“有一天，一个黄金运输队从巴勒拉特开往墨尔本。我们埋伏在路边，袭击了这个运输队。有六个骑兵护送那个运输队，而我们这边也是六个人，可以说实力相当。我们用枪打翻了四个人，而我们这边也有三个人丢了命，最后那些财富落到了我们的手里。当时我的枪指向了马车夫的脑袋，那个马车夫就是迈卡西。上帝作证，要是我当时开枪打死了他该多好啊，可是我放过了他，尽管当时他眼睛眯着使劲盯着我们看，似乎是要把我们的长相都牢牢记住似的。自然我们得到了那些黄金，成了富人，还在没有引起怀疑的情况下来到了英国。来到英国后，我和以前那些同伙分开了，自己过自己的生活，决心重新做人。那个时候这份产业正在出售，我就买了下来，想用自己的钱来多做一点好事，弥补我的过去。后来我还成了家，尽管我妻子婚后不久就去世了，不过幸好我还有小艾丽斯。她还是婴儿的时候，她的那双小手好像就具有强大的力量，促使我走上正路。总之，我彻底改过自新了，竭尽全力去弥补我曾经犯下的罪过。原本一切都很顺利，可是那个人抓住了我的把柄。”

“有一次，我要到城里去处理一点投资方面的事情，在摄政街上碰到了他，他当时衣不遮体，甚至还光着脚。”

“他拉住我的胳膊：‘杰克，我又见到你了。我们将和你像一家人一样。现在跟着我的只有我儿子，求你收留我们吧。要是你不同意……英国这个国家可是很重视法律的，我叫一声就会有警察过来。’”

“就是这样他们来到了西部的农村，从那以后我就再也摆脱不了了。他们居住在我拥有的最好的土地上，根本不交租金。也就是从那时起在过去的岁月里，他们的上空曾经弥漫着不祥的乌云。”

我不得安宁，总也不能完全忘记过去，走到任何地方都可以看到他狡诈的笑脸跟随着我。艾丽斯长大以后事情就更糟了，因为他也看了出来，我的女儿要是知道了我的过去，我是受不了的，那种恐惧甚至会超过被警察知道我的所作所为。所以他就借此要挟我，而我也把所有的东西都交给了他，土地、金钱、房子，而最后他又向我要东西，可这一次要的是我不能给的，那就是我的女儿。

“你看，他儿子已经长大了，我女儿也是一样，大家都知道我身体不大好，让他的儿子来接管我的财产，那是他计划好的。可我绝对不会答应，我绝对不会让他们家的血统跟我们家的纠缠在一起，这倒不是说我不喜欢他的那个小儿子，可是他身上流着的是他父亲的血啊，就凭这个，我就有理由拒绝，我无论如何都不会答应的。迈卡西威胁我，我告诉他即使他用最毒辣的手法也吓不倒我。所以我们约定，在我们两所房子中间的池塘旁边当面把事情说清楚。”

“我到那里时，他正在和他的儿子谈着什么，所以就在树后面抽雪茄等他，想要等到只有他一个人时再过去。可是听到他谈话的内容，我异常激动。他坚持要他的儿子和我的女儿结婚，甚至丝毫不顾我女儿的感受，简直有点像是把她当作马路上的妓女！当想到女儿所心爱的一切将会处于这种人的控制之下的时候，我愤怒得差点疯了。我能冲破这个束缚吗？我自己的生命已即将结束，也别无所求了——我的头脑清醒，四肢还健壮，可是我明白生命已经接近尽头了。我脑海中都是我的女儿和我曾经做过的事情！而只要我可以让这个邪恶的舌头不要乱说，那么我的过去和我的女儿就都安全了。福尔摩斯先生，我也正是这么做的，如果再给我一次选择的机会，我还是会这么做的。我的确是罪孽深重，要我为了赎罪而一辈子不开心我可以接受，可我绝对不能忍受把我的女儿也牵扯进来。我把他打倒在地的时候，感到自己就像一头凶猛的野兽，内心没有丝毫的不安。他的喊叫声喊回了他的儿子；这个时候我已经躲到了树林里，后来我又不得不跑回去取那件丢下的衣服。先生，这些就是事情所有的经过。”

那个老人在自白书上签下了名字。福尔摩斯立刻说：“好了，我没有权力对你进行审判。希望我们永远不会受到某种**而无法控制自己。”

“先生，我也希望这样，你要怎么做？”

