016

Sherlock Holmes got up and washed, his dressing gown turned into a dark purple stand-up collar shirt and black pants.

He yawned and went to the dining room, where the disturbing girl had left.

He pulled out the dining chair and sat down, casually asking, "What about Agatha?" ”

Watson had finished his breakfast, with the morning newspaper in his hand, and the lost and found claim that had been published at the newspaper office in the early hours of yesterday morning had appeared in the morning paper, and it was believed that someone would soon come to 221B Baker Street to claim it.

Watson's gaze averted from the morning newspaper to Sherlock Holmes, and he said in a rather pleasant tone, "You are so smart, you might as well guess where she went." ”

What is there to guess about this.

Where else can Agatha go but go back to the third floor?

Sherlock Holmes didn't say anything, silently nibbling on bread and drinking coffee.

At this time, the girl who was supposed to be on the third floor suddenly came in through the door and asked, "Doctor Watson, do you have any vases here?" ”

Watson:???

The apartment where the two bachelors lived was always only pipes and bottles, and bottles and cans needed for chemical experiments.

Watson asked, "What do you want the vase for?" ”

Agatha: "I promised Mrs. Hudson to help put up the lilies she bought in the morning, but I couldn't find the vase. ”

Watson was about to say no.

But Holmes didn't raise his head, and said lazily: "There seems to be a vase eating ashes in the storage room, you go look for it." ”

Watson's eyes widened as he looked at Holmes.

Agatha listened to Holmes's words and happily went to the storage room, and sure enough, she found a vase inside.

She took the vase and left, and before leaving, she said to the two gentlemen, "I'll help Mrs. Hudson put the lilies and come down." ”

Watson watched Agatha leave in silence, and when she closed the door, he said to Holmes, "That vase seems to have been given to you by the King of Bohemia." ”

Holmes thought about it, as if there was such a thing.

He looked at Watson, "And then?" ”

Sherlock Holmes once helped the King of Bohemia deal with a young affair, and the wisdom of the heroine of the incident, Irene Adler, impressed Holmes.

It was the principal alto of the Royal Opera House in Warsaw, who had a relationship with the King of Bohemia, and had several letters from the King of Bohemia to her, as well as a photo of the two of them.

At that time, the king of Bohemia was about to be engaged to the second princess of Scandinavia, and he was afraid that his former lover would expose his past relationship that was not glamorous, which would ruin his marriage contract with the Scandinavian princess, so he entrusted Holmes to get back the letters and photos left in the woman's hands.

When the matter was settled, the king of Bosmia gave him a crystal vase of great value, in addition to paying Holmes a handsome payment.

It is said that the market price is 1,000 pounds.

What Holmes asked Agatha to take was the crystal vase.

Watson couldn't help but remind Holmes: "The average person wouldn't take a vase worth a thousand pounds to arrange flowers." ”

"No matter how valuable something is, if it doesn't function as it should, it's no different from waste."

It's like philosophical astronomy, which is useless in helping him solve crimes, and there is no need to understand it.

A vase worth thousands of pounds should be put to good use rather than sitting idle in the storage room to collect dust.

But Watson only felt that Sherlock Holmes was a loser, "and if it was broken, Agatha would probably be upset by it." ”

Most crucially, Watson felt that Agatha could not afford to pay, although Holmes might not ask her to pay.

"As long as you don't know the origin of this vase, everyone will think that this is an ordinary vase, like a high-imitation crystal, everywhere in the market, there is no problem of not being able to afford it."

Holmes drank the coffee from his cup, and then said to Watson, "If she breaks the vase, keep it a secret, or she will cry to you." ”

Watson: "......"

Agatha, who did not know the origin of the vase, went back to the third floor, and she found a pair of scissors to trim the lilies and place them on the table.

But when Mrs. Hudson saw the vase, she looked a little strange: "Is this what Sherlock told you to take?" ”

Agatha was admiring her masterpiece, unaware of Mrs. Hudson's anomaly.

She pursed her lips and smiled, nodding, "Yes." ”

Mrs. Hudson was silent for a moment, staring at the crystal vase for a moment, then carefully pulling two lilies from the vase and placing them on the table, she said to Agatha, "I think about it, Sherlock is not strictly a bachelor anymore, you are his fiancée, and you should make his apartment look tended." I'll keep these two sticks, and you can send the rest down to them, so as to add a little vitality to their living room. ”

Agatha did not doubt him, and said with a smile: "Okay, I will listen to you." ”

==

When Agatha reached the second floor with the vase and lilies, Henry Baker, the owner of the old felt hat, had already come to claim his hat.

