Приключения Шерлока Холмса
The Man with the Twisted Lip
"Well,Idon’tknowwhynot,"saidtheinspector. "Hedoesn’tlookacredittotheBowStreetcells,doeshe?" Heslippedhiskeyintothelock,andweallveryquietlyenteredthecell. Thesleeperhalfturned,andthensettleddownoncemoreintoadeepslumber. Holmesstoopedtothewaterjug,moistenedhissponge,andthenrubbedittwicevigorouslyacrossanddowntheprisoner’sface.
"Letmeintroduceyou,"heshouted,"toMr.NevilleSt.Clair,ofLee,inthecountyofKent."
NeverinmylifehaveIseensuchasight. Theman’sfacepeeledoffunderthespongelikethebarkfromatree. Gonewasthecoarsebrowntint! Gone,too,wasthehorridscarwhichhadseameditacross,andthetwistedlipwhichhadgiventherepulsivesneertotheface! Atwitchbroughtawaythetangledredhair,andthere,sittingupinhisbed,wasapale,sad-faced,refined-lookingman,black-hairedandsmooth-skinned,rubbinghiseyesandstaringabouthimwithsleepybewilderment. Thensuddenlyrealizingtheexposure,hebrokeintoascreamandthrewhimselfdownwithhisfacetothepillow.
"Greatheavens!"criedtheinspector,"itis,indeed,themissingman. Iknowhimfromthephotograph."
Theprisonerturnedwiththerecklessairofamanwhoabandonshimselftohisdestiny. "Beitso,"saidhe. "AndpraywhatamIchargedwith?"
"WithmakingawaywithMr.NevilleSt. Oh,come,youcan’tbechargedwiththatunlesstheymakeacaseofattemptedsuicideofit,"saidtheinspectorwithagrin. "Well,Ihavebeentwenty-sevenyearsintheforce,butthisreallytakesthecake."
