Повернення Шерлока Холмса
The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez
“Iwillnottroubleyouwithanylengthycross-examination,ProfessorCoram,sinceIgatherthatyouwereinbedatthetimeofthecrime,andcouldknownothingaboutit.Iwouldonlyaskthis:Whatdoyouimaginethatthispoorfellowmeantbyhislastwords:‘Theprofessor—itwasshe’?”
Theprofessorshookhishead.
“Susanisacountrygirl,”saidhe,“andyouknowtheincrediblestupidityofthatclass.Ifancythatthepoorfellowmurmuredsomeincoherentdeliriouswords,andthatshetwistedthemintothismeaninglessmessage.”
“Isee.Youhavenoexplanationyourselfofthetragedy?”
“Possiblyanaccident,possibly—Ionlybreatheitamongourselves—asuicide.Youngmenhavetheirhiddentroubles—someaffairoftheheart,perhaps,whichwehaveneverknown.Itisamoreprobablesuppositionthanmurder.”
“Buttheeyeglasses?”
“Ah!Iamonlyastudent—amanofdreams.Icannotexplainthepracticalthingsoflife.Butstill,weareaware,myfriend,thatlove-gagesmaytakestrangeshapes.Byallmeanstakeanothercigarette.Itisapleasuretoseeanyoneappreciatethemso.Afan,aglove,glasses—whoknowswhatarticlemaybecarriedasatokenortreasuredwhenamanputsanendtohislife?Thisgentlemanspeaksoffootstepsinthegrass,but,afterall,itiseasytobemistakenonsuchapoint.Astotheknife,itmightwellbethrownfarfromtheunfortunatemanashefell.ItispossiblethatIspeakasachild,buttomeitseemsthatWilloughbySmithhasmethisfatebyhisownhand.
