Aha, this story is the introduction Mycroft Holmes!
During my long and intimate acquaintance with Mr. Sherlock Holmes I had never heard him refer to his relations, and hardly ever to his own early life. This reticence upon his part had increased the somewhat inhuman effect which he produced upon me, until sometimes I found myself regarding him as an isolated phenomenon, a brain without a heart, as deficient in human sympathy as he was pre-eminent in intelligence. His aversion to women and his disinclination to form new friendships were both typical of his unemotional character, but not more so than his complete suppression of every reference to his own people.
I used to, and still do, think the 'Holmes is an emotionless robot dedicated only to deduction' reading of Holmes' character was a pretty lazy one and blatantly wrong, to the point where I wondered where everyone got this consensus from. Turns out they just got it from Watson. If Watson helmed a TV adaptation of his own accounts I probably would not enjoy it.
I had to laugh at Holmes laughing at the suggestion that it's his modesty that makes him consider Mycroft to have superior skills.
The Diogenes Club is the queerest club in London, and Mycroft one of the queerest men.
How nice.
my brother would be the greatest criminal agent that ever lived. But he has no ambition and no energy. He will not even go out of his way to verify his own solutions, and would rather be considered wrong than take the trouble to prove himself right.
You know the even better detective brother we've never heard of before may be a bit of a retcon, but I've always liked Mycroft.
Incidentally does anyone know 'Nero Wolfe'? He's an American detective written by Rex Stout who never does any fieldwork, but sits at his desk and has assistants do all the legwork. Anyway it's often speculated that the stories hint that he's supposed to be the son of Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler, I don't think the writer ever claimed this himself and the theory always felt a big fanficy, anyway if anything Mycroft Holmes would be a better candidate for his father based on their characterizations.
His eyes, which were of a peculiarly light, watery gray, seemed to always retain that far-away, introspective look which I had only observed in Sherlock's when he was exerting his full powers.
Something about the way this is phrased really makes it feel like their skills are some sort of x-men superpower.
I love the sibling rivalry of Holmes and Holmes at the window analysing the two figures coming towards them. They do like showing off. Just imagine the three of them living together and Sherlock and Mycroft constantly trying to one-up each other to impress Watson.
I have no idea what the difference between a cab and a carriage is supposed to be in that era. Is it just the size maybe? Ok, looks like they were lighter, two-wheeled and capable of being pulled by a single horse and carriages were bigger, heavier, four-wheeled, err, carriages.
I don't have that much to say about the case itself, except that it is a lot more dramatic and action heavy than the other cases.
