“ThenImustbegin,”saidhe,“by
liant
bindingyoubothtoabsolutesecret
secrecyfortwoyears;attheendofthattimethematterwillbeofnoimportance.
Atpresentitisnottoomuchtosaythatitisofsuchweightitmayhavean
influence
influenceuponEuropeanhistory.”“Ipromise,”saidHolmes.
“AndI.”
“Youwillexcusethismask,”continuedourstrange
visiteur
visitor.“Theaugustpersonwhoemploysmewisheshisagenttobeunknowntoyou,andImay
avouer
confessatoncethatthetitlebywhichIhavejustcalledmyselfisnotexactlymyown.”“Iwasawareofit,”saidHolmesdryly.
“Thecircumstancesareofgreatdelicacy,andeveryprecautionhastobetakentoquenchwhatmightgrowtobeanimmense
scandale
scandalandseriouslycompromiseoneofthereigningfamiliesofEurope.Tospeakplainly,thematterimplicatesthegreatHouseofOrmstein,hereditarykingsofBohemia.”
“Iwasalsoawareofthat,”murmuredHolmes,settlinghimselfdowninhisarmchairandclosinghiseyes.
Our
visiteur
visitorglancedwithsomeapparentsurpriseatthelanguid,loungingfigureofthemanwhohadbeennodoubtdepictedtohimasthemostincisivereasonerandmosténergique
energeticagentinEurope.Holmesslowlyreopenedhiseyesandlookedimpatientlyathisgiganticclient.
“IfyourMajestywouldcondescendtostateyourcase,”he
remarquer
remarked,“Ishouldbebetterabletoadviseyou.”Themansprangfromhischairandpacedupanddowntheroominuncontrollableagitation.
Then,witha
geste
gestureofdesperation,hetorethemaskfromhisfaceandjeté
hurleditupontheground.“Youareright,”hecried;
“IamtheKing.
WhyshouldIattempttoconcealit?”
“Why,indeed?”
murmuredHolmes.
“YourMajestyhadnotspokenbeforeIwasawarethatIwasaddressingWilhelmGottsreichSigismondvonOrmstein,Grand
Duc
DukeofCassel-Felstein,andhereditaryKingofBohemia.”“Butyoucanunderstand,”saidourstrange
visiteur
visitor,sittingdownoncemoreandpassinghishandoverhishighwhitefront
forehead,“youcanunderstandthatIamnotaccustomedtodoingsuchbusinessinmyownperson.YetthematterwassodelicatethatIcouldnot
confier
confideittoanagentwithoutputtingmyselfinhispower.IhavecomeincognitofromPragueforthepurposeof
consulter
consultingyou.”“Then,prayconsult,”saidHolmes,shuttinghiseyesoncemore.
“Thefactsare
brièvement
brieflythese:Somefiveyearsago,duringalengthyvisittoWarsaw,Imadetheacquaintanceofthewell-knownadventuress,IreneAdler.
Thenameisnodoubtfamiliartoyou.”
“Kindlylookherupinmy
index
index,Doctor,”murmuredHolmeswithoutopeninghiseyes.Formanyyearshehad
adopté
adoptedasystemofdocketingallparagraphsconcerningmenandthings,sothatitwasdifficulttonameasubjectorapersononwhichhecouldnotatoncefurnishinformation.InthiscaseIfoundher
biographie
biographysandwichedinbetweenthatofaHebrewrabbiandthatofastaff-commanderwhohadwrittenamonographuponthedeep-seafishes.“Letmesee!”
saidHolmes.
“Hum!
BorninNewJerseyintheyear1858.
Contralto—hum!
LaScala,hum!
Prima
PrimadonnaImperialOperaofWarsaw—yes!Retiré
Retiredfromoperaticstage—ha!LivinginLondon—quiteso!
YourMajesty,asIunderstand,becameentangledwiththisyoungperson,wrotehersomecompromisingletters,andisnowdesirousofgettingthoselettersback.”
“Preciselyso.
Buthow—”.