67 – Edward Hyde is real (5)
“You’re fired, Passepartout.”
“hehehehe! That… You must stop such excessive treatment immediately, Master Pogue! This… This is extremely French abuse! Uh… Why! Wealth… “Obviously the temperature was perfect, I checked this passepartout myself before I brought it in!”
“According to the rules, the shaved water should be 86 degrees Fahrenheit, but isn’t this 84 degrees Fahrenheit, two degrees lower, Passepartout? Of course, you should have calculated that it would cool down while you were bringing it.”
“Oh… Ah!”
“Phileas, stop being so mischievous. “No matter what, we can’t go after Passeparteur who is with us for that reason.”
“…… Of course it was a joke, ma’am. It’s a joke, Passepartout. “Do you think I would kick you out this easily?”
“Ah! Go… Thank you, Mrs. Auda! Oh, Passepartout, don’t you ever forget your wife’s kindness! “I will continue to work hard to continue working at a good job!”
Holmes and Watson had to watch the skit unfold before their eyes in silence.
Phileas Fogg, who was fastidious and mechanical, wanted to fire Passepartout just because the shaving water he had brought with him had cooled off a little, but he pursed his lips as if disapproving at his wife’s dissuasion, but tried to tell him it was a joke.
Of course, no matter how much Holmes saw it, Phileas Fogg was sincere.
This is why married life was truly difficult and inefficient. Obviously, Phileas Fogg was a free man with his own mechanical life, but he lost his freedom after winning his wife in a miraculous journey.
Holmes silently waited for the skit to end, resolving once again that he would live as a celibate.
“Hmm… …. “I ended up being rude to a guest who came without notice.”
“Honey. “You’re in front of our benefactors who helped us, so be careful what you say.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be sarcastic because it’s just a habit I developed in my life.”
“It’s okay, Mr. Fogg. “You already have the right to be sarcastic because you suddenly came here to cause trouble.”
Watson had no choice but to anxiously watch the conversation between Fogg and Holmes, who were clumsy and had strong personalities of their own.
It was a famous anecdote that when Phileas Fogg and his party attempted to travel around the world in 80 days, they were eventually caught at the Indian border by a competent detective.
Thanks to this, it led to a situation where the bet might really end everyone, but fortunately the worst outcome was avoided.
In fact, it was his friend Sherlock Holmes who made the greatest contribution in this role. In Watson’s case, she simply did the menial work of following Holmes around and beating her street vagrants with a hammer.
For some reason, when the police announced that they had caught the real bank robber, neither Holmes nor his own name was mentioned, nor was it even mentioned that the bank robber was suddenly killed by a gunman.
However, Phileas Fogg and his party separately expressed their gratitude to Holmes and Watson themselves, asking how they had learned of this matter. Thanks to that, I was invited to the wedding of Mr. Fogg and Mrs. Auda as a guest.
Mr. Fogg was definitely an eccentric person.
No matter how much it was for ‘investigation’ purposes, it was an undeniable fact that Watson and Holmes illegally invaded his mansion.
The human mind is inherently treacherous, so no matter how helpful it may have been to them, there are some who will hold back if they have suffered a slight loss.
However, Mr. Fogg did not think about such trivial matters, and even to this day sent letters containing formal greetings to Holmes and Watson.
In fact, Mr. Fogg himself was such a blunt person that his wife, Auda Fogg from India, wrote most of the letters by hand, and he only signed them.
Of course, no matter how many years he had known the strange gentleman in front of him, Watson always felt awkward whenever he faced Mr. Fogg. It was clear that he was just as much of a weirdo as Holmes.
So he may have been a little anxious.
In the case of Holmes, it cannot be said that he was sociable even with empty words, he always spoke bluntly and often brought up personal matters that could be rude to others.
But I soon realized that my worries were for no reason.
Holmes and Mr. Fogg seemed to have something in common in unexpected ways, and they began to talk mechanically, but quickly and without dissonance.
“It’s a nuisance, but I also find the work that the lady over there does quite interesting. Judging by your expression, it seems like you want to contact the Reform Club through me?”
“Yes. Specifically, I want to meet a member of the Reform Club. Since he is a famous person, it would be more likely to meet him through an introduction rather than going straight to him, but the first thing that came to mind was Mr. Fogg. “Anyway, you seem to be enjoying your newlywed life quite a bit. You’ve gained two pounds more than when I saw you at your wedding.”
“2.43 Pounds to be exact, Miss Holmes. Please arrange a meeting with a member, not the Reform Club itself……. “It’s not a difficult task, but it’s good to know that I don’t know every member of the Reform Club.”
