CHAPTERI.MR.SHERLOCKHOLMES.
Intheyear1878ItookmydegreeofDoctorofMedicineoftheUniversityofLondon,andproceededtoNetleytogothroughthecourseprescribedforsurgeonsinthearmy.
Havingcompletedmystudiesthere,IwasdulyattachedtotheFifthNorthumberlandFusiliersasAssistantSurgeon.
The
regiment
regimentwasstationedinIndiaatthetime,andbeforeIcouldjoinit,thesecondAfghanwarhadbrokenout.OnlandingatBombay,Ilearnedthatmy
korps
corpshadadvancedthroughthepasses,andwasalreadydeepintheenemy’scountry.Ifollowed,however,withmanyotherofficerswhowereinthesamesituationasmyself,andsucceededinreachingCandaharinsafety,whereIfoundmy
regiment
regiment,andatonceentereduponmynewduties.Thecampaignbroughthonoursandpromotiontomany,butformeithadnothingbut
unglück
misfortuneanddisaster.Iwasremovedfrommy
brigade
brigadeandattachedtotheBerkshires,withwhomIservedatthefatalbattleofMaiwand.ThereIwasstruckontheshoulderbyaJezailbullet,which
zerbrach
shatteredtheboneandgrazedthesubclavianartery.IshouldhavefallenintothehandsofthemurderousGhazishaditnotbeenforthedevotionandcourageshownbyMurray,myorderly,whothrewmeacrossapack-horse,andsucceededinbringingme
sicher
safelytotheBritishlines.Wornwithpain,andweakfromtheprolongedhardshipswhichIhadundergone,Iwasremoved,withagreattrainofwoundedsufferers,tothebasehospitalatPeshawar.
HereIrallied,andhadalreadyimprovedsofarastobeabletowalkaboutthewards,andeventobaskalittleupontheverandah,whenIwasstruckdownbyenteric
fieber
fever,thatcurseofourIndianpossessions.Formonthsmylifewasdespairedof,andwhenatlastIcametomyselfandbecameconvalescent,IwassoweakandemaciatedthatamedicalboarddeterminedthatnotadayshouldbelostinsendingmebacktoEngland.
Iwasdispatched,accordingly,inthetroopship“Orontes,”andlandedamonthlateronPortsmouthjetty,withmyhealthirretrievablyruined,butwithpermissionfromapaternalgovernmenttospendthenextninemonthsinattemptingtoimproveit.
IhadneitherkithnorkininEngland,andwasthereforeasfreeasair—orasfreeasan
einkommen
incomeofelevenshillingsandsixpenceadaywillerlauben
permitamantobe.Undersuchcircumstances,InaturallygravitatedtoLondon,thatgreatcesspoolintowhichalltheloungersandidlersoftheEmpireareirresistiblydrained.
ThereIstayedforsometimeataprivatehotelinthe
Strand
Strand,leadingacomfortless,meaninglessexistence,andspendingsuchmoneyasIhad,considerablymorefreelythanIought.Soalarmingdidthestateofmyfinancesbecome,thatIsoonrealizedthatImusteitherleavethe
metropole
metropolisandrusticatesomewhereinthecountry,orthatImustmakeacompletealterationinmystyleofliving.Choosingthe
letztere
latteralternative,Ibeganbymakingupmymindtoleavethehotel,andtotakeupmyquartersinsomelesspretentiousandlessexpensivedomicile.OntheverydaythatIhadcometothisconclusion,IwasstandingattheCriterionBar,whensomeonetappedmeontheshoulder,andturningroundIrecognizedyoungStamford,whohadbeenadresserundermeatBarts.
Thesightofafriendlyfaceinthegreat
wildnis
wildernessofLondonisapleasantthingindeedtoalonelyman.InolddaysStamfordhadneverbeenaparticularcronyofmine,butnowIhailedhimwith
begeisterung
enthusiasm,andhe,inhisturn,appearedtobeerfreut
delightedtoseeme.Intheexuberanceofmyjoy,IaskedhimtolunchwithmeattheHolborn,andwestartedofftogetherinahansom.
“Whateverhaveyoubeendoingwithyourself,Watson?”
heaskedinundisguisedwonder,aswe
rasselten
rattledthroughthecrowdedLondonstreets.“Youareasthinasalathandasbrownasanut.”
Igavehimashort
skizze
sketchofmyadventures,andhadhardlyconcludeditbythetimethatwereachedourziel
destination.“Poordevil!”
hesaid,commiseratingly,afterhehadlistenedtomymisfortunes.
