I.ASCANDALINBOHEMIA
I.
ToSherlockHolmessheisalwaysthewoman.
Ihaveseldomheardhimmentionherunderanyothername.
Inhiseyessheeclipsesandpredominatesthewholeofhersex.
ItwasnotthathefeltanyemotionakintoloveforIreneAdler.
Allemotions,andthatoneparticularly,wereabhorrenttohiscold,precisebutadmirablybalancedmind.
Hewas,Itakeit,themostperfectreasoningandobservingmachinethattheworldhasseen,butasa
kekasih
loverhewouldhaveplacedhimselfinasalah
falseposition.Heneverspokeofthesofterpassions,savewithagibeandasneer.
Theywereadmirablethingsfortheobserver—excellentfor
menarik
drawingtheveilfrommen’smotivesandactions.Butforthetrainedreasonerto
mengakui
admitsuchintrusionsintohisowndelicateandfinelyadjustedtemperamentwastomemperkenalkan
introduceadistractingfactorwhichmightthrowadoubtuponallhismentalresults.Gritina
sensitif
sensitiveinstrument,oracrackinoneofhisownhigh-powerlenses,wouldnotbemoredisturbingthanastrongemotioninanaturesuchashis.Andyettherewasbutonewomantohim,andthatwomanwasthelateIreneAdler,ofdubiousandquestionablememory.
IhadseenlittleofHolmeslately.
Mymarriagehaddriftedusawayfromeachother.
Myowncomplete
kebahagiaan
happiness,andthehome-centredinterestswhichriseuparoundthemanwhofirstfindshimselfmasterofhisownestablishment,weresufficienttoabsorballmyattention,whileHolmes,wholoathedeveryformofmasyarakat
societywithhiswholeBohemiansoul,tetap
remainedinourlodgingsinBakerStreet,buriedamonghisoldbooks,andalternatingfromweektoweekbetweencocaineandambition,thedrowsinessofthedrug,andthefierceenergyofhisownkeennature.Hewasstill,asever,
sangat
deeplyattractedbythestudyofcrime,andoccupiedhisimmensefacultiesandluar biasa
extraordinarypowersofobservationinfollowingoutthoseclues,andclearingupthosemysterieswhichhadbeenabandonedashopelessbytheresmi
officialpolice.FromtimetotimeIheardsomevagueaccountofhisdoings:
ofhissummonstoOdessainthecaseoftheTrepoffmurder,ofhisclearingupofthesingulartragedyoftheAtkinsonbrothersatTrincomalee,andfinallyofthemissionwhichhehadaccomplishedsodelicatelyandsuccessfullyforthereigningfamilyofHolland.
Luar
Beyondthesesignsofhisactivity,however,whichImerelysharedwithallthereadersoftheharian
dailypress,Iknewlittleofmymantan
formerfriendandcompanion.Onenight—itwasonthetwentiethof
Maret
March,1888—Iwasreturningfromajourneytoapatient(forIhadnowreturnedtocivilpractice),whenmywayledmethroughBakerStreet.AsIpassedthewell-remembereddoor,whichmustalwaysbeassociatedinmymindwithmywooing,andwiththedarkincidentsoftheStudyinScarlet,Iwasseizedwithakeen
keinginan
desiretoseeHolmesagain,andtoknowhowhewasemployinghisluar biasa
extraordinarypowers.Hisroomswerebrilliantlylit,and,evenasIlookedup,Isawhis
tinggi
tall,sparefigurepasstwiceinadarksilhouetteagainsttheblind.Hewaspacingtheroomswiftly,eagerly,withhisheadsunkuponhis
dadanya
chestandhishandsclaspedbehindhim.Tome,whoknewhisevery
suasana hati
moodandhabit,hisattitudeandmannertoldtheirownstory.Hewasatworkagain.
Hehad
bangkit
risenoutofhisdrug-createddreamsandwashotuponthescentofsomenewproblem.Irangthe
bel
bellandwasshownuptothechamberwhichhadformerlybeeninpartmyown.Hismannerwasnoteffusive.
Itseldomwas;
buthewasglad,Ithink,toseeme.
Withhardlyawordspoken,butwithakindlyeye,hewavedmetoanarmchair,threwacrosshiscaseofcigars,andindicatedaspiritcaseandagasogeneinthe
sudut
corner.Thenhestoodbeforethefireandlookedmeoverinhissingularintrospectivefashion.
