The Midwinter Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes: Three Adventures & The Grand Gift of Sherlock

by Craig Janacek

  I must admit that the next shelf gave me pause. At first glance, it appears that there is no organization to speak of at all, just a jumble of tomes thrown up at random. However, a closer inspection soon disclosed a subtle method in the madness.[434] First, we find the biographies, arranged alphabetically by the subject, starting with The Life of Agricola by Tactitus,[435] the Life of Frederick the Great by Thomas Carlyle,[436] the Life of Samuel Johnson by James Boswell,[437] and Memoirs of the Life, Writings, and Discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton by David Brewster.[438]

  The tone then shifts, and we find a jumbled mixture of history and philosophy, now arranged alphabetically by author. This starts with Star Papers; or, Experiences of Art and Nature by Henry Ward Beecher,[439] On Heroes, Hero Worship, and the Heroic in History by Thomas Carlyle,[440] but I admit that I was thrown by the positioning of the History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England Begun in the Year 1641 by Edward Hyde[441] before that of The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex by Charles Darwin..[442] Then I recalled that Hyde was the first Earl of Clarendon, and you were calling him by his title rather than his familial surname. Next comes Poor Richard’s Almanack by Benjamin Franklin,[443] Correspondence with George Sand by Gustave Flaubert,[444] and The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table by the esteemed Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes.[445] These are followed by The Prince of the Italian Niccolo Machiavelli,[446] Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica by Sir Isaac Newton,[447] An Essay on Man by Alexander Pope,[448] Martyrdom of Man by William Winwood Reade,[449] Excursions by Henry David Thoreau,[450] and Out of Doors: A Selection of Original Articles on Practical Natural History by John G. Wood.[451]

  In the upper left we find some exceptional and unique books indeed. I am certain that there is no one else in the world, Watson, with quite such a collection.[452] As they all have a certain relevance to our adventures together, you have chosen to display them in the order in which they were encountered. First, and in a place of deserved prominence, is that rarified tome of pure mathematics, The Dynamics of an Asteroid, by our great adversary Professor James Moriarty.[453] Strictly speaking the next tome, Atavism in Portraiture and Phrenology: A Study of Throw-backs & Reversions by Dr. James Mortimer, is slightly out of place, though its delayed publication perhaps accounts for your choice of locale.[454] There follows four of the five volumes that you retained from the burden of that poor old bibliophile: The Origins of Tree Worship, British Birds, the Carmina of Catullus, and The Holy War.[455] Next we find Heavy Game of the Western Himalayas and Three Months in the Jungle, both by the late lamented Colonel Sebastian Moran.[456] There are then two interesting tracts upon certain creeds, The Fallacious Foundations of Revealed Religion, Professor Sergius Coram’s magnum opus,[457] and Voodooism and the Negroid Religions, by Professor Hans Eckermann[458] Two greater contrasts in authors cannot be found in Huxtable’s Sidelights on Horace, by the excitable Dr. Thorneycroft Huxtable,[459] and The Eggshell Pottery of the Ming Dynasty, by the vicious Baron Adelbert Gruner.[460] And last we encounter that fascinating first novel by an original voice quieted far too soon, Douglas Maberley’s The Vital City.[461]

  We come to the end, upon the upper right shelf, between the marble busts of Jupiter[462] and Napoleon,[463] where I can see five volumes of some small merit. The first is a reprint of an article ambitiously entitled ‘The Book of Life.’[464] Even after so many years, I still find it meritorious. The second and third are but slim monographs, printed for private circulation only, one regarding The Polyphonic Motets of Lassus, said to be the last word on the subject,[465] and the other details The Celebratory Practices of the Solstice: A Comparative Analysis.[466] The fourth is a small blue book with golden letters printed across its cover, a Practical Handbook of Bee Culture, with some Observations upon the Segregation of the Queen, the magnum opus of my latter years.[467] Finally, the ultimate volume is entitled The Whole Art of Detection, [468] which, along with much new information, collects into a single textbook my many monographs, including ‘The Influence of a Trade upon the Form of a Hand,’[469] ‘Two Chapters on Ears,’[470] ‘On the Uses and Limitations of the System of Bertillon,’[471] ‘Graphology: Deductions from Handwriting,’[472] ‘The Art of Tracing of Footsteps, With Some Remarks upon the Uses of Plaster of Paris,’[473] ‘The Recognition of Tattoos and Skin Markings,’[474] ‘A Study in Smells: The Distinction of 75 Perfumes,’[475] ‘Upon the Distinction between the Ashes of the Various Tobaccos,’[476] ‘The Botany of Death: On Natural Poisons,’[477] ‘On Secret Writings: an Analysis of 163 Ciphers,’[478] ‘Upon the Dating of Documents,’[479] ‘The Elementary Distinction of Newspaper Types,’[480] ‘The Typewriter & Its Relation to Crime,’[481] ‘The Multiple Uses of Malingering,’[482] and ‘On the Uses of Dogs.’[483] I must admit, Watson, that I am touched to see your collection of my personal works – excepting only the French translations of Francois le Villard[484] – for I will say with no false modesty that they pale in comparison to the various adventures that you have set down in ink.

