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                                SHERLOCK HOLMES

                             THE SCANDAL IN BOHEMIA

                           by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

                               1



  To Sherlock Holmes she is always the woman。 I have seldom heard

him mention her under any other name。 In his eyes she eclipses and

predominates the whole of her sex。 It was not that he felt any emotion

akin to love for Irene Adler。 All emotions; and that one particularly;

were abhorrent to his cold; precise but admirably balanced mind。 He

was; I take it; the most perfect reasoning and observing machine

that the world has seen; but as a lover he would have placed himself

in a false position。 He never spoke of the softer passions; save

with a gibe and a sneer。 They were admirable things for the

observer… excellent for drawing the veil from men's motives and

actions。 But for the trained reasoner to admit such intrusions into

his own delicate and finely adjusted temperament was to introduce a

distracting factor which might throw a doubt upon all his mental

results。 Grit in a sensitive instrument; or a crack in one of his

own high…power lenses; would not be more disturbing than a strong

emotion in a nature such as his。 And yet there was but one woman to

him; and that woman was the late Irene Adler; of dubious and

questionable memory。

  I had seen little of Holmes lately。 My marriage had drifted us

away from each other。 My own complete happiness; and the

home…centred interests which rise up around the man who first finds

himself master of his own establishment; were sufficient to absorb all

my attention; while Holmes; who loathed every form of society with his

whole Bohemian soul; remained in our lodgings in Baker Street;

buried among his old books; and alternating from week to week

between cocaine and ambition; the drowsiness of the drug; and the

fierce energy of his own keen nature。 He was still; as ever; deeply

attracted by the study of crime; and occupied his immense faculties

and extraordinary powers of observation in following out those

clues; and clearing up those mysteries which had been abandoned as

hopeless by the official police。 From time to time I heard some

vague account of his doings: of his summons to Odessa in the case of

the Trepoff murder; of his clearing up of the singular tragedy of

the Atkinson brothers at Trincomalee; and finally of the mission which

he had accomplished so delicately and successfully for the reigning

family of Holland。 Beyond these signs of his activity; however;

which I merely shared with all the readers of the daily press; I

knew little of my former friend and companion。

  One night… it was on the twentieth of March; 1888… I was returning

from a journey to a patient (for I had now returned to civil

practice); when my way led me through Baker Street。 As I passed the

well…remembered door; which must always be associated in my mind

with my wooing; and with the dark incidents of the Study in Scarlet; I

was seized with a keen desire to see Holmes again; and to know how

he was employing his extraordinary powers。 His rooms were

brilliantly lit; and; even as I looked up; I saw his tall; spare

figure pass twice in a dark silhouette against the blind。 He was

pacing the room swiftly; eagerly; with his head sunk upon his chest

and his hands clasped behind him。 To me; who knew his every mood and

habit; his attitude and manner told their own story。 He was at work

again。 He had risen out of his drug…created dreams and was hot upon

the scent of some new problem。 I rang the bell and was shown up to the

chamber which had formerly been in part my own。

  His manner was not effusive。 It seldom was; but he was glad; I

think; to see me。 With hardly a word spoken; but with a kindly eye; he

waved me to an armchair; threw across his case of cigars; and

indicated a spirit case and a gasogene in the corner。 Then he stood

before the fire and looked me over in his singular introspective

fashion。

  〃Wedlock suits you;〃 he remarked。 〃I think; Watson; that you have

put on seven and a half pounds since I saw you。〃

  〃Seven!〃 I answered。

  〃Indeed; I should have thought a little more。 just a trifle more;

I fancy; Watson。 And in practice again; I observe。 You did not tell me

that you intended to go into harness。〃

  〃Then; how do you know?'