“Whatareyouuptonow?”
“Lookingforlodgings,”Ianswered.
“Tryingtosolvetheproblemastowhetheritispossibletogetcomfortableroomsatareasonableprice.”
“That’sastrangething,”remarkedmy
begleiter
companion;“youarethesecondmanto-daythathasusedthat
ausdruck
expressiontome.”“Andwhowasthefirst?”
Iasked.
“Afellowwhoisworkingatthechemical
labor
laboratoryupatthehospital.Hewasbemoaninghimselfthismorningbecausehecouldnotgetsomeonetogohalveswithhiminsomeniceroomswhichhehadfound,andwhichweretoomuchforhispurse.”
“ByJove!”
Icried,“ifhereallywantssomeonetosharetheroomsandtheexpense,Iamtheverymanforhim.
Ishouldpreferhavingapartnertobeingalone.”
YoungStamfordlookedratherstrangelyatmeoverhiswine-glass.
“Youdon’tknowSherlockHolmesyet,”hesaid;
“perhapsyouwouldnotcareforhimasaconstantcompanion.”
“Why,whatisthereagainsthim?”
“Oh,Ididn’tsaytherewasanythingagainsthim.
Heisalittlequeerinhisideas—anenthusiastinsomebranchesofscience.
AsfarasIknowheisadecentfellowenough.”
“Amedicalstudent,Isuppose?”
saidI.
“No—Ihavenoideawhatheintendstogoinfor.
Ibelieveheiswellupin
anatomie
anatomy,andheisafirst-classchemiker
chemist;but,asfarasIknow,hehasnevertakenoutanysystematicmedicalclasses.
Hisstudiesareverydesultoryand
exzentrisch
eccentric,buthehasamassedalotofout-of-thewayknowledgewhichwouldastonishhisprofessors.”“Didyouneveraskhimwhathewasgoinginfor?”
Iasked.
“No;
heisnotamanthatitiseasytodrawout,thoughhecanbecommunicativeenoughwhenthefancy
ergreift
seizeshim.”“Ishouldliketomeethim,”Isaid.
“IfIamtolodgewithanyone,Ishouldpreferamanofstudiousandquiethabits.
Iamnotstrongenoughyettostandmuchnoiseor
aufregung
excitement.IhadenoughofbothinAfghanistantolastmefortheremainderofmynatural
existenz
existence.HowcouldImeetthisfriendofyours?”
“Heissuretobeatthelaboratory,”returnedmy
begleiter
companion.“Heeitheravoidstheplaceforweeks,orelseheworkstherefrommorningtonight.
Ifyoulike,weshalldriveroundtogetherafterluncheon.”
“Certainly,”Ianswered,andtheconversationdriftedawayintootherchannels.
AswemadeourwaytothehospitalafterleavingtheHolborn,StamfordgavemeafewmoreparticularsaboutthegentlemanwhomIproposedtotakeasafellow-lodger.
“Youmustn’tblamemeifyoudon’tgetonwithhim,”hesaid;
“IknownothingmoreofhimthanIhavelearnedfrommeetinghim
gelegentlich
occasionallyinthelaboratory.You
vorgeschlagen
proposedthisarrangement,soyoumustnotholdmeresponsible.”“Ifwedon’tgetonitwillbeeasytopartcompany,”Ianswered.
“Itseemstome,Stamford,”Iadded,lookinghardatmy
begleiter
companion,“thatyouhavesomereasonforwaschen
washingyourhandsofthematter.Isthisfellow’stempersoformidable,orwhatisit?
Don’tbemealy-mouthedaboutit.”
“Itisnoteasytoexpresstheinexpressible,”heansweredwithalaugh.
“Holmesisalittletooscientificformytastes—itapproachestocold-bloodedness.
Icouldimaginehisgivingafriendalittle
prise
pinchofthelatestvegetablealkaloid,notoutofmalevolence,youunderstand,butsimplyoutofaspiritofinquiryinordertohaveangenaue
accurateideaoftheeffects.Todohimjustice,Ithinkthathewouldtakeithimselfwiththesamereadiness.
Heappearstohaveapassionfordefiniteandexactknowledge.”
“Veryrighttoo.”
“Yes,butitmaybepushedtoexcess.
Whenitcomestobeatingthesubjectsinthedissecting-roomswithastick,itiscertainlytakingrathera
bizarre
bizarreshape.”“Beatingthesubjects!”
“Yes,to
überprüfen
verifyhowfarbruisesmaybeproducedafterdeath.Isawhimatitwithmyowneyes.”