“考虑到你的身体状况，我不准备做什么。你自己也清楚，过不了多长时间你就要为自己的行为在比巡回审判法庭更高级的法院接受审讯。我会保存好你的自白书的。要是迈卡西被判有罪的话，我就必须要使用它了；如果迈卡西不被定罪，那么就永远都不会有人看到它，不管你还在不在人世。”

那老人庄严地说：“那好，再见吧。我相信，当你自己要离开人世的时候，回想起你曾经让我安静地死去，你会备感安宁的。”这个庞大的身躯就这样摇晃着离开了我们的房间。

福尔摩斯很长时间都没有说话，然后才说：“上帝保佑我们吗？为什么命运总是对我们这种人不公呢？可每当我听到这种案件，我都还是会想起巴克斯特的话，他说，‘歇洛克·福尔摩斯能侦破案件是得到了上帝的保佑的’。”

巡回法庭宣判詹姆斯·迈卡西无罪并释放了他，因为福尔摩斯写了很多有利于那小子的申诉意见，并交给了辩护律师。跟我们谈过话之后，老特纳又活了七个月，现在他已经不在了；而现在很可能是这样的情景：那个儿子和女儿最终幸福地在一起了，但他们可能根本不知道，在过去的岁月里，他们的上空曾经弥漫着不祥的乌云。

We were seated at breakfast one morning， my wife and I， when the maid brought in a telegram. It was from Sherlock Holmes and ran in this way：

"Have you a couple of days to spare？Have just been wired for from the west of England in connection with Boscombe Valley tragedy. Shall be glad if you will come with me.Air and scenery perfect.Leave Paddington by the 11：15."

"What do you say， dear？"said my wife， looking across at me."Will you go？"

"I really don't know what to say. I have a fairly long list at present."

"Oh， Anstruther would do your work for you. You have been looking a little pale lately.I think that the change would do you good， and you are always so interested in Mr Sherlock Holmes'cases."

"I should be ungrateful if I were not， seeing what I gained through one of them，"I answered."But if I am to go， I must pack at once， for I have only half an hour."

My experience of camp life in Afghanistan had at least had the effect of making me a prompt and ready traveller. My wants were few and simple， so that in less than the time stated I was in a cab with my valise， rattling away to Paddington Station.Sherlock Holmes was pacing up and down the platform， his tall， gaunt figure made even gaunter and taller by his long grey travelling-cloak and close-fitting cloth cap.

"It is really very good of you to come， Watson，"said he."It makes a considerable difference to me， having someone with me on whom I can thoroughly rely. Local aid is always either worthless or else biased.If you will keep the two corner seats I shall get the tickets."

We had the carriage to ourselves save for an immense litter of papers which Holmes had brought with him. Among these he rummaged and read， with intervals of note-taking and of meditation， until we were past Reading.Then he suddenly rolled them all into a gigantic ball and tossed them up onto the rack.

"Have you heard anything of the case？"he asked.

"Not a word. I have not seen a paper for some days."

"The London press has not had very full accounts. I have just been looking through all the recent papers in order to master the particulars.It seems， from what I gather， to be one of those simple cases which are so extremely difficult."

"That sounds a little paradoxical."

"But it is profoundly true. Singularity is almost invariably a clue.The more featureless and commonplace a crime is， the more difficult it is to bring it home.In this case， however， they have established a very serious case against the son of the murdered man."

"It is a murder， then？"

"Well， it is conjectured to be so. I shall take nothing for granted until I have the opportunity of looking personally into it.I will explain the state of things to you， as far as I have been able to understand it， in a very few words.

"Boscombe Valley is a country district not very far from Ross， in Herefordshire. The largest landed proprietor in that part is a Mr John Turner， who made his money in Australia and returned some years ago to the old country.One of the farms which he held， that of Hatherley， was let to Mr Charles McCarthy， who was also an ex-Australian.The men had known each other in the colonies， so that it was not unnatural that when they came to settle down they should do so as near each other as possible.Turner was apparently the richer man， so McCarthy became his tenant but still remained， it seems， upon terms of perfect equality， as they were frequently together.McCarthy had one son， a lad of eighteen， and Turner had an only daughter of the same age， but neither of them had wives living.They appear to have avoided the society of the neighbouring English families and to have led retired lives， though both the McCarthys were fond of sport and were frequently seen at the race-meetings of the neighbourhood.McCarthy kept two servants-a man and a girl.Turner had a considerable household， some half-dozen at the least.That is as much as I have been able to gather about the families.Now for the facts.