The drizzle stopped, and the sunlight broke through the clouds and poured into the room through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Henry Baker was tall in a Scottish skullcap and wore a faded black coat with every button meticulously buttoned up to his neck.

Agatha remembered the reasoning of Sherlock Holmes and Watson the previous night, and Holmes thought that Henry Baker was a down-and-out learned man of letters, who was thoughtful about things, but had a bad habit of drinking and did not have a good relationship with his wife.

Agatha made him a cup of coffee, and he politely bowed to Agatha, "Thank you." ”

Holmes sat across from him, Watson sat on the couch between them, and Agatha went to the bar.

It was the first time she had seen Sherlock Holmes and Watson working together, and the tacit understanding between the two was self-evident.

After Henry Baker claimed the old felt hat, he said to Holmes: "After the hat and the goose were lost, I didn't expect to find it, I didn't expect anyone to be so kind." I was very happy to see the lost and found in the morning paper. As you can see, sir, the Scottish skullcap is more lively and less dignified, and is not suitable for a man of my age. ”

Holmes smiled, "You're welcome, Mr. Baker." But there's one thing to say, and I hope you don't get offended. ”

Henry Baker: "What's the matter?" ”

Sherlock Holmes: "It's your goose, which was dying when he sent it, and we had to eat it." ”

Henry Baker was surprised, "The goose was also sent to you?" ”

Holmes glanced at the great white goose pacing in the sun on the balcony, and said with an unchanging face: "Yes, the poor goose may have experienced a thrilling harassment and was dying of fright." Even if we hadn't eaten it, I'm afraid there would only be one corpse left. ”

Henry Baker had a sad look on his face, but he couldn't say that Sherlock Holmes shouldn't have eaten his big fat goose just after he had returned his lost felt hat.

Henry Baker sighed, "I would have liked to bring back the goose to Mrs. Baker, who loves to eat roast goose the most." ”

Holmes picked up his cherry pipe and gave Watson a look.

Watson had an apologetic look on his face and said politely, "Mr. Baker, although your goose was eaten by us, a big white goose came to our balcony a few days ago, which is about the same size as the one you lost. If you don't mind, you can take the big white goose back, and I'm sure Mrs. Baker will be pleased. ”

"Sir, you don't understand that." Henry Baker's tone was a little depressed, "No matter how fat your goose is, it's not my goose." My goose was picked up at the Christmas Goose Club at Alpha Bar, and it was the fattest Christmas goose I had ever selected, and I had a card tied to its leg to give to Mrs. Baker, unlike the stray geese you raise. ”

At this time, the stray goose Dabai walked slowly on the balcony and did not know the owner.

Watson was embarrassed and couldn't help but suggest again, "Mr. Baker, why don't you look at our goose?" ”

Henry Baker turned his head to look at Taibai, only one look, and it was too much trouble to look at it any more, and then said categorically: "Sir, they must be different!" ”

Holmes laughed, "All right, Mr. Baker, I don't know how much your fat goose costed, and we're willing to buy it." ”

Henry Baker also confessed, "It doesn't cost anything, the Christmas Goose Club at Alpha Bar runs until the end of Christmas, as long as you go to the bar and spend a certain amount of money, you can get a Christmas goose." ”

Big White from Alpha Bar.

Sherlock Holmes smiled and said, "Then don't worry, I invite you to drink at the Alpha Bar tonight, and you will definitely be able to spend the amount of money you can get for Christmas goose." ”

Henry Baker happily agreed with Sherlock Holmes to meet at the Alpha Bar that evening, and then took his leave.

Henry Baker leaves, and Watson asks Sherlock Holmes, "Are you really going to Alpha's Bar at night?" ”

"Of course."

Holmes leaned back in his armchair and began to shake again, "As you can see, Henry Baker has no idea about Angel's Tears. The gems in the goose's belly must have been fed, and we'll have to check out the Christmas Goose Club at Alpha Bar. ”

Agatha couldn't help but ask, "What about John Horner?" ”

Holmes looked sideways at him.

Agatha brought two cups of brewed black tea to Watson and Holmes, "John Horner is missing, didn't you promise Mr. Lestrred to go home and spend Christmas with his wife and children?" ”

Sherlock Holmes felt that John Horner's disappearance was inevitably related to the auction of Angel Tears, and knew who fed Angel Tears to Dabai, maybe he could find John Horner, or maybe not.

No one dared to pack a ticket.

Agatha looked at Holmes with a solemn expression, "If John Horner's shocking secret was that he already knew that Angel's Tears was a fake, would he have been killed?" ”