“Wedlocksuitsyou,”heremarked.
“Ithink,Watson,thatyouhaveputonsevenandahalfpoundssinceIsawyou.”
“Seven!”
Ianswered.
“Indeed,Ishouldhavethoughtalittlemore.
Justatriflemore,Ifancy,Watson.
Andinpracticeagain,Iobserve.
Youdidnottellmethatyouintendedtogointoharness.”
“Then,howdoyouknow?”
“Iseeit,Ideduceit.
HowdoIknowthatyouhavebeengettingyourselfvery
basah
wetlately,andthatyouhaveamostclumsyandcarelessservantgirl?”“MydearHolmes,”saidI,“thisistoomuch.
Youwouldcertainlyhavebeenburned,hadyoulivedafewcenturiesago.
ItistruethatIhadacountrywalkon
Kamis
Thursdayandcamehomeinadreadfulmess,butasIhavechangedmyclothesIcan’timaginehowyoudeduceit.AstoMaryJane,sheisincorrigible,andmywifehasgivenhernotice,butthere,again,I
gagal
failtoseehowyouworkitout.”Hechuckledtohimselfandrubbedhislong,nervoushandstogether.
“Itissimplicityitself,”saidhe;
“myeyestellmethatontheinsideofyourleft
sepatu
shoe,justwherethefirelightstrikesit,theleatherisscoredbysixalmostparallelcuts.Obviouslytheyhavebeencausedbysomeonewhohasverycarelesslyscrapedroundtheedgesofthesoleinorderto
menghapus
removecrustedmudfromit.Hence,yousee,mydoubledeductionthatyouhadbeenoutinvile
cuaca
weather,andthatyouhadaparticularlymalignantboot-slittingspecimenoftheLondonslavey.Astoyourpractice,ifa
pria
gentlemanwalksintomyroomssmellingofiodoform,withablackmarkofnitrateofperak
silveruponhisrightforefinger,andabulgeontherightsideofhistop-hattoshowwherehehassecretedhisstethoscope,Imustbedull,memang
indeed,ifIdonotpronouncehimtobeanactiveanggota
memberofthemedicalprofession.”Icouldnothelplaughingattheeasewithwhichheexplainedhis
proses
processofdeduction.“WhenIhearyougiveyourreasons,”Iremarked,“thethingalways
tampak
appearstometobesoridiculouslysimplethatIcouldmudah
easilydoitmyself,thoughateachsuccessiveinstanceofyourreasoningIambaffleduntilyouexplainyourproses
process.AndyetIbelievethatmyeyesareasgoodasyours.”
“Quiteso,”heanswered,lightinga
rokok
cigarette,andthrowinghimselfdownintoanarmchair.“Yousee,butyoudonotobserve.
Thedistinctionisclear.
Forexample,youhavefrequentlyseenthestepswhichleadupfromthe
aula
halltothisroom.”“Frequently.”
“Howoften?”
“Well,somehundredsoftimes.”
“Thenhowmanyarethere?”
“Howmany?
Idon’tknow.”
“Quiteso!
Youhavenotobserved.
Andyetyouhaveseen.
Thatisjustmypoint.
Now,Iknowthatthereareseventeensteps,becauseIhavebothseenandobserved.
Bytheway,sinceyouareinterestedintheselittleproblems,andsinceyouaregoodenoughtochronicleoneortwoofmytriflingexperiences,youmaybeinterestedinthis.”
Hethrewoverasheetof
tebal
thick,pink-tintednotepaperwhichhadbeenlyingopenuponthetable.“Itcamebythelastpost,”saidhe.
“Readitaloud.”
The
catatan
notewasundated,andwithouteithersignatureoraddress.“Therewillcalluponyouto-night,ata
seperempat
quartertoeighto’clock,”itsaid,“apria
gentlemanwhodesirestoconsultyouuponamatteroftheverydeepestmoment.Yourrecentservicestooneofthe
kerajaan
royalhousesofEuropehaveshownthatyouareonewhomaysafelybetrustedwithmatterswhichareofanimportancewhichcanhardlybeexaggerated.Thisaccountofyouwehavefromallquartersreceived.
Beinyourchamberthenatthathour,anddonottakeitamissifyourvisitorwearamask.”
“Thisis
memang
indeedamystery,”Iremarked.“Whatdoyouimaginethatitmeans?”
