I.ASCANDALINBOHEMIA
I.
ToSherlockHolmessheisalwaysthewoman.
Ihave
rara vez
seldomheardhimmentionherunderanyothername.Inhiseyesshe
eclipsó
eclipsesandpredominatesthewholeofhersex.Itwasnotthathefeltany
emoción
emotionakintoloveforIreneAdler.Allemotions,andthatone
en particular
particularly,wereabhorrenttohiscold,precisa
precisebutadmirablybalancedmind.Hewas,Itakeit,themostperfectreasoningandobservingmachinethattheworldhasseen,butasaloverhewouldhaveplacedhimselfinafalseposition.
Heneverspokeofthesofterpassions,savewithagibeandasneer.
Theywereadmirablethingsfortheobserver—excellentfordrawingthe
velo
veilfrommen’smotivesandactions.Butforthetrainedreasonertoadmitsuchintrusionsintohisown
delicado
delicateandfinelyadjustedtemperamentwastointroduceadistractingfactor
factorwhichmightthrowadoubtuponallhismentalresults.Gritinasensitive
instrumento
instrument,oracrackinoneofhisownhigh-powerlenses,wouldnotbemoredisturbingthanastrongemoción
emotioninanaturesuchashis.Andyettherewasbutonewomantohim,andthatwomanwasthelateIreneAdler,ofdubiousandquestionablememory.
IhadseenlittleofHolmeslately.
Mymarriagehaddriftedusawayfromeachother.
Myowncompletehappiness,andthehome-centredinterestswhichriseuparoundthemanwhofirstfindshimselfmasterofhisown
establecimiento
establishment,weresufficienttoabsorballmyattention,whileHolmes,whodetestaba
loathedeveryformofsocietywithhiswholeBohemiansoul,remainedinourlodgingsinBaker
BakerStreet,buriedamonghisoldbooks,andalternando
alternatingfromweektoweekbetweencocaineandambición
ambition,thedrowsinessofthedrug,andtheferoz
fierceenergyofhisownkeennature.Hewasstill,asever,deeply
atraído
attractedbythestudyofcrime,andocupó
occupiedhisimmensefacultiesandextraordinarypowersofobservación
observationinfollowingoutthoseclues,andclearingupthosemysterieswhichhadbeenabandonedassin esperanza
hopelessbytheofficialpolice.FromtimetotimeIheardsome
vago
vagueaccountofhisdoings:ofhissummonstoOdessainthecaseoftheTrepoffmurder,ofhisclearingupofthesingular
tragedia
tragedyoftheAtkinsonbrothersatTrincomalee,andfinallyofthemissionwhichhehadcumplido
accomplishedsodelicatelyandsuccessfullyforthereigningfamilyofHolland.Beyondthesesignsofhis
actividad
activity,however,whichImerelysharedwithallthereadersofthedailypress,Iknewlittleofmyformerfriendandcompanion.Onenight—itwasonthetwentiethofMarch,1888—Iwasreturningfromajourneytoapatient(forIhadnowreturnedtocivilpractice),whenmywayledmethrough
Baker
BakerStreet.AsIpassedthewell-remembereddoor,whichmustalwaysbeassociatedinmymindwithmywooing,andwiththedarkincidentsoftheStudyin
Escarlata
Scarlet,IwasseizedwithakeendesiretoseeHolmesagain,andtoknowhowhewasempleando
employinghisextraordinarypowers.Hisroomswerebrilliantlylit,and,evenasIlookedup,Isawhistall,sparefigurepasstwiceinadarksilhouetteagainsttheblind.
Hewaspacingtheroom
rápidamente
swiftly,eagerly,withhisheadsunkuponhischestandhishandsclaspedbehindhim.Tome,whoknewhiseverymoodandhabit,hisattitudeand
manera
mannertoldtheirownstory.Hewasatworkagain.
Hehadrisenoutofhisdrug-createddreamsandwashotuponthe
olor
scentofsomenewproblem.Irangthebellandwasshownuptothechamberwhichhad
anteriormente
formerlybeeninpartmyown.His
manera
mannerwasnoteffusive.It
rara vez
seldomwas;buthewasglad,Ithink,toseeme.
Withhardlyawordspoken,butwithakindlyeye,hewavedmetoanarmchair,threwacrosshiscaseofcigars,and
indicó
indicatedaspiritcaseandagasogeneinthecorner.Thenhestoodbeforethefireandlookedmeoverinhissingularintrospectivefashion.
“Wedlocksuitsyou,”he
comentó
remarked.“Ithink,Watson,thatyouhaveputonsevenandahalfpoundssinceIsawyou.”
