Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes stories. Stories about Sherlock Holmes

05.04.2019

Arthur Conan Doyle is considered the founder of the detective genre. It was he who created the greatest detective in Great Britain. However, despite the fact that Holmes brought the writer unprecedented popularity, the author spent his whole life trying to part with the character. What was the fate of Conan Doyle and why did he hate Sherlock?

The outstanding writer repeated more than once that his mother instilled in him a love for literature, history and the past of England. She constantly retold little Arthur the historical novels that she loved to read. Memories of these moments prompted the author to take up writing. But first he set out on the path of medicine.

After graduating from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Edinburgh in 1881, Doyle received a bachelor's degree. Without hesitation, he began to practice. However, expectations from the profession were not met. U young specialist there were practically no patients, and the prospect of poverty was terrifying.

Doyle believed that Sherlock had taken everything from him with his fame

Out of despair, Conan Doyle attempted to turn to otherworldly forces, but after the first session he promised himself to never do this again. As a doctor, he understood that this could destroy his psyche.

"A Study in Scarlet" was the first story about a detective

Another way out of the spiritual impasse was marriage, but it did not bring him happiness either. It was then that he remembered the fascinating historical stories that he had heard so many in childhood, and decided to try himself in the literary field.

The first image that came to mind was his teacher at the university. The fact is that this was a doctor who could not only give a patient the correct diagnosis at a glance, but also determine his occupation, nationality and other details. He did all this simply based on his powers of observation. And Conan Doyle suggested that if such a man of science as his teacher becomes a detective, he will definitely not allow accidents.

So, in 1887, the first story about the exploits of the great detective, “A Study in Scarlet,” was published. The essay, to the author's surprise, received quite good feedback from critics. Three years later, “A Scandal in Bohemia” appeared on the pages of the capital’s Strand Magazine. The story from which the industrial production of Dr. Watson's reports about the endless adventures of Sherlock Holmes began. This was something new for people, and they began to buy the magazine, which, in turn, began to actively flourish. Since then, Conan Doyle's life has changed dramatically.

Doyle dreamed of more serious works than stories about Sherlock

The magazine's publishers immediately signed a contract with the aspiring author and also gave him an impressive advance. Having said goodbye to medical practice, Doyle moved to London and devoted himself entirely to writing stories about a cunning detective. The readers' delight knew no bounds. Behind a short time The magazine's circulation increased fivefold, and the editor constantly received letters addressed to Sherlock Holmes.

Now the inspired author wanted to write something more serious. However, all subsequent works that did not feature Sherlock were met with a relatively cold reception. Then Conan Doyle decided to get rid of the detective, who was idolized more than himself.

Having visited the famous Reichenbach Falls, the writer came up with the idea of how he would part with the hero who was boring him. In the story "Holmes's Last Case", the great detective disappears into a waterfall. However, as soon as the circulation was published, the publishers, inundated with letters and telegrams, rushed to the author with requests for the return of Sherlock. Meanwhile, in order to somehow get away from the obsessive hero, Doyle decided to go to the Boer War.

Publishers offered £100 for Holmes for 4 pages

After returning to England, the writer was awarded a knighthood for patriotism and courage. It even seemed to him that Holmes was finally finished and that the new life, but neither his everyday nor historical novels were still in demand. Financial difficulties soon began. However, requests for the hero's resurrection were still received. Publishers offered Doyle one hundred pounds sterling for four pages, when the average official at that time received only about five hundred pounds a year. The writer had to give up.

Despite this, Conan Doyle continued to try to get rid of the detective genre, but people could not get enough of Sherlock in any other work. The First World War began, and Doyle saw it as another chance to get away from the hated hero. He again expressed a desire to volunteer for the front, but now the British government rejected his request. After all, the author was considered the property of the country and the people. Then, in the story “His Farewell Bow,” Doyle made a last attempt to get rid of the detective, but nothing worked.

From the impossibility of changing anything, Conan Doyle again turned to mysticism. The author renounced Christianity and converted to the spiritualist religion. He began to write books on the history of spiritualism and give talks promoting his new religion. Soon almost all his friends and acquaintances turned their backs on him. Whether this influenced the writer or not, in 1927 the last collection of stories dedicated to the adventures of the hero, “The Sherlock Holmes Archive,” was published.

Detective fiction is undoubtedly one of the most popular and recognizable genres of literature. The first thing that comes to mind when you hear this word is a detective intently investigating a brutal murder or a twisted mystery. The names of the most famous trackers immediately come to mind: Miss Marple, Alan Pinkerton, and, of course, Sherlock Holmes. His name has already become a household name to designate a person with amazing deductive abilities and developed Notes about the adventures of this detective have long become classics of literature, but few people know what the author of Sherlock Holmes was like - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Childhood and adolescence

Arthur Conan Doyle (the surname is sometimes written as "Doyle" due to discrepancies in English) was born on May 22, 1859 in Edinburgh, Scotland, in the family of an artist and architect. Despite the fact that the boy's father often drank, Arthur received a good elementary education, and at the age of nine he was sent to a remote boarding school. Unfortunately, the writer has only negative memories of this place: disgusting food, low level of teaching.

But precisely in this unpleasant place future author"Sherlock Holmes" discovered his talent for writing. It was because of this that Arthur Conan Doyle became popular among his peers. By the end of his seven years at school, he even began publishing his own magazine and trying his hand at poetry.

Start

In 1876 Doyle became a student at Edinburgh. Studying was easy for him, so Arthur devoted his free time to literature. Already in his third year, he published one of his stories in a Scottish magazine, and in the same year his article on medicine was published in an influential periodical. In 1881, the medically-trained author of Sherlock Holmes traveled to West Africa as a ship's doctor. Before this, by the way, he already had experience in long-distance voyages: the expedition to the Arctic was not in vain. Returning from the voyage, Doyle began working as a doctor, and a couple of years later he defended his doctorate in medicine.

But with all his worries, he did not forget about creativity. In 1886, Arthur Conan Doyle became famous as a prose writer. “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” - the first stories about the famous detective - appeared in periodicals.

Fame and...throwing?

In 1889, Doyle, his wife and little daughter left the UK. The ambitious doctor decides to move to Austria, where he studied for some time, to move from general therapy to ophthalmology, but after a couple of months the couple returns to London. Arthur opens a private office for a while, trying to combine medicine and literature, but in 1891 he completely goes into the universe called “Sherlock Holmes”. The author of exciting stories became more and more popular every day, he allowed himself to demand enormous amounts of money for stories, and periodical magazines were ready to pay fabulous fees for the opportunity to publish Doyle. At the same time, Arthur travels with his family around the world, writes, and teaches at various universities. In 1897, returning to the United Kingdom, he tried himself as a playwright - and the world received a theatrical version of Sherlock Holmes.

