Because the content was already conceived, Doyle worked very quickly.
New Monday,
early morning.
After another all-nighter, he completed "Six Busts of Napoleon."
In this short story, the core is not the trick, but the suspense brought about by the cases that are laid out and unfolded layer by layer, hitting the readers in waves and pushing the story to the climax.
This way of writing is more like adventure than reasoning.
But precisely because of this, many later film and television works like to adapt it.
For example, the popular British drama "Sherlock" used this story in the first case of the fourth season.
Doyle has figured it out;
Reasoning, he couldn't do it at Lu Shi;
He still couldn't defeat Lu Shi's trick;
Then just write an orthodox detective adventure story.
That’s how Sherlock Holmes got his start anyway, so there’s nothing wrong with going back to his roots.
Doyle stretched himself and murmured to himself: "I must completely distance myself from him in terms of sales and sales."
Popular writer~
than sales volume,
Not mixed with cold.
At this moment, the voice of his beloved wife Hawkins came: "Who are you trying to distance yourself from? Is it Mr. Lu Shilu again?"
She knew about the quarrel between her husband and Lu Shi.
Doyle waved his hand.
"No, Lu's is nothing compared to me."
This is a lie.
Some time ago, I don’t know who was so tortured by those little dancing figures that they couldn’t even think about anything.
Hawkins is happy that her husband has regained his confidence.
She said: "Come out to eat. Then, take a good bath and go to bed."
As he spoke, he walked to the window and opened it.
"The whole room smells of sweat, cigarette smoke, and gas lamps...are you not afraid of being poisoned?"
Doyle lit his pipe again,
"I won't eat. I'll take a few puffs of cigarettes, rest for a while, and then send the manuscript to Strand Street. It's already Monday. If I don't send it over, it will definitely affect the printing and sales of "Seaside Magazine."
At this time, Hawkins opened the window a crack.
The cool wind blows in,
Doyle's mind cleared.
"Huh~"
He took a deep breath, as if he wanted to let out all the pent-up unhappiness in his heart.
Hawkins said distressedly: "How about you rest at home? Eat the food, then take a shower, shave, and then have a good sleep. I will send you the manuscript."
Doyle pondered, then nodded,
"Well, that's fine. I should take a good rest."
He didn't sleep well during this time.
He stood up straight away, walked to the room, and in the blink of an eye he was on the soft bed.
Not long after, slight snoring sounded in the room.
Hawkins snickered,
Why does my husband act like a half-grown child?
She shook her head, walked to the table, her eyes fell on the manuscript next to the typewriter, and she picked up a pencil, ready to read and proofread.
In fact, Doyle has already proofread it,
But when he stayed up all night, he inevitably got confused and couldn't see some grammatical errors.
Hawkins scanned quickly,
The story of "Six Busts of Napoleon" is simple;
The prisoner stole the black pearl a year ago. In order to avoid detection, he hid it in one of the six busts of Napoleon he had just made.
Later, the prisoner was imprisoned for assault.
After he was released, he kept looking for the black pearls in the six busts, which led to various home invasion cases. He only broke the busts, but did not rob or steal. It was very strange.
Of course, when Doyle wrote the book, he must have turned the entire case upside down, writing about the effects first and then the causes.
The suspense was left until the end.
Hawkins nodded with satisfaction,
"This is Sherlock Holmes~"
Before, she felt that her husband should not be angered by Lu Shi's sharp review of "The Empty House".
Is there anything wrong with writing a detective adventure?
Everyone likes to watch it!
Hawkins put the manuscript away, looked at the room again, and found that her husband was still sleeping deeply, before going out.
She got into the carriage and asked the driver to go to Strand Street.
…
Sun rise,
The morning fog in London did not dissipate immediately,
In the blur, from time to time, approaching carriages or pedestrians broke through the fog and rushed into view.
Under such road conditions, the driver can only guide the horse to reduce its speed to avoid accidents.
