A Study in Scarlet

Sir Arthur Conan DoyleIllustrations by Richard Gutschmidt

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Contents

PART I 3CHAPTER I. MR. SHERLOCK HOLMES. 3

CHAPTER II. THE SCIENCE OFDEDUCTION. 19

CHAPTER III. THE LAURISTONGARDEN MYSTERY 37

CHAPTER IV. WHAT JOHN RANCE HADTO TELL. 57

CHAPTER V. OUR ADVERTISEMENTBRINGS A VISITOR. 71

CHAPTER VI. TOBIAS GREGSON SHOWSWHAT HE CAN DO. 83

CHAPTER VII. LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS. 101

PART II 121CHAPTER I. ON THE GREAT ALKALI

PLAIN. 121

CHAPTER II. THE FLOWER OF UTAH. 139

i

ii

CHAPTER III. JOHN FERRIER TALKSWITH THE PROPHET. 153

CHAPTER IV. A FLIGHT FOR LIFE. 163

CHAPTER V. THE AVENGING ANGELS. 181

CHAPTER VI. A CONTINUATION OF THEREMINISCENCES OF JOHNWATSON, M.D. 197

CHAPTER VII. THE CONCLUSION. 217

PART I.(Being a reprint from the reminiscences

of JOHN H. WATSON, M.D., late of the

Army Medical Department.)

1

CHAPTER I. MR.SHERLOCKHOLMES.

In the year 1878 I took my degree of Doctorof Medicine of the University of London, andproceeded to Netley to go through the courseprescribed for surgeons in the army. Havingcompleted my studies there, I was duly at-tached to the Fifth Northumberland Fusiliersas Assistant Surgeon. The regiment was sta-tioned in India at the time, and before I couldjoin it, the second Afghan war had brokenout. On landing at Bombay, I learned thatmy corps had advanced through the passes,and was already deep in the enemys coun-try. I followed, however, with many other offi-cers who were in the same situation as myself,and succeeded in reaching Candahar in safety,where I found my regiment, and at once en-tered upon my new duties.

The campaign brought honours and pro-motion to many, but for me it had nothing but

3

4 A STUDY IN SCARLET

misfortune and disaster. I was removed frommy brigade and attached to the Berkshires,with whom I served at the fatal battle of Mai-wand. There I was struck on the shoulder bya Jezail bullet, which shattered the bone andgrazed the subclavian artery. I should havefallen into the hands of the murderous Ghazishad it not been for the devotion and courageshown by Murray, my orderly, who threw meacross a pack-horse, and succeeded in bring-ing me safely to the British lines.

Worn with pain, and weak from the pro-longed hardships which I had undergone, Iwas removed, with a great train of woundedsufferers, to the base hospital at Peshawar.Here I rallied, and had already improved sofar as to be able to walk about the wards, andeven to bask a little upon the verandah, whenI was struck down by enteric fever, that curseof our Indian possessions. For months my lifewas despaired of, and when at last I cameto myself and became convalescent, I was soweak and emaciated that a medical board de-termined that not a day should be lost in send-ing me back to England. I was dispatched,accordingly, in the troopship Orontes, andlanded a month later on Portsmouth jetty,with my health irretrievably ruined, but withpermission from a paternal government tospend the next nine months in attempting toimprove it.

I had neither kith nor kin in England, and

CHAPTER I 5

I SHOULD HAVE FALLEN INTO THE HANDSOF THE MURDEROUS GHAZIS HAD IT NOTBEEN FOR THE DEVOTION AND COURAGE

SHOWN BY MURRAY, MY ORDERLY.

6 A STUDY IN SCARLET

was therefore as free as airor as free asan income of eleven shillings and sixpence aday will permit a man to be. Under suchcircumstances, I naturally gravitated to Lon-don, that great cesspool into which all theloungers and idlers of the Empire are irre-sistibly drained. There I stayed for sometime at a private hotel in the Strand, lead-ing a comfortless, meaningless existence, andspending such money as I had, considerablymore freely than I ought. So alarming did thestate of my finances become, that I soon re-alized that I must either leave the metropo-lis and rusticate somewhere in the country, orthat I must make a complete alteration in mystyle of living. Choosing the latter alternative,I began by making up my mind to leave thehotel, and to take up my quarters in some lesspretentious and less expensive domicile.

