Delphi Complete Works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Illustrated) (201 page)

This short story was written for Queen Mary, wife of King George V. When the Queen’s Dolls’ House was created in 1923, as a demonstration of British ingenuity and craftsmanship as well as a tribute to the beloved queen, many prominent authors created miniature books to be part of its library. This story, handwritten in a volume the size of a postage stamp, was Doyle’s contribution. It was subsequently published in The Book of the Queen’s Dolls’ House.

HOW WATSON LEARNT THE TRIC
K

Watson had been watching his companion intently ever since he had sat down to the breakfast table. Holmes happened to look up and catch his eye.

“Well, Watson, what are you thinking about?” he asked.

“About you.”

“Me?”

“Yes, Holmes. I was thinking how superficial are these tricks of yours, and how wonderful it is that the public should continue to show interest in them.”

“I quite agree,” said Holmes. “In fact, I have a recollection that I have myself made a similar remark.”

“Your methods,” said Watson severely, “are really easily acquired.”

“No doubt,” Holmes answered with a smile. “Perhaps you will yourself give an example of this method of reasoning.”

“With pleasure,” said Watson. “I am able to say that you were greatly preoccupied when you got up this morning.”

“Excellent!” said Holmes. “How could you possibly know that?”

“Because you are usually a very tidy man and yet you have forgotten to shave.”

“Dear me! How very clever!” said Holmes. “I had no idea, Watson, that you were so apt a pupil. Has your eagle eye detected anything more?”

“Yes, Holmes. You have a client named Barlow, and you have not been successful with his case.”

“Dear me, how could you know that?”

“I saw the name outside his envelope. When you opened it you gave a groan and thrust it into your pocket with a frown on your face.”

“Admirable! You are indeed observant. Any other points?”

“I fear, Holmes, that you have taken to financial speculation.”

“How
could
you tell that, Watson?”

“You opened the paper, turned to the financial page, and gave a loud exclamation of interest.”

“Well, that is very clever of you, Watson. Any more?”

“Yes, Holmes, you have put on your black coat, instead of your dressing gown, which proves that your are expecting some important visitor at once.”

“Anything more?”

“I have no doubt that I could find other points, Holmes, but I only give you these few, in order to show you that there are other people in the world who can be as clever as you.”

“And some not so clever,” said Holmes. “I admit that they are few, but I am afraid, my dear Watson, that I must count you among them.”

“What do you mean, Holmes?”

“Well, my dear fellow, I fear your deductions have not been so happy as I should have wished.”

“You mean that I was mistaken.”

“Just a little that way, I fear. Let us take the points in their order: I did not shave because I have sent my razor to be sharpened. I put on my coat because I have, worse luck, an early meeting with my dentist. His name is Barlow, and the letter was to confirm the appointment. The cricket page is beside the financial one, and I turned to it to find if Surrey was holding its own against Kent. But go on, Watson, go on! It ‘s a very superficial trick, and no doubt you will soon acquire it.”

When searching through Conan Doyle’s papers, a biographer of his came across an unfinished short story, with a plan and quotes. Various authors have attempted to complete the story and put it alongside the canon. Some are very close to Doyle’s plot, others including variations.

THE ADVENTURE OF THE TALL MA
N

A girl calls on Sherlock Holmes in great distress.  A murder has been committed in her village - her uncle has been found shot in his bedroom, apparently through the open window.  Her lover has been arrested.  He is suspected on several grounds:

     (1)  He has had a violent quarrel with the old man, who has threatened to alter his will, which is in the girl’s favour, if she ever speaks to her lover again.

     (2)  A revolver has been found in his house, with his initials scratched on the butt and one chamber discharged.  The bullet found in the dead man’s body fits this revolver.

     (3)  He possesses a light ladder, the only one in the village, and there are marks of the foot of such a ladder on the soil below the bedroom window, while similar soil (fresh) has been found on the feet of the ladder.

