The Complete Canon - The complete Sherlock Holmes

A Study In Scarlet11. Is an expert singlestick player, boxer, andswordsman.12. Has a good practical knowledge of British law.When I had got so far in my list I threw it into thefire in despair. “If I can only find what the fellow isdriving at by reconciling all these accomplishments,and discovering a calling which needs them all,” Isaid to myself, “I may as well give up the attempt atonce.”I see that I have alluded above to his powers uponthe violin. These were very remarkable, but as eccentricas all his other accomplishments. That hecould play pieces, and difficult pieces, I knew well,because at my request he has played me some ofMendelssohn’s Lieder, and other favourites. Whenleft to himself, however, he would seldom produceany music or attempt any recognized air. Leaningback in his arm-chair of an evening, he would closehis eyes and scrape carelessly at the fiddle whichwas thrown across his knee. Sometimes the chordswere sonorous and melancholy. Occasionally theywere fantastic and cheerful. Clearly they reflected thethoughts which possessed him, but whether the musicaided those thoughts, or whether the playing wassimply the result of a whim or fancy was more than Icould determine. I might have rebelled against theseexasperating solos had it not been that he usually terminatedthem by playing in quick succession a wholeseries of my favourite airs as a slight compensationfor the trial upon my patience.During the first week or so we had no callers,and I had begun to think that my companion was asfriendless a man as I was myself. Presently, however,I found that he had many acquaintances, and thosein the most different classes of society. There was onelittle sallow rat-faced, dark-eyed fellow who was introducedto me as Mr. Lestrade, and who came threeor four times in a single week. One morning a younggirl called, fashionably dressed, and stayed for halfan hour or more. The same afternoon brought a greyheaded,seedy visitor, looking like a Jew pedlar, whoappeared to me to be much excited, and who wasclosely followed by a slipshod elderly woman. Onanother occasion an old white-haired gentleman hadan interview with my companion; and on another arailway porter in his velveteen uniform. When any ofthese nondescript individuals put in an appearance,Sherlock Holmes used to beg for the use of the sittingroom,and I would retire to my bed-room. He alwaysapologized to me for putting me to this inconvenience.“I have to use this room as a place of business,” hesaid, “and these people are my clients.” Again I hadan opportunity of asking him a point blank question,and again my delicacy prevented me from forcinganother man to confide in me. I imagined at the timethat he had some strong reason for not alluding to it,but he soon dispelled the idea by coming round tothe subject of his own accord.It was upon the 4th of March, as I have good reasonto remember, that I rose somewhat earlier thanusual, and found that Sherlock Holmes had not yetfinished his breakfast. The landlady had become soaccustomed to my late habits that my place had notbeen laid nor my coffee prepared. With the unreasonablepetulance of mankind I rang the bell and gavea curt intimation that I was ready. Then I picked upa magazine from the table and attempted to whileaway the time with it, while my companion munchedsilently at his toast. One of the articles had a pencilmark at the heading, and I naturally began to run myeye through it.Its somewhat ambitious title was “The Book ofLife,” and it attempted to show how much an observantman might learn by an accurate and systematicexamination of all that came in his way. It struck meas being a remarkable mixture of shrewdness and ofabsurdity. The reasoning was close and intense, butthe deductions appeared to me to be far-fetched andexaggerated. The writer claimed by a momentaryexpression, a twitch of a muscle or a glance of an eye,to fathom a man’s inmost thoughts. Deceit, accordingto him, was an impossibility in the case of one trainedto observation and analysis. His conclusions wereas infallible as so many propositions of Euclid. Sostartling would his results appear to the uninitiatedthat until they learned the processes by which he hadarrived at them they might well consider him as anecromancer.“From a drop of water,” said the writer, “a logiciancould infer the possibility of an Atlantic or a Niagarawithout having seen or heard of one or the other. Soall life is a great chain, the nature of which is knownwhenever we are shown a single link of it. Like allother arts, the Science of Deduction and Analysis isone which can only be acquired by long and patientstudy nor is life long enough to allow any mortal toattain the highest possible perfection in it. Before turningto those moral and mental aspects of the matterwhich present the greatest difficulties, let the enquirerbegin by mastering more elementary problems. Lethim, on meeting a fellow-mortal, learn at a glance todistinguish the history of the man, and the trade orprofession to which he belongs. Puerile as such an12