On the very day that I had come to thisconclusion, I was standing at the CriterionBar, when some one tapped me on the shoul-der, and turning round I recognized youngStamford, who had been a dresser under meat Barts. The sight of a friendly face in thegreat wilderness of London is a pleasant thingindeed to a lonely man. In old days Stamfordhad never been a particular crony of mine, butnow I hailed him with enthusiasm, and he, inhis turn, appeared to be delighted to see me.In the exuberance of my joy, I asked him tolunch with me at the Holborn, and we started

CHAPTER I 7

off together in a hansom.Whatever have you been doing with your-

self, Watson? he asked in undisguised won-der, as we rattled through the crowded Lon-don streets. You are as thin as a lath and asbrown as a nut.

I gave him a short sketch of my adven-tures, and had hardly concluded it by the timethat we reached our destination.

Poor devil! he said, commiseratingly, af-ter he had listened to my misfortunes. Whatare you up to now?

Looking for lodgings. I answered. Try-ing to solve the problem as to whether it ispossible to get comfortable rooms at a reason-able price.

Thats a strange thing, remarked mycompanion; you are the second man to-daythat has used that expression to me.

And who was the first? I asked.A fellow who is working at the chemi-

cal laboratory up at the hospital. He wasbemoaning himself this morning because hecould not get someone to go halves with himin some nice rooms which he had found, andwhich were too much for his purse.

By Jove! I cried, if he really wants some-one to share the rooms and the expense, I amthe very man for him. I should prefer havinga partner to being alone.

Young Stamford looked rather strangely atme over his wine-glass. You dont know Sher-

8 A STUDY IN SCARLET

lock Holmes yet, he said; perhaps you wouldnot care for him as a constant companion.

Why, what is there against him?Oh, I didnt say there was anything

against him. He is a little queer in his ideasan enthusiast in some branches of science. Asfar as I know he is a decent fellow enough.

A medical student, I suppose? said I.NoI have no idea what he intends to

go in for. I believe he is well up in anatomy,and he is a first-class chemist; but, as far as Iknow, he has never taken out any systematicmedical classes. His studies are very desul-tory and eccentric, but he has amassed a lot ofout-of-the way knowledge which would aston-ish his professors.

Did you never ask him what he was goingin for? I asked.

No; he is not a man that it is easy to drawout, though he can be communicative enoughwhen the fancy seizes him.

I should like to meet him, I said. If I amto lodge with anyone, I should prefer a manof studious and quiet habits. I am not strongenough yet to stand much noise or excitement.I had enough of both in Afghanistan to lastme for the remainder of my natural existence.How could I meet this friend of yours?

He is sure to be at the laboratory, re-turned my companion. He either avoids theplace for weeks, or else he works there frommorning to night. If you like, we shall drive

CHAPTER I 9

round together after luncheon.Certainly, I answered, and the conversa-

tion drifted away into other channels.As we made our way to the hospital after

leaving the Holborn, Stamford gave me a fewmore particulars about the gentleman whomI proposed to take as a fellow-lodger.

You mustnt blame me if you dont get onwith him, he said; I know nothing more ofhim than I have learned from meeting himoccasionally in the laboratory. You proposedthis arrangement, so you must not hold meresponsible.

If we dont get on it will be easy to partcompany, I answered. It seems to me, Stam-ford, I added, looking hard at my companion,that you have some reason for washing yourhands of the matter. Is this fellows temperso formidable, or what is it? Dont be mealy-mouthed about it.

It is not easy to express the inexpressible,he answered with a laugh. Holmes is a littletoo scientific for my tastesit approaches tocold-bloodedness. I could imagine his givinga friend a little pinch of the latest vegetablealkaloid, not out of malevolence, you under-stand, but simply out of a spirit of inquiry inorder to have an accurate idea of the effects.To do him justice, I think that he would takeit himself with the same readiness. He ap-pears to have a passion for definite and exactknowledge.

10 A STUDY IN SCARLET

Very right too.Yes, but it may be pushed to excess.

When it comes to beating the subject