The Golden Pince-Nez.
The case begins Friday, November 23, 1894.
Why?
THE STATEMENT OF THE YEAR:
"When I look at the three massive manuscript volumes which contain our work for the year 1894, I confess that it is very difficult for me, out of such a wealth of material ... I see my notes upon the repulsive story of the red leech and the terrible death of Crosby, the banker. Here also I find an account of the Addleton tragedy, and the singular contents of the ancient British barrow. The famous Smith-Mortimer succession case comes also within this period, and so does the tracking and arrest of Huret, the Boulevard assassin—an exploit which won for Holmes an autograph letter of thanks from the French President and the Order of the Legion of Honour. . . . none of them unites so many singular points of interest as the episode of Yoxley Old Place."
"When I look at the three massive manuscript volumes which contain our work for the year 1894, I confess that it is very difficult for me, out of such a wealth of material ... I see my notes upon the repulsive story of the red leech and the terrible death of Crosby, the banker. Here also I find an account of the Addleton tragedy, and the singular contents of the ancient British barrow. The famous Smith-Mortimer succession case comes also within this period, and so does the tracking and arrest of Huret, the Boulevard assassin—an exploit which won for Holmes an autograph letter of thanks from the French President and the Order of the Legion of Honour. . . . none of them unites so many singular points of interest as the episode of Yoxley Old Place."
THE STATEMENT OF THE MONTH:
"It was a wild, tempestuous night, towards the close of November."
"It was a wild, tempestuous night, towards the close of November."
THE WEATHER REPORT:
"The gale had blown itself out next day, but it was a bitter morning when we started upon our journey."
"The gale had blown itself out next day, but it was a bitter morning when we started upon our journey."
A REFERENCE TO A PAST CASE:
"We saw the cold winter sun rise over the dreary marshes of the Thames and the long, sullen reaches of the river, which I shall ever associate with our pursuit of the Andaman Islander in the earlier days of our career."
"We saw the cold winter sun rise over the dreary marshes of the Thames and the long, sullen reaches of the river, which I shall ever associate with our pursuit of the Andaman Islander in the earlier days of our career."
WHAT THE BARING-GOULD ANNOTATED SAYS:
November 14, 1894.
November 14, 1894.
WHAT ZEISLER, THE KING OF CHRONOLOGY, SAYS:
October 27, 1894.
October 27, 1894.
THE BIRLSTONE RAILWAY TIMETABLE:
It’s November, it’s 1894, and Watson is not a happy man. The sun is cold, the marshes dreary, and even the river is sullen to him. Why is Watson so depressed, at a time when he and Holmes have begun anew, and are taking on adventures and investigations at a tremendous rate? He seems to be writing quite a bit. He’s keeping up on his medical skills. Why is he so glum?
There’s only one thing that makes a man this mopey, and it can be seen in his reference to the Andaman Islander . . . someone whom he probably wasn’t thinking of at all as they crossed the river. The true center of his thoughts should be plain: Watson proposed marriage to Mary Morstan during a September not long after that river chase he writes of in GOLD. It is likely they married in November, a month that gives them enough time to plan their future without interfering with holiday activity. The cause of Watson’s suddenly melancholy musings on a river than was always near at hand anyway suggest that the day this case starts was special in some way — the way a wedding anniversary is special.
Saturday is the traditional day of weddings, and the latest Saturday in November of 1888 was the 24th. Curiously enough, November 24th also falls on a Saturday in 1894, giving Watson even more reason to sadly remember what would have been his sixth anniversary, had his wife still been with him. Thus, I’m dating the beginning of this case on Friday, November 23, 1894.
It’s November, it’s 1894, and Watson is not a happy man. The sun is cold, the marshes dreary, and even the river is sullen to him. Why is Watson so depressed, at a time when he and Holmes have begun anew, and are taking on adventures and investigations at a tremendous rate? He seems to be writing quite a bit. He’s keeping up on his medical skills. Why is he so glum?
There’s only one thing that makes a man this mopey, and it can be seen in his reference to the Andaman Islander . . . someone whom he probably wasn’t thinking of at all as they crossed the river. The true center of his thoughts should be plain: Watson proposed marriage to Mary Morstan during a September not long after that river chase he writes of in GOLD. It is likely they married in November, a month that gives them enough time to plan their future without interfering with holiday activity. The cause of Watson’s suddenly melancholy musings on a river than was always near at hand anyway suggest that the day this case starts was special in some way — the way a wedding anniversary is special.
Saturday is the traditional day of weddings, and the latest Saturday in November of 1888 was the 24th. Curiously enough, November 24th also falls on a Saturday in 1894, giving Watson even more reason to sadly remember what would have been his sixth anniversary, had his wife still been with him. Thus, I’m dating the beginning of this case on Friday, November 23, 1894.
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