CHAPTERI.MR.SHERLOCKHOLMES.
Intheyear1878ItookmydegreeofDoctorofMedicineoftheUniversityofLondon,andproceededtoNetleytogothroughthecourseprescribedforsurgeonsinthe
armén
army.Havingcompletedmystudiesthere,IwasdulyattachedtotheFifthNorthumberlandFusiliersasAssistantSurgeon.
TheregimentwasstationedinIndiaatthetime,andbeforeIcould
gå
joinit,thesecondAfghanwarhadbrokenout.On
landade
landingatBombay,Ilearnedthatmycorpshadadvancedthroughthepasses,andwasalreadydjupt
deepintheenemy’scountry.Ifollowed,
emellertid
however,withmanyotherofficerswhowereinthesamesituation
situationasmyself,andsucceededinnå
reachingCandaharinsafety,whereIfoundmyregiment,andatonceentereduponmynewduties.Thecampaignbroughthonoursandpromotiontomany,butformeithadnothingbutmisfortuneanddisaster.
IwasremovedfrommybrigadeandattachedtotheBerkshires,withwhomIservedatthefatalbattleofMaiwand.
ThereIwasstruckontheshoulderbyaJezailbullet,whichshatteredtheboneandgrazedthesubclavianartery.
IshouldhavefallenintothehandsofthemurderousGhazishaditnotbeenforthedevotionandcourageshownbyMurray,myorderly,who
kastade
threwmeacrossapack-horse,andsucceededinbringingmesafelytotheBritishlines.Wornwith
smärta
pain,andweakfromtheprolongedhardshipswhichIhadundergone,Iwasremoved,withagreattrainofwoundedsufferers,tothebasehospitalatPeshawar.HereIrallied,andhadalreadyimprovedsofarastobeabletowalkaboutthewards,andeventobaskalittleupontheverandah,whenIwasstruckdownbyentericfever,thatcurseofourIndianpossessions.
Formonthsmylifewasdespairedof,andwhenatlastIcametomyselfandbecameconvalescent,IwassoweakandemaciatedthatamedicalboarddeterminedthatnotadayshouldbelostinsendingmebacktoEngland.
Iwasdispatched,accordingly,inthetroopship“Orontes,”and
landade
landedamonthlateronPortsmouthjetty,withmyhealthirretrievablyruined,butwithpermissionfromapaternalregering
governmenttospendthenextnio
ninemonthsinattemptingtoimproveit.Ihad
varken
neitherkithnorkininEngland,andwasthereforeasfreeasair—orasfreeasanincomeofelevenshillingsandsixpenceadaywillpermitamantobe.Undersuchcircumstances,InaturallygravitatedtoLondon,thatgreatcesspoolintowhichalltheloungersandidlersoftheEmpireareirresistiblydrained.
ThereIstayedforsometimeata
privat
privatehotelintheStrand,leadingacomfortless,meaninglessexistence,andspenderade
spendingsuchmoneyasIhad,considerablymorefreelythanIought.Soalarmingdidthe
tillstånd
stateofmyfinancesbecome,thatIsooninsåg
realizedthatImusteitherleavethemetropolisandrusticatesomewhereinthecountry,orthatImustmakeafullständig
completealterationinmystyleofliving.Valde
Choosingthelatteralternative,Ibörjade
beganbymakingupmymindtoleavethehotel,andtotakeupmyquartersinsomemindre
lesspretentiousandlessexpensivedomicile.OntheverydaythatIhadcometothisconclusion,IwasstandingattheCriterion
Bar
Bar,whensomeonetappedmeontheshoulder,andturningroundIrecognizedyoungStamford,whohadbeenadresserundermeatBarts.ThesightofafriendlyfaceinthegreatwildernessofLondonisapleasantthingindeedtoalonelyman.
InolddaysStamfordhadneverbeenaparticularcronyofmine,butnowIhailedhimwithenthusiasm,andhe,inhisturn,appearedtobedelightedtoseeme.
Intheexuberanceofmyjoy,IaskedhimtolunchwithmeattheHolborn,andwestartedofftogetherinahansom.
“Whateverhaveyoubeendoingwithyourself,Watson?”
heaskedinundisguised
förundran
wonder,aswerattledthroughthecrowdedLondonstreets.“Youareasthinasalathandasbrownasanut.”
Igavehima
kort
shortsketchofmyadventures,andhadhardlyconcludeditbythetimethatwenådde
reachedourdestination.“Poordevil!”
hesaid,commiseratingly,afterhehadlistenedtomymisfortunes.
