“有一天，一個黃金運輸隊從巴勒拉特開往墨爾本。我們埋伏在路邊，襲擊了這個運輸隊。有六個騎兵護送那個運輸隊，而我們這邊也是六個人，可以說實力相當。我們用槍打翻了四個人，而我們這邊也有三個人丟了命，最後那些財富落到了我們的手裏。當時我的槍指向了馬車夫的腦袋，那個馬車夫就是邁卡西。上帝作證，要是我當時開槍打死了他該多好啊，可是我放過了他，盡管當時他眼睛眯著使勁盯著我們看，似乎是要把我們的長相都牢牢記住似的。自然我們得到了那些黃金，成了富人，還在沒有引起懷疑的情況下來到了英國。來到英國後，我和以前那些同夥分開了，自己過自己的生活，決心重新做人。那個時候這份產業正在出售，我就買了下來，想用自己的錢來多做一點好事，彌補我的過去。後來我還成了家，盡管我妻子婚後不久就去世了，不過幸好我還有小艾麗斯。她還是嬰兒的時候，她的那雙小手好像就具有強大的力量，促使我走上正路。總之，我徹底改過自新了，竭盡全力去彌補我曾經犯下的罪過。原本一切都很順利，可是那個人抓住了我的把柄。”
“有一次，我要到城裏去處理一點投資方麵的事情，在攝政街上碰到了他，他當時衣不遮體，甚至還光著腳。”
“他拉住我的胳膊：‘傑克，我又見到你了。我們將和你像一家人一樣。現在跟著我的隻有我兒子，求你收留我們吧。要是你不同意……英國這個國家可是很重視法律的，我叫一聲就會有警察過來。’”
“就是這樣他們來到了西部的農村，從那以後我就再也擺脫不了了。他們居住在我擁有的最好的土地上，根本不交租金。也就是從那時起在過去的歲月裏，他們的上空曾經彌漫著不祥的烏雲。”
我不得安寧，總也不能完全忘記過去，走到任何地方都可以看到他狡詐的笑臉跟隨著我。艾麗斯長大以後事情就更糟了，因為他也看了出來，我的女兒要是知道了我的過去，我是受不了的，那種恐懼甚至會超過被警察知道我的所作所為。所以他就借此要挾我，而我也把所有的東西都交給了他，土地、金錢、房子，而最後他又向我要東西，可這一次要的是我不能給的，那就是我的女兒。
“你看，他兒子已經長大了，我女兒也是一樣，大家都知道我身體不大好，讓他的兒子來接管我的財產，那是他計劃好的。可我絕對不會答應，我絕對不會讓他們家的血統跟我們家的糾纏在一起，這倒不是說我不喜歡他的那個小兒子，可是他身上流著的是他父親的血啊，就憑這個，我就有理由拒絕，我無論如何都不會答應的。邁卡西威脅我，我告訴他即使他用最毒辣的手法也嚇不倒我。所以我們約定，在我們兩所房子中間的池塘旁邊當麵把事情說清楚。”
“我到那裏時，他正在和他的兒子談著什麽，所以就在樹後麵抽雪茄等他，想要等到隻有他一個人時再過去。可是聽到他談話的內容，我異常激動。他堅持要他的兒子和我的女兒結婚，甚至絲毫不顧我女兒的感受，簡直有點像是把她當作馬路上的妓女！當想到女兒所心愛的一切將會處於這種人的控製之下的時候，我憤怒得差點瘋了。我能衝破這個束縛嗎？我自己的生命已即將結束，也別無所求了——我的頭腦清醒，四肢還健壯，可是我明白生命已經接近盡頭了。我腦海中都是我的女兒和我曾經做過的事情！而隻要我可以讓這個邪惡的舌頭不要亂說，那麽我的過去和我的女兒就都安全了。福爾摩斯先生，我也正是這麽做的，如果再給我一次選擇的機會，我還是會這麽做的。我的確是罪孽深重，要我為了贖罪而一輩子不開心我可以接受，可我絕對不能忍受把我的女兒也牽扯進來。我把他打倒在地的時候，感到自己就像一頭凶猛的野獸，內心沒有絲毫的不安。他的喊叫聲喊回了他的兒子；這個時候我已經躲到了樹林裏，後來我又不得不跑回去取那件丟下的衣服。先生，這些就是事情所有的經過。”
那個老人在自白書上簽下了名字。福爾摩斯立刻說：“好了，我沒有權力對你進行審判。希望我們永遠不會受到某種**而無法控製自己。”
“先生，我也希望這樣，你要怎麽做？”
“考慮到你的身體狀況，我不準備做什麽。你自己也清楚，過不了多長時間你就要為自己的行為在比巡回審判法庭更高級的法院接受審訊。我會保存好你的自白書的。要是邁卡西被判有罪的話，我就必須要使用它了；如果邁卡西不被定罪，那麽就永遠都不會有人看到它，不管你還在不在人世。”
那老人莊嚴地說：“那好，再見吧。我相信，當你自己要離開人世的時候，回想起你曾經讓我安靜地死去，你會備感安寧的。”這個龐大的身軀就這樣搖晃著離開了我們的房間。
福爾摩斯很長時間都沒有說話，然後才說：“上帝保佑我們嗎？為什麽命運總是對我們這種人不公呢？可每當我聽到這種案件，我都還是會想起巴克斯特的話，他說，‘歇洛克·福爾摩斯能偵破案件是得到了上帝的保佑的’。”
巡回法庭宣判詹姆斯·邁卡西無罪並釋放了他，因為福爾摩斯寫了很多有利於那小子的申訴意見，並交給了辯護律師。跟我們談過話之後，老特納又活了七個月，現在他已經不在了；而現在很可能是這樣的情景：那個兒子和女兒最終幸福地在一起了，但他們可能根本不知道，在過去的歲月裏，他們的上空曾經彌漫著不祥的烏雲。
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."