“Andyetyousayheisnotamedicalstudent?”
“No.
Heavenknowswhattheobjectsofhisstudiesare.
Buthereweare,andyoumustformyourownimpressionsabouthim.”
Ashespoke,weturneddownanarrow
gasse
laneandpassedthroughasmallside-door,whichopenedintoawingofthegreathospital.Itwasfamiliargroundtome,andIneedednoguidingasweascendedthebleakstonestaircaseandmadeourwaydownthelong
korridor
corridorwithitsvistaofwhitewashedwallanddun-coloureddoors.Nearthefurtherendalowarched
durchgang
passagebranchedawayfromitandledtothechemicallabor
laboratory.Thiswasalofty
kammer
chamber,linedandlitteredwithcountlessbottles.Broad,lowtableswerescatteredabout,whichbristledwithretorts,test-tubes,andlittleBunsenlamps,withtheirblueflickering
flammen
flames.Therewasonlyonestudentintheroom,whowas
beugte
bendingoveradistanttableabsorbedinhiswork.Atthesoundofourstepsheglancedroundandsprangtohisfeetwithacryofpleasure.
“I’vefoundit!
I’vefoundit,”heshoutedtomy
begleiter
companion,runningtowardsuswithatest-tubeinhishand.“Ihavefoundare-agentwhichisprecipitatedbyhæmoglobin,andbynothingelse.”
Hadhediscoveredagoldmine,greater
freude
delightcouldnothaveshoneuponhisfeatures.“Dr.
Watson,Mr.SherlockHolmes,”saidStamford,introducingus.
“Howareyou?”
hesaidcordially,grippingmyhandwithastrengthforwhichIshouldhardlyhavegivenhimcredit.
“YouhavebeeninAfghanistan,Iperceive.”
“Howonearthdidyouknowthat?”
Iaskedinastonishment.
“Nevermind,”saidhe,chucklingtohimself.
“Thequestionnowisabouthæmoglobin.
Nodoubtyouseethe
bedeutung
significanceofthisdiscoveryofmine?”“Itisinteresting,chemically,nodoubt,”Ianswered,“butpractically——”.
“Why,man,itisthemostpracticalmedico-legal
entdeckung
discoveryforyears.Don’tyouseethatitgivesusaninfallibletestforbloodstains.
Comeoverherenow!”
Heseizedmebythecoat-sleeveinhiseagerness,anddrewmeovertothetableatwhichhehadbeenworking.
“Letushavesomefreshblood,”hesaid,diggingalongbodkinintohisfinger,anddrawingofftheresultingdropofbloodinachemicalpipette.
“Now,Iaddthissmall
menge
quantityofbloodtoalitreofwater.Youperceivethattheresulting
mischung
mixturehastheappearanceofpurewater.Theproportionofbloodcannotbemorethanoneinamillion.
Ihavenodoubt,however,thatweshallbeableto
erhalten
obtainthecharacteristicreaction.”Ashespoke,hethrewintothe
gefäß
vesselafewwhitecrystals,andthenaddedsomedropsofatransparentflüssigkeit
fluid.Inaninstantthecontentsassumedadullmahoganycolour,andabrownishdustwasprecipitatedtothebottomoftheglassjar.
“Ha!
ha!”
hecried,
klatschte
clappinghishands,andlookingaserfreut
delightedasachildwithanewtoy.“Whatdoyouthinkofthat?”
“Itseemstobeaverydelicatetest,”Iremarked.
“Beautiful!
beautiful!
TheoldGuiacumtestwasvery
ungeschickt
clumsyanduncertain.Soisthemicroscopic
untersuchung
examinationforbloodcorpuscles.Thelatterisvaluelessifthestainsareafewhoursold.
Now,thisappearstoactaswellwhetherthebloodisoldornew.
Hadthistestbeen
erfunden
invented,therearehundredsofmennowwalkingtheearthwhowouldlongagohavepaidthepenaltyoftheircrimes.”“Indeed!”
Imurmured.
“Criminalcasesare
ständig
continuallyhinginguponthatonepoint.Amanissuspectedofacrimemonthsperhapsafterithasbeencommitted.
His
leinen
linenorclothesareexamined,andbrownishstainsdiscovereduponthem.Aretheybloodstains,ormudstains,orruststains,orfruitstains,orwhatarethey?
Thatisaquestionwhichhaspuzzledmanyanexpert,andwhy?
Becausetherewasnoreliabletest.
