Знак чотирьох
III. In Quest of a Solution
MissMorstanandIchattedinanundertoneaboutourpresentexpeditionanditspossibleoutcome,butourcompanionmaintainedhisimpenetrablereserveuntiltheendofourjourney.
ItwasaSeptemberevening,andnotyetseveno’clock,butthedayhadbeenadrearyone,andadensedrizzlyfoglaylowuponthegreatcity.Mud-colouredcloudsdroopedsadlyoverthemuddystreets.DowntheStrandthelampswerebutmistysplotchesofdiffusedlightwhichthrewafeeblecircularglimmerupontheslimypavement.Theyellowglarefromtheshop-windowsstreamedoutintothesteamy,vaporousair,andthrewamurky,shiftingradianceacrossthecrowdedthoroughfare.Therewas,tomymind,somethingeerieandghost-likeintheendlessprocessionoffaceswhichflittedacrossthesenarrowbarsoflight,—sadfacesandglad,haggardandmerry.Likeallhumankind,theyflittedfromthegloomintothelight,andsobackintothegloomoncemore.Iamnotsubjecttoimpressions,butthedull,heavyevening,withthestrangebusinessuponwhichwewereengaged,combinedtomakemenervousanddepressed.IcouldseefromMissMorstan’smannerthatshewassufferingfromthesamefeeling.Holmesalonecouldrisesuperiortopettyinfluences.Heheldhisopennote-bookuponhisknee,andfromtimetotimehejotteddownfiguresandmemorandainthelightofhispocket-lantern.
AttheLyceumTheatrethecrowdswerealreadythickattheside-entrances.Infrontacontinuousstreamofhansomsandfour-wheelerswererattlingup,dischargingtheircargoesofshirt-frontedmenandbeshawled,bediamondedwomen.
