The Falling Curtain (The Assassination of Sherlock Holmes Book 3) (30 page)

[129]
As recounted in the non-Canonical
The Adventure of the Manufactured Miracle
.

[130]
The details of this case have yet to come to light.

[131]
As Watson noted in Chapter I of
A Study in Scarlet
.

[132]
Fire-retardant gloves in 1909 were likely made of asbestos, which became popular in the 1860’s. The health risks of asbestos were only beginning to be understood at that time. The major report on the link of asbestos to pulmonary fibrosis was published in 1903.

[133]
What less biased folks would call the English Civil War (1642-1651), fought between the Loyalists of King Charles I and the Parliamentarians of Oliver Cromwell.

[134]
Stourbridge is a town in the West Midlands. Musgrave is most likely referring to King Edward VI College, founded 1552.

[135]
William of Ockham (c.1287–1347) was an English philosopher, whose famous razor can be boiled down to: ‘entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily.’

[136]
In fact, the caves are home to the greater horseshoe bat, the largest in Europe.

[137]
Gelignite, also known as blasting gelatin or simply ‘jelly,’ is an explosive material invented in 1875 by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, as an improvement over his earlier creation of dynamite (1867). Its composition makes it easily moldable and it cannot explode without a detonator, making it safer to store.

[138]
This might be
The Lady of Blossholme
, an intriguingly-named 1909 novel by Sir H. Rider Haggard (1856-1925).

[139]
This neo-Gothic span was constructed from 1887-1894.

[140]
The Monument is 202 feet tall, with 311 steps to its viewing platform, while the pedestrian walkways at Tower Bridge are only 143 feet (44 m) above the river at high tide.

[141]
Swiss Cottage is a district of Camden named after the 1804 inn built in the style of a Swiss chalet on the site of a former tollgate keeper’s cottage.

[142]
Mrs. Gibson killed herself in an attempt to frame her rival for her husband’s affection (
The Problem of Thor Bridge
), while it took extreme measures to convince Violet de Merville could not be convinced that Baron Gruner was a vile murderer (
The Adventure of the Illustrious Client
).

[143]
See the Appendix for more details of this masterpiece.

[144]
Holmes is clearly referring to Eckermann’s
Voodooism and the Negroid Religions
, a tome he read while investigating The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge. All copies of this work have been lost, but others have suggested a link between partial tetrodotoxin poisoning and so-called zombie potions.

[145]
As detailed in
The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire
.

[146]
Tetrodotoxin is the neurotoxin found in improperly prepared pufferfish, or
fugu
, which only the most expert chefs are legally allowed to prepare. It can be fatal within thirty minutes of ingestion. It was first isolated in 1909 by the Japanese scientist Yoshizumi Tahara.

[147]
In fact there was. Watson is thinking of James Cook (1728-1779), at the time captain of the HMS
Resolution
, whose log from 7 September 1774 records this incident. Cook and his men survived to go on to be the first Europeans to visit the Hawaiian Islands.

[148]
There are very few references to Japan in the Canon. Holmes deduced that Mr. Trevor had visited Japan (
The
‘Gloria Scott’). Watson spots a Japanese suit of armor in the house of Kemp and Latimer (
The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter
), and a Japanese vase in the collection of Mr. Nathan Garrideb (
The Adventure of the Three Garridebs
). At this time, most of the typical Londoner’s knowledge of the Japanese would derive from having seen Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera
The Mikado
(1885).

[149]
The area of Somers Town was first populated by citizens of
Japan
c.1880, who had been
sent to study at University College London.
The
nikkei
are Japanese emigrants and their descendants that reside in a foreign country.

[150]
Holmes first reveals this knowledge in
The Adventure of the Empty House
.

[151]
The first Anglo-Japanese Alliance was signed on January 30, 1902, and the Japanese fought (albeit in limited fashion) on the side of Britain during World War I.

[152]
As Holmes noted: ‘the trial of the Moriarty gang left two of its most dangerous members, my own most vindictive enemies, at liberty’ (
The Adventure of the Empty House)
.

[153]
Although this time Parker is safely behind bars, Holmes again discounts the man whose continued freedom resulted in the death of Inspector Patterson (
The Adventure of the Pharaoh’s Curse
). 

[154]
When Holmes was thought to be dead (
The Adventure of the Final Problem
) and when Holmes was revealed to actually be still living (
The Adventure of the Empty House
).

[155]
Holmes is presumably joking about the Raphael, much as he did to Mrs. Mary Maberly (
The Adventure of the Three Gables
), but if not, then we can hope that both works were restored to the National Gallery.

[156]
It appears that Löwenstein of Prague failed to take prompt heed of Holmes’ warning, which was delivered in 1903 (
The Adventure of the Creeping Man
).

[157]
The scientific work for which Professor Moriarty was much celebrated in certain circles (Chapter I,
The Valley of Fear
).

[158]
The origin of this phrase is obscure. It has been attributed to the French diplomat Talleyrand (1754–1838) and has been in the English language at least since 1846.

[159]
Not an actual torch, but what Americans would call a flashlight. The flashlight was patented in 1899, and tungsten filaments invented in 1904, but Holmes is not recorded as having used one in any Canonical adventure.

[160]
A reference to Josiah Amberley, who murdered his wife and her lover in this fashion (
The Adventure of the Retired Colourman
).