In December 1899, the Boer War begins. Having abandoned the Sherlock Holmes series of stories, the author goes to the front as a volunteer doctor. Three years later, Arthur Conan Doyle received the prefix “sir” and the title of knight for his service to the Crown during difficult times of the war. The experience was reflected in the book “The Great Boer War”.

After

After the war, Arthur once again leaves medical practice, this time for politics. True, he could not even win the local elections, so he very soon abandoned this idea. In 1906, after the death of his wife, he married for the second time, and the new union brought him not only children, but also inspiration for writing theatrical versions of some stories from the Sherlock Holmes series: the author of the work was able to achieve the production of The Speckled Band, as well as "Brigadier Gerard" and "Rodney Stone" (in the latter case the name was changed to "Turperley House"). During the same period, “The Hound of the Baskervilles” was published, a novel about one of the most famous cases of the brilliant detective.

But the sense of inner duty was invincible, so it is not surprising that with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle again joined the ranks of the British Army volunteers.

Last years

Returning from new war, the author of Sherlock Holmes discovers spiritualism. The unusual and, admittedly, rare teaching fascinated Doyle so much that in 1922 he once again left Britain and left with his family for the United States, where he intended to seriously engage in the propaganda of spiritualism. He spent almost two years traveling, trying to interest as many overseas people as possible in esoteric teaching, but at the end of the twenties, Arthur Conan Doyle returned to Europe. In 1929, he went on a journey around the world, during which he wrote his last book, which had nothing to do with Sherlock Holmes, who had already tired of him (his author even once tried to kill him, but due to pressure from the public he was forced to resurrect the character).

Copycats

It is almost impossible to pass by such a bright and extraordinary image as Sherlock Holmes, therefore, even during the life of its author, writers began to appear who expressed their vision of this unusual hero. Stories about the fate of the detective were written by the son of Arthur Conan Doyle, and Franklin Roosevelt - one of famous presidents USA.

In the nineties of the twentieth century, great amount books of the “Sherlock Holmes” series by other authors (A. Shaburin, V. Petrina, M. Trushin, etc.), who hinted that new stories were found in Dr. Watson’s suitcase. The number of imitators of Doyle’s genius is truly enormous, and, probably, in each version of the stories about the most brilliant of detectives there is something surprisingly intriguing.

I can’t consider myself a fan of the detective genre. I've never been attracted to the core idea of the genre - not knowing who the culprit is until the very last page. But I have the most tender feelings for Sherlock Holmes. In the activities of the famous detective, I see not crime investigations, but mental gymnastics or even a game.

Conan Doyle created an entire entertainment industry for his character: his own deductive method, fantastic attention to detail and deep, highly specialized research - tobacco, perfume, poisons, bicycle tire marks, as well as what is now probably called criminology and forensic medicine.

Some crimes in the stories look primitive for the modern reader, and the author explains the mystical components simply as new inventions (like an air gun) or overseas components (like poisons unknown in Europe, exotic animals or barbaric rituals). However, many of the schemes are simply magnificently insidious and ingenious. Sometimes, in those places when Holmes, as usual, tells the stages of his reasoning, you want to clap your hands with delight. However, the author clearly did not want us to forget that Holmes is also a person, so from time to time he threw up more serious rivals or showed that even the all-knowing detective can be late.

The detective's personality itself is sculpted in detail and very attractive. Sherlock is a misanthrope at times, but sometimes shows amazing compassion for his clients or even those he caught committing a crime. It seems to me that many modern characters are reflections of Holmes.

Special thanks to Conan Doyle for a brilliant example of friendship. It's really enviable how these two found each other. After all, it’s difficult to spend your whole life, like Dr. Watson, next to such an eccentric genius and not get tired of showing your admiration.

It is also impossible to forget that Holmes’s adventures are inextricably linked with London: gloomy slums, bars, the Thames embankment, docks and opium dens, cabmen, policemen and messengers, as well as banks, workshops, clubs and elegant cottages of decent areas. The author also succeeded in the province: pastoral landscapes and estates, as well as the stunningly gloomy district of Baskerville Hall.

Needless to say, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson won the hearts of many readers around the world. For so many years we continue to watch film adaptations and all kinds of interpretations. It's always nice to remember and touch their history again.

Rating: 10

During my life I have read a lot of detective stories: ancient and modern, simple and very cunningly twisted. But my favorite works in the detective genre are still books about Sherlock Holmes. What is the reason for this? First of all, heroes. Perhaps among the long line of detectives there will be those who surpass Holmes in wit, fearlessness and cunning detective skills. But surely none of them can compare with Holmes and his friend Watson in nobility, decency and reliability. Yes, Holmes is also a man and nothing human is alien to him. He has his own weaknesses and oddities, he may make mistakes, but he will never do anything mean. And a hundred years ago, and in our unreliable and troubled times, I really want to believe that somewhere there is a person to whom you can rush for help in the most terrible trouble, and who will never refuse this help. In general, books about Holmes are very rich in bright characters. Not only Holmes and Watson, not only dear Mrs. Hudson and the ubiquitous Lestrade, but completely episodic characters like the red-haired shopkeeper Wilson, the evil Doctor Roylott, the eccentric Thaddeus Sholto or the handsome Doctor Mortimer are remembered for a lifetime.

I cannot help but note the amazing atmosphere of the books. Sometimes you just feel the notorious London fog or the dampness of the Grimpen bog. This atmosphere is created through hundreds of little things, and it is thanks to the Holmes books that I imagine life in Victorian England better than modern life English.

Thirdly, the books are simply well written. And here I can’t help but give credit not only to myself Conan Doyle, but also to translators, thanks to whom books are read in one breath.

Another positive feature: Holmes stories are surprisingly varied. Each investigation goes a little differently, we encounter completely different characters and situations, and Holmes's way of thinking is bizarre and surprising. The Sign of Four is not at all similar to A Study in Scarlet, and, for example, The Hound of the Baskervilles is different from both of them. Only in latest stories Conan Doyle began to repeat himself a little, but I also enjoyed reading them.

I will also note that stories about Holmes have an important difference from other detective stories. As a rule, even a good detective story is interesting to read only for the first time, and you don’t want to re-read it, already knowing the solution. But I’ve already read “Sherlock Holmes” six or seven times and each time I found something new in his books.

Yes, in modern times, stories about Holmes sometimes seem simple and somewhat naive, but, in my opinion, there is something timeless in these stories and tales. For me they are a kind of symbol of stability and order that has outlived its era and stepped into immortality

Rating: 10

The Collection of Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Incredible Cycle interesting works, in each of which we get to know the famous detective himself a little closer, with his amazing deductive method and, of course, solve another mysterious crime.

In terms of writing and style, Conan Doyle has no equal. In his stories everything is clear and precise, there are no unnecessary deviations from the plot that are present in the “magnificent” detective stories of Daria Dontsova.