  I originally noted that there were three primary reasons for my success over the years, and I have yet to mention the last, and perhaps most important of all. In every one of the accounts which you have been so good as to recite my own small achievements, you have habitually underrated your own abilities and rôle.[485] I believe that I once called you “a whetstone for my mind,”[486] and “a conductor of light.”[487] In retrospect, I was perchance a bit too parsimonious with my praise. For a man with a long-standing disinclination to forming friendships,[488] it continues to elicit in my mind a great sense of amazement the degree of loyalty to which you have shown me throughout the span of our association.[489] I can honestly only recall a modicum of selfish actions throughout the years, all of which were perhaps excusable for almost any man with a heart beating in his chest.[490]

  Like some jovial Father Christmas, Watson, you have often bestowed upon me a gift during Yuletide. Though in thirty-seven years[491] I have never once returned the favor, you have refrained from criticizing this inaction in your many recountings of our adventures together. You deserve better and I feel that the time has come to address this imbalanced tally. This is the reason for the wrapped package that accompanied this letter. I hope with this small token of my great esteem, you could just fill that gap on the second shelf.[492] It is the 1623 printing of Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies, Published According to the True Originall Copies, which you may find to be of some interest.[493]

  The age is changing, Watson,[494] and the old guard is passing. We are not now of that strength which in old days moved earth and heaven.[495] Do you recall the time when we caught the last two acts of Wagner’s ‘Gotterdamerung’ at Covent Garden after the incident of the Bloomsbury Lodger?[496] After the horrors I have witnessed these last years during the Great War, I find that its final image of flames consuming the Hall of the Gods still lingers in my brain. I may have upon occasion disparaged certain of your writings as possessing a surfeit of emotion and romanticism.[497] However, I did read with a certain pleasure what you once wrote of me in mistaken eulogy.[498] In case I, in veritas this time, pass on to a humble corner of some Valhalla[499] before you, I will not hesitate to share with you some wise words from that First Folio: “I count myself in nothing else so happy, as in a soul remembering my good friend.”[500]

  Very sincerely yours and Happy Christmas,

  Sherlock Holmes

  §

  * * *

  [1] The choice of words by Watson suggests that he was thinking of the great ‘Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood’ (1804) by William Wordsworth, in which the poet waxes about death and mortality. Was this tale written by Watson after the terrible events at Reichenbach Falls, and thus a foreshadowing of what he believed was Holmes’ death?

  [2] Was this a subtle allusion on the part of Watson to the fact that 25 December was also the Roman festival of Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, or ‘Birthday of the Unconquered / Invincible
Sun?’ Only much later was this date appropriated for the celebration of Christmas.

  [3] Holmes himself admitted to having been “beaten four times – three times by men, and once by a woman” (The Five Orange Pips). He was also dead wrong about the identity of the person behind the yellow mask, so much so that the word ‘Norbury’ came to be a signal for ‘over-confidence’ (The Yellow Face). Finally, after the events of this case, during the years 1984–1901 Holmes was so busy that there were “a few unavoidable failures,” most likely counting among them the murder of Mr. Hilton Cubitt (The Adventure of the Dancing Men) among them.

  [4] A clear reference to Mr. John Oppenshaw, who was murdered by the K.K.K. on his way home from 221B Baker Street (The Five Orange Pips).

  [5] I have been unable to locate the source of this reference, which must to be to an unpublished case. A ‘tiffin’ is British English slang for a second lunch or light meal. It originated in colonial India.