“Whatareyouuptonow?”
“Lookingforlodgings,”Ianswered.
“Tryingtosolvetheproblemasto
om
whetheritispossibletogetcomfortableroomsatareasonableprice.”“That’sastrangething,”remarkedmycompanion;
“youarethesecondmanto-daythathasusedthatexpressiontome.”
“Andwhowasthefirst?”
Iasked.
“Afellowwhoisworkingatthechemicallaboratoryupatthehospital.
Hewasbemoaninghimselfthismorningbecausehecouldnotgetsomeonetogohalveswithhiminsomeniceroomswhichhehadfound,andwhichweretoomuchforhispurse.”
“ByJove!”
I
grät
cried,“ifhereallywantssomeonetodela
sharetheroomsandtheexpense,Iamtheverymanforhim.Ishouldpreferhavinga
partner
partnertobeingalone.”YoungStamfordlooked
ganska
ratherstrangelyatmeoverhiswine-glass.“Youdon’tknowSherlockHolmesyet,”hesaid;
“perhapsyouwouldnotcareforhimasaconstantcompanion.”
“Why,whatisthereagainsthim?”
“Oh,Ididn’tsaytherewasanythingagainsthim.
Heisalittlequeerinhisideas—anenthusiastinsomebranchesofscience.
AsfarasIknowheisadecentfellowenough.”
“Amedicalstudent,Isuppose?”
saidI.
“No—Ihavenoideawhatheintendstogoinfor.
Ibelieveheiswellupinanatomy,andheisafirst-classchemist;
but,asfarasIknow,hehasnevertakenoutanysystematicmedicalclasses.
Hisstudiesareverydesultoryandeccentric,buthehasamassedalotofout-of-thewayknowledgewhichwouldastonishhisprofessors.”
“Didyouneveraskhimwhathewasgoinginfor?”
Iasked.
“No;
heisnotamanthatitiseasytodrawout,thoughhecanbecommunicativeenoughwhenthefancyseizeshim.”
“Ishouldliketomeethim,”Isaid.
“IfIamtolodgewithanyone,Ishouldpreferamanofstudiousandquiethabits.
Iamnot
stark
strongenoughyettostandmuchnoiseorexcitement.IhadenoughofbothinAfghanistantolastmefortheremainderofmynaturalexistence.
HowcouldImeetthisfriendofyours?”
“Heissuretobeatthelaboratory,”returnedmycompanion.
“Heeitheravoidstheplaceforweeks,orelseheworkstherefrommorningtonight.
Ifyoulike,weshalldriveroundtogetherafterluncheon.”
“Certainly,”Ianswered,andtheconversationdriftedawayintootherchannels.
AswemadeourwaytothehospitalafterleavingtheHolborn,StamfordgavemeafewmoreparticularsaboutthegentlemanwhomIproposedtotakeasafellow-lodger.
“Youmustn’t
klandra
blamemeifyoudon’tgetonwithhim,”hesaid;“IknownothingmoreofhimthanIhave
lärt
learnedfrommeetinghimoccasionallyinthelaboratory.Youproposedthisarrangement,soyoumustnotholdmeresponsible.”
“Ifwedon’tgetonitwillbeeasytopartcompany,”Ianswered.
“It
verkar
seemstome,Stamford,”Iadded,lookinghardatmycompanion,“thatyouhavesomereasonfortvätta
washingyourhandsofthematter.Isthisfellow’stempersoformidable,orwhatisit?
Don’tbemealy-mouthedaboutit.”
“Itisnoteasytoexpresstheinexpressible,”heansweredwitha
skratt
laugh.“Holmesisalittletooscientificformytastes—itapproachestocold-bloodedness.
Icouldimaginehisgivingafriendalittlepinchofthelatestvegetablealkaloid,notoutofmalevolence,youunderstand,butsimplyoutofa
ande
spiritofinquiryinordertohaveanaccurateideaoftheeffects.Todohimjustice,Ithinkthathewouldtakeithimselfwiththesamereadiness.
Heappearstohaveapassionfordefiniteandexactknowledge.”
“Veryrighttoo.”
“Yes,butitmaybepushedtoexcess.
Whenitcomestobeatingthesubjectsinthedissecting-roomswitha
pinne
stick,itiscertainlytakingganska
ratherabizarreshape.”“Beatingthesubjects!”
“Yes,toverifyhowfarbruisesmaybeproducedafterdeath.
Isawhimatitwithmyowneyes.”
