Sherlock Holmes Short Stories Read Along!

[Bee]

This was so nice!! Definitely a story to read in a cloudy day with some hot chocolate.

Let's start with this week's story. A bride eloping after the wedding is a fun little premise.

THE Lord St. Simon marriage, and its curious termination, have long ceased to be a subject of interest in those exalted circles in which the unfortunate bridegroom moves. Fresh scandals have eclipsed it, and their more piquant details have drawn the gossips away from this four-year-old drama.

Gossips is the right word, the London of the Holmes era seems very gossipy, sure these are crimes reported in the newspaper, but the way Watson describes the public perception of these events as they were reported makes me feel like the London public treated the news as the soap opera of its times.

Not that different from today, I guess? Though we have now an overwhelming amount of news and topics, so it doesn't really compare.

“I have notes of several similar cases, though none, as I remarked before, which were quite as prompt. My whole examination served to turn my conjecture into a certainty. Circumstantial evidence is occasionally very convincing, as when you find a trout in the milk, to quote Thoreau's example.”

I.. don't even understand what finding a trout in the milk could even be evidence of, circumstantial or not.

I don't think I even want to understand, no >.<

"Ah! Watson," said Holmes, smiling, "perhaps you would not be very gracious either, if, after all the trouble of wooing and wedding, you found yourself deprived in an instant of wife and of fortune. I think that we may judge Lord St. Simon very mercifully, and thank our stars that we are never likely to find ourselves in the same position. Draw your chair up, and hand me my violin, for the only problem which we have still to solve is how to while away these bleak autumnal evenings."

Awww.

Awww[2]

[thiskurt]

“I have notes of several similar cases, though none, as I remarked before, which were quite as prompt. My whole examination served to turn my conjecture into a certainty. Circumstantial evidence is occasionally very convincing, as when you find a trout in the milk, to quote Thoreau's example.”

I.. don't even understand what finding a trout in the milk could even be evidence of, circumstantial or not.

I don't think I even want to understand, no >.<

So I looked it up and apparently a trout in the milk would be evidence of the dairy farmer diluting his milk with water from the river before selling it.

[Bee]

I.. don't even understand what finding a trout in the milk could even be evidence of, circumstantial or not.

I don't think I even want to understand, no >.<

So I looked it up and apparently a trout in the milk would be evidence of the dairy farmer diluting his milk with water from the river before selling it.

So milk with dead fish? That’s…not an image I needed

[InspectorCaracal]

I was a bit late on this one, sorry!

This one never stuck with me in my youth but rereading it now, it's possibly one of my favorites? The whole introductory section with Watson being the one who has all the information, top quality Holmes snark, how much of it is just them being friends, it's all fantastic.

“It is dated from Grosvenor Mansions, written with a quill pen, and the noble lord has had the misfortune to get a smear of ink upon the outer side of his right little finger,” remarked Holmes as he folded up the epistle.

“He says four o’clock. It is three now. He will be here in an hour.”

Okay so this bit isn't like, remarkable, really, but I love it, because look, there's Holmes doing his usual deductive thing and Watson's reaction isn't the stereotypical "gosh how did you do that" but instead is just like "yes Holmes but the time". I love it.

I am one of those who believe that the folly of a monarch and the blundering of a Minister in far gone years will not prevent our children from being some day citizens of the same world-wide country under a flag which shall be a quartering of the Union Jack with the Stars and Stripes."

Based neo-imperialist take?

This is really funny to me in the context of the whole thing with England low-key (or high-key, depending) resenting having "lost the colonies" because it's like Holmes is trying to be nice about it but doing a terrible and extremely English job of it

it also seems really out of character but he's trying to be sociable so I give it a pass

[thiskurt]

“It is dated from Grosvenor Mansions, written with a quill pen, and the noble lord has had the misfortune to get a smear of ink upon the outer side of his right little finger,” remarked Holmes as he folded up the epistle.

“He says four o’clock. It is three now. He will be here in an hour.”

Okay so this bit isn't like, remarkable, really, but I love it, because look, there's Holmes doing his usual deductive thing and Watson's reaction isn't the stereotypical "gosh how did you do that" but instead is just like "yes Holmes but the time". I love it.

There is a time for 'wowzers, Holmes' and there is a time for action. You wonder if Watson does it more for Holmes' ego.

[InspectorCaracal]

“It is dated from Grosvenor Mansions, written with a quill pen, and the noble lord has had the misfortune to get a smear of ink upon the outer side of his right little finger,” remarked Holmes as he folded up the epistle.

“He says four o’clock. It is three now. He will be here in an hour.”

Okay so this bit isn't like, remarkable, really, but I love it, because look, there's Holmes doing his usual deductive thing and Watson's reaction isn't the stereotypical "gosh how did you do that" but instead is just like "yes Holmes but the time". I love it.

There is a time for 'wowzers, Holmes' and there is a time for action. You wonder if Watson does it more for Holmes' ego.

Oh no definitely not, he loves to take Holmes down a peg when he gets a shot at it lmao

[Bee]

I was a bit late on this one, sorry!

This one never stuck with me in my youth but rereading it now, it's possibly one of my favorites? The whole introductory section with Watson being the one who has all the information, top quality Holmes snark, how much of it is just them being friends, it's all fantastic.

“It is dated from Grosvenor Mansions, written with a quill pen, and the noble lord has had the misfortune to get a smear of ink upon the outer side of his right little finger,” remarked Holmes as he folded up the epistle.

“He says four o’clock. It is three now. He will be here in an hour.”

Okay so this bit isn't like, remarkable, really, but I love it, because look, there's Holmes doing his usual deductive thing and Watson's reaction isn't the stereotypical "gosh how did you do that" but instead is just like "yes Holmes but the time". I love it.

YES it's just so full of lovely moments, even if the case itself isn't particularly memorable

[thiskurt]

Everyone ok to do The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet this weekend?
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Stra ... yl_Coronet

[InspectorCaracal]

Everyone ok to do The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet this weekend?
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Stra ... yl_Coronet

It's Thanksgiving here this week but we're not travelling so I'm good for it

[Bee]

let's do it!!