Возвращение Шерлока Холмса
The Adventure of the Priory School
“Checknumberone,”saidHolmes,lookinggloomilyovertherollingexpanseofthemoor.“Thereisanothermorassdownyonder,andanarrowneckbetween.Halloa!halloa!halloa!whathavewehere?”
Wehadcomeonasmallblackribbonofpathway.Inthemiddleofit,clearlymarkedonthesoddensoil,wasthetrackofabicycle.
“Hurrah!”Icried.“Wehaveit.”
ButHolmeswasshakinghishead,andhisfacewaspuzzledandexpectantratherthanjoyous.
“Abicycle,certainly,butnotthebicycle,”saidhe.“Iamfamiliarwithforty-twodifferentimpressionsleftbytires.This,asyouperceive,isaDunlop,withapatchupontheoutercover.Heidegger’stireswerePalmer’s,leavinglongitudinalstripes.Aveling,themathematicalmaster,wassureuponthepoint.Therefore,itisnotHeidegger’strack.”
“Theboy’s,then?”
“Possibly,ifwecouldproveabicycletohavebeeninhispossession.Butthiswehaveutterlyfailedtodo.Thistrack,asyouperceive,wasmadebyariderwhowasgoingfromthedirectionoftheschool.”
“Ortowardsit?”
“No,no,mydearWatson.Themoredeeplysunkimpressionis,ofcourse,thehindwheel,uponwhichtheweightrests.Youperceiveseveralplaceswhereithaspassedacrossandobliteratedthemoreshallowmarkofthefrontone.Itwasundoubtedlyheadingawayfromtheschool.Itmayormaynotbeconnectedwithourinquiry,butwewillfollowitbackwardsbeforewegoanyfarther.”
Wedidso,andattheendofafewhundredyardslostthetracksasweemergedfromtheboggyportionofthemoor.
