It's mid-January.

Arthur Conan Doyle sat at his desk, pen in his right hand, staring at the paper in front of him.

Only the name of the article was written on the manuscript paper -

"The Empty House".

This is the first installment in a new series of short stories in Sherlock Holmes, The Return.

Doyle had already thought about the synopsis of the story, but he was upset, so every time he picked up the pen, he always felt that something was not right, so he put down the pen again, returned to the original point, and thought about how to write the article.

In fact, Doyle is not confident anymore,

Even though "The Hound of the Baskervilles" sold well, he still had the feeling of being crushed by "No One Left Alive".

At this moment, his beloved wife Hawkins pushed the door and entered the room,

Squeak –

There was a soft knock on the door.

Doyle scratched his head irritably and asked, "Is it time to eat?" ”

Hawkins was a little distressed, and walked up to rub Doyle's eyebrows, as if he wanted to dissolve the wrinkles there,

She asked, "Why don't you use a typewriter?" ”

Doyle was even more irritable,

He did like to use a typewriter in his previous creations, but that was when he had an idea, and as long as the idea continued, he didn't have to worry about problems such as cardinal or revision.

Can ...... now

"It's easier to write by hand."

Doyle has a hard mouth.

Hawkins vaguely noticed that her husband's mood was not high, so she didn't say more, and just pulled her husband up.

She pushed Doyle out the door from behind,

"Shave, let's go out to eat!"

Doyle is too busy to know the sun and the moon because of his writing, and his image is a little unkempt, with a scruffy beard, like a wild man who has just come to human society from the jungle.

He also thought that it might be good to go out and change his mood, so he shaved his beard as well.

As a result, Hawkins was slower than him,

From washing up to applying makeup to choosing clothes and matching the right hats, gloves and accessories, the whole process takes less than 40 minutes.

Doyle couldn't help muttering:

"Oh, woman."

He was used to it, pouring himself a cup of tea, sitting at the table, picking up a newspaper and reading it.

Headlines are still a cliché,

war

soldiers

Military.

From Christmas to New Year's Day, the battlefield in South Africa was temporarily ceasefired, and it was rare for the major media not to go crazy on the issue of the Anglo-Boer War.

Now that the holiday season has passed, liberals and conservatives are back in a war of words.

But because of Yes! The Prime Minister" was born, and Cecil's cabinet was condemned by many citizens, especially the Manchester Guardian, which can be called all-round and full-depth,

Looking at that posture, it seems that there is a momentum to not give up until the Conservative Party is forced out of power.

Doyle shook his head,

"Yes! Prime Minister? Humph......"

He flipped back with a disdainful expression.

When I came to the book review edition, the first thing that caught my eye was the praise of "Roman Holiday" and its writer Lu.

Doyle was numb.

During this time, almost everyone was talking about "Roman Holiday",

Even his wife Hawkins went to see a show, and when she came back, she was full of excitement, saying that the love between Princess Anne and reporter Joe in the play is the purest love in the world.

Doyle felt pure and a mallet,

Didn't the reporter have impure motives when he first came into contact with the princess?

Doyle sighed again,

"Oh, woman."

He tossed the Manchester Guardian aside, swept his gaze over The Times and The Daily Telegraph, and estimated that the two newspapers were also boring, and picked up a copy of the Illustrated London News.

The Illustrated London News is a British weekly magazine founded in 1842.

It made extensive use of woodcuts and prints, and was the first publication in London to use illustrations, and even in the early 20th century, when photographic techniques and intaglio printing became widespread, it was the most illustrated publication.

Doyle felt that he was waiting for his wife anyway, and since he had to pass the time, he might as well look at the picture more.

He flipped through the pages and found only the illustrated pages.

After a while, he lightly said, "Huh? He whispered:

“

I watched Roman Holiday a week ago and I didn't feel anything. Recently, I watched it again, and I still don't feel anything. ’

”

It turned out to be a rare criticism of "Roman Holiday".

Doyle came interested,

He re-read the title, "The Over-Celebrated Roman Holiday", written by Montague James.

The name was somewhat familiar, but Doyle couldn't remember who it was.

He continued to read the article:

“

If there is a feeling, it is that Miss Phyllis's incomparable beauty and noble elegance are still exciting. It was she who made "Roman Holiday", not "Roman Holiday" who made her. ’

”

Next, the article makes a very subtle criticism,

James believes that in addition to the novelty of the text, the structure of the whole play is still a classic linear narrative, which is not very innovative, and even has some flaws.

To sum it up, it can be summed up in one sentence:

The reason why "Roman Holiday" has become a classic is all due to Phyllis's peerless style, which has almost nothing to do with the playwright Lu.

This piece of literary criticism is hearty,

Doyle exclaimed: "Good! ”

He even had the urge to make a big splash, and he was even more energetic to flip through the magazines.

Unexpectedly, he turned a few more pages back and stopped.

It's a short ghost story called "The Painting."

The story tells that a certain college at Oxford University has an old painting in its possession, and the painting is simple, with only a house.

One day, in the cold moonlight, the still house suddenly moved, and the window on the wall of the house was pushed open by something unknown, and a black shadow crawled out......

Doyle didn't read it again,

The thing of ghosts and gods, something that humans can't see, can't hear, and is even more unimaginable,

It may not be mysterious, just the whims of the human brain, but perhaps, it is a very terrifying existence,

Therefore, ghosts and gods have always been a good subject.

Doyle stared at the author's name,

After a moment, he showed a look of sudden realization,

It turned out to be the professor of strange fiction in Cambridge who specialized in the study of the Bible and folklore. However, he is also good enough, and to write a ghost story and arrange the setting in Oxford, isn't this a pure disgusting person? ”

As soon as the words fell, Hawkins's voice came from behind: "What disgusting people? ”

She was finally dressed up.

Doyle said, "It's nothing, it's just a writer at Cambridge who suddenly ...... Hmmm......"

The rest of the words were not finished, Doyle frowned and fell into deep thought,

James openly criticizes Lu in the magazine and at the same time publishes a short ghost story, which is clearly a provocation that smells of gunpowder.

Could it be that what happened between Lu Shi and Cambridge?

The more Doyle thought about it, the more he felt that it was possible,

He asked Hawkins: "Before, did we hear that Lu Shi was going to publish a new work in The Scotsman?" ”

Hawkins nodded,

"Yes, the industry knows about it."

Hearing this answer, Doyle was sure in his heart,

James's move was to snipe Lu Shi,

Therefore, it is impossible for him to prepare only a short ghost story, but a collection of stories that can be used for a long time to be serialized, so as to confront Lu Shigang.

Doyle's eyes couldn't help but light up,

"Maybe, I can take advantage of it as well......"

He stood up suddenly, kissed Hawkins hard, and said, "I'm not going out to eat today." At this time, my thoughts were surging and I wanted to write "The Empty House" quickly. ”

Hawkins touched the lip prints left by her husband and looked surprised,

"Didn't you just write it?"

Doyle said: "It's different now, I'm so excited that I'm almost bloodshot. ”

With that, Doyle entered the room.

Bang –

The door was shut.

It wasn't long before the mechanical sound of a typewriter's keyboard being struck could be heard inside.