“Andyetyousayheisnotamedicalstudent?”
“No.
Heavenknowswhattheobjectsofhisstudiesare.
Buthereweare,andyoumust
bilda
formyourownimpressionsabouthim.”Ashespoke,weturneddownanarrowlaneand
passerade
passedthroughasmallside-door,whichopenedintoawingofthegreathospital.Itwasfamiliargroundtome,andIneedednoguidingasweascendedthebleakstonestaircaseandmadeourwaydownthelongcorridorwithitsvistaofwhitewashedwallanddun-coloureddoors.
I närheten av
Nearthefurtherendalåg
lowarchedpassagebranchedawayfromitandledde
ledtothechemicallaboratory.Thiswasaloftychamber,linedandlitteredwithcountlessbottles.
Broad,lowtableswerescatteredabout,whichbristledwithretorts,test-tubes,andlittleBunsenlamps,withtheir
blå
blueflickeringflames.Therewasonlyone
elev
studentintheroom,whowasbendingoveradistantbord
tableabsorbedinhiswork.Atthesoundofourstepsheglancedroundandsprangtohisfeetwithacryof
nöje
pleasure.“I’vefoundit!
I’vefoundit,”heshoutedtomycompanion,runningtowardsuswithatest-tubeinhishand.
“Ihavefoundare-agentwhichisprecipitatedbyhæmoglobin,andbynothingelse.”
Hadhediscoveredagoldmine,greaterdelightcouldnothaveshoneuponhisfeatures.
“Dr.
Watson,Mr.SherlockHolmes,”saidStamford,introducingus.
“Howareyou?”
hesaidcordially,grippingmyhandwithastrengthforwhichIshouldhardlyhavegivenhimcredit.
“YouhavebeeninAfghanistan,Iperceive.”
“Howonearthdidyouknowthat?”
Iaskedinastonishment.
“Nevermind,”saidhe,chucklingtohimself.
“Thequestionnowisabouthæmoglobin.
No
tvivel
doubtyouseethesignificanceofthisdiscoveryofmine?”“Itis
intressant
interesting,chemically,nodoubt,”Ianswered,“butpractically——”.“Why,man,itisthemostpracticalmedico-legaldiscoveryforyears.
Don’tyouseethatitgivesusaninfallible
test
testforbloodstains.Comeoverherenow!”
Heseizedmebythecoat-sleeveinhiseagerness,anddrewmeovertothe
bordet
tableatwhichhehadbeenworking.“Letushavesomefreshblood,”hesaid,diggingalongbodkinintohisfinger,anddrawingofftheresultingdropofbloodinachemicalpipette.
“Now,Iaddthissmallquantityofbloodtoalitreofwater.
Youperceivethattheresultingmixturehastheappearanceofpurewater.
Theproportionofbloodcannotbemorethanoneinamillion.
Ihaveno
tvivlar
doubt,however,thatweshallbeabletoobtainthecharacteristicreaction.”Ashespoke,he
kastade
threwintothevesselafewwhitecrystals,andthenaddedsomedropsofatransparentfluid.Inaninstantthecontentsassumedadullmahoganycolour,andabrownishdustwasprecipitatedtothebottomoftheglassjar.
“Ha!
ha!”
he
grät
cried,clappinghishands,andlookingasdelightedasachildwithanewtoy.“Whatdoyouthinkofthat?”
“It
verkar
seemstobeaverydelicatetest,”Iremarked.“Beautiful!
beautiful!
TheoldGuiacumtestwasveryclumsyanduncertain.
Soisthemicroscopicexaminationforbloodcorpuscles.
Thelatterisvaluelessifthestainsareafewhoursold.
Now,thisappearstoactaswell
om
whetherthebloodisoldornew.Hadthis
test
testbeeninvented,therearehundredsofmennowwalkingtheearthwhowouldlongagohavepaidthepenaltyoftheircrimes.”“Indeed!”
Imurmured.
“Criminalcasesarecontinuallyhinginguponthatonepoint.
Amanissuspectedofa
brott
crimemonthsperhapsafterithasbeencommitted.Hislinenor
kläder
clothesareexamined,andbrownishstainsdiscovereduponthem.Aretheybloodstains,ormudstains,orruststains,orfruitstains,orwhatarethey?
Thatisaquestionwhichhaspuzzledmanyanexpert,andwhy?
Becausetherewasnoreliable
test
test.NowwehavetheSherlockHolmes’test,andtherewillnolongerbeanydifficulty.”
