The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | Gradually Hardening Norwegian B2

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | Gradually Hardening Norwegian B2

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I.ASCANDALINBOHEMIA
I.
ToSherlockHolmessheisalwaysthewoman.
Ihave
sjelden
seldom
heardhimmentionherunderanyothername.
Inhiseyessheeclipsesandpredominatesthewholeofhersex.
Itwasnotthathefeltany
følelse
emotion
akintoloveforIreneAdler.
Allemotions,andthatone
spesielt
particularly
,wereabhorrenttohiscold,precisebutadmirablybalancedmind.
Hewas,Itakeit,themostperfect
resonnement
reasoning
andobservingmachinethattheworldhasseen,butasaloverhewouldhaveplacedhimselfinafalseposition.
Heneverspokeofthesofterpassions,savewithagibeandasneer.
Theywereadmirablethingsfortheobserver—excellentfordrawingtheveilfrommen’smotivesandactions.
Butforthetrainedreasonertoadmitsuchintrusionsintohisowndelicateandfinely
justert
adjusted
temperamentwastointroduceadistracting
faktor
factor
whichmightthrowadoubtuponallhismentalresults.
Gritinasensitive
instrument
instrument
,oracrackinoneofhisownhigh-powerlenses,wouldnotbemoredisturbingthanastrong
følelse
emotion
inanaturesuchashis.
Andyettherewasbutonewomantohim,andthatwomanwasthelateIreneAdler,ofdubiousand
tvilsom
questionable
memory.
IhadseenlittleofHolmeslately.
Mymarriagehaddriftedusawayfromeachother.
Myowncompletehappiness,andthehome-centredinterestswhichriseuparoundthemanwhofirstfindshimselfmasterofhisown
etablering
establishment
,weresufficienttoabsorballmyattention,whileHolmes,who
avskydde
loathed
everyformofsocietywithhiswhole
Bøhmiske
Bohemian
soul,remainedinourlodgingsin
Baker
Baker
Street,buriedamonghisoldbooks,and
veksler
alternating
fromweektoweekbetweencocaineand
ambisjon
ambition
,thedrowsinessofthedrug,andthefierceenergyofhisownkeennature.
Hewasstill,asever,deeply
tiltrukket
attracted
bythestudyofcrime,and
okkupert
occupied
hisimmensefacultiesandextraordinarypowersof
observasjon
observation
infollowingoutthoseclues,andclearingupthosemysterieswhichhadbeen
forlatt
abandoned
ashopelessbytheofficialpolice.
FromtimetotimeIheardsome
vage
vague
accountofhisdoings:
ofhissummonstoOdessainthecaseoftheTrepoffmurder,ofhisclearingupofthesingulartragedyoftheAtkinsonbrothersatTrincomalee,andfinallyofthemissionwhichhehadaccomplishedsodelicatelyand
vellykket
successfully
forthereigningfamilyofHolland.
Beyondthesesignsofhis
aktivitet
activity
,however,whichImerelysharedwithallthereadersofthedailypress,Iknewlittleofmyformerfriendand
følgesvenn
companion
.
Onenight—itwasonthetwentiethofMarch,1888—Iwasreturningfromajourneytoapatient(forIhadnowreturnedtocivilpractice),whenmywayledmethrough
Baker
Baker
Street.
AsIpassedthewell-remembereddoor,whichmustalwaysbe
assosiert
associated
inmymindwithmywooing,andwiththedarkincidentsoftheStudyin
Scarlet
Scarlet
,IwasseizedwithakeendesiretoseeHolmesagain,andtoknowhowhewas
ansette
employing
hisextraordinarypowers.
Hisroomswerebrilliantly
opplyst
lit
,and,evenasIlookedup,Isawhistall,sparefigurepasstwiceinadarksilhouetteagainsttheblind.
Hewaspacingtheroom
raskt
swiftly
,eagerly,withhishead
sunket
sunk
uponhischestandhishandsclaspedbehindhim.
Tome,whoknewhiseverymoodand
vane
habit
,hisattitudeandmannertoldtheirownstory.
Hewasatworkagain.
Hehadrisenoutofhisdrug-createddreamsandwashotuponthe
lukten
scent
ofsomenewproblem.
Irangthebellandwasshownuptothechamberwhichhad
tidligere
formerly
beeninpartmyown.
Hismannerwasnoteffusive.
It
sjelden
seldom
was;
buthewasglad,Ithink,toseeme.
