I.ASCANDALINBOHEMIA
I.
ToSherlockHolmessheisalwaysthewoman.
Ihave
nadiren
seldomheardhimmentionherunderanyothername.Inhiseyessheeclipsesandpredominatesthewholeofhersex.
Itwasnotthathefeltany
duygu
emotionakintoloveforIreneAdler.Allemotions,andthatone
özellikle
particularly,wereabhorrenttohiscold,hassas
precisebutadmirablybalancedmind.Hewas,Itakeit,themostperfect
akıl
reasoningandobservingmachinethattheworldhasseen,butasaloverhewouldhaveplacedhimselfinafalseposition.Heneverspokeofthesofterpassions,savewithagibeandasneer.
Theywere
hayranlık
admirablethingsfortheobserver—excellentfordrawingtheveilfrommen’smotivesandactions.Butforthetrainedreasonertoadmitsuchintrusionsintohisown
hassas
delicateandfinelyadjustedtemperamentwastointroduceadistractingfactorwhichmightthrowadoubtuponallhismentalresults.Gritinasensitiveinstrument,oracrackinoneofhisownhigh-powerlenses,wouldnotbemoredisturbingthanastrongemotioninanaturesuchashis.
Andyettherewasbutonewomantohim,andthatwomanwasthelateIreneAdler,ofdubiousandquestionablememory.
IhadseenlittleofHolmeslately.
Mymarriagehaddriftedusawayfromeachother.
Myowncompletehappiness,andthehome-centredinterestswhichriseuparoundthemanwhofirstfindshimselfmasterofhisownestablishment,weresufficienttoabsorballmyattention,whileHolmes,wholoathedeveryformofsocietywithhiswholeBohemiansoul,remainedinourlodgingsinBakerStreet,buriedamonghisoldbooks,andalternatingfromweektoweekbetweencocaineand
hırs
ambition,thedrowsinessofthedrug,andtheşiddetli
fierceenergyofhisownkeskin
keennature.Hewasstill,asever,deeplyattractedbythestudyofcrime,andoccupiedhis
muazzam
immensefacultiesandextraordinarypowersofgözlem
observationinfollowingoutthoseclues,andclearingupthosemysterieswhichhadbeenabandonedasumutsuz
hopelessbytheofficialpolice.FromtimetotimeIheardsome
belirsiz
vagueaccountofhisdoings:ofhissummonstoOdessainthecaseoftheTrepoffmurder,ofhisclearingupofthe
tekil
singulartragedyoftheAtkinsonbrothersatTrincomalee,andfinallyofthemissionwhichhehadaccomplishedsodelicatelyandsuccessfullyforthereigningfamilyofHolland.Beyondthesesignsofhis
faaliyet
activity,however,whichImerelysharedwithallthereadersofthedailypress,Iknewlittleofmyformerfriendandcompanion.Onenight—itwasonthetwentiethofMarch,1888—Iwasreturningfromajourneytoapatient(forIhadnowreturnedtocivilpractice),whenmywayledmethroughBakerStreet.
AsIpassedthewell-remembereddoor,whichmustalwaysbeassociatedinmymindwithmywooing,andwiththedarkincidentsoftheStudyinScarlet,IwasseizedwithakeendesiretoseeHolmesagain,andtoknowhowhewasemployinghisextraordinarypowers.
Hisroomswerebrilliantlylit,and,evenasIlookedup,Isawhistall,sparefigurepasstwiceinadarksilhouetteagainsttheblind.
Hewaspacingtheroomswiftly,eagerly,withhisheadsunkuponhischestandhishandsclaspedbehindhim.
Tome,whoknewhiseverymoodandhabit,hisattitudeandmannertoldtheirownstory.
Hewasatworkagain.
Hehadrisenoutofhisdrug-createddreamsandwashotuponthescentofsomenewproblem.
Irangthebellandwasshownuptothechamberwhichhadformerlybeeninpartmyown.
Hismannerwasnoteffusive.
It
nadiren
seldomwas;buthewasglad,Ithink,toseeme.
Withhardlyawordspoken,butwitha
nazik
kindlyeye,hewavedmetoanarmchair,threwacrosshiscaseofcigars,andgösterdi
indicatedaspiritcaseandagasogeneinthecorner.Thenhestoodbeforethefireandlookedmeoverinhissingularintrospectivefashion.