“Anyway, Mr. Fogg is now an explorer whom no one knows in England, no, Europe. “I would like to meet Dr. Henry Jekyll.”
There was silence for a moment.
For a moment, Watson, who was quietly watching this, felt like Mr. Fogg was a broken clock. While the conversation was continuing without interruption, he clicked his tongue as if it was something unexpected.
“… In that regard, I would like to help if I can. However, if I remember correctly, there was a problem. “Perhaps it is natural that Miss Holmes does not know yet.”
“It’s a problem?”
“I heard this while playing cards with friends at a club, and Dr. Henry Jekyll has been missing for three days.”
It seems that even Holmes didn’t expect that. For a moment a wrinkle appeared on her fair forehead.
However, rather than embarrassment over something completely unexpected happening, it was more appropriate to say it was regret that it was late. At least that’s how Watson saw it.
However, Watson could not help but be quite surprised by Mr. Fogg’s words. Dr. Henry Jekyll was a famous person in London. As introduced in the article shown by Professor Moriarty at the racetrack a few days ago, there was no need to emphasize Dr. Jekyll’s fame because someone had written about it in a newspaper about something so personal that he wrote a will full of jokes.
The news of such a person’s sudden disappearance was something that any educated Londoner could not help but find surprising and interesting.
Above all, it was clear that the impact would be quite large. It was understandable why rumors were still circulating only within high-end social clubs.
“… “Do you know who told you that news?”
“Utterson. Gabriel Utterson. He’s also a member of the club, and as far as I know, he’s Dr. Henry Jekyll’s old friend and attorney. I don’t know why they are looking for Jekyll, but…… “If necessary, I will write you a letter of introduction now when I visit Utterson.”
“Yes, please.”
Immediately after that, everything was done quickly and accurately, as if something were being made in a factory. At Mr. Fogg’s gesture, Passepartout brought stationery, ink, and a pen, and Mr. Fogg quickly wrote a letter of introduction and handed it over to Holmes.
For Watson, it was a pity that he had to leave less than ten minutes after visiting Mr. Fogg’s mansion without being able to drink tea or chat properly with Mrs. Auda, but he had no choice but to follow in silence due to Holmes’ harsh gaze.
Even Watson could not have known that they were going to Attorney Utterson in a carriage.
But since Holmes didn’t say anything, Watson carefully opened his mouth while watching his eyes.
“That… “But why are you looking for Dr. Jekyll?”
“It’s because of Edward Hyde, Watson. “The two are definitely related.”
“… That… But Hyde is just a rumor that people talk about. Of course, writing a will that bequeaths all your assets to such a ghost-like being is clearly a bad joke, but still….”
“But Watson, seeing as he doesn’t bother to say anything afterward, I’m glad that he seems to be learning as well. Watson, I mistakenly thought you were a pitiful being who always thought with your heart when you should have thought with your head.”
“Sa… “Don’t treat people like fools!”
“I’m kidding.”
No matter how you look at it, it wasn’t a joke, but Watson closed his mouth and stared at Holmes with wide eyes. No matter what you say, all you will get in return is ridicule for your ignorance.
And Holmes continued, admiring Watson’s learning. Of course, I still couldn’t show everything.
“Let’s just say it’s simply because of the feeling. Watson, we’re going to be together anyway, right?”
“It’s dangerous, right?”
“…… Okay. Of course, Watson, you are a woman who enjoys taking risks, so even next to her dead body, you calmly eat 12 sandwiches and then eat 3 additional pieces of carrot cake for dessert. And that’s why she’s gained 2.2 Pounds recently, but I think it would be a good idea to hold back a bit. “I’m giving this advice as someone who knows me.”
“… That… How on earth do you do that? Ah… No, I didn’t gain weight! Radish… Of course, I haven’t weighed anything these days…… Now that I think about it, it seems like her breasts are getting tight again…….”
“It’s okay to bet. Of course, Watson, you don’t even have the money to bet right now.”
“Ah, that’s enough! I am not always enthusiastic about betting. You’re asking us to do this together anyway, right? Yeah, I can’t let my friend do something dangerous alone. “I will help you this time too, although I don’t know what to do.”
More than anything else, Watson was convinced that with this interesting friend in front of him, he would be able to experience strange things that were both dangerous and fun.
It was a clear stimulus, like the certainty that the reverse dividend would win.
Meanwhile, the carriage arrived at Utterson’s mansion, and the butler checked Mr. Fogg’s letter of introduction and guided the two ladies inside.
From noble mtl dot com