     His only reply is that he never possessed a revolver, and that it has been discovered in a drawer of the hatstand in his hall, where it would be easy for anyone to place it.  As for the mould on the ladder (which he has not used for a month) he has no explanation whatever.

     Notwithstanding these damning proofs, however, the girl persists in believing her lover to be perfectly innocent, while she suspects another man, who has also been making love to her, though she has no evidence whatever against him, except that she feels by instinct that he is a villain who would stick at nothing.

     Sherlock and Watson go down to the village and inspect the spot, together with the detective in charge of the case.  The marks of the ladder attract Holmes’s special attention.  He ponders - looks about him - inquires if there is any place where anything bulky could be concealed.  There is - a disused well, which has not been searched because apparently nothing is missing.  Sherlock, however, insists on the well being explored.  A village boy consents to be lowered into it, with a candle.  Before he goes down Holmes whispers something in his ear - he appears surpised.  The boy is lowered and, on his signal, pulled up again.  He brings to the surface
a pair of stilts!

     “Good Lord!” cries the detective, “who on earth could have expected this?” - “I did,” replies Holmes.  - “But, why?” - “Because the marks on the garden soil were made by two perpendicular poles - the feet of a ladder, which is on the slope, would have made depressions slanting towards the wall.”

     (N.B.  The soil was a strip beside a gravel path on which the stilts left no impression.)

     This discovery lessened the weight of the evidence of the ladder, though the other evidence remained.

     The next step was to trace the user of the stilts, if possible.  But he had been to wary, and after two days nothing had been discovered.  At the inquest the young man was found guilty of murder.  But, Holmes is convinced of his innocence.  In these circumstances, and as a last hope, he resolves on a sensational stratagem.

     He goes up to London, and, returning on the evening of the day when the old man is buried, he and Watson and the detective go to the cottage of the man whom the girl suspects, taking with them a man whom Holmes has brought from London, who has a disguise which makes him the living image of the murdered man, wizened body, grey shriveled face, skullcap and all.  They have also with them the pair of stilts.  On reaching the cottage, the disguised man mounts the stilts and stalks up the path towards the man’s open bedroom window, at the same time crying out his name in a ghastly sepulchral voice.  The man, who is already half mad with guilty terrors, rushes to the window and beholds in the moonlight the terrific spectacle of his victim stalking towards him.  He reels back with a scream as the apparition, advancing to the window, calls in the same unearthly voice - “as you came for me, I have come for you!”  When the party rush upstairs into his room he darts to them, clinging to them, gasping, and, pointing to the window, where the dead man’s face is glaring in, shrieks out, “Save me!  My God!  He has come for me as I came for him.”

     Collapsing after this dramatic scene, he makes a full confession.  He has marked the revolver, and concealed it where it was found - he has also smeared the ladder-foot with soil from the old man’s garden.  His object was to put his rival out of the way, in the hope of gaining possession of the girl and her money.

This is the final collection of Sherlock Holmes stories. Originally published in 1927, it contains stories published between 1921 and 1927.

CONTENTS

ADVENTURE I. THE ADVENTURE OF THE MAZARIN STONE

ADVENTURE II. THE PROBLEM OF THOR BRIDGE

ADVENTURE III. THE ADVENTURE OF THE CREEPING MAN

ADVENTURE IV. THE ADVENTURE OF THE SUSSEX VAMPIRE

ADVENTURE V. THE ADVENTURE OF THE THREE GARRIDEBS

ADVENTURE VI. THE ADVENTURE OF THE ILLUSTRIOUS CLIENT

ADVENTURE VII. THE ADVENTURE OF THE BLANCHED SOLDIER

ADVENTURE VIII. THE ADVENTURE OF THE RETIRED COLOURMAN

ADVENTURE IX. THE ADVENTURE OF THE THREE GABLES

ADVENTURE X. THE ADVENTURE OF THE LION’S MANE

ADVENTURE XI. THE ADVENTURE OF THE VEILED LODGER

ADVENTURE XII. THE ADVENTURE OF SHOSCOMBE OLD PLACE