“Wedlocksuitsyou,”heremarked.
“Ithink,Watson,thatyouhaveputonsevenandahalfpoundssinceIsawyou.”
“Seven!”
Ianswered.
“Indeed,Ishouldhavethoughtalittlemore.
Justatriflemore,Ifancy,Watson.
Andinpracticeagain,Iobserve.
Youdidnottellmethatyouintendedtogointoharness.”
“Then,howdoyouknow?”
“Iseeit,Ideduceit.
HowdoIknowthatyouhavebeengettingyourselfverywetlately,andthatyouhaveamost
beceriksiz
clumsyandcarelessservantgirl?”“MydearHolmes,”saidI,“thisistoomuch.
Youwouldcertainlyhavebeenburned,hadyoulivedafewcenturiesago.
ItistruethatIhadacountrywalkonThursdayandcamehomeina
korkunç
dreadfulmess,butasIhavechangedmyclothesIcan’timaginehowyoudeduceit.AstoMaryJane,sheisincorrigible,andmywifehasgivenhernotice,butthere,again,Ifailtoseehowyouworkitout.”
Hechuckledtohimselfandrubbedhislong,nervoushandstogether.
“Itissimplicityitself,”saidhe;
“myeyestellmethatontheinsideofyourleftshoe,justwherethefirelightstrikesit,theleatherisscoredbysixalmost
paralel
parallelcuts.Obviouslytheyhavebeencausedbysomeonewhohasverycarelesslyscrapedroundtheedgesofthesoleinordertoremovecrustedmudfromit.
Dolayısıyla
Hence,yousee,mydoubledeductionthatyouhadbeenoutinvileweather,andthatyouhadaözellikle
particularlymalignantboot-slittingspecimenoftheLondonslavey.Astoyourpractice,ifagentlemanwalksintomyroomssmellingofiodoform,withablackmarkofnitrateofsilveruponhisrightforefinger,andabulgeontherightsideofhistop-hattoshowwherehehassecretedhisstethoscope,Imustbe
sıkıcı
dull,indeed,ifIdonotpronouncehimtobeanaktif
activememberofthemedicalprofession.”Icouldnothelplaughingattheeasewithwhichheexplainedhisprocessofdeduction.
“WhenIhearyougiveyourreasons,”Iremarked,“thethingalwaysappearstometobesoridiculouslysimplethatIcouldeasilydoitmyself,thoughateachsuccessiveinstanceofyourreasoningIambaffleduntilyouexplainyourprocess.
AndyetIbelievethatmyeyesareasgoodasyours.”
“Quiteso,”heanswered,lightingacigarette,andthrowinghimselfdownintoanarmchair.
“Yousee,butyoudonotobserve.
The
ayrım
distinctionisclear.Forexample,youhavefrequentlyseenthestepswhichleadupfromthehalltothisroom.”
“Frequently.”
“Howoften?”
“Well,somehundredsoftimes.”
“Thenhowmanyarethere?”
“Howmany?
Idon’tknow.”
“Quiteso!
Youhavenotobserved.
Andyetyouhaveseen.
Thatisjustmypoint.
Now,Iknowthatthereareseventeensteps,becauseIhavebothseenandobserved.
Bytheway,sinceyouareinterestedintheselittleproblems,andsinceyouaregoodenoughtochronicleoneortwoofmytriflingexperiences,youmaybeinterestedinthis.”
Hethrewoverasheetofthick,pink-tintednotepaperwhichhadbeenlyingopenuponthetable.
“Itcamebythelastpost,”saidhe.
“Readitaloud.”
Thenotewasundated,andwithouteithersignatureoraddress.
“Therewillcalluponyouto-night,ataquartertoeighto’clock,”itsaid,“agentlemanwhodesiresto
danışmak
consultyouuponamatteroftheverydeepestmoment.Your
son
recentservicestooneoftheroyalhousesofEuropehaveshownthatyouareonewhomaysafelybetrustedwithmatterswhichareofanimportancewhichcanhardlybeexaggerated.Thisaccountofyouwehavefromallquartersreceived.
