Все приключения Шерлока Холмса / All adventures of Sherlock Holmes

“I need a little more information,” Sherlock Holmes said at last. “Who was your accomplice who came for the ring?”

The prisoner winked at my friend jocosely.

“I can tell my secrets,” he said, “but I don’t get other people into trouble. I saw your advertisement. My friend volunteered to go and see. I think he did it smartly.”

“Not a doubt of that,” said Holmes heartily.

“Now, gentlemen,” the Inspector remarked gravely, “the law is the law. On Thursday the prisoner will be brought before the magistrates, and your attendance will be required. Until then I will be responsible for him.”

He rang the bell, and a couple of warders led Jefferson off. My friend and I took a cab back to Baker Street.

Chapter VII

The Conclusion

We were waiting for that Thursday. But a higher Judge took the matter in hand. Jefferson Hope’s aneurism burst, and he died upon the floor of the cell, with a placid smile upon his face.

“Gregson and Lestrade will be wild about his death,” Holmes remarked.

“I think they did very little,” I answered.

“What you really do in this world is not important,” returned my companion, bitterly. “The question is, what can you make people believe that you do. Never mind,” he continued, more brightly, after a pause. “I don’t remember any better case. Yet it was simple enough.”

“Simple!” I ejaculated.

“Yes,” said Sherlock Holmes. “The proof of its intrinsic simplicity is, that without any help, I was able to name the criminal within three days.”

“That is true,” said I.

“The grand thing here is to be able to reason backwards[67 - to reason backwards – рассуждать ретроспективно]. This is very useful, but people do not practice it much. In the everyday affairs of life it is more practical to reason forwards. There are fifty men who can reason synthetically, and only one man who can reason analytically.”