《波希米亞丑聞》（A Scandal in Bohemia）是柯南·道爾（Sir Arthur Conan Doyle）創(chuàng)作的福爾摩斯系列故事中的一篇短篇小說(shuō)，首次發(fā)表于1891年。

這是福爾摩斯短篇故事集中的第一部作品，講述了福爾摩斯與他的忠實(shí)伙伴約翰·H·華生醫(yī)生（Dr. John H. Watson）如何被卷入了一個(gè)涉及皇室丑聞的案件。

一位名叫艾琳·阿德勒（Irene Adler）的前歌劇演員擁有一張能夠破壞波希米亞國(guó)王（King of Bohemia）即將到來(lái)的婚姻的敏感照片。國(guó)王請(qǐng)求福爾摩斯找回這張照片。福爾摩斯接受了這個(gè)案子，開(kāi)始調(diào)查艾琳·阿德勒，卻發(fā)現(xiàn)她是一個(gè)聰明且獨(dú)立的女士。

福爾摩斯制定了一個(gè)計(jì)劃，試圖潛入艾琳的家中尋找照片。他和華生醫(yī)生一起，通過(guò)偽裝和一系列的計(jì)謀，試圖找到并取回照片。然而，艾琳·阿德勒證明了自己是一個(gè)不容小覷的對(duì)手，她不僅識(shí)破了福爾摩斯的計(jì)劃，還在他趕到之前將照片轉(zhuǎn)移。

最終，艾琳與她的愛(ài)人結(jié)婚，并帶著照片一起離開(kāi)了英國(guó)，也確保了國(guó)王的安全。在離開(kāi)前，她給福爾摩斯留下了一封信，信中透露了她如何識(shí)破福爾摩斯的計(jì)劃，并表達(dá)了她對(duì)福爾摩斯的敬意。她還留下了一張自己的照片作為紀(jì)念。

福爾摩斯對(duì)艾琳·阿德勒印象深刻，稱她是“女性中唯一讓我感到傾慕的人”。在所有他遇到過(guò)的女性中，艾琳是唯一一個(gè)成功欺騙了他的人。

《波希米亞丑聞》是福爾摩斯故事中的一個(gè)重要篇章，不僅因?yàn)樗堑谝粋€(gè)短篇故事，也因?yàn)樗肓烁柲λ棺钪膶?duì)手之一艾琳·阿德勒。

Through the smoke, I saw people moving quickly in the sitting room, and soon I heard Holmes’s voice saying it was a false alarm.

I moved through the noisy crowd and went to the end of the street, where I waited for Holmes. Ten minutes later, he showed up. We walked quickly and quietly for several blocks until we reached a quiet street off Edgware Road.

“You did very well,” Holmes said. “Everything went according to plan.”

“Do you have the photograph?” I asked.

“I know where it is,” Holmes replied.

“How did you find out?” I wondered.

“She showed me, just as I planned,” Holmes said with a smile.

“I still don’t understand,” I said.

Holmes laughed. “My plan was actually very simple. You saw how everyone in the street helped. Thanks to the king of Bohemia and his generous payment, they all got a little richer today.”

“I guessed that,” I said.

“When the fight started, I squeezed some red paint onto my hand. Then I rushed forward, fell down, and put my hand on my face to look like I was badly hurt. It’s an old trick,” Holmes explained.

“I figured that out, too,” I said.

“Then they carried me inside. I knew Mrs. Norton wouldn’t leave me hurt on the street. I was taken into the sitting room, which I suspected had the photograph. The king’s men must have tried to break into her bedroom, but Mrs. Norton is too smart for that.”

“They put me on the couch, I asked for some air, the maid opened the window, and you did your part.”

“How did that help?” I asked.

“It was very important. When people think their house is on fire, they instinctively try to protect what they value most. It might be a child or a valuable item. For Mrs. Norton, the most valuable thing was the photograph.

“The ‘fire’ was very convincing—all that smoke and noise made it seem real. Mrs. Norton acted just as I hoped. The photograph was hidden behind a sliding panel. She went straight to it, and I saw her pull it out through the smoke.”

“When I shouted that it was a false alarm, Mrs. Norton saw the smoke rocket on the floor. She quickly put the photograph back in its hiding place, closed the panel, and left the room.

“I could have taken the photograph right then, but the coachman was watching me closely. So I just got up, said I was feeling better, and left the house.”

“And what will you do now?” I asked.

“I’ll go back to Briony Lodge at eight o’clock tomorrow morning with the king—this time as myself. I hope you can come too. We’ll be shown into the sitting room and will wait for Mrs. Norton. When she comes in, she’ll find neither us nor the photograph. The king might enjoy recovering it himself.”

We had arrived back at Baker Street, and Holmes was looking for his key when someone behind us said, “Goodnight, Mister Sherlock Holmes.”