Beinyourchamberthenatthathour,anddonottakeitamissifyourvisitorwearamask.”
“Thisisindeedamystery,”Iremarked.
“Whatdoyouimaginethatitmeans?”
“Ihavenodatayet.
Itisacapitalmistaketotheorisebeforeonehasdata.
Insensiblyonebeginsto
bükmeye
twistfactstosuittheories,insteadoftheoriestosuitfacts.Butthenoteitself.
Whatdoyoudeducefromit?”
Icarefully
inceledim
examinedthewriting,andthepaperuponwhichitwaswritten.“Themanwhowroteitwas
muhtemelen
presumablywelltodo,”Iremarked,endeavouringtotaklit
imitatemycompanion’sprocesses.“Suchpapercouldnotbeboughtunderhalfacrowna
paket
packet.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.”
Hetookdownaheavybrown
cilt
volumefromhisshelves.“Eglow,Eglonitz—hereweare,Egria.
ItisinaGerman-speakingcountry—inBohemia,notfarfromCarlsbad.
‘RemarkableasbeingthesceneofthedeathofWallenstein,andforits
çok sayıda
numerousglass-factoriesandpaper-mills.’Ha,ha,myboy,whatdoyoumakeofthat?”Hiseyessparkled,andhesentupagreatbluetriumphantcloudfromhiscigarette.
“ThepaperwasmadeinBohemia,”Isaid.
“Precisely.
AndthemanwhowrotethenoteisaGerman.
Doyounotethe
tuhaf
peculiarconstructionofthesentence—‘Thisaccountofyouwehavefromallquartersreceived.’AFrenchmanorRussiancouldnothavewrittenthat.ItistheGermanwhoissouncourteoustohisverbs.
Itonlyremains,therefore,to
keşfetmek
discoverwhatiswantedbythisGermanwhowritesuponBohemianpaperandpreferswearingamasktoshowinghisface.Andherehecomes,ifIamnotmistaken,to
çözmek
resolveallourdoubts.”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,pausedimmediatelyoutsidethedoor.
Thentherewasaloudandauthoritativetap.
“Comein!”
saidHolmes.
Amanenteredwhocouldhardlyhavebeenlessthansixfeetsixinchesinheight,withthechestandlimbsofaHercules.
Hisdresswasrichwitharichnesswhichwould,inEngland,belookeduponasakintobadtaste.
Heavybandsofastrakhanwereslashedacrossthesleevesandfrontsofhisdouble-breastedcoat,whilethedeepblue
pelerin
cloakwhichwasthrownoverhisshoulderswaslinedwithflame-colouredsilkandsecuredattheneckwithabroochwhichconsistedofasingleflamingberyl.Bootswhichextendedhalfwayuphiscalves,andwhichweretrimmedatthetopswithrichbrownfur,completedtheimpressionofbarbaricopulencewhichwassuggestedbyhiswholeappearance.
Hecarriedabroad-brimmedhatinhishand,whileheworeacrossthe
üst
upperpartofhisface,extendingdownpastthecheekbones,ablackvizardmask,whichhehadapparentlyayarlamıştı
adjustedthatverymoment,forhishandwasstillraisedtoitasheentered.Fromthelowerpartofthefaceheappearedtobeamanofstrongcharacter,withathick,hanging
dudak
lip,andalong,straightçene
chinsuggestiveofresolutionpushedtothelengthofobstinacy.“Youhadmynote?”
heaskedwithadeep
sert
harshvoiceandastronglymarkedGermanaccent.“ItoldyouthatIwouldcall.”
Helookedfromonetotheotherofus,asifuncertainwhichtoaddress.
“Praytakeaseat,”saidHolmes.
“Thisismyfriendand
meslektaşım
colleague,Dr.Watson,whoisoccasionallygoodenoughtohelpmeinmycases.WhomhaveIthehonourtoaddress?”
“YoumayaddressmeastheCountVonKramm,aBohemiannobleman.
Iunderstandthatthisgentleman,yourfriend,isamanofhonouranddiscretion,whomImaytrustwithamatterofthemostextremeimportance.
Ifnot,Ishouldmuchprefertocommunicatewithyoualone.”
Irosetogo,butHolmescaughtmebythewristandpushedmebackintomychair.