Hawkins opened the curtains and said to the coachman: "If you meet a newsboy or pass by a bookstore later, please stop for a while and I will buy some newspapers."
The driver responded: "Okay!"
After saying that, he shook the horse's rein again.
The horse moved forward slowly on the road with its hooves raised.
Not long after, a newsboy's cry came from outside: "The Manchester Guardian! The latest issue of the Manchester Guardian!"
The carriage stopped immediately.
Hawkins waved to the newsboy,
"Come here, kid. Get a copy of The Scotsman, The Manchester Guardian, and The Daily Telegraph."
The reason she didn't buy the Times was because her family already subscribed to it.
Unexpectedly, the newsboy spread his hands,
"Excuse me, ma'am, I only have the Manchester Guardian."
Hawkins was slightly surprised,
"Are the other newspapers sold out?"
"..."
The newsboy said nothing.
Hawkins was stunned for half a second before he realized what he was doing. He handed a few coins to the other party, got a copy of the Manchester Guardian, and then said, "Answer the question I just asked."
When the newsboy saw the tip, he immediately became knowledgeable and told everything.
He said: "The Manchester Guardian is the best seller, so I get more."
Hawkins wondered,
"The implication is, do you get less from the "Daily Telegraph" and others? But looking at the current situation, I want to buy the "Daily Telegraph" but you don't have the stock. Doesn't it mean that I can't make any money? Calculate it this way If so, it’s still a loss.”
The newsboy blushed for a while when he was told that.
“I’m here to get my money back quickly,” he argued.
Hawkins wanted the coachman to continue on his way;
As a result, when I heard what the other party said, I couldn't help but be amused.
"Do you still know what 'withdrawing funds' means? Then tell me, what do you want to do with withdrawing funds quickly?"
The newsboy said: "Madam, I don't know. Today the Royal Publishing House published a new book called "Roger's Mystery". But it's too expensive to get it from the bookstore. I don't have enough funds. The difference is about five pence, so I want to sell it first." Get some newspapers out.”
As he spoke, the newsboy began to count on his fingers.
"The books of the Royal Publishing House have always sold very well, and they make more money than selling newspapers. If I can sell one today, it will not be a problem to make a shilling. If I sell two copies..."
The newsboy was chirping for a while.
But Hawkins didn't listen at all.
She subconsciously asked: "Is it published by the Royal Publishing House? Could it be that...um...is the author of "Roger's Mystery" Lu?"
The newsboy tilted his head and thought for a moment,
"You said it, it seems so. I remember it was two letters... Ah, is it the Lu? The Lu who wrote "No Survival"? I sold his books before, but I made a lot of money."
Hawkins' expression changed.
She said to the coachman: "Before going to Strand Street, let's take a detour to the nearest bookstore."
The coachman knew that the Doyles were always generous and did not need to worry about tips, so he had no complaints about the temporary change of destination.
The carriage arrived at Strand Street, and before going to the Strand Magazine, it turned to the other end of the street.
Not long after, the carriage stopped in front of a bookstore.
Hawkins jumped out of the car in an unladylike manner.
I saw a lot of people gathered in front of the bookstore. I counted at least twenty people.
They scrambled to be the first,
"Get a copy of "Roger's Mystery"!"
"I want one too."
"I'm from a magazine and I want three copies!"
…
They all came to buy "Roger Mystery".
Hawkins didn't care about the different etiquette between men and women. He quickly squeezed into the crowd and said to the boss: "Boss, give me a copy of "Roger's Mystery"."
The boss looked at her and said,
"Madam, you are lucky, you have the last two copies left."
Hawkins frowned, thinking that the boss was hinting at something, so he said, "Okay, then give me the remaining two copies."
Unexpectedly, the boss waved his hand,
"That's not possible. I gave you the book. What should I read?"
Only then did Hawkins realize that the other party was not trying to package it up for sale, but was actually praising his good luck.
