Возвращение Шерлока Холмса
The Adventure of the Dancing Men
“IthinkthatIcanhelpyoutopassanhourinaninterestingandprofitablemanner,”saidHolmes,drawinghischairuptothetable,andspreadingoutinfrontofhimthevariouspapersuponwhichwererecordedtheanticsofthedancingmen.“Astoyou,friendWatson,Ioweyoueveryatonementforhavingallowedyournaturalcuriositytoremainsolongunsatisfied.Toyou,Inspector,thewholeincidentmayappealasaremarkableprofessionalstudy.Imusttellyou,firstofall,theinterestingcircumstancesconnectedwiththepreviousconsultationswhichMr.HiltonCubitthashadwithmeinBakerStreet.”Hethenshortlyrecapitulatedthefactswhichhavealreadybeenrecorded.“Ihavehereinfrontofmethesesingularproductions,atwhichonemightsmile,hadtheynotprovedthemselvestobetheforerunnersofsoterribleatragedy.Iamfairlyfamiliarwithallformsofsecretwritings,andammyselftheauthorofatriflingmonographuponthesubject,inwhichIanalyzeonehundredandsixtyseparateciphers,butIconfessthatthisisentirelynewtome.Theobjectofthosewhoinventedthesystemhasapparentlybeentoconcealthatthesecharactersconveyamessage,andtogivetheideathattheyarethemererandomsketchesofchildren.
“Havingoncerecognized,however,thatthesymbolsstoodforletters,andhavingappliedtheruleswhichguideusinallformsofsecretwritings,thesolutionwaseasyenough.Thefirstmessagesubmittedtomewassoshortthatitwasimpossibleformetodomorethantosay,withsomeconfidence,thatthesymbolXXXstoodforE.