“Seven!”
Ianswered.
“Indeed,Ishouldhavethoughtalittlemore.
Justatriflemore,Ifancy,Watson.
Andinpracticeagain,I
observo
observe.Youdidnottellmethatyouintendedtogointoharness.”
“Then,howdoyouknow?”
“Iseeit,Ideduceit.
HowdoIknowthatyouhavebeengettingyourselfverywetlately,andthatyouhaveamost
torpe
clumsyandcarelessservantgirl?”“MydearHolmes,”saidI,“thisistoomuch.
Youwouldcertainlyhavebeenburned,hadyoulivedafewcenturiesago.
ItistruethatIhadacountrywalkonThursdayandcamehomeina
terrible
dreadfulmess,butasIhavechangedmyclothesIcan’timaginehowyoudeduceit.AstoMaryJane,sheisincorrigible,andmywifehasgivenhernotice,butthere,again,Ifailtoseehowyouworkitout.”
Hechuckledtohimselfand
frotó
rubbedhislong,nervoushandstogether.“Itis
simplicidad
simplicityitself,”saidhe;“myeyestellmethatontheinsideofyourleftshoe,justwherethefirelightstrikesit,the
cuero
leatherisscoredbysixalmostparallelcuts.Obviouslytheyhavebeencausedbysomeonewhohasverycarelessly
raspado
scrapedroundtheedgesofthesuela
soleinordertoremovecrustedbarro
mudfromit.Hence,yousee,mydoubledeductionthatyouhadbeenoutin
vil
vileweather,andthatyouhadaparticularmente
particularlymalignantboot-slittingspecimenoftheLondonslavey.Astoyourpractice,ifagentlemanwalksintomyroomssmellingofiodoform,withablackmarkofnitrateofsilveruponhisrightforefinger,andabulgeontherightsideofhistop-hattoshowwherehehassecretedhisstethoscope,Imustbe
aburrido
dull,indeed,ifIdonotpronuncio
pronouncehimtobeanactivo
activememberofthemedicalprofession.”Icouldnothelplaughingatthe
facilidad
easewithwhichheexplainedhisprocessofdeduction.“WhenIhearyougiveyourreasons,”I
comenté
remarked,“thethingalwaysappearstometobesoridiculouslysimplethatIcouldeasilydoitmyself,thoughateachsuccessiveinstancia
instanceofyourreasoningIambaffleduntilyouexplainyourprocess.AndyetIbelievethatmyeyesareasgoodasyours.”
“Quiteso,”heanswered,lightingacigarette,andthrowinghimselfdownintoanarmchair.
“Yousee,butyoudonot
observa
observe.Thedistinctionisclear.
Forexample,youhavefrequentlyseenthestepswhichleadupfromthehalltothisroom.”
“Frequently.”
“Howoften?”
“Well,somehundredsoftimes.”
“Thenhowmanyarethere?”
“Howmany?
Idon’tknow.”
“Quiteso!
Youhavenot
observado
observed.Andyetyouhaveseen.
Thatisjustmypoint.
Now,Iknowthatthereareseventeensteps,becauseIhavebothseenand
observado
observed.Bytheway,sinceyouareinterestedintheselittleproblems,andsinceyouaregoodenoughtochronicleoneortwoofmytriflingexperiences,youmaybeinterestedinthis.”
Hethrewovera
hoja
sheetofthick,pink-tintednotepaperwhichhadbeenlyingopenuponthetable.“Itcamebythelastpost,”saidhe.
“Readitaloud.”
Thenotewasundated,andwithouteither
firma
signatureoraddress.“Therewillcalluponyouto-night,ataquartertoeighto’clock,”itsaid,“agentlemanwhodesiresto
consultar
consultyouuponamatteroftheverydeepestmoment.YourrecentservicestooneoftheroyalhousesofEuropehaveshownthatyouareonewhomaysafelybetrustedwithmatterswhichareofan
importancia
importancewhichcanhardlybeexaggerated.Thisaccountofyouwehavefromallquartersreceived.
Beinyourchamberthenatthathour,anddonottakeitamissifyour
visitante
visitorwearamask.”“Thisisindeedamystery,”I
comenté
remarked.“Whatdoyouimaginethatitmeans?”
“Ihavenodatayet.
Itisacapitalmistaketotheorisebeforeonehasdata.
Insensiblyonebeginsto
torcer
twistfactstosuittheories,insteadoftheoriestosuitfacts.Butthenoteitself.
Whatdoyoudeducefromit?”
Icarefully
examiné
examinedthewriting,andthepaperuponwhichitwaswritten.“Themanwhowroteitwas
presumiblemente
presumablywelltodo,”Icomenté
remarked,endeavouringtoimitatemycompanion’sprocesses.“Suchpapercouldnotbeboughtunderhalfa
corona
crownapacket.Itispeculiarlystrongandstiff.”
“Peculiar—thatistheveryword,”saidHolmes.
“ItisnotanEnglishpaperatall.
Holdituptothelight.”
Ididso,andsawalarge“E”withasmall“g,”a“P,”andalarge“G”withasmall“t”wovenintothe
textura
textureofthepaper.“Whatdoyoumakeofthat?”
askedHolmes.
“Thenameofthe
fabricante
maker,nodoubt;orhismonogram,rather.”
“Notatall.
The‘G’withthesmall‘t’standsfor‘Gesellschaft,’whichistheGermanfor‘Company.’Itisacustomarycontractionlikeour‘Co.’‘P,’ofcourse,standsfor‘Papier.’Nowforthe‘Eg.’Letus
vistazo
glanceatourContinentalGazetteer.”Hetookdownaheavybrown
volumen
volumefromhisshelves.“Eglow,Eglonitz—hereweare,Egria.
ItisinaGerman-speakingcountry—inBohemia,notfarfromCarlsbad.
‘RemarkableasbeingthesceneofthedeathofWallenstein,andforitsnumerousglass-factoriesandpaper-mills.’Ha,ha,myboy,whatdoyoumakeofthat?”
Hiseyes
brillaron
sparkled,andhesentupagreatbluetriunfante
triumphantcloudfromhiscigarette.“ThepaperwasmadeinBohemia,”Isaid.
“Precisely.
AndthemanwhowrotethenoteisaGerman.
Doyounotethe
peculiar
peculiarconstructionofthesentence—‘Thisaccountofyouwehavefromallquartersreceived.’AFrenchmanorRussiancouldnothavewrittenthat.ItistheGermanwhoissouncourteoustohisverbs.
Itonlyremains,therefore,to
descubrir
discoverwhatiswantedbythisGermanwhowritesuponBohemianpaperandpreferswearingamasktoshowinghisface.Andherehecomes,ifIamnotmistaken,to
resolver
resolveallourdoubts.”Ashespoketherewasthesharpsoundofhorses’hoofsandgratingwheelsagainstthe
acera
curb,followedbyasharppullatthebell.Holmes
silbó
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,whichhadbeenhearduponthestairsandinthepassage,pausedimmediatelyoutsidethedoor.
Thentherewasaloudandauthoritativetap.
“Comein!”
saidHolmes.
Amanenteredwhocouldhardlyhavebeenlessthansixfeetsixinchesinheight,withthechestandlimbsofaHercules.
Hisdresswasrichwitharichnesswhichwould,inEngland,belookeduponasakintobadtaste.
Heavybandsofastrakhanwereslashedacrossthesleevesandfrontsofhisdouble-breastedcoat,whilethedeepblue
manto
cloakwhichwasthrownoverhisshoulderswaslinedwithflame-colouredseda
silkandsecuredattheneckwithabroochwhichconsistedofasingleflamingberyl.Bootswhich
extendían
extendedhalfwayuphiscalves,andwhichweretrimmedatthetopswithrichbrownpelaje
fur,completedtheimpressionofbarbaricopulencewhichwassuggestedbyhiswholeapariencia
appearance.Hecarriedabroad-brimmedhatinhishand,whileheworeacrossthe
superior
upperpartofhisface,extendiéndose
extendingdownpastthecheekbones,ablackvizardmask,whichhehadapparentlyajustado
adjustedthatverymoment,forhishandwasstillraisedtoitasheentered.Fromthelowerpartofthefaceheappearedtobeamanofstrongcharacter,withathick,hanging
labio
lip,andalong,straightmentón
chinsuggestiveofresolutionpushedtothelengthofobstinacy.“Youhadmynote?”
heaskedwithadeepharshvoiceanda
fuertemente
stronglymarkedGermanaccent.“ItoldyouthatIwouldcall.”
Helookedfromonetotheotherofus,asifuncertainwhichtoaddress.
“Praytakeaseat,”saidHolmes.
“Thisismyfriendand
colega
colleague,Dr.Watson,whoisocasionalmente
occasionallygoodenoughtohelpmeinmycases.WhomhaveIthehonourtoaddress?”