“Itisboth,ornone,”saidhe.
“Youmaysaybeforethisgentlemananythingwhichyoumaysaytome.”
TheCountshruggedhis
geniş
broadshoulders.“ThenImustbegin,”saidhe,“bybindingyoubothto
mutlak
absolutesecrecyfortwoyears;attheendofthattimethematterwillbeofno
önemi
importance.Atpresentitisnottoomuchtosaythatitisofsuchweightitmayhavean
etkisi
influenceuponEuropeanhistory.”“Ipromise,”saidHolmes.
“AndI.”
“Youwillexcusethismask,”continuedourstrangevisitor.
“Theaugustpersonwhoemploysmewisheshisagenttobeunknowntoyou,andImay
itiraf
confessatoncethatthetitlebywhichIhavejustcalledmyselfisnotexactlymyown.”“Iwasawareofit,”saidHolmesdryly.
“Thecircumstancesareofgreatdelicacy,andevery
tedbir
precautionhastobetakentoquenchwhatmightgrowtobeanimmenseskandal
scandalandseriouslycompromiseoneofthereigningfamiliesofEurope.Tospeak
açıkça
plainly,thematterimplicatesthegreatHouseofOrmstein,kalıtsal
hereditarykingsofBohemia.”“Iwasalsoawareofthat,”murmuredHolmes,settlinghimselfdowninhisarmchairandclosinghiseyes.
Ourvisitorglancedwithsomeapparentsurpriseatthelanguid,loungingfigureofthemanwhohadbeennodoubtdepictedtohimasthemostincisivereasonerandmost
enerjik
energeticagentinEurope.Holmesslowlyreopenedhiseyesandlookedimpatientlyathisgiganticclient.
“IfyourMajestywouldcondescendtostateyourcase,”heremarked,“Ishouldbebetterabletoadviseyou.”
Themansprangfromhischairandpacedupanddowntheroominuncontrollableagitation.
Then,witha
hareketi
gestureofdesperation,hetorethemaskfromhisfaceandhurleditupontheground.“Youareright,”hecried;
“IamtheKing.
WhyshouldIattempttoconcealit?”
“Why,indeed?”
murmuredHolmes.
“YourMajestyhadnotspokenbeforeIwasawarethatIwasaddressingWilhelmGottsreichSigismondvonOrmstein,Grand
Dükü
DukeofCassel-Felstein,andhereditaryKingofBohemia.”“Butyoucanunderstand,”saidourstrangevisitor,sittingdownoncemoreandpassinghishandoverhishighwhite
alnına
forehead,“youcanunderstandthatIamnotalışık
accustomedtodoingsuchbusinessinmyownperson.Yetthematterwasso
hassas
delicatethatIcouldnotconfideittoanagentwithoutputtingmyselfinhispower.IhavecomeincognitofromPragueforthepurposeofconsultingyou.”
“Then,prayconsult,”saidHolmes,shuttinghiseyesoncemore.
“Thefactsare
kısaca
brieflythese:Somefiveyearsago,duringalengthyvisittoWarsaw,Imadetheacquaintanceofthewell-knownadventuress,IreneAdler.
Thenameisnodoubtfamiliartoyou.”
“Kindlylookherupinmyindex,Doctor,”murmuredHolmeswithoutopeninghiseyes.
Formanyyearshehad
benimsemişti
adoptedasystemofdocketingallparagraphsconcerningmenandthings,sothatitwasdifficulttonameasubjectorapersononwhichhecouldnotatoncefurnishinformation.InthiscaseIfoundherbiographysandwichedinbetweenthatofaHebrewrabbiandthatofastaff-commanderwhohadwrittenamonographuponthedeep-seafishes.
“Letmesee!”
saidHolmes.
“Hum!
BorninNewJerseyintheyear1858.
Contralto—hum!
LaScala,hum!
PrimadonnaImperialOperaofWarsaw—yes!
Retiredfromoperaticstage—ha!
LivinginLondon—quiteso!
YourMajesty,asIunderstand,becameentangledwiththisyoungperson,wrotehersome
uzlaşmalı
compromisingletters,andisnowdesirousofgettingthoselettersback.”“Preciselyso.
Buthow—”.