The boss handed the book over and said, "On Strand Street, there are no worries about sales, so I will buy a hundred hardcover books. If other bookstores buy ten or twenty books, I'm afraid It has been sold out a long time ago. Alas, I am still conservative, I should get two or three hundred copies."
Hawkins was shocked;
"A hundred copies have been sold and only two copies are left? How much does this book cost?"
The boss said: "Six pounds and two shillings, thank you for your business."
Hawkins was even more confused.
"So expensive?"
You know, at the beginning of the 20th century, the weekly salary of a skilled worker in the UK was only about 10 pounds.
The boss shook his head,
"Actually, it's not expensive anymore. Previously, "No Survival" was also written by Lu and was divided into two volumes. The total price was even more expensive than this. What's more, "Roger's Mystery" has more words. .”
Of course Hawkins understands this;
She just couldn't understand why a book worth six pounds and two shillings sold so quickly.
She counted out the cash and handed it to the other party, then sat back in the carriage, said "Let's go", and eagerly started reading "Roger's Mystery".
The carriage headed in the direction of "Seaside Magazine" again, and it didn't take long to reach its destination.
The driver reined in the horse,
"Ma'am, we're here."
However, no one responded at all in the carriage.
The coachman frowned, came to the carriage, knocked on the door, opened it a crack, and said, "Madam, we are here."
The cold wind poured into the car, making Hawkins shiver.
Only then did she come back to her senses,
"Okay, I'll go down right now."
As she spoke, she glanced at "Roger's Mystery" with some reluctance, carefully brushed off the dust on the pages, and then casually folded up her husband's "Six Busts of Napoleon" manuscripts, made them into bookmarks, and folded them into bookmarks. to the book.
The original manuscript can be dog-eared, but "Roger's Mystery" must be protected.
The two are treated very differently.
…
the other side,
Doyle House.
Doyle slept restlessly, dreaming.
In the dream, he seemed to be chased by a five-clawed Chinese dragon, biting him from time to time.
Just when he was about to be killed by the evil dragon, he woke up and sat upright suddenly. His whole body was soaked in cold sweat and he was breathing heavily.
"Huh~"
Doyle stroked his chest to calm down.
He knew he couldn't continue sleeping, so he got up and got out of bed. He didn't have the appetite to eat the breakfast left by his wife, so he changed his clothes and went out.
Due to long-term industrial pollution, London is always filled with a vague odor.
But Doyle had been "cultivating in seclusion" during this period, so he felt that the air was full of freshness. He took a few deep breaths to absorb the stench, and felt comfortable all over.
He decided to check out the bookstore near his home.
When hanging out, his favorite place to go is the bookstore.
The Mette Bookstore near his home was only separated by a main road. Doyle took a walk and soon reached the door.
At this time, the bookstore owner was arguing with a customer.
The guest was wearing a suit and leather shoes and looked like a gentleman.
He had a very strong attitude and said to his boss: "Boss, don't you still have a copy of "Roger's Mystery" in your hand? Sell it to me and I'll pay three times... No, I'll give you twenty pounds directly. Transfer it to me."
Twenty pounds worth of books! ?
Doyle's jaw almost dropped as he listened.
As a result, the boss’s answer was even more surprising,
Just listen to him say: "Sorry, I want to read this book myself, you can only wait three days before coming back. Or, if you are not in a hurry, go to another bookstore to try your luck."
The guest's face darkened.
"I've already visited three bookstores."
The boss was unmoved;
"Well... how about you go to the Royal Publishing House and give it a try?"
The customer's expression became even worse, and he said, "Is there any business like this? You have a book in your hand, but you just refuse to sell it? Where is the professional ethics?"
The boss chuckled and took out a handful of banknotes from his pocket.
He counted it, picked out six pounds and two shillings, and then stuffed the remaining money into his pocket.
Then, he said: "Look at it."
He passed the banknotes in his hand from his left hand to his right hand, and then said: "Thank you for your patronage."