"On June 3rd， that is， on Monday last， McCarthy left his house at Hatherley about three in the afternoon and walked down to the Boscombe Pool， which is a small lake formed by the spreading out of the stream which runs down the Boscombe Valley. He had been out with his serving-man in the morning at Ross， and he had told the man that he must hurry， as he had an appointment of importance to keep at three.From that appointment he never came back alive.

"From Hatherley Farm-house to the Boscombe Pool is a quarter of a mile， and two people saw him as he passed over this ground. One was an old woman， whose name is not mentioned， and the other was William Crowder， a game-keeper in the employ of Mr Turner.Both these witnesses depose that Mr McCarthy was walking alone.The game-keeper adds that within a few minutes of his seeing Mr McCarthy pass he had seen his son， Mr James McCarthy， going the same way with a gun under his arm.To the best of his belief， the father was actually in sight at the time， and the son was following him.He thought no more of the matter until he heard in the evening of the tragedy that had occurred.

"The two McCarthys were seen after the time when William Crowder， the game-keeper， lost sight of them. The Boscombe Pool is thickly wooded round， with just a fringe of grass and of reeds round the edge.A girl of fourteen， Patience Moran， who is the daughter of the lodge-keeper of the Boscombe Valley estate， was in one of the woods picking flowers.She states that while she was there she saw， at the border of the wood and close by the lake， Mr McCarthy and his son， and that they appeared to be having a violent quarrel.She heard Mr McCarthy the elder using very strong language to his son， and she saw the latter raise up his hand as if to strike his father.She was so frightened by their violence that she ran away and told her mother when she reached home that she had left the two McCarthys quarrelling near Boscombe Pool， and that she was afraid that they were going to fight.She had hardly said the words when young Mr McCarthy came running up to the lodge to say that he had found his father dead in the wood， and to ask for the help of the lodge-keeper.He was much excited， without either his gun or his hat， and his right hand and sleeve were observed to be stained with fresh blood.On following him they found the dead body stretched out upon the grass beside the pool.The head had been beaten in by repeated blows of some heavy and blunt weapon.The injuries were such as might very well have been inflicted by the butt-end of his son's gun， which was found lying on the grass within a few paces of the body.Under these circumstances the young man was instantly arrested， and a verdict of'wilful murder'having been returned at the inquest on Tuesday， he was on Wednesday brought before the magistrates at Ross， who have referred the case to the next Assizes.Those are the main facts of the case as they came out before the coroner and the police-court."

"I could hardly imagine a more damning case，"I remarked."If ever circumstantial evidence pointed to a criminal it does so here."

"Circumstantial evidence is a very tricky thing，"answered Holmes thoughtfully."It may seem to point very straight to one thing， but if you shift your own point of view a little， you may find it pointing in an equally uncompromising manner to something entirely different. It must be confessed， however， that the case looks exceedingly grave against the young man， and it is very possible that he is indeed the culprit.There are several people in the neighbourhood， however， and among them Miss Turner， the daughter of the neighbouring landowner， who believe in his innocence， and who have retained Lestrade， whom you may recollect in connection with the Study in Scarlet， to work out the case in his interest.Lestrade， being rather puzzled， has referred the case to me， and hence it is that two middle-aged gentlemen are flying westward at fifty miles an hour instead of quietly digesting their breakfasts at home."

"I am afraid，"said I，"that the facts are so obvious that you will find little credit to be gained out of this case."

"There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact，"he answered， laughing."Besides， we may chance to hit upon some other obvious facts which may have been by no means obvious to Mr Lestrade. You know me too well to think that I am boasting when I say that I shall either confirm or destroy his theory by means which he is quite incapable of employing， or even of understanding.To take the first example to hand， I very clearly perceive that in your bedroom the window is upon the right-hand side， and yet I question whether Mr Lestrade would have noted even so self-evident a thing as that."

"How on earth？"

"My dear fellow， I know you well. I know the military neatness which characterises you.You shave every morning， and in this season you shave by the sunlight；but since your shaving is less and less complete as we get farther back on the left side， until it becomes positively slovenly as we get round the angle of the jaw， it is surely very clear that that side is less illuminated than the other.I could not imagine a man of your habits looking at himself in an equal light and being satisfied with such a result.I only quote this as a trivial example of observation and inference.Therein lies my métier， and it is just possible that it may be of some service in the investigation which lies before us.There are one or two minor points which were brought out in the inquest， and which are worth considering."