Hiseyesfairlyglitteredashespoke,andheputhishandoverhisheartandbowedasiftosomeapplaudingcrowdconjuredupbyhisimagination.
“Youaretobecongratulated,”Iremarked,considerablysurprisedathisenthusiasm.
“TherewasthecaseofVonBischoffatFrankfortlastyear.
Hewould
säkert
certainlyhavebeenhunghadthistest
testbeeninexistence.ThentherewasMasonofBradford,andthenotoriousMuller,andLefevreofMontpellier,andSamsonofNewOrleans.
Icouldnameascoreofcasesinwhichitwouldhavebeendecisive.”
“You
verkar
seemtobeawalkingcalendarofcrime,”saidStamfordwithaskratt
laugh.“Youmightstarta
uppsats
paperonthoselines.Callitthe‘PoliceNewsofthePast.’”.
“Very
intressant
interestingreadingitmightbemade,too,”remarkedSherlockHolmes,stickingasmallbit
pieceofplasterovertheprickonhisfinger.“Ihavetobecareful,”he
fortsatte
continued,turningtomewithaleende
smile,“forIdabblewithpoisonsagooddeal.”Heheldouthishandashespoke,andI
märkte
noticedthatitwasallmottledoverwithsimilarpiecesofplaster,anddiscolouredwithstrongacids.“Wecamehereonbusiness,”saidStamford,sittingdownonahighthree-leggedstool,and
trycker
pushinganotheroneinmydirectionwithhisfoten
foot.“Myfriendherewantstotakediggings,andasyouwerecomplainingthatyoucouldgetnoonetogohalveswithyou,IthoughtthatIhadbetterbringyoutogether.”
SherlockHolmes
verkade
seemeddelightedattheideaofdela
sharinghisroomswithme.“Ihavemy
öga
eyeonasuiteinBakerStreet,”hesaid,“whichwouldpassa
suitusdowntothemarken
ground.Youdon’tmindthesmellof
stark
strongtobacco,Ihope?”“Ialways
röker
smoke‘ship’s’myself,”Ianswered.“That’sgoodenough.
Igenerallyhavechemicalsabout,andoccasionallydoexperiments.
Wouldthatannoyyou?”
“Bynomeans.”
“Letmesee—whataremyothershortcomings.
Igetinthedumpsattimes,anddon’topenmy
munnen
mouthfordaysonend.YoumustnotthinkIamsulkywhenIdothat.
Justletmealone,andI’llsoonberight.
Whathaveyoutoconfessnow?
It’sjustaswellfortwofellowstoknowthe
värsta
worstofoneanotherbeforetheybörjar
begintolivetogether.”I
skrattade
laughedatthiscross-examination.“Ikeepabullpup,”Isaid,“andIobjecttorowsbecausemynervesareshaken,andIgetupatallsortsofungodlyhours,andIamextremelylazy.
IhaveanothersetofviceswhenI’mwell,butthosearetheprincipalonesatpresent.”
“Doyouincludeviolin-playinginyourcategoryofrows?”
heasked,anxiously.
“Itdependsontheplayer,”Ianswered.
“Awell-playedviolinisatreatforthegods—abadly-playedone——”.
“Oh,that’sallright,”hecried,withamerry
skratt
laugh.“Ithinkwemayconsiderthethingassettled—thatis,iftheroomsareagreeabletoyou.”
“Whenshallweseethem?”
“Callformehereatnoonto-morrow,andwe’llgotogetherandsettleeverything,”heanswered.
“Allright—noonexactly,”saidI,shakinghishand.
Welefthimworkingamonghischemicals,andwewalkedtogethertowardsmy
hotell
hotel.“Bytheway,”Iasked
plötsligt
suddenly,stoppingandturninguponStamford,“howthedeucedidheknowthatIhadcomefromAfghanistan?”Mycompanion
log
smiledanenigmaticalsmile.“That’sjusthislittlepeculiarity,”hesaid.
“Agoodmanypeoplehavewantedtoknowhowhefindsthingsout.”
“Oh!
amysteryisit?”
I
grät
cried,rubbingmyhands.“Thisisverypiquant.
Iammuchobligedtoyouforbringingustogether.
‘Theproperstudyofmankindisman,’youknow.”
“Youmust
studera
studyhim,then,”Stamfordsaid,ashebademegood-bye.“You’llfindhimaknottyproblem,though.
I’llwagerhe
lär
learnsmoreaboutyouthanyouabouthim.Good-bye.”
CHAPTERII.THESCIENCEOFDEDUCTION.