Conan Doyle - one story about 30-40 pages. Moreover, the whole case was completely solved; all the little details were not left unattended. The works are almost unrelated to each other. The main connecting point is Doctor Watson (at first he is single, then he has a wife, then he is a widower).

Dontsova - about 350 pages of a soap opera on the theme of the life of the main character, his quarrels with friends, relatives, etc. Of these 350 pages, there are at most 100 pure detective stories. As you read, you will come across a bunch of references to Dontsova’s previous literary opuses, without reading which you won't know full story main character (or heroine).

The series of works by Conan Doyle about the detective Sherlock Holmes, famous throughout Europe, rightfully takes its place among the best detective stories. Undoubtedly 10.

Rating: 10

Score 10. And only 10.

How can you give a lower rating to a cycle whose main character’s name has long become a household name? (Although this is the merit of Soviet cinema) A.K. Doyle founded (in my opinion one way and not the other) in literature completely new genre and his name is detective. In the works of this cycle, he immediately set a very high bar that IMHO NO ONE could overcome. A. Christie, J. Semenon, R. Stout stand at MAXIMUM on the same level. Of the Soviet authors, only the Weiner brothers rose to this height, and of the Russian ones, no one came close. (It’s probably stupid to divide detective writers into Soviet and Russian).

The fool (of course only by Holmesian standards) detective (Japp for Christie, Kremer for Stout) who every now and then turns to the Great for help (he almost wrote a terrible one), but at the same time is terribly jealous of him, and the narrative has also become a classic. on behalf of the closest assistant (part-time donated person, best friend, right hand etc.), and the confrontation between private investigation and the official police. Which every now and then remains with the nose.

The first two novels turned out to be very strong. Especially “A Study in Scarlet.” Everything struck me: Holmes’s personality, his charisma, his powerful intellect.

The scenes where Watson and Holmes meet are very colorfully described. Just some kind of meeting with a sorcerer who can easily guess your most secret thoughts. Well, the scene with Copernicus is simply the highest swearing, a masterpiece of writing. And how apotheosis (how pathetic it all sounds) Holmes’ monologue quote:

"it seems to me that human brain is like a small empty attic that you can furnish however you want. A fool will drag all the junk he can get his hands on there, and there will be nowhere to put useful, necessary things, or at best, you won’t be able to get to them among all this rubbish. And a smart person carefully selects what he places in his brain attic. He will take only the tools that he needs for his work, but there will be a lot of them, and he will arrange everything in an exemplary order.”

Spoiler (plot reveal) (click on it to see)

Whatever you say about the brain and the instrument, it’s powerful! To be honest, I think (although this is not about me) that you can forget what the novel is about, BUT you will NEVER forget THIS. In addition, this novel tells not one, but two exciting stories and the non-linearity of the plot makes it even more beautiful.

P.S. Does Daria Dontsova really think she writes detective stories???:haha:

Rating: 10

Having fully familiarized myself with the series, combining my half-forgotten childhood emotions with new adult impressions, I was certainly convinced that it is not for nothing that Sherlock Holmes is called the most famous detective of all times. What is the secret of his undying popularity? Just as a hundred years ago, the first readers of these stories were looking forward to the latest issue of the magazine, where the next Holmes investigation would be published, so now many enjoy watching new foreign TV series and films based on the adventures of Holmes and Watson. The canonical cycle includes four novels and fifty-six short stories, divided into five collections, and the number of all kinds of parodies and free continuations has long exceeded hundreds and thousands. In our country, the remarkable Soviet film adaptation had a huge influence on the popularization of the image of Holmes; the image created by the talent of V. Livanov received the highest recognition not only here, but also abroad, where there were plenty of their own performers for this role.

Conan Doyle managed to hit the bull's eye, find golden ratio harmony, which finds a lively response in the hearts of the vast majority of readers, some of whom are not at all interested in the detective genre. The wealth of imagination and ingenuity of the author are embodied in the stunning variety of stories offered to the reader's attention - there are stories of adventure and picaresque, psychological and pseudo-mystical, scary and funny - every reader can find something of his own among this motley variety. I can’t say for sure whether Sir Arthur was the first to propose the “insightful detective and his faithful but narrow-minded assistant” scheme, but it was from his suggestion that it became a classic. It was not enough to offer a scheme; the author’s merit also lies in the fact that he managed to create lively, rich images of the main characters. Almost every story adds new touches to the personalities of Holmes and Watson; they change in the process, sometimes appearing before us from an unexpected side and thereby captivating the reader.

It was the sincere, well-developed images of the characters that became the necessary help for the author, allowing him to pull out even the weakest detective stories, although it must be admitted that most of Holmes' investigations are written in an extremely interesting and inventive way. Turning to similar detective series by Conan Doyle's contemporary authors, we can say that they are also good, but usually fall short in one element or another. Boston professor van Drusen, nicknamed the Thinking Machine, created by the imagination of J. Futrell, is very similar to Holmes, but he lacks the depth and liveliness, the contradictory nature of Holmes. At the same time, the professor’s investigations are quite interesting, and the landscapes of New England are not inferior in charm to the streets of London. Scotland Yard Inspector Addington Peace, who became a character in the detective stories of fellow Conan Doyle B.F. Robinson, is very reminiscent of Holmes, he even has his own Watson - journalist James Phillips, and his other investigations are no worse in ingenuity and invention than Holmes' iconic cases. However, here the neglect of the surroundings is striking, and the image of Peace itself is not so developed, moreover, it is clearly secondary - the violin was replaced with a flute, the doctor with a journalist.

While getting acquainted with the practice of Sherlock Holmes, we seem to live a second life - from the first case dedicated to the investigation of the mutiny on the Gloria Scott, which Holmes led as a college student, not yet fully forming and honing his deductive method, to “His Last Bow” , where the Great Detective appears as an elderly counterintelligence officer exposing German agents on the eve of the First World War. The author makes us get used to his characters, we become witnesses of the first acquaintance of Holmes and Watson, eyewitnesses of a mortal duel on the edge of the Reichenbach Falls, together with Watson we stand at the head of the bed of the terminally ill Holmes, dying of an exotic illness in the story “Sherlock Holmes is dying.” We also rejoice in a friendly way at the marriage of the doctor, who found his love on the pages of the novel “The Sign of Four”, we are sad to learn about the death of his wife in “The Empty House”, but we secretly hope that the doctor will return to Baker Street again and in the first place. Called by Holmes, he will go with his friend to the scene of the next crime.