After a series of performances, the air was filled with unspeakable weirdness.
The boss said: "You see, I bought the last "Roger Mystery" from myself. Now, you should be satisfied, right?"
Can it still be done like this?
Doyle: "..."
guest:"……"
They were all speechless.
After a while, the guest said: "That's not okay, you are cutting the queue! I am clearly in front."
The boss's mouth moved slightly,
From the looks of it, it seems to be a sentence: "Crazy!"
Then, he put on a professional smile and said: "As for queuing, I have been queuing since the bookstore opened today. So, I'm sorry."
The boss just closed the door.
boom--
There was a loud bang on the door.
The guest was stunned, with a helpless expression on his face.
Doyle hurried up and asked the other party: "Sir, I'm sorry, the book you just mentioned is..."
The guest looked Doyle up and down,
As a suspense lover, he had seen Doyle's photo, but because Doyle now looked like a savage, he didn't recognize it.
The guest sighed,
"Oh, that's Lu's new one - "Roger Mystery". Just by looking at the name, I knew it must be a suspense detective work. I thought Lu would serialize "The Hobbit" in "The Scotsman" …”
Halfway through the conversation, the guest suddenly noticed that Doyle was shaking a little.
He quickly stepped forward to support him.
"Sir? Sir!"
Doyle waved his hand and said: "It doesn't matter to me. You continue...continue talking."
The guests are afraid of being offended, so how can they dare to stay longer?
He let go of Doyle and said: "I'm just a fan of "No One Survived" and like Lu's works. Haha...hahaha...I'm leaving first."
After saying that, he ran away in a hurry.
Doyle's face looked uncertain,
He stood there for an unknown amount of time before walking to the door of the bookstore and knocking on the door.
The door was opened immediately,
The boss stood impatiently at the door,
"How many times have I told you...um...Doctor Doyle? Why are you like this?"
Doyle touched his stubble, feeling a little embarrassed.
He changed the subject: "Well, Old Met, I want to read the book "Roger's Mystery", is that okay?"
The boss looked embarrassed.
"this……"
Doyle interrupted the other person and said: "Don't worry, I won't take away people's love. It's just that you want to take a look while you are reading."
The boss has no reason to refuse this request.
He put Doyle inside and then hung a "Close" sign outside.
Doyle said, "The book sold really well?"
The boss nodded,
"It was ridiculously good. I ordered thirty copies, and they were sold out in half a morning. I stopped a customer at that time and asked him what was going on. The customer said that "Roger Mystery" was extremely wonderful, even though If you don’t read it, it’s better to keep it for appreciation.”
Buying a book will increase its value. This is a privilege only available for Sherlock Holmes' "The Sign of Four" and "The Scarlet Study."
As for the later serials in "Seaside Magazine", because the circulation volume has increased and the retention volume is large, there is little room for appreciation.
Doyle said: "How many copies of "Roger's Mystery" were printed?"
The boss shook his head,
"I don't know the exact number, but I estimate that there must be 5,000 copies. But looking at the popularity of sales today, I'm afraid every gentleman in London will have a copy, and it won't be a problem to sell tens of thousands of copies. You know , they like arty books the most, and even if they don’t read them, they are willing to buy them home and collect them.”
Doyle looked ugly;
There were also hardcover books in the Sherlock Holmes series, but the sales were not satisfactory.
Unexpectedly, this matter was accomplished by Lu Shi.
Why is "Roger Mystery" so magical?
Doyle said: "Let's not talk about that now, let's read a book."
The boss nodded repeatedly and opened "Roger's Mystery".
The two read together.
At the beginning, Doyle was prepared to read with a critical eye.
As a result, within a few minutes, he was deeply attracted by the story:
One Friday night, Roger was found dead in his study by "me" and his butler Parker.
Because "I" knew Roger better and "I" had proof of his alibi, "I" became the assistant of the great detective Poirot.