Withhardlyawordspoken,butwithakindlyeye,hewavedmetoanarmchair,threwacrosshiscaseofcigars,and
indikerte
indicated
aspiritcaseandagasogeneinthecorner.
Thenhestoodbeforethefireandlookedmeoverinhissingularintrospectivefashion.
“Wedlocksuitsyou,”heremarked.
“Ithink,Watson,thatyouhaveputonsevenandahalfpoundssinceIsawyou.”
“Seven!”
Ianswered.
“Indeed,Ishouldhavethoughtalittlemore.
Justatriflemore,Ifancy,Watson.
Andinpracticeagain,I
observerer
observe
.
Youdidnottellmethatyouintendedtogointoharness.”
“Then,howdoyouknow?”
“Iseeit,Ideduceit.
HowdoIknowthatyouhavebeengettingyourselfverywetlately,andthatyouhaveamostclumsyandcarelessservantgirl?”
“MydearHolmes,”saidI,“thisistoomuch.
Youwouldcertainlyhavebeenburned,hadyoulivedafewcenturiesago.
ItistruethatIhadacountrywalkonThursdayandcamehomeina
forferdelig
dreadful
mess,butasIhavechangedmyclothesIcan’timaginehowyoudeduceit.
AstoMaryJane,sheisincorrigible,andmywifehasgivenhernotice,butthere,again,Ifailtoseehowyouworkitout.”
Hechuckledtohimselfand
gnidd
rubbed
hislong,nervoushandstogether.
“Itis
enkelhet
simplicity
itself,”saidhe;
“myeyestellmethatontheinsideofyourleftshoe,justwherethefirelightstrikesit,theleatherisscoredbysixalmostparallelcuts.
Obviouslytheyhavebeencausedbysomeonewhohasverycarelesslyscrapedroundtheedgesofthesoleinordertoremovecrusted
gjørme
mud
fromit.
Hence,yousee,mydoubledeductionthatyouhadbeenoutinvileweather,andthatyouhada
spesielt
particularly
malignantboot-slittingspecimenoftheLondonslavey.
Astoyourpractice,ifagentlemanwalksintomyroomssmellingofiodoform,withablackmarkofnitrateofsilveruponhisrightforefinger,andabulgeontherightsideofhistop-hattoshowwherehehassecretedhisstethoscope,Imustbe
kjedelig
dull
,indeed,ifIdonot
uttaler
pronounce
himtobeanactivememberofthemedicalprofession.”
Icouldnothelplaughingattheeasewithwhichheexplainedhisprocessofdeduction.
“WhenIhearyougiveyourreasons,”Iremarked,“thethingalwaysappearstometobesoridiculouslysimplethatIcouldeasilydoitmyself,thoughateachsuccessiveinstanceofyour
resonnement
reasoning
Iambaffleduntilyouexplainyourprocess.
AndyetIbelievethatmyeyesareasgoodasyours.”
“Quiteso,”heanswered,lightingacigarette,andthrowinghimselfdownintoanarmchair.
“Yousee,butyoudonot
observerer
observe
.
Thedistinctionisclear.
Forexample,youhave
ofte
frequently
seenthestepswhichleadupfromthehalltothisroom.”
“Frequently.”
“Howoften?”
“Well,somehundredsoftimes.”
“Thenhowmanyarethere?”
“Howmany?
Idon’tknow.”
“Quiteso!
Youhavenot
observert
observed
.
Andyetyouhaveseen.
Thatisjustmypoint.
Now,Iknowthatthereareseventeensteps,becauseIhavebothseenand
observert
observed
.
Bytheway,sinceyouareinterestedintheselittleproblems,andsinceyouaregoodenoughtochronicleoneortwoofmytriflingexperiences,youmaybeinterestedinthis.”
Hethrewovera
ark
sheet
ofthick,pink-tintednotepaperwhichhadbeenlyingopenuponthetable.
“Itcamebythelastpost,”saidhe.
“Readitaloud.”
Thenotewasundated,andwithouteither
signatur
signature
oraddress.
“Therewillcalluponyouto-night,ataquartertoeighto’clock,”itsaid,“agentlemanwhodesiresto
konsultere
consult
youuponamatteroftheverydeepestmoment.
Your
siste
recent
servicestooneoftheroyalhousesofEuropehaveshownthatyouareonewhomay
trygt
safely
betrustedwithmatterswhichareofan
betydning
importance
whichcanhardlybeexaggerated.
Thisaccountofyouwehavefromallquartersreceived.
Beinyourchamberthenatthathour,anddonottakeitamissifyour
besøkende
visitor
wearamask.”