According to the laws of the genre, the author always offers a rational scientific explanation as a solution to even the most complicated matter; this point also in many cases intrigues and makes you read the next story with great interest. No matter how incredible the initial conditions of the problem may be, we always know that the author will find a way to explain everything logically, but how he does it is sometimes such an intrigue that you forget about everything. Take, for example, the reference “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” which in its atmosphere of gloom and mystery is not inferior to the best Gothic horror novels; even Holmes at the climax for some time believed in the supernatural nature of the dog, how could the reader not succumb to the author’s tricks? And there are not so few such stories - terrible death of a young girl and the mysterious whistling that preceded it in The Speckled Band, madness and death from unknown horror in The Devil's Foot, a mother drinking the blood of her baby in The Vampire of Sussex and a mysterious death caused by terrible burns on a deserted beach in Lion's mane."

No, old Holmes has not aged at all - how many generations of readers have grown up on these stories, and how many more will there be? For adults, these stories are simply interesting, but for young readers they are also extremely instructive, because Sherlock is not a typical police sleuth, but a free person with his own code of honor and the concept of justice, he is not bound by the rigid framework of human laws, but is able to justify a known criminal if available. certain circumstances and punish the villain, who, according to formal legal norms, could avoid answering. These books teach you to live according to your conscience, form a free and independent personality, and develop observation and attention to detail. Real male friendship, sincere camaraderie and a sense of comradeship, the ability to self-sacrifice and the concept of honor - all this is embedded here, read in childhood, these stories shape right attitude to life, remain with us forever.

Rating: 10

Sherlock Holmes is the best detective of all time; he will be read hundreds of years from now. Our parents still read them, and our children will read them too. Many interesting stories, wonderful storytelling, unforgettable characters - all this is in this book! After reading 50 pages I couldn't stop. Overall, this is a true classic masterpiece!

Rating: 10

An unfading and inimitable classic. The latter is especially worth noting. None of the imitations of Doyle's stories and tales (and I collect these imitations) can be put on a par with original stories. None. even Adrian Doyle's stories are secondary. Imitators and successors rarely begin their opus with Doyle's classic opening sequence - Holmes's intellectual warm-up, drawing the doctor's attention to some things that literally “catch the eye”, but almost no one sees them. Let's remember about the steps leading to the apartment! :) They rarely describe the investigation that Holmes conducts, studying the suspicious evidence he found through a magnifying glass, microscope, chemical reagents, tape measure and other things. Almost 100% imitators introduce Lestrade into the role of the clumsy police detective, although Doyle also mentions other Scotland Yard employees. Copycats have almost nothing more than a crime and an investigation, often very inconclusive. There is no London with its fogs, cabs, street urchins, newspapers, clubs and restaurants. There are no quotations from the classics, from Roman to Doyle's contemporaries, which Holmes quotes from time to time to enhance the persuasiveness of his words. There are no reflections of Watson, the imitators are much paler and more superficial than Holmes. The imitators are our contemporaries, many of them have a primitive language, which they endow with Holmes himself. In them, Holmes can scream, grimace, twitch, yell, grin, grumble, scream, while Doyle prefers calm verbs “said”, “exclaimed” (this is about Watson), “pronounced”. A gentleman cannot and should not yell and scream.

Let's return to Doyle. In some stories he doesn't have any investigation either. For example, in “The Copper Beeches”, “The Adventures of a Clerk”, “Yellow Face”, “The Lonely Cyclist”, “The Veiled Woman”, “The Lost Rugby Player” Holmes, in fact, does nothing and has not done anything as a detective. But his intervention and activity changes the state of affairs, directs them in a new direction, and leads to a denouement. In "Man on All Fours", "Identification", "The Hunchback", "The Lion's Mane" there is a mystery, but no crime. In The Vampire in Sussex there is only one detail that helps Holmes understand what happened. In “Five Orange Seeds” the entire investigation is limited to looking at a file of newspapers, in “Gloria Scott” - examining the old man’s hand and listening to his story (or reading a letter), in “The Man with a Cut Lip” - sitting with a pipe on a whole bunch of pillows. In The Valley of Fear, Holmes himself is essentially absent. This story disappointed me, and I think not only me. Among the weakest stories I would consider “The Mazarin Stone”, in which for some reason the story is not told on behalf of Watson, and all the characters speak some kind of monstrous language.

In fact, Holmes doesn't often sneak around a crime scene with a magnifying glass and tape measure, an envelope and tweezers. Even more rare is the use of force or weapons. But he skillfully provokes a suspect in a crime, forcing him to lose his temper and commit a reckless offense. It is curious that Holmes seems to have lost his temper only once when exposing and apprehending a criminal (“The Three Garridebs”). He is correct and polite even with those who are terrible and disgusting. Holmes does not have hatred for them and a passion to punish and “crush the reptile”, like Javert from “Les Miserables” by V. Hugo. But he very rarely talks about social injustice, the so-called. " social issues"He probably isn't interested.

Rating: 10

A most brilliant series of works!!! I don't see Sherlock Holmes ever becoming obsolete. Despite the fact that I am not interested in detective stories, I read this series in its entirety in a month, if not less. Conan Doyle is one of the few authors who can create a relaxed, humorous atmosphere against the backdrop of a serious and dangerous situation. I couldn’t put it down from the first story; I didn’t want to eat or sleep. Now my main dream is to visit London.

Rating: 10

To be honest, I think this series is over-praised. Behind the talk that this is a classic, and that A. C. Doyle, in fact, is the founding father of the detective story (and both of these are certainly true, although even before Sherlock Holmes there were Edgar Allan Poe’s Dupin and W. Collins’ detective Cuff - its direct “forerunners”)... and so, behind these laudatory conversations one very simple thing. There are very few works in which we see the ENTIRE course of reasoning of the great detective, the ENTIRE logical chain of his thoughts; more often we observe one or two links in this chain - and the final conclusion; but how exactly Holmes came to such a conclusion is not always clear... The “deductive method” (which, as Conan Doyle himself eventually admitted, is rather inductive! :wink:) was shown at the beginning of “The Sign of Four” - when Holmes talks about his friend’s habits, indicating his character traits. But this, although interesting, is not a detective investigation at all. And although we see Holmes’ method IN ACTION, we... usually not completely (the most famous work- “The Hound of the Baskervilles” - there was no image of him at all; we never find out how Holmes figured out the criminal - we only know that he did it in the end...) As a result, you begin to be somewhat disappointed in all these stories.

Plus some other annoying inconsistencies with names: in “A Study in Scarlet” Dr. Watson’s name is John, and in “The Man with the Harelip” - for some reason, James. In "Holmes' Last Case" a certain James Moriarty is mentioned - the brother of the notorious professor; and in “The Empty House” this is the name of the villainous professor himself...

All this somewhat undermines the glory of Conan Doyle in my eyes. Of course, no one has canceled his merits in creating the detective genre, they are significant - but... still, the “shining armor” of the Knight of Detectives is somewhat tarnished - for me personally - by creative failures and inconsistencies:frown:

Rating: 7

Do you think that Sherlock Holmes stories are detective stories? You are very mistaken, ladies and gentlemen: smile:!