“YoumayaddressmeastheCountVonKramm,a
Bohemio
Bohemiannobleman.Iunderstandthatthisgentleman,yourfriend,isamanofhonourand
discreción
discretion,whomImaytrustwithamatterofthemostextremeimportancia
importance.Ifnot,Ishouldmuchprefertocommunicatewithyoualone.”
Irosetogo,butHolmescaughtmebythe
muñeca
wristandpushedmebackintomychair.“Itisboth,ornone,”saidhe.
“Youmaysaybeforethisgentlemananythingwhichyoumaysaytome.”
TheCountshruggedhisbroadshoulders.
“ThenImustbegin,”saidhe,“bybindingyoubothto
absoluto
absolutesecrecyfortwoyears;attheendofthattimethematterwillbeofnoimportance.
Atpresentitisnottoomuchtosaythatitisofsuchweightitmayhavean
influencia
influenceuponEuropeanhistory.”“Ipromise,”saidHolmes.
“AndI.”
“Youwillexcusethismask,”continuedourstrange
visitante
visitor.“Theaugustpersonwhoemploysmewisheshisagenttobeunknowntoyou,andImay
confesar
confessatoncethatthetitlebywhichIhavejustcalledmyselfisnotexactlymyown.”“Iwasawareofit,”saidHolmesdryly.
“Thecircumstancesareofgreat
delicadeza
delicacy,andeveryprecautionhastobetakentoquenchwhatmightgrowtobeanimmenseescándalo
scandalandseriouslycompromiseoneofthereigningfamiliesofEurope.Tospeakplainly,thematterimplicatesthegreatHouseofOrmstein,hereditarykingsofBohemia.”
“Iwasalsoawareofthat,”murmuredHolmes,settlinghimselfdowninhisarmchairandclosinghiseyes.
Our
visitante
visitorglancedwithsomeapparentsurpriseatthelanguid,loungingfigureofthemanwhohadbeennodoubtdepictedtohimasthemostincisivereasonerandmostenérgico
energeticagentinEurope.Holmesslowlyreopenedhiseyesandlookedimpatientlyathisgiganticclient.
“IfyourMajestywouldcondescendtostateyourcase,”he
comentó
remarked,“Ishouldbebetterabletoadviseyou.”Themansprangfromhischairandpacedupanddowntheroominuncontrollableagitation.
Then,witha
gesto
gestureofdesperation,hetorethemaskfromhisfaceandhurleditupontheground.“Youareright,”hecried;
“IamtheKing.
WhyshouldIattempttoconcealit?”
“Why,indeed?”
murmuredHolmes.
“YourMajestyhadnotspokenbeforeIwasawarethatIwasaddressingWilhelmGottsreichSigismondvonOrmstein,Grand
Duque
DukeofCassel-Felstein,andhereditaryKingofBohemia.”“Butyoucanunderstand,”saidourstrange
visitante
visitor,sittingdownoncemoreandpassinghishandoverhishighwhitefrente
forehead,“youcanunderstandthatIamnotaccustomedtodoingsuchbusinessinmyownperson.Yetthematterwasso
delicado
delicatethatIcouldnotconfideittoanagentwithoutputtingmyselfinhispower.IhavecomeincognitofromPragueforthepurposeofconsultingyou.”
“Then,prayconsult,”saidHolmes,shuttinghiseyesoncemore.
“Thefactsare
brevemente
brieflythese:Somefiveyearsago,duringalengthyvisittoWarsaw,Imadetheacquaintanceofthewell-knownadventuress,IreneAdler.
Thenameisnodoubtfamiliartoyou.”
“Kindlylookherupinmyindex,Doctor,”murmuredHolmeswithoutopeninghiseyes.
Formanyyearshehad
adoptado
adoptedasystemofdocketingallparagraphsconcerningmenandthings,sothatitwasdifficulttonameasubjectorapersononwhichhecouldnotatoncefurnishinformation.InthiscaseIfoundher
biografía
biographysandwichedinbetweenthatofaHebrewrabbiandthatofastaff-commanderwhohadwrittenamonographuponthedeep-seafishes.“Letmesee!”
saidHolmes.
“Hum!
BorninNewJerseyintheyear1858.
Contralto—hum!
LaScala,
zumbido
hum!PrimadonnaImperialOperaofWarsaw—yes!
Retiró
Retiredfromoperaticstage—ha!LivinginLondon—quiteso!
YourMajesty,asIunderstand,becameentangledwiththisyoungperson,wrotehersomecompromisingletters,andisnowdesirousofgettingthoselettersback.”
“Preciselyso.
Buthow—”.