Приключения Шерлока Холмса
The Boscombe Valley Mystery
Underthesecircumstancestheyoungmanwasinstantlyarrested,andaverdictof‘wilfulmurder’havingbeenreturnedattheinquestonTuesday,hewasonWednesdaybroughtbeforethemagistratesatRoss,whohavereferredthecasetothenextAssizes. Thosearethemainfactsofthecaseastheycameoutbeforethecoronerandthepolice-court."
"Icouldhardlyimagineamoredamningcase,"Iremarked. "Ifevercircumstantialevidencepointedtoacriminalitdoessohere."
"Circumstantialevidenceisaverytrickything,"answeredHolmesthoughtfully. "Itmayseemtopointverystraighttoonething,butifyoushiftyourownpointofviewalittle,youmayfinditpointinginanequallyuncompromisingmannertosomethingentirelydifferent. Itmustbeconfessed,however,thatthecaselooksexceedinglygraveagainsttheyoungman,anditisverypossiblethatheisindeedtheculprit. Thereareseveralpeopleintheneighbourhood,however,andamongthemMissTurner,thedaughteroftheneighbouringlandowner,whobelieveinhisinnocence,andwhohaveretainedLestrade,whomyoumayrecollectinconnectionwith‘AStudyinScarlet’,toworkoutthecaseinhisinterest. Lestrade,beingratherpuzzled,hasreferredthecasetome,andhenceitisthattwomiddle-agedgentlemenareflyingwestwardatfiftymilesanhourinsteadofquietlydigestingtheirbreakfastsathome."
"Iamafraid,"saidI,"thatthefactsaresoobviousthatyouwillfindlittlecredittobegainedoutofthiscase."
"Thereisnothingmoredeceptivethananobviousfact,"heanswered,laughing. "Besides,wemaychancetohituponsomeotherobviousfactswhichmayhavebeenbynomeansobvioustoMr.Lestrade.