I.ASCANDALINBOHEMIA
I.
ToSherlockHolmessheisalwaysthewoman.
Ihaveseldomheardhimmentionherunderanyothername.
Inhiseyessheeclipsesandpredominatesthewholeofhersex.
ItwasnotthathefeltanyemotionakintoloveforIreneAdler.
Allemotions,andthatoneparticularly,wereabhorrenttohiscold,precisebutadmirablybalancedmind.
Hewas,Itakeit,themostperfectreasoningandobservingmachinethattheworldhasseen,butasa
amante
loverhewouldhaveplacedhimselfinafalseposition.Heneverspokeofthesofterpassions,savewithagibeandasneer.
Theywereadmirablethingsfortheobserver—excellentfor
dibujar
drawingtheveilfrommen’smotivesandactions.Butforthetrainedreasonerto
admitir
admitsuchintrusionsintohisowndelicateandfinelyadjustedtemperamentwastointroducir
introduceadistractingfactorwhichmightthrowadoubtuponallhismentalresults.Gritina
sensible
sensitiveinstrument,oracrackinoneofhisownhigh-powerlenses,wouldnotbemoredisturbingthanastrongemotioninanaturesuchashis.Andyettherewasbutonewomantohim,andthatwomanwasthelateIreneAdler,ofdubiousandquestionablememory.
IhadseenlittleofHolmes
últimamente
lately.Mymarriagehaddriftedusawayfromeachother.
Myowncomplete
felicidad
happiness,andthehome-centredinterestswhichriseuparoundthemanwhofirstfindshimselfmasterofhisownestablishment,weresufficienttoabsorballmyattention,whileHolmes,wholoathedeveryformofsociedad
societywithhiswholeBohemiansoul,permaneció
remainedinourlodgingsinBakerStreet,enterrado
buriedamonghisoldbooks,andalternatingfromweektoweekbetweencocaineandambition,thedrowsinessofthedrug,andthefierceenergyofhisownkeennature.Hewasstill,asever,
profundamente
deeplyattractedbythestudyofcrime,andoccupiedhisimmensefacultiesandextraordinarypowersofobservationinfollowingoutthoseclues,andclearingupthosemysterieswhichhadbeenabandonedashopelessbytheoficial
officialpolice.FromtimetotimeIheardsomevague
relato
accountofhisdoings:ofhissummonstoOdessainthecaseoftheTrepoffmurder,ofhisclearingupofthesingulartragedyoftheAtkinsonbrothersatTrincomalee,andfinallyofthemissionwhichhehadaccomplishedsodelicatelyandsuccessfullyforthereigningfamilyofHolland.
Beyondthesesignsofhisactivity,however,whichImerelysharedwithallthereadersofthedailypress,Iknewlittleofmy
antiguo
formerfriendandcompanion.Onenight—itwasonthetwentiethof
Marzo
March,1888—Iwasreturningfromaviaje
journeytoapatient(forIhadnowreturnedtocivilpractice),whenmywayledmethroughBakerStreet.AsIpassedthewell-remembereddoor,whichmustalwaysbeassociatedinmymindwithmywooing,andwiththedarkincidentsoftheStudyinScarlet,Iwasseizedwithakeen
deseo
desiretoseeHolmesagain,andtoknowhowhewasemployinghisextraordinarypowers.Hisroomswerebrilliantlylit,and,evenasIlookedup,Isawhistall,sparefigurepasstwiceinadarksilhouetteagainsttheblind.
Hewaspacingtheroomswiftly,eagerly,withhisheadsunkuponhis
pecho
chestandhishandsclaspedbehindhim.Tome,whoknewhisevery
ánimo
moodandhabit,hisattitudeandmannertoldtheirownstory.Hewasatworkagain.
Hehad
levantado
risenoutofhisdrug-createddreamsandwashotuponthescentofsomenewproblem.Irangthe
campana
bellandwasshownuptothechamberwhichhadformerlybeeninpartmyown.Hismannerwasnoteffusive.
Itseldomwas;
buthewasglad,Ithink,toseeme.
Withhardlyawordspoken,butwithakindlyeye,hewavedmetoanarmchair,threwacrosshiscaseofcigars,andindicatedaspiritcaseandagasogeneinthe
esquina
corner.Thenhestoodbeforethefireandlookedmeoverinhissingularintrospective
manera
fashion.“Wedlocksuitsyou,”heremarked.
“Ithink,Watson,thatyouhaveputonsevenandahalfpoundssinceIsawyou.”
“Seven!”
Ianswered.
“Indeed,Ishouldhavethoughtalittlemore.
Justatriflemore,Ifancy,Watson.
Andinpracticeagain,Iobserve.
Youdidnottellmethatyouintendedtogointoharness.”
“Then,howdoyouknow?”
“Iseeit,Ideduceit.
HowdoIknowthatyouhavebeengettingyourselfvery
mojando
wetlately,andthatyouhaveamostclumsyandcarelessservantgirl?”“MydearHolmes,”saidI,“thisistoomuch.
Youwouldcertainlyhavebeenburned,hadyoulivedafewcenturiesago.
ItistruethatIhadacountrywalkon
Jueves
Thursdayandcamehomeinadreadfulmess,butasIhavechangedmyclothesIcan’timaginehowyoudeduceit.AstoMaryJane,sheisincorrigible,andmywifehasgivenhernotice,butthere,again,Ifailtoseehowyouworkitout.”
Hechuckledtohimselfandrubbedhislong,nervoushandstogether.
“Itissimplicityitself,”saidhe;
“myeyestellmethatontheinsideofyourleft
zapato
shoe,justwherethefirelightgolpea
strikesit,theleatherisscoredbysixalmostparallelcuts.Obviouslytheyhavebeencausedbysomeonewhohasverycarelesslyscrapedroundtheedgesofthesoleinorderto
eliminar
removecrustedmudfromit.Hence,yousee,mydoubledeductionthatyouhadbeenoutinvile
clima
weather,andthatyouhadaparticularlymalignantboot-slittingspecimenoftheLondonslavey.Astoyourpractice,ifa
caballero
gentlemanwalksintomyroomssmellingofiodoform,withablackmarkofnitrateofsilveruponhisrightforefinger,andabulgeontherightsideofhistop-hattoshowwherehehassecretedhisstethoscope,Imustbedull,hecho
indeed,ifIdonotpronouncehimtobeanactivemiembro
memberofthemedicalprofession.”Icouldnothelplaughingattheeasewithwhichheexplainedhis
proceso
processofdeduction.“WhenIhearyougiveyourreasons,”Iremarked,“thethingalways
parece
appearstometobesoridiculouslysimplethatIcouldfácilmente
easilydoitmyself,thoughateachsuccessiveinstanceofyourreasoningIambaffleduntilyouexplainyourproceso
process.AndyetIbelievethatmyeyesareasgoodasyours.”
“Quiteso,”heanswered,lightinga
cigarrillo
cigarette,andthrowinghimselfdownintoanarmchair.“Yousee,butyoudonotobserve.
Thedistinctionisclear.
For
ejemplo
example,youhavefrequentlyseenthestepswhichleadupfromthepasillo
halltothisroom.”“Frequently.”
“Howoften?”
“Well,somehundredsoftimes.”
“Thenhowmanyarethere?”
“Howmany?
Idon’tknow.”
“Quiteso!
Youhavenotobserved.
Andyetyouhaveseen.
Thatisjustmypoint.
Now,Iknowthatthereareseventeensteps,becauseIhavebothseenandobserved.
Bytheway,sinceyouareinterestedintheselittleproblems,andsinceyouaregoodenoughtochronicleoneortwoofmytriflingexperiences,youmaybeinterestedinthis.”
Hethrewoverasheetof
grueso
thick,pink-tintednotepaperwhichhadbeenlyingopenuponthetable.“Itcamebythelastpost,”saidhe.
“Readitaloud.”
The
nota
notewasundated,andwithouteithersignatureoraddress.“Therewillcalluponyouto-night,ataquartertoeighto’clock,”itsaid,“a
caballero
gentlemanwhodesirestoconsultyouuponamatteroftheverydeepestmoment.YourrecentservicestooneoftheroyalhousesofEuropehave
demostrado
shownthatyouareonewhomaysafelybetrustedwithmatterswhichareofanimportancewhichcandifícilmente
hardlybeexaggerated.Thisaccountofyouwehavefromallquarters
recibido
received.Beinyourchamberthenatthathour,anddonottakeitamissifyourvisitorwearamask.”
“Thisis
hecho
indeedamystery,”Iremarked.“Whatdoyouimaginethatitmeans?”
“Ihaveno
datos
datayet.Itisa
capital
capitalmistaketotheorisebeforeonehasdatos
data.Insensiblyonebeginstotwistfactstosuittheories,insteadoftheoriestosuitfacts.
Butthe
nota
noteitself.Whatdoyoudeducefromit?”
I
cuidadosamente
carefullyexaminedthewriting,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
marrón
brownvolumefromhisshelves.“Eglow,Eglonitz—hereweare,Egria.
ItisinaGerman-speakingcountry—inBohemia,notfarfromCarlsbad.
‘RemarkableasbeingthesceneofthedeathofWallenstein,andforitsnumerousglass-factoriesandpaper-mills.’Ha,ha,myboy,whatdoyoumakeofthat?”
Hiseyessparkled,andhesentupagreatbluetriumphantcloudfromhis
cigarrillo
cigarette.“ThepaperwasmadeinBohemia,”Isaid.
“Precisely.
Andthemanwhowrotethe
nota
noteisaGerman.Doyounotethepeculiar
construcción
constructionofthesentence—‘Thisaccountofyouwehavefromallquartersreceived.’AFrenchmanorRussiancouldnothavewrittenthat.ItistheGermanwhoissouncourteoustohisverbs.
Itonly
queda
remains,therefore,todiscoverwhatiswantedbythisGermanwhowritesuponBohemianpaperandprefiere
preferswearingamasktoshowinghisface.Andherehecomes,ifIamnotmistaken,toresolveallourdoubts.”
Ashespoketherewasthe
agudo
sharpsoundofhorses’hoofsandgratingwheelsagainstthecurb,followedbyaagudo
sharppullatthebell.Holmeswhistled.
“A
par
pair,bythesound,”saidhe.“Yes,”hecontinued,glancingoutofthewindow.
“Anicelittlebroughamanda
par
pairofbeauties.Ahundredandfiftyguineasapiece.
There’smoneyinthiscase,Watson,ifthereisnothingelse.”
“IthinkthatIhadbettergo,Holmes.”
“Notabit,Doctor.
Staywhereyouare.
IamlostwithoutmyBoswell.
Andthispromisestobeinteresting.
Itwouldbeapitytomissit.”
“Butyourclient—”.
“Nevermindhim.
Imaywantyourhelp,andsomayhe.
Herehecomes.
Sitdowninthatarmchair,Doctor,andgiveusyourbestattention.”
Aslowandheavystep,whichhadbeenhearduponthe
escaleras
stairsandinthepassage,pausedimmediatelyoutsidethedoor.Thentherewasa
fuerte
loudandauthoritativetap.“Comein!”
saidHolmes.
Aman
entró
enteredwhocouldhardlyhavebeenlessthansixfeetsixinchesinheight,withthepecho
chestandlimbsofaHercules.Hisdresswasrichwitharichnesswhichwould,inEngland,belookeduponasakintobadtaste.
Heavybandsofastrakhanwereslashedacrossthesleevesandfrontsofhisdouble-breasted
abrigo
coat,whilethedeepbluecloakwhichwasthrownoverhisshoulderswaslinedwithflame-colouredsilkandasegurado
securedattheneckwithabroochwhichconsistedofasingleflamingberyl.Bootswhichextendedhalfwayuphiscalves,andwhichweretrimmedatthetopswithrich
marrón
brownfur,completedtheimpressionofbarbaricopulencewhichwassugería
suggestedbyhiswholeappearance.Hecarriedabroad-brimmed
sombrero
hatinhishand,whileheworeacrosstheupperpartofhisface,extendingdownpastthecheekbones,ablackvizardmáscara
mask,whichhehadapparentlyadjustedthatverymoment,forhishandwasstillraisedtoitasheentró
entered.Fromthelowerpartofthefacehe
parecía
appearedtobeamanofstrongcharacter,withagrueso
thick,hanginglip,andalong,straightchinsuggestiveofresolutionpushedtothelengthofobstinacy.“Youhadmynote?”
heaskedwithadeepharshvoiceandastronglymarkedGermanaccent.
“ItoldyouthatIwouldcall.”
Helookedfromonetotheotherofus,asifuncertainwhichtoaddress.
“Praytakeaseat,”saidHolmes.
“Thisismyfriendandcolleague,Dr.Watson,whoisoccasionallygoodenoughtohelpmeinmycases.
WhomhaveIthehonourtoaddress?”
“YoumayaddressmeastheCountVonKramm,aBohemiannobleman.