  [6] Mentioned in numerous cases, Holmes would often push his iron constitution too far and develop a pressing need for rest, as seen in The Reigate Squires and The Adventures of The Norwood Builder and The Devil’s Foot.

  [7] As reported in The Yellow Face.

  [8] First mentioned in Chapter II of A Study in Scarlet, and confirmed by McMurdo in Chapter V of The Sign of Four, the only Canonical times these skills were on display were in The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist and The Naval Treaty.

  [9] A clear reference to the events of The Adventure of the Speckled Band.

  [10] Watson never before relates the exact address of his medical practice neighboring that of Jackson.

  [11] Watson met and married Mary Morstan in 1888, two years before this adventure.

  [12] Obviously, the events detailed in The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle.

  [13] As recounted in The Adventure of the Dying Detective.

  [14] As noted in Chapter IX of The Sign of Four and The Adventure of The Noble Bachelor.

  [15] Henry Cole (1808-1882) was an English civil servant who in 1843 devised the concept of sending cards at Christmas-time. The tale of how Watson acquired the jack-knife can be found in the non-Canonical tale The Isle of Devils.

  [16] Acquired at the end of A Scandal in Bohemia, it of course depicts Irene Adler.

  [17] The page-boy at 221B Baker Street, he appears in only a few cases, such as The Valley of Fear, The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone, and The Problem of Thor Bridge.

  [18] There are several different candidates for the exact floor-plan of 221B Baker Street, but this statement fits any such where the door to Holmes’ bedroom swings open to the left.

  [19] Holmes’ most familiar confidant within Scotland Yard, he appears in three of the four novels and multiple cases throughout Holmes career.

  [20] By the time of this adventure, Inspector Gregson has only appeared in two of Holmes’ cases, A Study in Scarlet and The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter. He later works with Holmes in several other cases.

  [21] Inspector Jones features prominently in The Sign of Four, but is otherwise absent from the Canon, unless you agree that his middle name is Peter, and he is therefore also the detective who assists Holmes in the case of The Red Headed League.

  [22] Inspector Bradstreet works twice with Holmes in The Man with the Twisted Lip and The Engineer’s Thumb. He is also mentioned in passing in The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle. He also appears in the non-Canonical The Adventure of the Manufactured Miracle.

  [23] Inspector Lanner makes only one appearance in the Canon while investigating the death of Mr. Blessington (The Adventure of the Resident Patient).

  [24] Inspector Forbes’ only appearance in the Canon is during the disappearance of The Naval Treaty, when he is initially quite frigid towards Holmes.

  [25] Instances of Holmes’ foul moods are too numerous to count.

  [26] Holmes was a master malingerer. The best examples are his suffering from Tapanuli Fever (The Adventure of the Dying Detective), a ‘nervous attack’ (The Reigate Squires), and a sprained ankle (The Adventure of the Priory School).

  [27] Watson also condemns Holmes’ excessive tobacco use in The Adventure of The Devil’s Foot.

  [28] The only note of the morocco case comes from Chapter I of The Sign of Four, where his seven-per-cent solution of cocaine was stored in a bottle. However, we know that Holmes was still using a year later in The Adventure of the Dying Detective, when Watson spies syringes upon his mantelpiece.

  [29] Professor Moriarty was clearly the first.

  [30] In Chapter II of A Study in Scarlet. However, Holmes’ swordsmanship is never put on display in any Canonical adventure.

  [31] Reminiscent of when Holmes shot the eponymous Hound of the Baskervilles, or when Watson shot the viscous mastiff Carlo (The Adventure of the Copper Beeches).

  [32] This is similar to Holmes’ rationale for sending Watson to the Continent to investigate The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax.

  [33] It is easy to hypothesize that he is referring to Professor Moriarty, but the other is less clear. Perhaps this is an early sign that the nefarious schemes of Charles Augustus Milverton were already on Holmes’ radar screen?

  [34] Much of Watson’s concern about inactivity and the risk of Holmes’ relapsing into drug use is similar to his thoughts during The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter.

  [35] Holmes compares his own mind to an engine in The Adventures of Wisteria Lodge and The Devil’s Foot.

  [36] Clearly a reference to Holmes’ use of cocaine.

  [37] Although Holmes occasionally makes chess references in the Canon, this is the first precise mention that he and Watson played.