“Thisisindeedamystery,”Iremarked.
“Whatdoyouimaginethatitmeans?”
“Ihavenodatayet.
Itisacapitalmistaketotheorisebeforeonehasdata.
Insensiblyonebeginsto
vride
twist
factstosuittheories,insteadoftheoriestosuitfacts.
Butthenoteitself.
Whatdoyoudeducefromit?”
Icarefully
undersøkte
examined
thewriting,andthepaperuponwhichitwaswritten.
“Themanwhowroteitwas
antagelig
presumably
welltodo,”Iremarked,endeavouringto
etterligne
imitate
mycompanion’sprocesses.
“Suchpapercouldnotbeboughtunderhalfa
krone
crown
apacket.
Itispeculiarlystrongandstiff.”
“Peculiar—thatistheveryword,”saidHolmes.
“ItisnotanEnglishpaperatall.
Holdituptothelight.”
Ididso,andsawalarge“E”withasmall“g,”a“P,”andalarge“G”withasmall“t”
vevd
woven
intothetextureofthepaper.
“Whatdoyoumakeofthat?”
askedHolmes.
“Thenameofthemaker,nodoubt;
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.
‘RemarkableasbeingthesceneofthedeathofWallenstein,andforits
mange
numerous
glass-factoriesandpaper-mills.’Ha,ha,myboy,whatdoyoumakeofthat?”
Hiseyessparkled,andhesentupagreatblue
triumferende
triumphant
cloudfromhiscigarette.
“ThepaperwasmadeinBohemia,”Isaid.
“Precisely.
AndthemanwhowrotethenoteisaGerman.
Doyounotethepeculiarconstructionofthesentence—‘Thisaccountofyouwehavefromallquartersreceived.’AFrenchmanorRussiancouldnothavewrittenthat.
ItistheGermanwhoissouncourteoustohisverbs.
Itonlyremains,therefore,to
oppdage
discover
whatiswantedbythisGermanwhowritesuponBohemianpaperandpreferswearingamasktoshowinghisface.
Andherehecomes,ifIamnot
feil
mistaken
,toresolveallourdoubts.”
Ashespoketherewasthesharpsoundofhorses’hoofsandgratingwheelsagainstthecurb,followedbyasharppullatthebell.
Holmeswhistled.
“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,whichhadbeenhearduponthestairsandinthepassage,
stoppet
paused
immediatelyoutsidethedoor.
Thentherewasaloudandauthoritativetap.
“Comein!”
saidHolmes.
Amanenteredwhocouldhardlyhavebeenlessthansixfeetsixinchesin
høyde
height
,withthechestandlimbsofaHercules.
Hisdresswasrichwitharichnesswhichwould,inEngland,belookeduponasakintobadtaste.
Heavybandsofastrakhanwereslashedacrossthesleevesandfrontsofhisdouble-breastedcoat,whilethedeepblue
kappe
cloak
whichwasthrownoverhisshoulderswaslinedwithflame-coloured
silke
silk
andsecuredattheneckwithabroochwhichconsistedofasingleflamingberyl.
Bootswhichextended
halvveis
halfway
uphiscalves,andwhichwere
trimmet
trimmed
atthetopswithrichbrown
pels
fur
,completedtheimpressionofbarbaricopulencewhichwassuggestedbyhiswhole
utseende
appearance
.
Hecarriedabroad-brimmedhatinhishand,whileheworeacrossthe
øvre
upper
partofhisface,extendingdownpastthecheekbones,ablackvizardmask,whichhehadapparentlyadjustedthatverymoment,forhishandwasstillraisedtoitasheentered.
Fromthelowerpartofthefaceheappearedtobeamanofstrongcharacter,withathick,hanginglip,andalong,straight
haken
chin
suggestiveofresolutionpushedtothelengthofobstinacy.
“Youhadmynote?”
heaskedwithadeepharshvoiceanda
sterkt
strongly
markedGermanaccent.
“ItoldyouthatIwouldcall.”
Helookedfromonetotheotherofus,asifuncertainwhichtoaddress.
“Praytakeaseat,”saidHolmes.
“Thisismyfriendand
kollega
colleague
,Dr.Watson,whoisoccasionallygoodenoughtohelpmeinmycases.
WhomhaveIthehonourtoaddress?”
“YoumayaddressmeastheCountVonKramm,aBohemian
adelsmann
nobleman
.
Iunderstandthatthisgentleman,yourfriend,isamanofhonourand
diskresjon
discretion
,whomImaytrustwithamatterofthemost
ekstreme
extreme
importance.