“Ihaveno
data
datayet.Itisacapitalmistaketotheorisebeforeonehas
data
data.Insensiblyonebeginstotwistfactstosuittheories,insteadoftheoriestosuitfacts.
Butthe
catatan
noteitself.Whatdoyoudeducefromit?”
Icarefullyexaminedthewriting,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
coklat
brownvolumefromhisshelves.“Eglow,Eglonitz—hereweare,Egria.
ItisinaGerman-speakingcountry—inBohemia,notfarfromCarlsbad.
‘RemarkableasbeingthesceneofthedeathofWallenstein,andforitsnumerousglass-factoriesandpaper-mills.’Ha,ha,myboy,whatdoyoumakeofthat?”
Hiseyessparkled,andhesentupagreatbluetriumphantcloudfromhiscigarette.
“ThepaperwasmadeinBohemia,”Isaid.
“Precisely.
AndthemanwhowrotethenoteisaGerman.
Doyounotethepeculiar
konstruksi
constructionofthesentence—‘Thisaccountofyouwehavefromallquartersreceived.’AFrenchmanorRussiancouldnothavewrittenthat.ItistheGermanwhoissouncourteoustohisverbs.
Itonlyremains,therefore,todiscoverwhatiswantedbythisGermanwhowritesuponBohemianpaperand
suka
preferswearingamasktoshowinghisface.Andherehecomes,ifIamnotmistaken,toresolveallourdoubts.”
Ashespoketherewasthe
tajam
sharpsoundofhorses’hoofsandgratingwheelsagainstthecurb,followedbyatajam
sharppullatthebell.Holmeswhistled.
“Apair,bythesound,”saidhe.
“Yes,”hecontinued,glancingoutofthewindow.
“Anicelittlebroughamanda
sepasang
pairofbeauties.Ahundredandfiftyguineasapiece.
There’smoneyinthiscase,Watson,ifthereisnothingelse.”
“IthinkthatIhadbettergo,Holmes.”
“Notabit,Doctor.
Staywhereyouare.
IamlostwithoutmyBoswell.
Andthispromisestobeinteresting.
Itwouldbea
disayangkan
pitytomissit.”“Butyourclient—”.
“Nevermindhim.
Imaywantyourhelp,andsomayhe.
Herehecomes.
Sitdowninthatarmchair,Doctor,andgiveusyourbestattention.”
Aslowandheavystep,whichhadbeenhearduponthe
tangga
stairsandinthepassage,pausedimmediatelyoutsidethedoor.Thentherewasa
keras
loudandauthoritativetap.“Comein!”
saidHolmes.
Amanenteredwhocouldhardlyhavebeenlessthansixfeetsixinchesinheight,withthe
dada
chestandlimbsofaHercules.Hisdresswasrichwitharichnesswhichwould,inEngland,belookeduponasakintobadtaste.
Heavybandsofastrakhanwereslashedacrossthesleevesandfrontsofhisdouble-breasted
mantel
coat,whilethedeepbluecloakwhichwasthrownoverhisshoulderswaslinedwithflame-colouredsilkandsecuredattheneckwithabroochwhichconsistedofasingleflamingberyl.Bootswhichextendedhalfwayuphiscalves,andwhichweretrimmedatthetopswithrich
coklat
brownfur,completedtheimpressionofbarbaricopulencewhichwassuggestedbyhiswholeappearance.Hecarriedabroad-brimmed
topi
hatinhishand,whileheworeacrosstheupperpartofhisface,extendingdownpastthecheekbones,ablackvizardtopeng
mask,whichhehadapparentlyadjustedthatverymoment,forhishandwasstillraisedtoitasheentered.Fromthe
bawah
lowerpartofthefacehetampak
appearedtobeamanofstrongkarakter
character,withathick,hanginglip,andalong,straightchinsuggestiveofresolutionpushedtothelengthofobstinacy.“Youhadmynote?”
heaskedwithadeepharshvoiceandastronglymarkedGermanaccent.
“ItoldyouthatIwouldcall.”
Helookedfromonetotheotherofus,asifuncertainwhichtoaddress.
“Praytakeaseat,”saidHolmes.
“Thisismyfriendandcolleague,Dr.Watson,whoisoccasionallygoodenoughtohelpmeinmycases.
WhomhaveIthehonourtoaddress?”
“YoumayaddressmeastheCountVonKramm,aBohemiannobleman.
Iunderstandthatthisgentleman,yourfriend,isamanofhonouranddiscretion,whomImaytrustwithamatterofthemostextremeimportance.