Stories about Sherlock Holmes are chapters of a chivalric romance. A fearless, crystal-honest knight-magician (the deductive method is a magical weapon), Sherlock Holmes and his faithful squire Watson fight scoundrels and monsters, defend goodness and justice, do not take money from the poor, etc. In this acceptance.

Rating: 10

Everyone has their own story about meeting Mr. Sherlock Holmes. Mine started in a very early age. One summer, my older sister was given four volumes of Conan Doyle’s eight-volume series (the little black ones, 1966) to read. And I had just finished first grade and did not want to yield to my sister, who is five years older than me, in anything. Although by that time my reading experience was already “solid” - I’ve been reading since I was four years old, but Conan Doyle was, perhaps, too much. Later, when I became an adult, I asked my mother why they didn’t follow my reading, but somehow I still didn’t understand why I still read these four volumes. These wonderful stories had a terrifying effect on my childhood psyche - I was afraid to leave the house - murderers and criminals seemed to be everywhere. It was only later, when I got older, that I met Sherlock Holmes again as an old acquaintance, the stories no longer frightened me, they were wonderful. And even later Professor Challenger appeared, which forever made Conan Doyle one of his favorite authors throughout his life.

And those stories read after the first grade of school had a wonderful continuation. I went to second grade with different children from whom I started studying; me and another girl were transferred to another class. And we, the only ones who knew each other among other people’s children, stood at the window during recess and I retold her the scary stories I read in the summer, and she told me what she had read. Thus, on the basis of summer reading, a friendship arose that has lasted for almost fifty years.

Now I don’t really like detective stories, but Conan Doyle is not perceived by me as a detective author, he described the London that has still been preserved a little, and if you are in London, be sure to go to Baker Street, you will see a cab flashing around the corner , and Doctor Watson will look out the window of house number 221 bis. At the museum, you will definitely sit in Sherlock Holmes's chair and take a photo with a magnifying glass and pipe. Because the love for these books will never go away.

He, like a robot, is programmed for detective work. But playing the violin, love and friendship do not fit into the program.

He has amazing powers of observation, but not the best on that Earth.

He completely and completely immerses himself in his work, unraveling the darkest cases with pleasure and excitement. And when there is no work, he takes drugs and shoots up the wall in the house.

He cooperates with the law. But he does not hesitate to hire street punks, infiltrate private property and help criminals, guided by morality and not the law.

One of the most interesting and unusual characters (control of one’s own knowledge is extremely rare) and, moreover, quite balanced.

Rating: 10

I “recognized” A.K. Doyle precisely from the works about Sherlock Holmes. This is all that was available to me in 1993 (it’s so nice to see the cover of my favorite book on this page :)) The author really hit the mark when he invented his detective. I still really love the methods of deduction and induction (fortunately, at the Faculty of Law, these methods are generally used for any research). The attractiveness of the main character determined the attractiveness of all stories.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Scandal in Bohemia

A Scandal in Bohemia

First published in the Strand Magazine, July 1891,

with 10 illustrations by Sidney Paget.

For Sherlock Holmes, she always remained “That Woman.” I rarely heard him call her by any other name. In his eyes, she eclipsed all representatives of her sex. Not that he felt anything close to love for Irene Adler. All feelings, and especially love, were hated by his cold, precise, but surprisingly balanced mind. In my opinion, he was the most perfect thinking and observing machine the world has ever seen; but as a lover he would be out of place. He always spoke about tender feelings only with contemptuous mockery and mockery. Tender feelings were in his eyes a magnificent object for observation, an excellent means of stripping the veil from human motives and affairs. But for a sophisticated thinker to allow such an intrusion of feeling into his refined and superbly adjusted inner world would mean introducing confusion there, which would nullify all the gains of his thought. A grain of sand caught in a sensitive instrument, or a crack in one of his mighty lenses - that's what love would be for a man like Holmes. And yet, there was one woman for him, and this woman was the late Iran Adler, a person of very, very dubious reputation.

Lately I have rarely seen Holmes - my marriage has alienated us from each other. My personal cloudless happiness and the purely family interests that arise in a person when he first becomes master of his own home were enough to absorb all my attention. Meanwhile, Holmes, who hated with his gypsy soul any form social life, remained living in our apartment on Baker Street, surrounded by piles of his old books, alternating weeks of cocaine addiction with bouts of ambition, the dormant state of a drug addict with the wild energy inherent in his nature.

As before, he was deeply passionate about solving crimes. He devoted his enormous abilities and extraordinary gift of observation to the search for clues to clarify those secrets that were considered incomprehensible by the official police. From time to time I heard vague rumors about his affairs: that he had been summoned to Odessa in connection with the murder of Trepov, that he had managed to shed light on the mysterious tragedy of the Atkinson brothers in Trincomalee, and, finally, about an assignment from the Dutch royal at home, which he executed exceptionally subtly and successfully.

However, apart from this information about his activities, which I, like all readers, drew from newspapers, I knew little about my former friend and comrade.

One night - it was March 20, 1888 - I was returning from a patient (for I was now back in private practice), and my path led me to Baker Street. As I passed the well-known door, which in my mind is forever connected with the memory of the time of my matchmaking and with the gloomy events of A Study in Scarlet, I was seized with a keen desire to see Holmes again and find out what problems his wonderful mind was currently working on. His windows were brightly lit, and, looking up, I saw his tall, thin figure, which flashed twice in a dark silhouette on the lowered curtain. He walked quickly and swiftly around the room, his head bowed low and his hands clasped behind his back. To me, who knew all his moods and habits, his walking from corner to corner and his entire appearance spoke volumes. He went back to work. He shook off his drug-induced foggy dreams and was unraveling the threads of some new mystery. I called and was shown to a room that had once been partly mine.

He met me without enthusiastic outpourings. He indulged in such outpourings extremely rarely, but, it seems to me, he was glad of my arrival. Almost without words, he invited me to sit down with a friendly gesture, pushed a box of cigars towards me and pointed to the cellar where the wine was stored. Then he stood in front of the fireplace and looked at me with his special, penetrating gaze.

Then he stood before fire

Family life for your benefit,” he remarked. “I think, Watson, that since I saw you you have gained seven and a half pounds.”

At seven.

Is it true? No, no, a little more. A little more, I assure you. And you are practicing again, as I see. You didn't tell me that you were going to put yourself to work.

So how do you know this?

I see this, I draw conclusions. For example, how do I know that you recently got very wet and that your maid is a big slob?

“Dear Holmes,” I said, “this is too much.” You would undoubtedly have been burned at the stake if you had lived centuries ago. It is true that on Thursday I had to be out of town and I returned home all dirty, but I changed my suit, so there were no traces of the rain left. As for Mary Jane, she is truly incorrigible, and her wife has already warned that she wants to fire her. Still, I don't understand how you figured it out.