There were a few people on the street when we turned around, but the greeting seemed to have come from a young man in an overcoat who had hurried by.

“I recognize that voice,” said Holmes, looking down the dark street. “I wonder who it could have been.”

I stayed the night at Baker Street, and the next morning, while we were having toast and coffee, the King of Bohemia rushed into the room.

“Do you have it, Mr. Holmes?” he asked excitedly.

“Not yet,” replied Holmes.

“But you’ll have it soon?”

“I hope so.”

“Then let’s go. I can’t wait any longer.”

“We’ll need to get a cab,” said Holmes.

“No, my carriage is waiting,” said the king.

“That’s even better,” Holmes said.

We went downstairs to where the king’s fancy carriage was waiting and headed back to Briony Lodge.

“Irene Adler is married,” Holmes said.

“Married?” the king exclaimed. “When and to whom?”

“Yesterday, to a lawyer named Norton.”

“But she can’t love him,” the king said.

“I hope she does,” Holmes replied.

“Why?”

“Because if she loves her husband, she doesn’t love you. And if she doesn’t love you, she won’t try to interfere with your marriage plans.”

“That’s true!” the king sighed. “But still... I wish she had been from my own social class. She would have made a wonderful queen!”

The king fell silent, and we didn’t speak again until we arrived at Serpentine Avenue.

The door of Briony Lodge was open, and an elderly woman was waiting for us on the steps. “Mr. Sherlock Holmes, I believe?” she asked as we got out of the carriage.

“That’s me,” replied Holmes, looking surprised.

“My mistress told me you might come,” the woman said. “She and her husband left this morning on the 5:15 train from Charing Cross. They’re going abroad.”

“What?” Holmes exclaimed, looking shocked. “She’s left England?”

“Yes, and she’s not coming back.”

“And my photograph?” the king asked, his voice trembling.

“We’ll see,” Holmes said. He went past the housekeeper and hurried into the sitting room, with the king and I following closely behind.

The room was a mess, with books scattered on the floor and drawers left open. It looked like Mrs. Norton had hurriedly packed her things.

Holmes went to the wall, pulled back a sliding panel, and took out the hidden items. There was a photograph of Irene Adler in evening dress and a letter addressed to “Sherlock Holmes, Esq.”

Holmes opened the letter, and we all read it together. It was dated from midnight last night and said:

Dear Mr. Sherlock Holmes,

Your plan was brilliant. You completely fooled me. Until the fire cry went up, I had no idea I was being tricked. At that point, I remembered that I had been warned about you. I was told that if the King of Bohemia hired a detective, it would be you.

Despite that, you managed to make me reveal what you wanted to know. Even after I became suspicious, I found it hard to believe that a kind old clergyman was really you in disguise. But, I am trained as an actress myself. Dressing as a man is nothing new to me, and I use it to my advantage.

I sent my coachman, John, to watch you. Then I changed into my walking clothes and followed you. From your conversation with your friend, I realized I was the target of a clever trick by Sherlock Holmes.

When you got to your door, I foolishly wished you goodnight—sometimes I just can’t help myself! Then I went to meet my husband. We decided that, since you were such a skilled adversary, our best option was to leave, which is why you found the house empty this morning.

As for the photograph, the king doesn’t need to worry. I love and am loved by a better man than he. The king treated me badly, but I no longer want revenge, and he can marry without interference from me. I’m keeping the photograph only in case he tries to harm me in the future. Instead, I leave a photograph he might like as a memento.

Sincerely, Irene Norton, née Adler

“What a woman!” the King of Bohemia exclaimed after we finished reading the letter. “Didn’t I tell you how clever and determined she is? Wouldn’t she have made a wonderful queen? It’s such a shame she’s not of my class.”

“From what I’ve seen, she seems to be in a different class altogether from your Majesty,” Holmes replied coldly. “I’m sorry I couldn’t solve your case.”

“On the contrary, Mr. Holmes,” the king said, “you’ve been very successful. Irene Adler always keeps her word. I am now as safe from that photograph as if I had burned it myself.”

“I’m glad to hear that, Your Majesty.”

“I am very grateful to you, Mr. Holmes. Please let me know how I can reward you.” The king took off an emerald snake ring and offered it to Holmes.

“Your Majesty, there is something I would value even more,” Holmes said.

“What is it?” the king asked.

“This photograph.”

The king looked at him in surprise. “Irene’s photograph? Of course, if you want it.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Holmes said, putting the photograph into his pocket. “I believe that concludes our business. I wish you a very good morning.”

With a bow, he and I left and headed back to Baker Street.

And that’s the story of how a major scandal almost shook the kingdom of Bohemia, and how Sherlock Holmes's well-thought-out plans were outsmarted by a very clever woman. Holmes never forgot Irene Adler. He keeps her photograph on his wall and often takes a moment to admire the only person who ever managed to outwit him.