Ifnot,Ishouldmuchpreferto
kommunisere
communicate
withyoualone.”
Irosetogo,butHolmescaughtmebythe
håndleddet
wrist
andpushedmebackintomychair.
“Itisboth,ornone,”saidhe.
“Youmaysaybeforethisgentlemananythingwhichyoumaysaytome.”
TheCountshruggedhis
brede
broad
shoulders.
“ThenImustbegin,”saidhe,“by
binde
binding
youbothtoabsolutesecrecyfortwoyears;
attheendofthattimethematterwillbeofnoimportance.
Atpresentitisnottoomuchtosaythatitisofsuchweightitmayhavean
innflytelse
influence
uponEuropeanhistory.”
“Ipromise,”saidHolmes.
“AndI.”
“Youwillexcusethismask,”continuedourstrange
besøkende
visitor
.
“Theaugustpersonwhoemploysmewisheshisagenttobeunknowntoyou,andImayconfessatoncethatthetitlebywhichIhavejustcalledmyselfisnotexactlymyown.”
“Iwasawareofit,”saidHolmesdryly.
“Thecircumstancesareofgreatdelicacy,andeveryprecautionhastobetakentoquenchwhatmightgrowtobeanimmense
skandale
scandal
andseriouslycompromiseoneofthereigningfamiliesofEurope.
Tospeakplainly,thematterimplicatesthegreatHouseofOrmstein,hereditarykingsofBohemia.”
“Iwasalsoawareofthat,”murmuredHolmes,settlinghimselfdowninhisarmchairandclosinghiseyes.
Our
besøkende
visitor
glancedwithsomeapparentsurpriseatthelanguid,loungingfigureofthemanwhohadbeennodoubtdepictedtohimasthemostincisivereasonerandmostenergeticagentinEurope.
Holmesslowlyreopenedhiseyesandlookedimpatientlyathisgiganticclient.
“IfyourMajestywouldcondescendtostateyourcase,”heremarked,“Ishouldbebetterabletoadviseyou.”
Themansprangfromhischairandpacedupanddowntheroominuncontrollableagitation.
Then,witha
gest
gesture
ofdesperation,hetorethemaskfromhisfaceand
kastet
hurled
itupontheground.
“Youareright,”hecried;
“IamtheKing.
WhyshouldIattempttoconcealit?”
“Why,indeed?”
murmuredHolmes.
“YourMajestyhadnotspokenbeforeIwasawarethatIwasaddressingWilhelmGottsreichSigismondvonOrmstein,GrandDukeofCassel-Felstein,and
arvelig
hereditary
KingofBohemia.”
“Butyoucanunderstand,”saidourstrange
besøkende
visitor
,sittingdownoncemoreandpassinghishandoverhishighwhite
pannen
forehead
,“youcanunderstandthatIamnotaccustomedtodoingsuchbusinessinmyownperson.
Yetthematterwasso
delikat
delicate
thatIcouldnot
betro
confide
ittoanagentwithoutputtingmyselfinhispower.
IhavecomeincognitofromPragueforthepurposeof
konsultere
consulting
you.”
“Then,prayconsult,”saidHolmes,shuttinghiseyesoncemore.
“Thefactsarebrieflythese:
Somefiveyearsago,duringalengthyvisittoWarsaw,Imadetheacquaintanceofthewell-knownadventuress,IreneAdler.
Thenameisnodoubtfamiliartoyou.”
“Kindlylookherupinmy
indeks
index
,Doctor,”murmuredHolmeswithoutopeninghiseyes.
Formanyyearshehad
vedtatt
adopted
asystemofdocketingallparagraphsconcerningmenandthings,sothatitwasdifficulttonameasubjectorapersononwhichhecouldnotatoncefurnishinformation.
InthiscaseIfoundher
biografi
biography
sandwichedinbetweenthatofaHebrewrabbiandthatofastaff-commanderwhohadwrittenamonographuponthedeep-seafishes.
“Letmesee!”
saidHolmes.
“Hum!
BorninNewJerseyintheyear1858.
Contralto—hum!
LaScala,
hum
hum
!
PrimadonnaImperialOperaofWarsaw—yes!
Pensjonert
Retired
fromoperaticstage—ha!
LivinginLondon—quiteso!
YourMajesty,asIunderstand,becameentangledwiththisyoungperson,wrotehersomecompromisingletters,andisnowdesirousofgettingthoselettersback.”
“Preciselyso.
Buthow—”.