Holmes laughed quietly and rubbed his long, nervous hands.

As easy as pie! - he said. - My eyes notify me that inside of your left shoe, right where the light hits, six almost parallel scratches are visible on the leather. Apparently the scratches were made by someone very carelessly rubbing the edges of the sole to remove dried dirt. From this, as you see, I draw the double conclusion that you went out in bad weather and that you have a very bad example of a London servant. As for your practice, if a gentleman comes into my room smelling of iodoform, if he has a black spot on the index finger of his right hand from nitric acid, and on the top hat there is a lump indicating where he hid his stethoscope, I would have to be a complete fool not to recognize him as an active representative of the medical world.

I could not help laughing as I listened to the ease with which he explained to me the path of his conclusions.

“When you reveal your thoughts,” I noted, “everything seems ridiculously simple to me; I could easily figure it all out myself. And in each new case I am completely stunned until you explain to me your train of thought. Meanwhile, I think that my vision is no worse than yours.

“Quite right,” Holmes answered, lighting a cigarette and stretching out in his chair. - You look, but you don't observe, and that's a big difference. For example, have you often seen the steps leading from the hallway to this room?

How often?

Well, several hundred times!

Great. How many steps are there?

How many? Didn't pay attention.

That's it, they didn't pay attention. Meanwhile, you saw! That's the whole point. Well, I know that there are seventeen steps, because I saw and observed. By the way, you are interested in those small problems in solving which my craft lies, and you were even kind enough to describe two or three of my small experiments. Therefore, you may perhaps be interested in this letter.

He tossed me a piece of thick pink notepaper that was lying on the table.

Just received,” he said. - Read it out loud.

The letter was undated, unsigned and without an address.

“Tonight, at a quarter to eight,” the note said, “a gentleman will come to you who wants to get advice from you on a very important matter. The services you recently rendered to one of the royal families of Europe have shown that you can be trusted with matters of extreme importance. We received such feedback about you from all sides. Be at home at this hour and don’t think anything bad if your visitor is wearing a mask.”

“It’s really mysterious,” I remarked. - What do you think this all means?

I don't have any data yet. Theorizing without data is dangerous. Unbeknownst to himself, a person begins to manipulate the facts in order to fit them to his theory, instead of justifying the theory with facts. But the note itself! What conclusions can you draw from the note?

I carefully examined the writing

I carefully examined the letter and the paper on which it was written.

“The one who wrote this letter apparently has the means,” I noted, trying to imitate my friend’s methods. - This kind of paper costs at least half a crown a pack. It is very strong and dense.

"Outlandish is the right word," said Holmes. - And this is not English paper. Look it up to the light.

I did so and saw watermarks on the paper: a large "E" and a small "g", then a "P" and a large "G" with a small "t".

What conclusion can you draw from this? - Holmes asked.

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Scandal in Bohemia

I

For Sherlock Holmes, she always remained “That Woman.” I rarely heard him call her by any other name. In his eyes, she eclipsed all representatives of her sex. Not that he felt anything close to love for Irene Adler. All feelings, and especially love, were hated by his cold, precise, but surprisingly balanced mind. In my opinion, he was the most perfect thinking and observing machine the world has ever seen; but as a lover he would be out of place. He always spoke about tender feelings only with contemptuous mockery and mockery. Tender feelings were in his eyes a magnificent object for observation, an excellent means of stripping the veil from human motives and affairs. But for a sophisticated thinker to allow such an intrusion of feeling into his refined and superbly organized inner world would mean introducing confusion there, which would nullify all the gains of his thought. A grain of sand caught in a sensitive instrument, or a crack in one of his mighty lenses - that's what love would be for a man like Holmes. And yet there was one woman for him, and this woman was the late Irene Adler, a person of very, very dubious reputation.

Lately I have rarely seen Holmes - my marriage has alienated us from each other. My personal cloudless happiness and the purely family interests that arise in a person when he first becomes master of his own home were enough to absorb all my attention. Meanwhile, Holmes, who in his gypsy soul hated every form of social life, remained living in our apartment on Baker Street, surrounded by piles of his old books, alternating weeks of cocaine addiction with bouts of ambition, the dormant state of a drug addict with the wild energy inherent in his nature.

However, apart from this information about his activities, which I, like all readers, drew from newspapers, I knew little about my former friend and comrade.

One night - it was March 20, 1888 - I was returning from a patient (for I was now back in private practice), and my path led me to Baker Street.

As I passed the well-known door, which in my mind is forever connected with the memory of the time of my matchmaking and with the gloomy events of A Study in Scarlet, I was seized with a keen desire to see Holmes again and find out what problems his wonderful mind was currently working on. His windows were brightly lit, and, looking up, I saw his tall, thin figure, which flashed twice in a dark silhouette on the lowered curtain. He walked quickly and swiftly around the room, his head bowed low and his hands clasped behind his back. To me, who knew all his moods and habits, his walking from corner to corner and his entire appearance spoke volumes. He went back to work. He shook off his drug-induced foggy dreams and was unraveling the threads of some new mystery. I called and was shown to a room that had once been partly mine.

“Family life is good for you,” he noted. “I think, Watson, that you have gained seven and a half pounds since I saw you.”

- At seven.

- Is it true? No, no, a little more. A little more, I assure you. And you are practicing again, as I see. You didn't tell me that you were going to put yourself to work.

- So how do you know this?

– I see this, I draw conclusions. For example, how do I know that you recently got very wet and that your maid is a big slob?

Holmes laughed quietly and rubbed his long, nervous hands.

- As easy as pie! - he said. “My eyes notify me that on the inside of your left shoe, just where the light falls, six almost parallel scratches are visible on the skin. Apparently the scratches were made by someone very carelessly rubbing the edges of the sole to remove dried dirt. From this, as you see, I draw the double conclusion that you went out in bad weather and that you have a very bad example of a London servant. As for your practice, if a gentleman walks into my room smelling of iodoform, if he has a black stain of nitric acid on his right index finger, and a lump on his top hat indicating where he has hidden his stethoscope, I must be a complete fool. , so as not to recognize him as an active representative of the medical world.

I could not help laughing as I listened to the ease with which he explained to me the path of his conclusions.

“When you reveal your thoughts,” I remarked, “everything seems ridiculously simple to me; I could easily figure it all out myself.” And in each new case I am completely stunned until you explain to me your train of thought. Meanwhile, I think that my vision is no worse than yours.

“Quite right,” Holmes replied, lighting a cigarette and stretching out in his chair. “You look, but you don’t observe, and that’s a big difference.” For example, have you often seen the steps leading from the hallway to this room?

- How often?

- Well, several hundred times!

- Great. How many steps are there?

- How many? Didn't pay attention.