  [38] The King’s Gambit is a classic chess opening strategy. The Florentine Defense is previously unrecorded, and may have been invented by Holmes.

  [39] Draughts is another name for the American ‘checkers.’ Both games were also played by Mr. John Oppenshaw’s uncle (The Five Orange Pips).

  [40] Écarté is a two person card game. It was played by Dr. Mortimer and Sir Henry in Chapter X of The Hound of the Baskervilles.

  [41] Holmes doesn’t often play cards in the Canon. The clearest reference is in The Red-Headed League.

  [42] The basket chair was a wicker armchair for guests to 221B Baker Street mentioned in several of the adventures.

  [43] A now-archaic term for ‘narcolepsy.’

  [44] Dr. Percy Trevelyan was the leading specialist on obscure nervous disorders (The Resident Patient). His particular interest was catalepsy, but evidently was also quite familiar with the similar affliction of narcolepsy.

  [45] Watson says something similar to this in The Adventure of the Six Napoleons.

  [46] London’s cabmen must have been particularly insolent to earn such a rebuke from the typically genial Watson!

  [47] Whose mystery Holmes solved in The Red-Headed League.

  [48] The structure of Holmes’ fee-schedule are a matter of great speculation. They could be exorbitant when the client could afford it, and could be waved on a whim when he was particularly motivated by a case or the poverty of a client.

  [49] Edward VI (1537–1553) was the only legitimate son of Henry VIII, born to his third wife Jane Seymour at Hampton Court Palace. He was crowned when he was nine years of age. He fell ill in January 1553 and named his cousin Lady Jane Grey (the great-granddaughter of Henry VII), rather than either of his half-sisters, heir to the throne. He died at Greenwich Palace on 6 July 1553. From 10-19 July 1553, the 17 year-old Jane Grey ruled as Queen of England until she was deposed and executed by Mary I.

  [50] A sovereign in 1890 had the purchasing power of approximately 80 pounds, or about $120 dollars, in 2014 currency. Mr. Melas was paid for his service and silence with a ‘sufficient fee’ of five sovereigns (The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter).

  [51] The father of Victoria, he reigned until 1837.

  [52] The last English sovereign was minted in 1604, during the reign of James I.

  [53] A travelling b
ag, also known as a ‘portmanteau.’

  [54] An 18th Century church on Hannover Square, it is known for its association with George Frideric Handel (1685-1759).

  [55] I have been unable to locate a Canonical reference to an albatross, so this must be an unpublished case.

  [56] Holmes may have been a genius when it came to certain matters, but to ascribe Watson’s motives here to ‘missing the game’ rather than trying to do a good deed for his friend, shows exactly how poor was his understanding of the human heart, even one belonging to his closest associate in the world.

  [57] Watson also references this case in The Problem of Thor Bridge.

  [58] Professor Moriarty comes to mind.

  [59] Holmes himself was one of them, as this brings to mind the diversion which enables him to obtain entrance to the Briony Lodge, home of Miss Irene Adler (A Scandal in Bohemia).

  [60] Attachés were officials attached to embassies, who often also engaged in espionage. Douglas Maberley was an attaché to Rome (The Adventure of the Three Gables).

  [61] Holmes was particularly parsimonious with his praise, but could on occasion congratulate Watson for his insights. Here he foreshadows The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter: “Excellent, Watson! You are scintillating this evening.”

  [62] The location of the Spanish Embassy has moved around London innumerable times throughout the centuries. In the age of the early Tudors, it was located near the Barbican, the location of the main fort of Roman London, and which served a military purpose until the era of Edward III. During the reign of Elizabeth I, the now-vanished palace at Ely Place was let to the representatives of the Court of Spain, and there they remained until the fall of Charles I. The Spanish ambassadors were kicked out of the country during the Protectorate of Cromwell, but the Embassy was reestablished during the restoration of Charles II, first on Ormond Street. From 1791-95, it resided at Hertford House in Manchester Square, now the home of the Wallace Collection of art. The street is still called Spanish Place. Circa 1819, the Embassy could be found at 49 Portland Place, now the Chinese Embassy. Eventually, in the mid-20th Century it moved again to its current locale at 24 Belgrave Square. Mr. Scott Eccles once called there trying to determine the fate of Mr. Garcia (The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge).