跳舞的小人（19）

“I think, inspector,” Holmes remarked, “that you would do well to telegraph for an escort, as, if my calculations prove to be correct, you may have a particularly dangerous prisoner to convey to the county jail. The boy who takes this note could no doubt forward your telegram. If there is an afternoon train to town, Watson, I think we should do well to take it, as I have a chemical analysis of some interest to finish, and this investigation draws rapidly to a close.”

When the youth had been dispatched with the note, Sherlock Holmes gave his instructions to the servants. If any visitor were to call asking for Mrs. Hilton Cubitt no information should be given as to her condition, but he was to be shown at once into the drawing-room. He impressed these points upon them with the utmost earnestness. Finally he led the way into the drawing-room with the remark that the business was now out of our hands, and that we must while away the time as best we might until we could see what was in store for us. The doctor had departed to his patients, and only the inspector and myself remained.

“I think that I can help you to pass an hour in an interesting and profitable manner,” said Holmes, drawing his chair up to the table and spreading out in front of him the various papers upon which were recorded the antics of the dancing men. “As to you, friend Watson, I owe you every atonement for having allowed your natural curiosity to remain so long unsatisfied. To you, inspector, the whole incident may appeal as a remarkable professional study. I must tell you first of all the interesting circumstances connected with the previous consultations which Mr. Hilton Cubitt has had with me in Baker Street.” He then shortly recapitulated the facts which have already been recorded. “I have here in front of me these singular productions, at which one might smile had they not proved themselves to be the fore-runners of so terrible a tragedy. I am fairly familiar with all forms of secret writings, and am myself the author of a trifling monograph upon the subject, in which I analyze one hundred and sixty separate ciphers; but I confess that this is entirely new to me. The object of those who invented the system has apparently been to conceal that these characters convey a message, and to give the idea that they are the mere random sketches of children.

“警长，"福尔摩斯说，“我想您不妨打电报请求派警卫来。因为您可能有一个非常危险的犯人要押送到郡监狱去，如果我估计对了的话。送信的小孩就可以把您的电报带去发。华生，要是下午有去伦敦的火车，我看咱们就赶这趟车，因为我有一项颇有趣的化学分析要完成，而且这件侦查工作很快就要结束了。”

福尔摩斯打发小马倌去送信了，然后吩咐所有的佣人：如果有人来看丘比特太太，立刻把客人领到客厅里，决不能说出丘比特太太的身一体情况。他非常认真叮嘱佣人记住这些话。最后他领着我们去客厅，一边说现在的事态不在我们控制之下了，大家尽量休息一下，等着瞧究竟会发生什么。乡村医生已经离开这里去看他的病人了，留下来的只有警长和我。

“我想我能够用一种有趣又有益的方法，来帮你们消磨一小时，"福尔摩斯一边说一边把他的椅子挪近桌子，又把那几张画着滑稽小人的纸条在自己面前摆开，"华生，我还欠你一笔债，因为我这么久不让你的好奇心得到满足。至于您呢，警长，这件案子的全部经过也许能吸引您来作一次不平常的业务探讨。我必须先告诉您一些有趣的情况，那是希尔顿·丘比特先生两次来贝克街找我商量的时候我听他说的。"他接着就把我前面已经说过的那些情况，简单扼要地重述了一遍。"在我面前摆着的，就是这些罕见的作品。要不是它们成了这么可怕的一场悲剧的先兆，那末谁见了也会一笑置之。我比较熟悉各种形式的秘密文字，也写过一篇关于这个问题的粗浅论文，其中分析了一百六十种不同的密码。但是这一种我还是第一次见到。想出这一套方法的人，显然是为了使别人以为它是随手涂抹的儿童画，看不出这些符号传达的信息。然而，只要一看出了这些符号是代表字母的，再应用秘密文字的规律来分析，就不难找到答案。在一交一给我的第一张纸条上那句话很短，我只能稍有把握假定（图6）代表Ｅ。你们也知道，在英文字母中Ｅ最常见，它出现的次数多到即使在一个短的句子中也是最常见的。第一张纸条上的十五个符号，其中有四个完全一样，因此把它估计为Ｅ是合乎道理的。这些图形中，有的还带一面小旗，有的没有小旗。从小旗的分布来看，带旗的图形可能是用来把这个句子分成一个一个的单词。我把这看作一个可以接受的假设，同时记下Ｅ是用来代表的。