Iunderstandthatthis
caballero
gentleman,yourfriend,isamanofhonouranddiscretion,whomImaytrustwithamatterofthemostextremeimportance.Ifnot,Ishouldmuch
preferiría
prefertocommunicatewithyoualone.”I
levanté
rosetogo,butHolmescaughtmebythewristandpushedmebackintomysilla
chair.“Itisboth,ornone,”saidhe.
“Youmaysaybeforethis
caballero
gentlemananythingwhichyoumaysaytome.”TheCountshruggedhisbroadshoulders.
“ThenImustbegin,”saidhe,“bybindingyoubothtoabsolutesecrecyfortwoyears;
attheendofthattimethematterwillbeofnoimportance.
Atpresentitisnottoomuchtosaythatitisofsuch
peso
weightitmayhaveaninfluenceuponEuropeanhistory.”“Ipromise,”saidHolmes.
“AndI.”
“Youwillexcusethismask,”continuedourstrangevisitor.
“Theaugustpersonwhoemploysmewisheshisagenttobe
desconocido
unknowntoyou,andImayconfessatoncethatthetítulo
titlebywhichIhavejustcalledmyselfisnotexactlymyown.”“Iwasawareofit,”saidHolmesdryly.
“Thecircumstancesareofgreatdelicacy,andeveryprecautionhastobetakentoquenchwhatmightgrowtobeanimmensescandalandseriouslycompromiseoneofthereigningfamiliesofEurope.
Tospeakplainly,thematterimplicatesthegreatHouseofOrmstein,hereditarykingsofBohemia.”
“Iwasalso
consciente
awareofthat,”murmuredHolmes,settlinghimselfdowninhisarmchairandclosinghiseyes.Ourvisitorglancedwithsomeapparentsurpriseatthelanguid,loungingfigureofthemanwhohadbeennodoubtdepictedtohimasthemostincisivereasonerandmostenergeticagentinEurope.
Holmes
lentamente
slowlyreopenedhiseyesandlookedimpatientlyathisgiganticcliente
client.“IfyourMajestywouldcondescendtostateyourcase,”heremarked,“Ishouldbebetterabletoadviseyou.”
Themansprangfromhis
silla
chairandpacedupanddowntheroominuncontrollableagitation.Then,withagestureofdesperation,hetorethe
máscara
maskfromhisfaceandhurleditupontheground.“Youareright,”hecried;
“IamtheKing.
WhyshouldI
intentar
attempttoconcealit?”“Why,indeed?”
murmuredHolmes.
“Your
Majestad
MajestyhadnotspokenbeforeIwasconsciente
awarethatIwasaddressingWilhelmGottsreichSigismondvonOrmstein,GrandDukeofCassel-Felstein,andhereditaryKingofBohemia.”“Butyoucanunderstand,”saidourstrangevisitor,sittingdownoncemoreandpassinghishandoverhishighwhiteforehead,“youcanunderstandthatIamnotaccustomedtodoingsuchbusinessinmyownperson.
YetthematterwassodelicatethatIcouldnotconfideittoanagentwithoutputtingmyselfinhispower.
IhavecomeincognitofromPragueforthe
propósito
purposeofconsultingyou.”“Then,prayconsult,”saidHolmes,shuttinghiseyesoncemore.
“Thefactsarebrieflythese:
Somefiveyearsago,duringalengthyvisittoWarsaw,Imadetheacquaintanceofthewell-knownadventuress,IreneAdler.
Thenameisnodoubt
familiar
familiartoyou.”“Kindlylookherupinmyindex,Doctor,”murmuredHolmeswithoutopeninghiseyes.
Formanyyearshehadadoptedasystemofdocketingallparagraphsconcerningmenandthings,sothatitwasdifficulttonamea
tema
subjectorapersononwhichhecouldnotatoncefurnishinformation.InthiscaseIfoundherbiographysandwichedinbetweenthatofaHebrewrabbiandthatofastaff-commanderwhohadwrittenamonographuponthedeep-seafishes.
“Letmesee!”
saidHolmes.
“Hum!
BorninNewJerseyintheyear1858.
Contralto—hum!
LaScala,hum!
PrimadonnaImperialOperaofWarsaw—yes!
Retiredfromoperaticstage—ha!
LivinginLondon—quiteso!
Your
Majestad
Majesty,asIunderstand,becameentangledwiththisyoungperson,wrotehersomecompromisingletters,andisnowdesirousofgettingthoselettersback.”“Preciselyso.
Buthow—”.