: The secretary of a famous scientist is killed. Sherlock Holmes discovers that the killer is the scientist’s wife, a Russian revolutionary who was trying to steal important papers from her husband’s office.
Inspector Stanley Hopkins is contacting Sherlock Holmes for help. He came to a standstill in investigating the murder of Mr. Willoughby Smith. Smith was the secretary of Professor Coram, who lives in a country house. Korem is an old sick man, he either lies in bed, waddles around the house with his wand, or is carried in a wheelchair through the garden. Recently, the professor decided that he needed a secretary. The first two did not fit, then he found Mr. Willoughby Smith, a young man who had just graduated from university. A housekeeper, maid and gardener also live in the house. The inhabitants of the house lead a closed lifestyle and do not go out the gate for weeks.
That day, the professor was in bed, and Smith worked in his room. Suddenly someone walked into the office, from where they soon heard a terrible scream. The maid ran in and saw Smith lying on the floor, in whose carotid artery a wax seal was inserted, which lay on the table with the professor. In his hand, the dead man was holding a golden pince-nez. Before his death, Smith muttered: "It was she."
The great detective studies pince-nez.He concludes that it belongs to a well-dressed, short-sighted woman with a thick fleshy nose and close-set eyes.
Holmes arrives at the crime scene. Judging by the tracks, the woman went through the park and entered the office along the corridor. She had no intentions to kill, otherwise she would have taken some kind of weapon with her. Judging by the scratches on the keyholes of the drawers on the table, the lady tried to open them. But then Smith noticed her, she pulled out and killed Smith with a knife - the first thing that came to her arm. Then she had to go along the corridor that leads to the professor’s bedroom, since there is no other way.
The great detective talks with the professor while smoking cigarettes. The professor cannot report anything about the murder. The great detective talks with the housekeeper, who says that the professor smokes a lot and, despite what happened, he has a great appetite - he eats more than usual.
Holmes returns to the professor, who offers him cigarettes. Taking the box, Holmes turns it over and everyone collects cigarettes scattered across the floor.
The great detective restores the picture of crime. A lady came into the professor’s office. She wanted to take the papers from the drawer, opening it with her key. The secretary caught her, and she, defending herself, stabbed him. Since Smith took off her glasses during the fight, she was helpless, and instead of rushing out into the street, she came to the professor’s bedroom. Seeing a woman, the professor helped her escape.
Holmes points to a tall cupboard in the corner of the room. He turns around his axis, and out of it comes a woman, the wife of a professor.Spouses - Russian revolutionaries. They were arrested, and the professor betrayed his comrades. Taking the money, he left for England and settled in complete solitude. Among the members of the organization was a friend of a woman who, without fault, was sent to hard labor. The papers confirming his innocence were held by the professor. In order to steal these papers, a woman arrived in England. Her friend got a job as a secretary to the professor and helped to make the key to the box. A woman came into the house and met Willoughby Smith on the way. Therefore, his dying words were: "This is she!" The professor hid his wife in a hiding place, because if he gives her to justice, she can give it to their organization. They decided that she would leave at night. The woman took out documents and a bottle of poison. Before Holmes stopped her, she drank poison and asked for the papers to be handed over to the Russian embassy.
On the way to the embassy, the great detective explains the chain of his reasoning. He realized that having lost such strong glasses, the woman became helpless, and they would have immediately grabbed her on the street. Consequently, she is in the house, and she could hide only in the professor’s room. Having examined the room, Holmes found a gap under the closet and realized that there was a cache. While smoking, Holmes poured ash on the floor and, coming later, was convinced that the captive was leaving the shelter, especially since the professor began to eat more than usual.
