Сборник адаптированных рассказов английских и американских писателей. Часть 1 [Oscar Wilde] (fb2) читать постранично, страница - 60

Unit 2

THE ADVENTURE OF THREE STUDENTS by A. Conan Doyle

Some time ago Mr. Sherlock Holmes and I spent a few weeks in one of our great university towns. We lived near a library where Sherlock Holmes was carrying out some historical research. Here it was that Mr. Hilton Soames, lecturer at St. Luke's College, came to see us one evening. He was a tall man of nervous temperament.

"I hope, Mr. Holmes," he said, "that you can spare me a few hours' of your valuable time. We have had a very unpleasant incident at our college."

"I am very busy just now," my friend answered, "but you can go to the police and ask them for help."

"No, no my dear sir, you are the only man in the world who can help me. I beg you, Mr. Holmes, do what you can."

And our visitor told us his story.

"I must explain to you, Mr. Holmes, that tomorrow is the first day of the examination for the Fortescue Scholarship. I am one of the examiners. My subjects is Greek. The candidates have to translate into English a passage from Greek which they have not seen before. The passage is printed on the examination paper. Today about three o'clock this paper arrived from the printers. I began to read it. At four o'clock, however, I left the paper on my desk and went out to have tea with my friends. I came back an hour later and I was surprised to see a key in the door. For a moment I thought it was my key but I put my hand into my pocket and I felt that it was there. The only duplicate' belonged to my servant, Bannister, and he told me he had come into my room to ask if I wanted tea and very carelessly lef t his key in the door.

"The moment I looked at the table I realised that someone had been in the room. I had left the papers all together. Now I found that one of the sheets was lying on the floor, one was on the small table near the window, the third was where I had left it."

Holmes stirred for the first time.

"The first page was on the floor, the second in the window, the third where you had left it," he said.

"Exactly, Mr. Holmes. How could you possibly know that?"

"Continue your story, please."

"I asked Bannister if he had examined the papers. He said he had not, and I was sure he was speaking the truth. The alternative was that someone passing had observed the key in the door and, knowing that I was out, had entered to look at the papers.

"Bannister was very much upset4 by the incident. I gave him a little brandy and left him sitting on a chair. Then I examined the room carefully. On the table there were some cuttings of a pencil which had been sharpened.' In my new writing table there was a cut three inches long. I also found a small ball of black clay' on the table. There were no other marks left. Do help me, Mr. Holmes! I must find the man or the examination will have to be postponed' until new papers are prepared, and then a great scandal will follow."

"I shall be happy to look into this incident and help you as much as I can," said Holmes putting on his coat. "The case is very interesting. Did anyone visit you after the papers had come to you?"

"Yes, young Daulat Ras, an Indian student who lives on the same stair."

"And the papers were on the table?"

"Yes, but they were rolled up."'

"Was anyone else in your room?"

"Did anyone know that these papers would be there?"

"No one except the printer."

"Did this man Bannister know?"

"No, certainly not. No one knew."

"Where is Bannister now?"

"He was very ill, poor fellow. I left him in the room. He was sitting on a chair. I was in such a hurry to come to you."

"You left your door open?"

"But I locked up the papers first."

"Then it seems that the man who came to your room when you were having tea did not know that the papers were there. He came upon them accidently."'

"So it seems to me."

Holmes smiled.

"Well," said he, "let us go round. Come with us, Watson, if you want to. Now, Mr. Soames, we are ready."

It was dark when we came to Mr. Soames's house.The sitting-room of our client opened by a long, low window on to the old court of the college. On the ground-floor was the tutor's room. Above lived three students, one on each floor. Holmes stopped and looked at the window. Then he came nearer and looked into the room. Mr. Soames opened the door and we entered his room. We stood at the door while Holmes examined the floor.

"I'm afraid there are no marks here," he said, "one could not hope for any upon so dry a day. Your servant seems to be well again. You left him in a chair, you say. Which chair?"

"By the window there."

"I see. Near this little table. You can come in now. I have finished with the floor. Let us examine the little table first. Of course what happened is very clear. The man entered and took the papers from the central table. He carried them over to the little table by the window because from there he could see if you were coming back and so he could run away."

“As a matter of fact, he could not”, said Soames, “Because I entered by the side door”.

"Ah, that's good. Well, anyhow, he thought he would see you. Let me see the papers. No signs" – no. Well, he carried over this paper first and he copied it. How long did it take him to copy it? A quarter of an hour. Then he took the next page. While he was copying it, he heard your steps and he had no time to put it back on the table. He wrote so quickly that he broke his pencil and had to sharpen it. The pencil was not an ordinary one. It was very long and dark blue and the maker's name"

was printed in silver letters. Look for such a pencil, Mr. Soames, and you have got your man. He also had a large knife."

Holmes held out a small piece of wood with the letters NN.

"You see?"

Mr. Soames did not understand.

"No, I'm afraid that even now –"

"What could this NN be?" Holmes continued. "It is at the end of a word. You know that Johann Faber is the most common maker's name. Is it not clear that there is just as much of the pencil left as usually follows the Johann?" He examined the small table carefully. "No, I see nothing. I don't think there is anything more to be learned here. Now for the central table. Dear me, this is very interesting. And the cut... I see. It began with a thin scratch and ended in a big hole. Well, where does that door lead to, Mr. Soames?"

"To my bedroom."

"Have you been in it since your adventure?"

"No, I came straight away for you."

"I would like to have a look at it. What a nice room!

Perhaps you will kindly wait a minute, until I have examined the floor. No, I see nothing."

Suddenly Holmes turned away and took something from the floor.

"Halloa! What's this?" said he. It was a small ball of black clay like the one he had found upon the table.

"It seems that your visitor has been in your bedroom as well as in your sitting-room, Mr. Soames."

"What did he want there?"

"I think it is clear enough. You came back by an unexpected way and so he did not know you had entered the house until you were at the door. What could he do? He rushed into your bedroom to hide himself."

“Do you mean to tell me that all the time I was talking to Bannister this man was in my bedroom?”

“So I read it”.

“Surely there is another alternative, Mr. Holmes. I do not know if you saw my bedroom window? The man might have come through the window”.

Holmes shook his head.

"Let's be practical," said he. "You have said that there are three students who use this stair, and pass your door?"

"Yes, there are."

"And are they all for this examination?"

"Yes."

"Do you suspect" anyone of them more than the others?"

"It is a very