Повернення Шерлока Холмса
The Adventure of the Six Napoleons
”
“Well,howdoyouexplainit?”
“Idon’tattempttodoso.Iwouldonlyobservethatthereisacertainmethodinthegentleman’seccentricproceedings.Forexample,inDr.Barnicot’shall,whereasoundmightarousethefamily,thebustwastakenoutsidebeforebeingbroken,whereasinthesurgery,wheretherewaslessdangerofanalarm,itwassmashedwhereitstood.Theaffairseemsabsurdlytrifling,andyetIdarecallnothingtrivialwhenIreflectthatsomeofmymostclassiccaseshavehadtheleastpromisingcommencement.Youwillremember,Watson,howthedreadfulbusinessoftheAbernettyfamilywasfirstbroughttomynoticebythedepthwhichtheparsleyhadsunkintothebutteruponahotday.Ican’tafford,therefore,tosmileatyourthreebrokenbusts,Lestrade,andIshallbeverymuchobligedtoyouifyouwillletmehearofanyfreshdevelopmentofsosingularachainofevents.”
Thedevelopmentforwhichmyfriendhadaskedcameinaquickerandaninfinitelymoretragicformthanhecouldhaveimagined.Iwasstilldressinginmybedroomnextmorning,whentherewasatapatthedoorandHolmesentered,atelegraminhishand.Hereaditaloud:
“Comeinstantly,131,PittStreet,Kensington.—LESTRADE.”
“Whatisit,then?”Iasked.
“Don’tknow—maybeanything.ButIsuspectitisthesequelofthestoryofthestatues.Inthatcaseourfriendtheimage-breakerhasbegunoperationsinanotherquarterofLondon.There’scoffeeonthetable,Watson,andIhaveacabatthedoor.
