The next day,

Early morning.

Strand, Waterfront Magazine, Editor-in-Chief's Office.

Doyle slowly woke up from his sleep, yawning,

"Heh......"

He straightened up, trying to stretch.

Unexpectedly, there was a crispy numb pain in the right arm, and there was even a soft "click" sound at the joint, as if it had been maintained in a very awkward posture all night.

At the same time, a man's voice came from his ear: "Arthur, are you awake?" ”

Doyle couldn't help but snort,

"Who!?"

He staggered to his feet.

"It's me, Herbert."

Herbert Greenhoff Smith, editor of Waterfront Magazine.

He was standing in front of Doyle, holding a steaming drink in his hand, handed it over, and said, "You haven't woken up yet?" ”

Doyle took the cup and took a sip,

The warm tea cascades down the esophagus and into the stomach pouch, making the body feel very comfortable.

Only then did he come to his senses.

Looking around, I saw that the sky was just dawning, and the dirty morning fog of London hit the windows, as if it wanted to drift in through the cracks, creating an indescribable atmosphere.

The "bed" under Doyle is made of six chairs with backrests, facing each other.

He couldn't help but mutter: "No wonder you sleep so uncomfortably......"

Herbert looked helpless,

"I told you to go home and go to sleep, but you didn't listen."

Doyle, of course, can't go home,

In "The Dancing Villain", he used the form of case + revelation for the first time, whether it can be done or not, we must observe the feedback of readers,

Looking at it now, it seems very good,

At least all of the temporary supplements to the Seashore Magazine were sold.

Herbert on the other side sat down behind his desk, took out a small wooden box from the drawer, opened it,

It turned out to be butter in it,

Then he opened the biscuit jar and took a match-heated butter knife and spread the butter on the biscuits.

Doyle looked shocked,

"Butter doesn't go bad like this?"

Herbert said, "Of course it will be broken." However, since you started serializing "The Hound of the Baskervilles", I haven't stayed up all night, so before the butter spoils, I'll be finished. It's so cold in London right now, no problem. ”

Doyle suspiciously took a biscuit and smeared it with butter and ate it.

I didn't expect it to taste good.

The two feasted.

Suddenly, Herbert asked, "Arthur, why did you ask me to supplement it on Monday instead of putting the two split articles on two Wednesdays?" You know, because you notified you too late, we only printed 9,000 copies, and the supply was seriously insufficient. ”

Doyle stopped chewing,

"You ask me? Don't you really know why I'm arranging this? ”

Herbert smiled and did not answer explicitly.

At this time, silence is better than sound,

If you don't answer, it's the best answer.

Doyle's reason for requesting a Monday supplement is simple-

Not confident in trickery.

The code that appears in "The Dancing Villain" is not difficult to crack,

The British Empire has a lot of people, especially in the top universities, and most of the science and engineering professors can solve that code.

Therefore, if the interval between the case and the revelation is extended to a week, it will inevitably be solved, and it will be completely ruined.

Moreover, because the number of temporary supplements printed is small, the dissemination is less, which can also reduce the possibility of being solved.

It is even possible to engage in hunger marketing to expand public opinion.

By the time Seaside Magazine releases its reveal on Wednesday, reports such as "Dr. Doyle stumped all London" will surely be in the dust, and the popularity of the Sherlock Holmes series will surely reach new heights.

Doyle couldn't help but snort coldly in his heart,

"Lu Shi, didn't you say that I can't write excellent tricks? I want to see why you're fighting me!? ”

After Herbert finished eating the biscuits, he picked up the original manuscript of the magazine on the side and flipped through it.

"I have to admit that this "Dancing Little Man" is indeed very exciting, even though I have watched it many times, I still think it is ...... Hmmm......"

He fell silent suddenly.

Doyle was surprised,

"How?"

Herbert asked curiously, "By the way, why did you arrange the defeat of Sherlock Holmes in this short story?" ”

In "The Dancing Man", Sherlock Holmes receives a commission, but ultimately fails to save the lives of the client and his wife.

In terms of results, this is indeed a failure.

Doyle groaned,

"I don't know what I think."

Herbert looked confused,

"Huh?"

Doyle nodded sincerely and said, "Maybe it's because I want to give Holmes a trace of pathos......"

Before the words fell, there was a sudden knock on the door outside,

"Editor-in-chief! Dr. Doyle! ”

Herbert frowned,

"Early in the morning, what are you panicking about!?"

He walked over and opened the door.

As soon as the door opened, a clerk crashed in, holding on to the back of a chair to hold on to his feet.

Herbert asked, "What's wrong?" ”

The clerk swallowed hard and said, "No...... Oh no, the Manchester Guardian actually ...... Editor-in-Chief Smith, you'd better see it for yourself. ”

As he spoke, he handed over a crumpled copy of the Manchester Guardian.

Herbert and Doyle couldn't help but look at each other,

Faintly, a bad premonition rose in both of their hearts.

Herbert asked, "Which page?" ”

The clerk immediately replied: "Book Review Edition." ”

Herbert flipped to the book review edition,

Then, he opened his mouth wide and maintained the expression of his jaw dropping to the ground for a full minute.

Doyle said, "What's going on? ”

He also stepped in.

This time the Manchester Guardian played tricks again,

I saw that the book review page was as clean as it was when the sales of The Scotsman were last announced, and there was not even a single letter in English.

In its place, there is ......

"Dancing...... It turned out to be a dancing villain......"

Doyle muttered to himself.

Plop –

He sat back in his chair, his face pale like a ghost.

Herbert shouted, "Arthur." ”

Doyle didn't respond, still looking dejected.

Herbert Loud Up:

"Ah! Thur! ”

Doyle suddenly came back to his senses and looked at Herbert, but his eyes were full of confusion, as if he couldn't focus,

"How," he asked, "...... How? ”

Herbert said, "Don't panic! Perhaps, this line of dancing villains is not interesting at all, it is just a trick! ”

Of course, it can't be a scheming,

Sooner or later, Doyle will publish a revealing chapter, and when the time comes, readers will compare it with the Manchester Guardian review, and the ploy will immediately turn into a self-inflicted humiliation.

But at this time, Doyle couldn't think so much,

In any case, he has to hold on to the last straw!

He flipped to the book review again, ran his fingers over the dancing little figures, translated them one by one, and said in his mouth: "I...... cracked…… the……”

There was an eerie silence in the room,

“……”

“……”

“……”

After a long time, Doyle read out the complete sentence:

“

I cracked the code. Your faithful friend, Lu. ’

”

As if he had been drained of his strength, Doyle collapsed into his chair again.

(End of chapter)