[161]
Here Holmes is mixing his metaphors. In
The Adventure of the Abbey Grange
, he compared himself to Napoleon, saying: ‘We have not yet met our Waterloo, Watson, but this is our Marengo, for it begins in defeat and ends in victory.’ But here Holmes appears to be comparing himself to Admiral Nelson, who won a great victory off the coast of Spain, but at the cost of his own life.

[162]
Nevill’s Turkish Baths could be found on the upper floor of a building on Northumberland Avenue. Both Watson and Holmes were known to frequent it (
The Adventure of the Illustrious Client
).

[163]
The invention of the folded silk ballistic, or bullet-proof, vest is attributed to Jan Szczepanik (1872–1926) of Poland, c.1901. In 1906, this material reputedly saved the life of the Spanish King Alfonso XIII, when a bomb concealed in a bouquet of flowers was hurled at him during his wedding.

[164]
Holmes once requested of Watson: ‘if it should ever strike you that I am getting a little over-confident in my powers, or giving less pains to a case than it deserves, kindly whisper “Norbury” in my ear, and I shall be infinitely obliged to you’ (
The Adventure of the Yellow Face
).

[165]
The term red-letter days dates from as far back at the Roman Republic (509-27 BCE), when important days were indicated in red on a calendar dating from the Roman Republic.

[166]
This appears to be a cryptic reference to the great question of philosophy and religion, i.e. the nature and meaning of the Universe itself. Holmes did dedicate at least a portion of his retirement time on the South Downs to the study of philosophy (Preface to
His Last Bow
).

[167]
The curtain may have fallen, but that does not mean that Holmes would not return to take
His Last Bow
.

[168]
A paraphrase of Watson’s praise for Sir Robert Norberton (
The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place
), here repurposed by him to more properly pay tribute to his great friend.

[169]
For an excellent discussion of lost works throughout history, albeit one that strangely omits the masterpiece discussed here, I highly recommend
The Book of Lost Books
by Stuart Kelly (Random House, 2005).

[170]
The other one being, of course,
The Practical Handbook of Bee Culture, with Some Observations upon the Segregation of the Queen
.

[171]
Holmes to Watson: ‘Crime is common. Logic is rare. Therefore it is upon the logic rather than upon the crime that you should dwell. You have degraded what should have been a course of lectures into a series of tales’ (
The Adventure of the Copper Beeches
).

[172]
Holmes appears to have expanded upon this treatise, partially quoted by Watson, for inclusion as the introduction to his magnum opus (Chapter II,
A Study in Scarlet
).

[173]
It is with uncharacteristic modesty that Holmes refers to his brain as an attic (Chapter II,
A Study in Scarlet
&
The Five Orange Pips
) or box-room (
The Adventure of the Lion’s Mane
), since the ‘method of loci’ is commonly referred to as the ‘memory palace.’ It is a mnemonic device that dates back as far as ancient Greek and Roman treatises. Holmes expands upon this in the non-Canonical tale
The Grand Gift of Sherlock
.

[174]
Holmes: ‘For nothing clears up a case so much as stating it to another person (
Silver Blaze
). We might also presume that, in some small way, this represents a tribute to Holmes’ partner in the Firm, Dr. John H. Watson.

[175]
Holmes speaking of François le Villard: ‘He possesses two out of the three qualities necessary for the ideal detective. He has the power of observation and that of deduction. He is only wanting in knowledge, and that may come in time’ (Chapter I,
The Sign of Four
).

[176]
Holmes to Watson: ‘You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is clear’ (
A Scandal in Bohemia
).

[177]
Holmes on Mycroft: ‘I said that he was my superior in observation and deduction. If the art of the detective began and ended in reasoning from an armchair, my brother would be the greatest criminal agent that ever lived. But he has no ambition and no energy’ (
The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter
).

[178]
Holmes: ‘You know my method. It is founded upon the observance of trifles’ (
The Boscombe Valley Mystery
), ‘…there is nothing so important as trifles’ (
The Man with the Twisted Lip
), and ‘It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important’ (
A Case of Identity
).

[179]
Holmes: ‘It seems, from what I gather, to be one of those simple cases which are so extremely difficult.’ Watson: ‘That sounds a little paradoxical.’ Holmes: ‘But it is profoundly true. Singularity is almost invariably a clue’ (
The Boscombe Valley Mystery
).

[180]
Holmes: ‘Data! data! data!’ he cried impatiently. ‘I can't make bricks without clay’ (
The Adventure of the Copper Beeches
).

[181]
Tablula rasa
is a Latin phrase meaning ‘blank slate’ employed in the philosophy John Locke (1632-1704). Holmes: ‘We approached the case, you remember, with an absolutely blank mind, which is always an advantage. We had formed no theories. We were simply there to observe and to draw inferences from our observations’ (
The Cardboard Box
).

[182]
Holmes: ‘I never guess. It is a shocking habit - destructive to the logical faculty’ (Chapter I,
The Sign of Four
).

[183]
Holmes: ‘It is of the highest importance in the art of detection to be able to recognize out of a number of facts which are incidental and which vital’ (
The Reigate Squires
).

[184]
Holmes: ‘There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact’ (
The Boscombe Valley Mystery
).

[185]
Holmes: ‘
Circumstantial evidence is occasionally very convincing, as when you find a trout in the milk, to quote Thoreau's example’ (
The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor
).