"What are they？"

"It appears that his arrest did not take place at once， but after the return to Hatherley Farm. On the inspector of constabulary informing him that he was a prisoner， he remarked that he was not surprised to hear it， and that it was no more than his deserts.This observation of his had the natural effect of removing any traces of doubt which might have remained in the minds of the coroner's jury."

"It was a confession，"I ejaculated.

"No， for it was followed by a protestation of innocence."

"Coming on the top of such a damning series of events， it was at least a most suspicious remark."

"On the contrary，"said Holmes，"it is the brightest rift which I can at present see in the clouds. However innocent he might be， he could not be such an absolute imbecile as not to see that the circumstances were very black against him.Had he appeared surprised at his own arrest， or feigned indignation at it， I should have looked upon it as highly suspicious， because such surprise or anger would not be natural under the circumstances， and yet might appear to be the best policy to a scheming man.His frank acceptance of the situation marks him as either an innocent man， or else as a man of considerable self-restraint and firmness.As to his remark about his deserts， it was also not unnatural if you consider that he stood beside the dead body of his father， and that there is no doubt that he had that very day so far forgotten his filial duty as to bandy words with him， and even， according to the little girl whose evidence is so important， to raise his hand as if to strike him.The self-reproach and contrition which are displayed in his remark appear to me to be the signs of a healthy mind rather than of a guilty one."

I shook my head."Many men have been hanged on far slighter evidence，"I remarked.

"So they have. And many men have been wrongfully hanged."

"What is the young man's own account of the matter？"

"It is， I am afraid， not very encouraging to his supporters， though there are one or two points in it which are suggestive. You will find it here， and may read it for yourself."

He picked out from his bundle a copy of the local Herefordshire paper， and having turned down the sheet he pointed out the paragraph in which the unfortunate young man had given his own statement of what had occurred. I settled myself down in the corner of the carriage and read it very carefully.It ran in this way：

"Mr James McCarthy， the only son of the deceased， was then called and gave evidence as follows：'I had been away from home for three days at Bristol， and had only just returned upon the morning of last Monday， the 3rd. My father was absent from home at the time of my arrival， and I was informed by the maid that he had driven over to Ross with John Cobb， the groom.Shortly after my return I heard the wheels of his trap in the yard， and， looking out of my window， I saw him get out and walk rapidly out of the yard， though I was not aware in which direction he was going.I then took my gun and strolled out in the direction of the Boscombe Pool， with the intention of visiting the rabbit warren which is upon the other side.On my way I saw William Crowder， the game-keeper， as he had stated in his evidence；but he is mistaken in thinking that I was following my father.I had no idea that he was in front of me.When about a hundred yards from the pool I heard a cry of"Cooee！"which was a usual signal between my father and myself.I then hurried forward， and found him standing by the pool.He appeared to be much surprised at seeing me and asked me rather roughly what I was doing there.A conversation ensued which led to high words and almost to blows， for my father was a man of a very violent temper.Seeing that his passion was becoming ungovernable， I left him and returned towards Hatherley Farm.I had not gone more than 150 yards， however， when I heard a hideous outcry behind me， which caused me to run back again.I found my father expiring upon the ground， with his head terribly injured.I dropped my gun and held him in my arms， but he almost instantly expired.I knelt beside him for some minutes， and then made my way to Mr Turner's lodge-keeper， his house being the nearest， to ask for assistance.I saw no one near my father when I returned， and I have no idea how he came by his injuries.He was not a popular man， being somewhat cold and forbidding in his manners， but he had， as far as I know， no active enemies.I know nothing further of the matter.

"The Coroner：Did your father make any statement to you before he died？"

"Witness：He mumbled a few words， but I could only catch some allusion to a rat."

"The Coroner：What did you understand by that？"

"Witness：It conveyed no meaning to me. I thought that he was delirious."

"The Coroner：What was the point upon which you and your father had this final quarrel？

"Witness：I should prefer not to answer."

"The Coroner：I am afraid that I must press it."

"Witness：It is really impossible for me to tell you. I can assure you that it has nothing to do with the sad tragedy which followed.

"The Coroner：That is for the court to decide. I need not point out to you that your refusal to answer will prejudice your case considerably in any future proceedings which may arise.

"Witness：I must still refuse."

"The Coroner：I understand that the cry of'Cooee'was a common signal between you and your father？"

"Witness：It was."

"The Coroner：How was it， then， that he uttered it before he saw you， and before he even knew that you had returned from Bristol？

"Witness(with considerable confusion)：I do not know."