  〃I see it; I deduce it。 How do I know that you have been getting

yourself very wet lately; and that you have a most clumsy and careless

servant girl?〃

  〃My dear Holmes;〃 said I; 〃this is too much。 You would certainly

have been burned; had you lived a few centuries ago。 It is true that I

had a country walk on Thursday and came home in a dreadful mess; but

as I have changed my clothes I can't imagine how you deduce it。 As

to Mary Jane; she is incorrigible; and my wife has given her notice;

but there; again; I fail to see how you work it out。〃

  He chuckled to himself and rubbed his long; nervous hands together。

  〃It is simplicity itself;〃 said he; 〃my eyes tell me that on the

inside of your left shoe; just where the firelight strikes it; the

leather is scored by six almost parallel cuts。 Obviously they have

been caused by someone who has very carelessly scraped round the edges

of the sole in order to remove crusted mud from it。 Hence; you see; my

double deduction that you had been out in vile weather; and that you

had a particularly malignant boot…slitting specimen of the London

slavey。 As to your practice; if a gentleman walks into my rooms

smelling of iodoform; with a black mark of nitrate of silver upon

his right forefinger; and a bulge on the right side of his top…hat

to show where he has secreted his stethoscope; I must be dull; indeed;

if I do not pronounce him to be an active member of the medical

profession。〃

  I could not help laughing at the ease with which he explained his

process of deduction。 〃When I hear you give your reasons;〃 I remarked;

〃the thing always appears to me to be so ridiculously simple that I

could easily do it myself; though at each successive instance of

your reasoning I am baffled until you explain your process And yet I

believe that my eyes are as good as yours。〃

  〃Quite so;〃 he answered; lighting a cigarette; and throwing

himself down into an armchair。 〃You see; but you do not observe。 The

distinction is clear。 For example; you have frequently seen the

steps which lead up from the hall to this room。〃

  〃Frequently。〃

  〃How often?〃

  〃Well; some hundreds of times。〃

  〃Then how many are there?〃

  〃How many? I don't know。〃

  〃Quite so! You have not observed。 And yet you have seen。 That is

just my point。 Now; I know that there are seventeen steps; because I

have both seen and observed。 By the way; since you are interested in

these little problems; and since you are good enough to chronicle

one or two of my trifling experiences; you may be interested in this。〃

He threw over a sheet of thick; pink…tinted note…paper which had

been lying open upon the table。 〃It came by the last post;〃 said he。

〃Read it aloud。〃

  The note was undated; and without either signature or address。



  〃There will call upon you to…night; at a quarter to eight o'clock

'it said'; a gentleman who desires to consult you upon a matter of the

very deepest moment。 Your recent services to one of the royal houses

of Europe have shown that you are one who may safely be trusted with

matters which are of an importance which can hardly be exaggerated。

This account of you we have from all quarters received。 Be in your

chamber then at that hour; and do not take it amiss if your visitor

wear a mask。



  〃This is indeed a mystery;〃 I remarked。 〃What do you imagine that it

means?〃

  〃I have no data yet。 It is a capital mistake to theorize before

one has data。 Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories;

instead of theories to suit facts。 But the note itself。 What do you

deduce from it?〃

  I carefully examined the writing; and the paper upon which it was

written。

  〃The man who wrote it was presumably well to do;〃 I remarked;

endeavouring to imitate my companion's processes。 〃Such paper could

not be bought under half a crown a packet。 It is peculiarly strong and

stiff。〃

  〃Peculiar… that is the very word;〃 said Holmes。 〃It is not an

English paper at all。 Hold it up to the light。〃

  I did so; and saw a large ‘E' with a small ‘g'; a ‘P;' and a large

‘G' with a small ‘t' woven into the texture of the paper。

  〃What do you make of that?〃 asked Holmes。

  〃The name of the maker; no doubt; or his monogram; rather。〃

  〃Not at all。 The ‘G' with the small ‘t' stands for ‘Gesellschaft;'

which is the German for ‘Company。' It is a customary contraction

like our ‘Co。' ‘P;' of course; stands for ‘Papier。' Now for the

‘Eg。' Let us glance at our Continental Gazetteer。〃 He took down a

heavy brown volume from his shelves。 〃Eglow; Eglonitz… here we are;

Egria。 It is in a German…speaking country… in Bohemia; not far from

Carlsbad。 ‘Remarkable as being the scene of the death of

Wallenstein; and for its numerous glass…factories and paper…mills。'


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