Ifnot,Ishouldmuch
suka
prefertocommunicatewithyoualone.”I
bangkit
rosetogo,butHolmescaughtmebythewristandpushedmebackintomykursi
chair.“Itisboth,ornone,”saidhe.
“Youmaysaybeforethis
pria
gentlemananythingwhichyoumaysaytome.”TheCountshruggedhisbroadshoulders.
“ThenImustbegin,”saidhe,“bybindingyoubothtoabsolutesecrecyfortwoyears;
attheendofthattimethematterwillbeofnoimportance.
AtpresentitisnottoomuchtosaythatitisofsuchweightitmayhaveaninfluenceuponEuropeanhistory.”
“Ipromise,”saidHolmes.
“AndI.”
“Youwillexcusethismask,”continuedourstrangevisitor.
“Theaugustpersonwhoemploysmewisheshisagenttobe
diketahui
unknowntoyou,andImayconfessatoncethatthegelar
titlebywhichIhavejustcalledmyselfisnotexactlymyown.”“Iwas
menyadari
awareofit,”saidHolmesdryly.“Thecircumstancesareofgreatdelicacy,andeveryprecautionhastobetakentoquenchwhatmightgrowtobeanimmensescandalandseriouslycompromiseoneofthereigningfamiliesofEurope.
Tospeakplainly,thematterimplicatesthegreatHouseofOrmstein,hereditarykingsofBohemia.”
“Iwasalso
menyadari
awareofthat,”murmuredHolmes,settlinghimselfdowninhisarmchairandclosinghiseyes.Ourvisitorglancedwithsomeapparentsurpriseatthelanguid,loungingfigureofthemanwhohadbeennodoubtdepictedtohimasthemostincisivereasonerandmostenergeticagentinEurope.
Holmes
perlahan
slowlyreopenedhiseyesandlookedimpatientlyathisgiganticklien
client.“IfyourMajestywouldcondescendtostateyourcase,”heremarked,“Ishouldbebetterabletoadviseyou.”
Themansprangfromhischairandpacedupanddowntheroominuncontrollableagitation.
Then,withagestureofdesperation,he
merobek
torethemaskfromhisfaceandhurleditupontheground.“Youareright,”hecried;
“IamtheKing.
WhyshouldI
mencoba
attempttoconcealit?”“Why,indeed?”
murmuredHolmes.
“Your
Mulia
MajestyhadnotspokenbeforeIwasmenyadari
awarethatIwasaddressingWilhelmGottsreichSigismondvonOrmstein,GrandDukeofCassel-Felstein,andhereditaryKingofBohemia.”“Butyoucanunderstand,”saidourstrangevisitor,sittingdownoncemoreandpassinghishandoverhishighwhiteforehead,“youcanunderstandthatIamnotaccustomedtodoingsuchbusinessinmyownperson.
YetthematterwassodelicatethatIcouldnotconfideittoanagentwithoutputtingmyselfinhispower.
IhavecomeincognitofromPragueforthe
tujuan
purposeofconsultingyou.”“Then,prayconsult,”saidHolmes,shuttinghiseyesoncemore.
“Thefactsarebrieflythese:
Somefiveyearsago,duringalengthyvisittoWarsaw,Imadetheacquaintanceofthewell-knownadventuress,IreneAdler.
Thenameisnodoubt
akrab
familiartoyou.”“Kindlylookherupinmyindex,Doctor,”murmuredHolmeswithoutopeninghiseyes.
Formanyyearshehadadoptedasystemofdocketingallparagraphsconcerningmenandthings,sothatitwasdifficulttonamea
subjek
subjectorapersononwhichhecouldnotatoncefurnishinformation.InthiscaseIfoundherbiographysandwichedinbetweenthatofaHebrewrabbiandthatofastaff-commanderwhohadwrittenamonographuponthedeep-seafishes.
“Letmesee!”
saidHolmes.
“Hum!
BorninNewJerseyintheyear1858.
Contralto—hum!
LaScala,hum!
PrimadonnaImperialOperaofWarsaw—yes!
Retiredfromoperaticstage—ha!
LivinginLondon—quiteso!
Your
Mulia
Majesty,asIunderstand,becameentangledwiththisyoungperson,wrotehersomecompromisingletters,andisnowdesirousofgettingthoselettersback.”“Preciselyso.
Buthow—”.