…
First person narration is very common in
For example, in the Sherlock Holmes series, the "I" in it is Dr. Watson, who plays an important role in the whole series and is a well-deserved one of the two protagonists.
But when Doyle read "Roger Mystery", he always had a strange feeling, as if "I" in the book was not a clue character, but a particularly important character who played a leading role in the case.
He wanted to read as quickly as possible,
But Boss Meite is old, not a writer, and his reading speed is very slow.
Doyle often had to stop and wait.
After reading for a while, the boss suddenly rubbed his eyes and said, "Lu really likes this way of writing."
Doyle didn't understand what his boss meant.
"how?"
The boss pointed to a passage in the book and explained: "Look here, the dinner is held in a 'spacious hall' full of guests. Isn't there a similar plot in "No One Survived"?"
In fact, this is not Lu Shi's habit, but Sha Po's habit.
The people involved in the case gathered together, which was a very ceremonial scene.
Doyle nodded.
"Old Met, you are right."
He lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then took the opportunity to say, "I see you are a little tired from reading. Otherwise, why don't you give me the book first and I can flip through it quickly?"
The corner of the boss's mouth curved,
"Haha, Doctor Doyle, do you think this old guy like me is too slow in reading?"
Doyle was a little embarrassed and said nothing.
The boss waved his hand,
"That's all, if you like to read, I should rest my brain and eyes. This book is really well written, but it's troublesome to read."
He handed the book to Doyle and said at the same time: "First of all, please don't give me any spoilers."
Doyle nodded.
"clear."
He first opened the book to the table of contents and read the names of each chapter.
The last three chapters,
"The Whole Truth",
"And Nothing But The Truth (The Truth)",
"Apologia";
Just looking at these names is very interesting.
Since "All the Facts" have been explained in Chapter 25, why does "The Truth Come Out" be included in Chapter 26?
As for "Apologia" in Chapter 27...
"What should we understand by this word?"
Doyle muttered.
Boss Matt on the side said: "We agreed not to spoil the story, so don't read it out!"
Doyle quickly explained: "No, no, I was just looking at the catalog."
After saying that, he focused his attention on the chapter title again.
Apologia,
statement of defense,
As a chapter name, why is it placed in the last chapter?
Doyle was puzzled.
His heart was scratching like a cat, but he couldn't suppress his curiosity and turned to the last chapter.
He was not one to read the ending first, but this book was really different.
The content of the last chapter came into view,
There were only a dozen natural paragraphs, and Doyle quickly read to the end:
"
'Sleeping pills? It was a poetically just punishment, and not because I was responsible for Mrs. Flair's death. This is her retribution for murdering her husband, and I have no sympathy for her. '
'I don't pity myself either. '
'Only let the sleeping pills put an end to everything. '
"
So, "I" am the murderer?
So, "Apologia" should not be understood as "apology", but should be understood as "confession"?
Doyle's whole body went numb.
He could never have imagined that there would be such an extremely novel way of writing in this world.
This...
"Can a human write this?!!!"
Doyle was shocked.
The boss was startled and turned around,
"Dr. Doyle, what's wrong with you? Why are you yelling all of a sudden?"
Doyle waved his hand.
"No, I just...I just...Fxxk! I want to withdraw the manuscript I just submitted to "Seaside Magazine"."
He was no longer willing to continue serializing the book when Lu Shi published it.
It feels really uncomfortable to be used as a backdrop.
Doyle asked: "Old Met, you just estimated the sales volume, what did you say?"
Old Met touched his chin and repeated his guess.
The final conclusion is: "Sell at least 30,000 copies."
Dalton suddenly turned into a bitter-faced person.
Just a few days ago, Herbert comforted him: "Don't forget that the unit price of "Seaside Magazine" is several times higher than that of "The Scotsman". Therefore, you are crushing Lu's sales volume and sales. , that’s it, why don’t you have any reason not to be confident?”
It's better now...
"It's over, I've been crushed."
Doyle slumped down, his heart completely broken.
(End of chapter)