NowwehavetheSherlockHolmes’test,andtherewillnolongerbeanydifficulty.”
Hiseyes
ziemlich
fairlyglitteredashespoke,andheputhishandoverhisheartandbowedasiftosomeapplaudingcrowdconjuredupbyhisimagination.“Youaretobecongratulated,”Iremarked,considerablysurprisedathis
begeisterung
enthusiasm.“TherewasthecaseofVonBischoffatFrankfortlastyear.
Hewouldcertainlyhavebeenhunghadthistestbeeninexistence.
ThentherewasMasonofBradford,andthenotoriousMuller,andLefevreofMontpellier,andSamsonofNewOrleans.
Icouldnameascoreofcasesinwhichitwouldhavebeendecisive.”
“Youseemtobeawalkingcalendarofcrime,”saidStamfordwithalaugh.
“Youmightstartapaperonthoselines.
Callitthe‘PoliceNewsofthePast.’”.
“Veryinterestingreadingitmightbemade,too,”remarkedSherlockHolmes,stickingasmallpieceof
gips
plasterovertheprickonhisfinger.“Ihavetobecareful,”hecontinued,turningtomewithasmile,“forIdabblewithpoisonsagooddeal.”
Heheldouthishandashespoke,andInoticedthatitwasallmottledoverwithsimilarpiecesof
gips
plaster,anddiscolouredwithstrongacids.“Wecamehereonbusiness,”saidStamford,sittingdownonahighthree-legged
hocker
stool,andpushinganotheroneinmydirectionwithhisfoot.“Myfriendherewantstotakediggings,andasyouwerecomplainingthatyoucouldgetnoonetogohalveswithyou,IthoughtthatIhadbetterbringyoutogether.”
SherlockHolmesseemeddelightedattheideaofsharinghisroomswithme.
“Ihavemyeyeona
suite
suiteinBakerStreet,”hesaid,“whichwouldsuitusdowntotheground.Youdon’tmindthesmellofstrong
tabak
tobacco,Ihope?”“Ialwayssmoke‘ship’s’myself,”Ianswered.
“That’sgoodenough.
Igenerallyhavechemicalsabout,and
gelegentlich
occasionallydoexperiments.Wouldthat
ärgern
annoyyou?”“Bynomeans.”
“Letmesee—whataremyothershortcomings.
Igetinthedumpsattimes,anddon’topenmymouthfordaysonend.
YoumustnotthinkIamsulkywhenIdothat.
Justletmealone,andI’llsoonberight.
Whathaveyouto
gestehen
confessnow?It’sjustaswellfortwofellowstoknowtheworstofoneanotherbeforetheybegintolivetogether.”
Ilaughedatthiscross-examination.
“Ikeepabullpup,”Isaid,“andIobjecttorowsbecausemynervesareshaken,andIgetupatallsortsofungodlyhours,andIamextremely
faul
lazy.IhaveanothersetofviceswhenI’mwell,butthosearetheprincipalonesatpresent.”
“Doyouincludeviolin-playinginyour
kategorie
categoryofrows?”heasked,anxiously.
“Itdependsontheplayer,”Ianswered.
“Awell-played
geige
violinisatreatforthegods—abadly-playedone——”.“Oh,that’sallright,”hecried,withamerrylaugh.
“Ithinkwemayconsiderthethingassettled—thatis,iftheroomsareagreeabletoyou.”
“Whenshallweseethem?”
“Callformehereatnoonto-morrow,andwe’llgotogetherandsettleeverything,”heanswered.
“Allright—noonexactly,”saidI,shakinghishand.
Welefthimworkingamonghischemicals,andwewalkedtogethertowardsmyhotel.
“Bytheway,”Iaskedsuddenly,stoppingandturninguponStamford,“howthedeucedidheknowthatIhadcomefromAfghanistan?”
My
begleiter
companionsmiledanenigmaticalsmile.“That’sjusthislittlepeculiarity,”hesaid.
“Agoodmanypeoplehavewantedtoknowhowhefindsthingsout.”
“Oh!
amysteryisit?”
Icried,rubbingmyhands.
“Thisisverypiquant.
Iammuchobligedtoyouforbringingustogether.
‘Theproperstudyof
menschheit
mankindisman,’youknow.”“Youmuststudyhim,then,”Stamfordsaid,ashebademegood-bye.
“You’llfindhimaknottyproblem,though.
I’ll
wette
wagerhelearnsmoreaboutyouthanyouabouthim.Good-bye.”
Kapitel
CHAPTERII.THESCIENCEOFDEDUCTION.