I lowered the book in deep thought and
gazed about the room.
After
several minutes, without any provocation of which I was aware, Sherlock Holmes
said, “I certainly hope, Watson, that we have had a positive effect and or
influence on the many clients and individuals with whom we have come in contact
over the years on the cases we have shared.”
I regarded my friend with astonishment.
“How could you know I was reflecting on past cases and clients? I have been
silently reading my book all this while without a word.”
Holmes smiled and continued organizing his
papers.
“You were reading Conrad’s Heart of
Darkness, which is I recall a man’s journey down a river in Africa.
Something made you think of Afghanistan, and you turned to the skin of the
swamp adder pinned to the wall, and then to the thin stick I used on it. Your
eyes then rested on Sir Henry Baskerville’s muddy boot I keep as a memento atop
the bookcase. Just beneath, on the top shelf of the bookcase is the old volume
on the writings of Brother Thomas of Worms I received in the service of his
holiness, the Pope. Then your gaze came to rest on the gold snuff box given to
me by the King of Bohemia. You were obviously thinking of all our past cases
and the many memorable characters. So, I ask again: do you believe our clients
are better off from their experience with us?”
It
was a thoughtful question and one that had caught me quite off guard. I laid
aside my book and considered Holmes’s question.
“To
be totally honest, Holmes, I have thought little of the lives of the
characters, clients, and villains that we have encountered. I have, as you well
know, recorded the events, but afterward, once the case was over, I gave little
or no thought to those people we had met. But if I interpret your meaning, I
have no doubt that most, if not all the people we have met have had their lives
changed by our intervention. I am sure that Jabez Wilson is much more careful
with the employees he hires, and does not offer too little pay, whereas Violet Hunter
is wary of being offered too much. You saved James McCarthy of Boscombe Valley
from prison, allowing him to marry Miss Turner. They are, I trust, enjoying a
happy union. You also kept John Hector McFarlane from being found guilty of
murdering Jonas Oldacre. Neville St. Clair is, undoubtedly, more at ease not
having to live a double life. Helen Stoner leads a less fearful existence after
her maniacal stepfather met his end. My old school chum Percy Phelps faced ruin
and disgrace but was vindicated after you recovered the stolen treaty. You were
able to prevent doomed marriages for two Violets: Smith and de Merville. As for
Irene Adler….”
I
paused not knowing what to say, as I knew Holmes still held the lady in high
regard.
“I
need not say more,” I said.
“So,
it is your opinion that our delving into the lives of these people has had a
positive result?” he asked.
“Don’t
you think it has?”
“Sometimes
one never knows if other’s lives are better for having known us.” Here Holmes
fell silent in thought. “Not all my cases have been successes, I’m afraid. I
failed John Openshaw and Hilton Cubitt. We were not able to bring Victor
Hatherly’s mutilator to justice, nor were we ever to bring Mr. Blessington’s
executioners to stand trial for their crime. Do you remember The Cornish
Horror? In that case, I was not able to capture the killer of the three
Tregennises, nor was the killer’s killer brought to justice.”
“That
is because you decided to let him go.”
“I
still believe it was the right thing to do.”
“Of
course, you do. You do not shy from elevating yourself above the law.”
“Let
us not have this discussion again.”
Our
conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door.
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