- That's it, they didn't pay attention. Meanwhile, you saw! That's the whole point. Well, I know that there are seventeen steps, because I saw and observed. By the way, you are interested in those small problems in solving which my craft lies, and you were even kind enough to describe two or three of my small experiments. Therefore, you may perhaps be interested in this letter.

He tossed me a piece of thick pink notepaper that was lying on the table.

“Just received,” he said. - Read it out loud.

The letter was undated, unsigned and without an address.

Tonight, at a quarter to eight, - the note said, - a gentleman will come to you who wants to get advice from you on a very important matter. The services you recently rendered to one of the royal families of Europe have shown that you can be trusted with matters of extreme importance. We received such feedback about you from all sides. Be at home at this hour and don’t think anything bad if your visitor is wearing a mask.

“It’s really mysterious,” I remarked. – What do you think this all means?

– I don’t have any data yet. Theorizing without data is dangerous. Unbeknownst to himself, a person begins to manipulate the facts in order to fit them to his theory, instead of justifying the theory with facts. But the note itself! What conclusions can you draw from the note?

I carefully examined the letter and the paper on which it was written.

“The person who wrote this letter apparently has the means,” I noted, trying to imitate my friend’s methods. “This kind of paper costs at least half a crown a pack.” It is very strong and dense.

“Outlandish is the right word,” Holmes remarked.

– And this is not English paper. Look it up to the light.

I did so and saw watermarks on the paper: a large "E" and a small "g", then a "P" and a large "G" with a small "t".

– What conclusion can you draw from this? – Holmes asked.

“This is undoubtedly the name of the manufacturer, or rather his monogram.”

- Well, we made a mistake! The big "G" with a small "t" is an abbreviation for "Gesellschaft", which means "company" in German. This is a common abbreviation, like our “K°”. "P" of course stands for "Papier", paper. Let's decipher "E" now. Let's look at a foreign geographical directory... - He took a heavy tome bound in brown from the shelf. – Eglow, Egl?nitz... So we found it: Egeria. This is a German-speaking area in Bohemia, near Carlsbad. The place of Wallenstein's death is famous for its numerous glass factories and paper mills... Ha ha, my boy, what conclusion do you draw from this? “His eyes sparkled with triumph, and he released a large blue cloud from his pipe.

“The paper was made in Bohemia,” I said.

- Exactly. And the person who wrote the note is German. Do you notice the strange construction of the phrase: “We received such feedback about you from all sides”? A French or Russian could not write like that. Only the Germans are so unceremonious with their verbs. Therefore, all that remains is to find out what this German needs, who writes on Bohemian paper and prefers to wear a mask rather than show his face... Here he is, if I’m not mistaken. He will solve all our doubts.

We heard the sharp clatter of horse hooves and the squeal of wheels sliding along the nearest roadside. Soon after, someone pulled the bell with force.

Holmes whistled.

“From the sound of it, a double carriage... Yes,” he continued, looking out the window, “a graceful little carriage and a pair of trotters... one hundred and fifty guineas each.” One way or another, this case smells like money, Watson.

“I think I’d better go, Holmes?”

- No, no, stay! What will I do without my Boswell? 1
Boswell, James(1740–1795) – biographer English writer, critic and lexiographer S. Johnson (1709–1784). His name became English language a common noun for a biographer who records every detail in the life of his hero.

The case promises to be interesting. It will be a shame if you miss it.

- But your client...

- Nothing, nothing. I may need your help, and so will he... Well, here he comes. Sit in that chair, doctor, and be very careful.

The slow, heavy footsteps that we had heard on the stairs and in the corridor died away just before our door. Then there was a loud and authoritative knock.

- Come in! - said Holmes.

A man came in, barely six feet six inches tall, of Herculean build. He was dressed luxuriously, but this luxury would be considered vulgar in England. The sleeves and lapels of his double-breasted coat were trimmed with heavy stripes of astrakhan; the dark blue cloak, draped over the shoulders, was lined with fiery red silk and fastened at the neck with a buckle of sparkling beryl. Boots reaching halfway to his calves and trimmed with expensive brown fur on top complemented the impression of barbaric splendor that his entire appearance produced. He held a wide-brimmed hat in his hand, and top part his face was covered with a black mask that went down below his cheekbones. He had obviously just put on this mask, which looked like a visor, because when he entered, his hand was still raised. Judging by the lower part of his face, he was a man of strong will: a thick protruding lip and a long, straight chin spoke of determination, turning into stubbornness.

-Did you receive my note? he asked in a low, rough voice with a strong German accent. - I told you that I would come to you. “He looked first at one of us, then at the other, apparently not knowing who to turn to.

- Sit down please. - said Holmes. – This is my friend and comrade, Doctor Watson. He is so kind that he sometimes helps me in my work. Who do I have the honor of speaking to?

“You may consider me to be Count von Cramm, a Bohemian nobleman.” I believe that this gentleman, your friend, is a man worthy of complete confidence, and I can initiate him into a matter of the utmost importance? If this is not the case, I would prefer to talk to you in private.

I stood up to leave, but Holmes grabbed my arm and pushed me back into the chair:

“Either talk to both of us, or don’t talk.” In the presence of this gentleman, you can say everything that you would say to me in private.

The Count shrugged his broad shoulders.

“In that case, I must first of all make you both promise that the matter that I am now going to tell you about will remain secret for two years.” After two years it won't matter. At present, I can say, without exaggeration, that this whole story is so serious that it can affect the destinies of Europe.

“I give you my word,” said Holmes.

“Forgive me this mask,” continued the strange visitor. “The august person on whose behalf I am acting wished that his confidant remain unknown to you, and I must admit that the title with which I called myself is not entirely accurate.

“I noticed that,” Holmes said dryly.

“The circumstances are very delicate, and it is necessary to take all measures so that because of them a huge scandal does not develop, which could greatly compromise one of the reigning dynasties of Europe. To put it simply, the matter is connected with the reigning house of Ormstein, kings of Bohemia.

“That’s what I thought,” Holmes muttered, settling more comfortably in his chair and closing his eyes.

The visitor looked with obvious surprise at the lazily lounging, indifferent man, whom he had undoubtedly been described as the most insightful and most energetic of all European detectives. Holmes slowly opened his eyes and looked impatiently at his ponderous client.

“If Your Majesty deigns to let us in on your business,” he noted, “it will be easier for me to give you advice.”

The visitor jumped up from his chair and began to pace around the room in great excitement. Then, with a gesture of despair, he tore the mask from his face and threw it on the floor.

“You’re right,” he exclaimed, “I am the king!” Why should I try to hide it?

- Really, why? Your Majesty had not yet begun to speak, as I already knew that in front of me was Wilhelm Gottsreich Sigismund von Ormstein, Grand Duke Kassel-Felstein and hereditary king of Bohemia.

