福尔摩斯探案经典:《恐怖谷》第1章Part2

"What do you make of it, Holmes?"
"It is obviously an attempt to convey secret information."
"But what is the use of a cipher message without the cipher?"
"In this instance, none at all."
"Why do you say 'in this instance'?"
"Because there are many ciphers which I would read as easily as I do the apocrypha of the agony column: such crude devices amuse the intelligence without fatiguing it. But this is different. It is clearly a reference to the words in a page of some book. Until I am told which page and which book I am powerless."
"But why 'Douglas' and 'Birlstone'?"
"Clearly because those are words which were not contained in the page in question."
"Then why has he not indicated the book?"
"Your native shrewdness, my dear Watson, that innate cunning which is the delight of your friends, would surely prevent you from inclosing cipher and message in the same envelope. Should it miscarry, you are undone. As it is, both have to go wrong before any harm comes from it. Our second post is now overdue, and I shall be surprised if it does not bring us either a further letter of explanation, or, as is More probable, the very volume to which these figures refer."
Holmes's calculation was fulfilled within a very few minutes by the appearance of Billy, the page, with the very letter which we were expecting.
"The same writing," remarked Holmes, as he opened the envelope, "and actually signed," he added in an exultant voice as he unfolded the epistle. "Come, we are getting on, Watson." His brow clouded, however, as he glanced over the contents.
"Dear me, this is very disappointing! I fear, Watson, that all our expectations come to nothing. I trust that the man Porlock will come to no harm.
"DEAR MR. HOLMES (he says):
"I will go no further in this matter. It is too dangerous--he suspects me. I can see that he suspects me. He came to me quite unexpectedly after I had actually addressed this envelope with the intention of sending you the key to the cipher. I was able to cover it up. If he had seen it, it would have gone hard with me. But I read suspicion in his eyes. Please burn the cipher message, which can now be of no use to you.
FRED PORLOCK."
Holmes sat for some little time twisting this letter between his fingers, and frowning, as he stared into the fire.
"After all," he said at last, "there may be nothing in it. It may be only his guilty conscience. Knowing himself to be a traitor, he may have read the accusation in the other's eyes."
"The other being, I presume, Professor Moriarty."
"No less! When any of that party talk about 'He' you know whom they mean. There is one predominant 'He' for all of them."
"But what can he do?"
"Hum! That's a large question. When you have one of the first brains of Europe up against you, and all the powers of darkness at his back, there are infinite possibilities. Anyhow, Friend Porlock is evidently scared out of his senses--kindly compare the writing in the note to that upon its envelope; which was done, he tells us, before this ill-omened visit. The one is clear and firm. The other hardly legible."
"Why did he write at all? Why did he not simply drop it?"
"Because he feared I would make some inquiry after him in that case, and possibly bring trouble on him."
"No doubt," said I. "Of course." I had picked up the original cipher message and was bending my brows over it. "It's pretty maddening to think that an important secret may lie here on this slip of paper, and that it is beyond human power to penetrate it."
Sherlock Holmes had pushed away his untasted breakfast and lit the unsavoury pipe which was the companion of his deepest meditations. "I wonder!" said he, leaning back and staring at the ceiling. "Perhaps there are points which have escaped your Machiavellian intellect. Let us consider the problem in the light of pure reason. This man's reference is to a book. That is our point of departure."
"A somewhat vague one."
"Let us see then if we can narrow it down. As I focus my mind upon it, it seems rather less impenetrable. What indications have we as to this book?"
"None."

“福尔摩斯，你从这些字能得出什么结论呢？”
“很明显，这是想用来传达秘密消息的。”
“可是没有密码本，密码信又有什么用呢？”
“在这种情况下，是完全没有用的。”
“为什么你说'在这种情况下'呢？”
“因为有许多密码，在我读起来，就象读报纸通告栏里的山海经一样容易。那些简单的东西对人的智力来讲，只能使人感到有趣，而不感到厌倦。可是这次就不同了，它显然指的是某本书中某页上的某些词。只要不告诉我是在哪本书的哪一页上，那我就无能为力了。”
“那为什么又要道格拉斯（DOUGLAS）和伯尔斯通（BIRLSTONE）两个字呢？”
“显然是因为这本书上没有那两个字。”
“那他为什么不指出是哪本书呢？”
“亲爱的华生，你有天赋的机智、生来的狡黠，使你的朋友们都感到高兴；就凭这点机智，你也不至于把密码信和密码本放在同一信封里。因为信件一旦投递错了，那你就败露了。象现在这样，只有两封信都出了差错，才能出乱子。我们的第二封信现在已经该到了，如果未来的那封信里不给我们送来解释的文字，或者更可能的是，查阅这些符号的原书，那才使我奇怪呢。”
果然不出福尔摩斯所料，过了几分钟，小仆人毕利进来了，送来了我们所期待的那封信。
“笔迹相同，"福尔摩斯打开信封时说，"并且竟然签了名，"当他展开信笺的时候，兴高采烈地接着说，“喂，华生，咱们有进展了。"可是他看完信的内容以后，双眉又紧锁起来。
"哎呀，这可太使人失望啦！华生，恐怕我们的期待都要变成泡影了。但愿波尔洛克这个人不会遭到不幸。
'亲爱的福尔摩斯先生：
这件事我不愿再干下去了。这太危险了，他怀疑我了。我看得出来他怀疑我了。当我写完通信地址，打算把密码索引送给你时，他完全意想不到地来了。幸亏我把它盖住了。要是他看到了的话，那对我就非常不利了。可是我从他目光里看出不信任的神色来，请你把上次寄去的密码信烧了吧，那封信现在对你没有用处了。
弗莱德·波尔洛克'”
福尔摩斯用手指搓弄着这封信，坐了一会儿，皱着眉头，凝视着壁炉。
“也许这并没有什么。也许只不过是他作贼心虚罢了。他自觉是贼党中的叛逆者，所以可能从那个人的眼光里看出了谴责的神色。"福尔摩斯终于说道。
“那个人，我想就是莫里亚蒂教授吧。”
“一点不差！他们那一伙人，不管谁只要一提到'他'，都知道指的是谁。他们全体只有一个发号施令的'他'。”
“可是他又能怎么样呢？”
“哼！这倒是个大问题。当有一个欧洲第一流的智囊在与你作对，而他背后还有黑社会的一切势力，那就什么都可能发生了。不管怎么说，咱们的朋友波尔洛克显然是吓胡涂了——请你把信纸上的笔迹和信封上的比较一下看。这说明，信封上的字是那个人突然来访前写的，所以清楚而有力，可是信纸上的字就潦草得几乎看不清楚了。”
“那他何必写这封信呢？索性放下不管就算了。”
“因为他怕那样一来，我就会去追问他，给他找麻烦。”
“不错，"我说，“当然了，"我拿平原来用密码写的那封信，皱着眉头仔细看着，“明知这张纸上有重大秘密，可是又毫无办法去破译它，简直把人急疯了。”
歇洛克·福尔摩斯推开他一口没尝过的早餐，点着了索然乏味的烟斗，这是他默然沉思时的伴侣。"我很奇怪！"他把身子仰靠在椅背上，凝视着天花板，说道，“也许你那马基雅维里的才智，漏过了一些东西。让我们靠单纯推理来考虑一下 这个问题吧。这个人编写密码信的蓝本是一本书。咱们就从这点出发吧。”
“相当没把握的出发点啊。”
“那末让咱们看看能不能把范围缩小一点吧。当我把思想集中到它上面的时候，这件事就似乎不是那么莫测高深了。关于这本书，我们有什么可供查清的迹象没有呢？”
“一点也没有。”