Because the content was already conceived, Doyle created very quickly.

New Monday,

Early morning.

After another all-nighter, he completed Six Bust Portraits of Napoleon.

In this short story, the core is not the trickery, but the suspense brought by the layers of laying and unfolding cases, wave after wave to the reader, advancing the story to the climax.

This way of writing is more like exploration than reasoning.

But because of this, many film and television works in later generations like to adapt it.

For example, the popular British drama "Sherlock" used this story in the first case of the fourth season.

Doyle has figured it out,

reasoning, he can't do it on the land;

tricks, he still can't do it;

Then write an orthodox detective adventure story,

That's how Sherlock Holmes started, and there's nothing wrong with going back to the roots.

Doyle stretched and muttered, "I'm going to have to get out of the way with him in terms of sales, sales." ”

Popular writer~

specific sales,

Do not chill.

At this moment, the voice of his beloved wife Hawkins came: "Who are you going to pull off with?" Is it that Mr. Lu Shi Lu again? ”

She knew about her husband and Lu Shi's discord.

Doyle waved his hand,

"No, Lu's is nothing compared to me."

This is a lie.

Some time ago, I don't know who was tossed because of those dancing villains.

Hawkins was happy to restore her husband's self-confidence,

She said, "Come out and eat." Then, you take a good shower and go to sleep. ”

As he spoke, he walked to the window and opened the window,

"The smell of sweat and smoke in the room, and the smell of gas lamps...... You're not afraid of being poisoned, are you? ”

Doyle lit his pipe again,

"I don't eat it. I took a few puffs, rested for a while, and then delivered the manuscript to Strand. It's already Monday, and if you don't send it over, it will definitely affect the printing and sales of "Seaside Magazine". ”

At this time, the window was opened by Hawkins a crack,

The cold wind blows in,

Doyle's mind was clear.

"Whew~"

He let out a long breath, as if he was about to spit out the unhappiness that had accumulated in his heart.

Hawkins said distressedly: "Or, you rest at home?" Eat your meal, then take a shower, shave, and get a good night's sleep. I'll send you the manuscript. ”

Doyle pondered, then nodded,

"Well, it's okay, I should get some rest."

He hadn't slept well during this time.

He stood up and walked to the room, and in the blink of an eye he was in the soft bed.

After a while, a slight snoring sounded in the room.

Hawkins snickered,

How can my husband be like a half-grown child?

She shook her head, walked to the table, her eyes fell on the manuscript next to the typewriter, and picked up a pencil, ready to proofread as she went.

In fact, Doyle has already reviewed it,

But he stayed up all night, and it was inevitable that his mind would be confused, and he couldn't see some grammatical mistakes.

Hawkins took a quick look,

The story of "Six Busts of Napoleon" is simple,

The prisoner had stolen the black pearl a year earlier, and in order to avoid being traced, he hid it in one of the six busts of Napoleon that he had just made.

After that, the prisoner was imprisoned for wounding,

After being released, he has been looking for the black pearl in the six busts, which has led to various burglary cases, just breaking the busts, but not robbing or stealing, which is very bizarre.

Of course, when Doyle wrote the book, he must have turned the whole case upside down, first writing the effect, and then the cause.

The suspense was left until the end.

Hawkins nodded in satisfaction,

"This is Sherlock Holmes~"

Before, she felt that her husband should not be angered by Lu Shi's sharp comments on "Empty House",

Is there anything wrong with writing a detective adventure?

Everyone loves it!

Hawkins put the manuscript away, looked into the room again, and found that her husband was still asleep, so she went out.

She got into the carriage and let the coachman go to Strand.

……

The sun rises,

The morning fog in London did not immediately dissipate,

In the blur, every now and then an oncoming carriage or pedestrian pierced through the fog and rushed into view.

In such road conditions, the driver can only guide the horse to reduce its speed to avoid accidents.

Hawkins pulled the curtains and said to the driver, "If I meet a newsboy, or pass by a bookstore, you stop a little bit, and I'll buy a few newspapers." ”

The driver responded: "Good! ”

After speaking, he shook the reins of the horse again.

Horses raise their hooves and move slowly along the road.

A short time later, the voice of a newsboy was heard outside: "The Manchester Guardian! The latest issue of the Manchester Guardian! ”

The carriage immediately stopped.

Hawkins beckoned to the newsboy,

"Boy, come here. The Scotsman, the Manchester Guardian and the Daily Telegraph. ”

The reason why she didn't buy The Times was because her family had already subscribed to it.

Unexpectedly, the newsboy spread his hands,

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I only have the Manchester Guardian on hand."

Hawkins was slightly surprised,

"The rest of the newspapers are sold out?"

“……”

The newsboy does not squeak.

Hawkins was stunned for half a second before he reacted, stuffed a few coins into the other party, took a copy of the Manchester Guardian, and then said, "You answer my question just now." ”

When the newsboy saw the tip, he immediately became omniscient and inexhaustible.

He said: "The Manchester Guardian was the best seller, so I took more. ”

Hawkins wondered,

"The implication is that you don't take much of the likes of the Daily Telegraph? But look at the way it is now, I want to buy the "Daily Telegraph", but you don't have the goods, won't you be able to make money? If you calculate it like this, it's still a loss. ”

The newsboy blushed when he was said,

He argued: "I'm here to get my money back quickly. ”

Hawkins wanted the driver to keep on his way,

As a result, when I heard the other party's words, I couldn't help but be amused,

"Do you still know what it means to 'return funds'? Then tell me, what do you want to do with the quick return of funds? ”

The newsboy said: "Madame does not know, today the Royal Publishing Bureau has published a new book, called "The Mystery of Roger". But it was too expensive to get the goods from the bookstore, and I didn't have enough money, so I wanted to sell a few newspapers first. ”

As he spoke, the newsboy began to count with his fingers,

"Books from the Royal Press have always sold well, making more money than selling newspapers. If I could sell one copy today, it wouldn't be a problem to earn a shilling, but if two copies ......."

The newsboy "purred" for a while.

But Hawkins didn't listen at all,

She subconsciously asked, "The Royal Publishing Bureau is also out?" Could it be ...... Hmm...... is the author of "The Mystery of Roger" Lu? ”

The newsboy tilted his head and thought,

"When you say that, it seems to be. I remember it was two letters...... Ah, is that Lu? Lu who wrote "No One Left Alive"? I used to sell his books, but I made a lot of money. ”

Hawkins' face changed,

She said to the driver, "Before you go to Strand, take a detour to the nearest bookstore." ”

The driver knew that Mr. and Mrs. Doyle had always been generous and did not have to worry about tipping, so he had no complaints about changing his destination at short notice.

The carriage reached Strand, and before heading to the Seaside Magazine, it turned to the other side of the street.

Not long after, the carriage stopped in front of a bookstore.

Hawkins jumped out of the carriage in an unladylike manner.

I saw a lot of people around the front of the bookstore, and I roughly counted them, at least twenty.

They scrambled to be the first,

"Here's a copy of Roger's Mystery!"

"I want a copy too."

"I'm from a magazine, I want three!"

……

All came to buy "The Mystery of Roger".

Hawkins didn't care about the etiquette between men and women, quickly squeezed into the crowd, and said to the boss: "Boss, give me a copy of "Roger's Mystery Case". ”

The boss looked at her,

"Madam, you're lucky, you have the last two books left."

Hawkins frowned, thinking that the boss was hinting at something, so he said, "Okay, then give me the remaining two." ”

Unexpectedly, the boss waved his hand,

"That's not good, I gave you the book, what am I going to read for myself?"

Only then did Hawkins realize that the other party was not trying to pack and sell, but was really boasting about his good luck.

The boss handed over the book and said, "It's on Strand, so I don't have to worry about sales, so I'll buy a hundred hardcover books." If it were another bookstore, if you bought ten or twenty copies, I am afraid that they would have been sold out long ago. Alas, I'm still conservative, I should get two or three hundred copies. ”

Hawkins was shocked,

"Only two copies of a hundred copies were sold? How much does this book cost? ”

The boss said, "Six pounds and two shillings, thank you for your patronage." ”

Hawkins was even more confused,

"So expensive?"

You know, at the beginning of the 20th century, the weekly wage of a skilled worker in Britain was only about £10.

The boss shook his head,

"Actually, it's not that expensive anymore. Previously, it was also Lu's work, "No One Survived" was divided into two volumes, which together were more expensive than this. What's more, "Roger's Mystery" has a more word count. ”

Hawkins, of course, understands this.

She just couldn't understand why a book of six pounds and two shillings sold so quickly.

She counted the cash, handed it to the other party, then sat back in the carriage, said "go", and eagerly began to read "The Mystery of Roger".

The carriage headed in the direction of Seaside Magazine again, and it didn't take long to reach its destination.

The coachman reined in the reins of his horse,

"Ma'am, it's here."

However, there was no response from anyone in the carriage.

The coachman frowned, came to the car, knocked on the door, and at the same time opened a crack, and said, "Madam, we have arrived." ”

The cold wind poured into the carriage, making Hawkins shiver,

Only then did she come to her senses,

"Okay, I'll go down now."

As she spoke, she glanced at "The Mystery of Roger" with some reluctance, carefully brushed the dust off the pages, and then casually folded the original manuscript of her husband's "Six Bust Bices of Napoleon", made it into a bookmark, and sandwiched it into the book.

The original manuscript can be folded, but "The Mystery of Roger" must be protected.

The treatment of the two is very different.

……

On the other side,

Doyle Mansion.

Doyle didn't sleep well and kept dreaming.

In his dream, he seemed to be being chased by a five-clawed Chinese dragon, tearing a few bites from time to time.

At the moment when he was about to be taken by the evil dragon, he woke up and sat up straight, soaked in cold sweat all over his body, panting violently.

"Whew~"

Doyle stroked his chest to calm his mind.

He knew that he could not sleep any longer, so he got up and got out of bed, and without the appetite for the breakfast left by his wife, he changed his clothes and went out.

Because of the long-term industrial pollution, London is always filled with a stench.

But Doyle has been "retreating and cultivating" during this time, so he felt that the air was full of freshness, and he took a few deep breaths in a row, inhaling the stench and filling his heart and lungs, and feeling comfortable.

He decided to go to a bookstore near his home.

When he usually hangs out, his favorite place to go is the bookstore.

The nearby Mette bookstore was just across the main road, and Doyle walked around and soon reached the door.

At this time, the bookstore owner was arguing with a customer.

The guest was dressed in a suit and leather shoes, looking like a gentleman,

His attitude was very strong, and he said to the boss: "Boss, don't you still have a copy of "Roger's Mystery Case" in your hand? Sell it to me and I'll give three times as much...... No, I'll give you twenty pounds directly, and you can transfer it to me. ”

Twenty pound book!?

Doyle listened to it, almost dropping his jaw in shock.

As a result, the boss's answer was even more surprising,

I only heard him say, "I'm sorry, I want to read this book myself, you can only wait three days to come back." Or, if you're not in a hurry, try your luck at another bookstore. ”

The guest's face darkened,

"I've already walked through three bookstores."

The boss was unmoved,

"That's ...... Why don't you give it a try at the Royal Publishing House? ”

The guest's face deteriorated even more and said, "Is there anyone who does this business for you?" I have a book in my hand, but I just don't want to make a move? What is the work ethic? ”

The boss smiled and took out a handful of banknotes from his pocket.

He counted them, took out six pounds and two shillings, and put the rest of the money into his pocket.

Then he said, "You're on the look." ”

He handed the money from his left hand to his right hand, and said, "Thank you for your patronage." ”

After a series of performances, the air was filled with an indescribable weirdness.

The boss said, "See, I bought the last copy of "The Mystery of Roger" from myself. Now, you should be satisfied, right? ”

How else can you do this?

Doyle: "......"

Guest: "......"

They were all speechless.

After a while, the guest said, "That's not good, you're cutting in line!" I'm clearly at the front. ”

The boss's mouth moved slightly,

It seems to be a sentence: "Neurotic!" ”

Then, he changed into a professional smile and said, "If you talk about queuing, I have been queuing since the bookstore opened today." So, sorry. ”

The owner closed the door directly.

Bang –

There was a loud bang on the door.

The guest touched the ash of his nose, and his face was full of helplessness.

Doyle hurriedly went up and asked the other party: "Sir, I'm sorry, the book you just mentioned is ......"

The guests looked Doyle up and down,

As a lover of suspense, he had seen Doyle's photos, but because Doyle now looked like a savage, he didn't recognize it.

The guest sighed,

"Alas, that's Lu's new - "The Mystery of Roger". Just by looking at the name, you know that it must be a suspense detective work. I thought Lu wouldn't have ...... if he serialized The Hobbit in The Scotsman."

Halfway through the words, the guests noticed that Doyle was a little shaky,

He hurriedly stepped forward to help,

"Sir? Mr! ”

Doyle waved his hand and said, "I'm okay. You continue to ...... Go on. ”

Guests are afraid of being touched porcelain, how dare they stay longer,

He let go of Doyle and said, "I'm just a fan of No One Left Alive, and I love Lu's work. Ha ha...... Hahaha...... I'll go first. ”

After saying that, he ran away in a puff of smoke.

Doyle's face was cloudy,

He stood there for an unknown amount of time before he walked to the door of the bookstore and knocked on it.

The door was immediately opened,

The boss stood impatiently at the door,

"How many times have I said it...... Not...... Dr. Doyle? Why are you like this? ”

Doyle touched his stubble, a little embarrassed,

He digressed the subject: "Well, old Mette, I want to see that copy of "The Mystery of Roger", is that okay?" ”

The boss looked embarrassed,

"This ......"

Doyle interrupted the other and said, "Don't worry, I won't take people's love." It's that when you're reading, you want to take a look at it from the side. ”

There is no reason for the boss to refuse this request.

He put Doyle into the house and hung a "Close" sign on the outside.

Doyle said: "The book is selling very well? ”

The boss nodded,

"It's ridiculously good. I ordered thirty copies, and they sold out in half an hour. At that time, I stopped a guest and asked him what was going on, and the guest said that "The Mystery of Roger" was very well written, and even if you don't read it, it is better to keep it for appreciation. ”

Buying books appreciates, which is the treatment only available in Sherlock Holmes's "Four Signatures" and "Scarlet Study",

As for the later serials in "Seaside Magazine", because the circulation has gone up and the number of holdings is large, there is little room for appreciation.

Doyle said: "How many copies of this "Roger Mystery" have been printed? ”

The boss shook his head,

"I don't know the exact number, but I estimate that there must be 5,000 copies. But looking at the popularity of this kind of sales today, I am afraid that the old men in London will have one copy in their hands, and it will not be a problem to sell tens of thousands of copies. You know, they like vassal elegance the most, and even if they don't read it, they're willing to buy it and collect it. ”

Doyle's face was ugly,

The Sherlock Holmes series has also produced hardcover books, but they have not sold well,

I didn't expect this to be done by Lu Shi.

Why is "The Mystery of Roger" so magical?

Doyle said, "Let's not talk about that, let's read the book." ”

The boss nodded again and again, and opened "Roger's Mystery Case",

The two got together to read.

At first, Doyle was ready to read with a critical eye.

As a result, a few minutes later, he was deeply attracted to the story:

One Friday night, Roger was found dead in his study by "me" and his butler Parker.

Because of "I" knowing Roger better and "my" alibi, "I" became the assistant of the great detective Poirot.

……

First-person narration is common in ,

For example, in the Sherlock Holmes series, the "I" is Dr. Watson, who plays an important role in the whole film, and is one of the two protagonists.

But when Doyle reads "The Mystery of Roger", he always has a strange feeling, as if the "I" in the book is not a clue character, but a particularly important character who plays a leading role in the case.

He wants to read it as soon as possible,

But Boss Mette is older, and he's not a writer, so he's slow to read.

Doyle often had to stop and wait.

After reading for a while, the boss suddenly rubbed his eyes and said, "Lu really likes this way of writing." ”

Doyle didn't understand what the boss meant,

"How?"

The boss pointed to a passage from the book and explained: "You see here, the dinner is held in a 'spacious hall' full of friends, isn't there a similar plot in 'No One Survives'?" ”

Actually, this is not the habit of Lu Shi, but the habit of Sha Po,

The gathering of the relevant personnel of the case is a very ceremonial picture.

Doyle nodded,

"Old Mette, you're right."

He bowed his head and muttered for a moment, then took the opportunity to say, "I see that you are a little tired from reading, or else, you give me the book first, and I will quickly turn it over?" ”

The corners of the boss's mouth curled,

"Haha, Dr. Doyle, do you think I'm slow to read?"

Doyle was a little embarrassed and didn't squeak.

The boss waved his hand,

"Well, you love to read, and I should rest my mind and eyes. This book is so well written, it's just a lot of work to read. ”

He handed the book to Doyle and said, "Say it first, don't spoil it for me." ”

Doyle nodded,

"Understood."

He first flipped to the table of contents of the book, and looked at the names of each chapter.

The last three chapters,

The Whole Truth,

And Nothing But The Truth,

《Apologia》；

Just looking at the names, it's very interesting.

Since Chapter 25 has already explained "All the Facts", why does Chapter 26 still need "The Truth Revealed"?

As for the "Apologia" in chapter 27......

"What is the meaning of this word?"

Doyle muttered.

Boss Mette on the side said: "Okay, don't read it, don't read it!" ”

Doyle hurriedly explained: "No, no, I'm just looking at the catalog." ”

After speaking, he set his eyes on the chapter title again,

Apologia，

Justification,

As a chapter name, why is it placed in the last chapter?

Doyle was puzzled.

His heart was like a cat scratching, and after all, he still couldn't suppress his curiosity, and went straight to the last chapter.

He wasn't the one to read the ending first, but this book is really different.

The content of the last chapter crashes into view,

With only a dozen natural paragraphs, Doyle quickly read to the end:

“

'Sleeping pills? It was a poetically just punishment, and it was not because I was responsible for Mrs. Vlaar's death. This is her retribution for murdering her husband, and I have no sympathy for her. ’

Neither do I pity myself. ’

'Only let the sleeping pills come and end everything. ’

”

So, "I" is the murderer?

So, "Apologia" should not be understood as a "book of apologetics", but as a "book of confessions"?

Doyle's whole body was numb.

He could never have imagined that there would be such an incomparably novel way of writing in this world.

This TM......

"This TM is a ?!!!! that can be written by a human being"

Doyle was shocked.

The boss was startled and looked back,

"Dr. Doyle, what's wrong with you? Why did you suddenly yell and scream? ”

Doyle waved his hand,

"No, I just ...... I was just...... Fxxk！ I would like to retract the manuscript I just submitted to Seaside Magazine. ”

He was no longer willing to continue serializing when Lu Shi sent the book,

It's a really uncomfortable feeling to be a backdrop.

Doyle asked, "Old Mette, you just estimated the sales volume, what did you say?" ”

Old Mette touched his chin and said his guess again,

The final verdict was: "At least 30,000 copies will be sold." ”

Dalton turned into a bitter gourd face,

Just a few days ago, Herbert comforted him: "Don't forget that the unit price of the Waterfront Magazine is several times higher than that of The Scotsman." So, you are a double crush of sales and sales to Lu, and it's all like this, what reason do you have not to be confident? ”

It's good now......

"It's over, I'm crushed."

Doyle sat down, his heart completely shattered.

(End of chapter)