“But you understand,” said our strange visitor, sitting down again and moving his hand over his high white forehead, “you understand that I am not used to personally dealing with such matters!” However, the matter was so sensitive that I could not entrust it to any of the police agents without risking being at his mercy. I came from Prague incognito specifically to seek your advice.

“Please contact me,” said Holmes, closing his eyes again.

– The facts are briefly as follows: about five years ago, during an extended stay in Warsaw, I met the well-known adventuress Irene Adler. This name is undoubtedly familiar to you?

“Please, doctor, look in my file cabinet,” Holmes muttered without opening his eyes.

Many years ago he started a registration system different facts, relating to people and things, so that it was difficult to name a person or object about which he could not immediately provide information. In this case, I found a biography of Irene Adler between the biography of a Jewish rabbi and the biography of a chief of staff who wrote a work on deep-sea fish.

“Show me,” said Holmes. - Hm! Born in New Jersey in 1858. Contralto, um... La Scala, yes, yes!.. Diva of the Imperial Opera in Warsaw, yes! Left opera stage, ha! Lives in London... quite right! Your Majesty, as far as I understand, got into the network of this young lady, wrote compromising letters to her and now would like to return these letters.

- Absolutely right. But how?

-Did you secretly marry her?

– No documents or evidence?

- None.

“In that case, I don’t understand you, Your Majesty.” If this young woman wanted to use the letters for blackmail or other purposes, how would she prove their authenticity?

- My handwriting.

- Nonsense! Forgery.

– My personal notepaper.

- Stolen.

– My personal seal.

- Fake.

- My Photo.

- Bought.

– But we were photographed together!

- Oh, this is very bad! Your Majesty really made a big mistake.

– I was crazy about Irene.

– You have seriously compromised yourself.

“I was just the crown prince then.” I was young. I'm still only thirty.

– The photograph must be returned at all costs.

“We tried, but we didn’t succeed.”

– Your Majesty must incur expenses: the photograph must be bought.

“Irene doesn’t want to sell it.”

“Then we need to steal it.”

– Five attempts were made. I hired burglars twice and they ransacked her entire house. One time when she was traveling, we searched her luggage. Twice she was lured into a trap. We haven't achieved any results.

- None?

- Absolutely none.

Holmes laughed.

- Wow, that's a problem! - he said.

– But for me this is a very serious task! – the king objected reproachfully.

- Yes indeed. What does she intend to do with the photograph?

- Destroy me.

- But how?

- I'm going to get married.

- I heard about this.

– On Clotilde Lotman von Saxe-Meningen. Perhaps you know the strict principles of this family. Clotilde herself is the embodiment of purity. The slightest shadow of doubt about my past would lead to a breakup.

– And Irene Adler?

“She threatens to send the photograph to my fiancee’s parents.” And he will send it, he will certainly send it! You don't know her. She has an iron character. Yes, yes, the face of a charming woman, and the soul of a cruel man. She will stop at nothing to stop me from marrying someone else.

“Are you sure she hasn’t sent the photo to your fiancee yet?”

- Sure.

- Why?

“She said she would send a photo on the day of my official engagement.” And this will be next Monday.

- Oh, we have three days left! - said Holmes, yawning. “And that’s very nice, because now I need to do some things.” important matters. Your Majesty, of course, will remain in London for now?

- Certainly. You can find me at the Langham Hotel under the name of Count von Cramm.

“In that case, I’ll send you a note to let you know how things are going.”

- I'm begging you. I'm so excited!

- Well, what about the money?

– Spend as much as you find necessary. You are given complete freedom of action.

- Absolutely?

– Oh, I’m ready to give any of the provinces of my kingdom for this photo!

– What about current expenses?

The king took out a heavy leather bag from behind his cloak and placed it on the table.

“There are three hundred pounds in gold and seven hundred in banknotes,” he said.

Holmes wrote a receipt on his page notebook and handed it to the king.

- Mademoiselle's address? - he asked.

- Briony Lodge, Serpentine Avenue, St Johnswood.

Holmes wrote it down.

“And one more question,” he said. – Was the photograph office size?

- Yes, office.

“And now good night, Your Majesty, and I hope that we will soon have good news... Good night, Watson,” he added, as the wheels of the royal carriage clattered on the pavement. - Be kind enough to come by tomorrow at three o'clock, I would like to talk with you about this matter.

II

At precisely three o'clock I was at Baker Street, but Holmes had not yet returned. The housekeeper told me that he left the house at a little after eight. I sat down by the fire with the intention of waiting for him, no matter how long I had to wait. I became deeply interested in his investigation, although it lacked the bizarre and dark features of the two crimes I have described elsewhere. But the peculiar features of this case and high position the client gave the case an unusual character. Even if we leave aside the very content of the research that my friend carried out, how successfully, with what skill he immediately mastered the entire situation and what strict, irrefutable logic was in his conclusions! It was a real pleasure to watch the quick, deft techniques with which he unraveled the most intricate mysteries. I was so accustomed to his constant triumphs that the very possibility of failure did not fit into my head.

It was about four o'clock when the door opened and a tipsy groom, with sideburns, disheveled hair, an inflamed face, dressed poorly and vulgarly, entered the room. No matter how accustomed I was to my friend’s amazing ability to change his appearance, I had to look three times before I was sure that it was really Holmes. Nodding to me as he walked, he disappeared into his bedroom, from where he appeared five minutes later in a dark suit, correct as always. Putting his hands in his pockets, he stretched his legs towards the blazing fireplace and laughed merrily for several minutes.

- Wonderful! - he exclaimed, then coughed and laughed again, so much so that in the end he became weak and leaned back in his chair in complete exhaustion.

- What's the matter?

- Funny, incredibly funny! I'm sure you'll never guess how I spent that morning or what I ended up doing.

- I can not imagine. I suppose you were observing the habits or perhaps the house of Miss Irene Adler.

– Absolutely true, but the consequences were quite extraordinary... However, I’ll tell you in order. At the beginning of eight I left the house under the guise of an unemployed groom. There is an amazing sympathy, a kind of community, between everyone who deals with horses. Become a groom and you will learn everything you need. I quickly found Briony Lodge. This is a tiny luxurious two-story villa; she goes out into the street, behind her is a garden. Massive lock on the garden gate. On the right side is a large living room, well furnished, with high windows, almost to the floor, and with ridiculous English window shutters that a child could open. There is nothing special behind the house except that the gallery window is accessible from the roof of the coach house. I walked around this barn from all sides and examined it very carefully, but did not notice anything interesting. Then I walked along the street and saw, as I expected, in an alley adjacent to the wall of the garden, a stable. I helped the grooms brush the horses and received for this two pence, a glass of vodka, two packets of tobacco and plenty of information about Miss Adler, as well as about other local residents. Locals I was not interested at all, but I was forced to listen to their biographies.