The Sign of the Four.
The case begins Tuesday, September 4, 1888.
Why?
CURRENT STATE OF HOLMES’S DRUG HABIT:
"Three times a day for many months I had witnessed this performance . . ."
"Three times a day for many months I had witnessed this performance . . ."
CURRENT STATE OF WATSON’S HEALTH:
"My constitution has not got over the Afghan campaign yet."
"What was I, an army surgeon with a weak leg and a weaker banking account, that I should dare to think of such things?"
"My constitution has not got over the Afghan campaign yet."
"What was I, an army surgeon with a weak leg and a weaker banking account, that I should dare to think of such things?"
SIGNIFICANT REFERENCE TO ANOTHER CASE:
"But you have yourself had some experience of my methods of work in the Jefferson Hope case."
"But you have yourself had some experience of my methods of work in the Jefferson Hope case."
SIGNIFICANT PASSAGES OF TIME:
"More than once during the years that I had lived with him in Baker Street . . ."
"For weeks and for months we dug and delved in every part of the garden without discovering its whereabouts."
"More than once during the years that I had lived with him in Baker Street . . ."
"For weeks and for months we dug and delved in every part of the garden without discovering its whereabouts."
SIGNIFICANT EVENT REFERENCE OF QUESTIONABLE VALUE:
"I was consulted last week by Francois le Villard, who, as you probably know, has come rather to the front lately in the French detective service."
"I was consulted last week by Francois le Villard, who, as you probably know, has come rather to the front lately in the French detective service."
THE MANY DATES OF MARY MORSTAN:
"I was quite a child . . . placed . . . in a comfortable boarding establishment at Edinburgh, and there I remained until I was seventeen years of age. In the year 1878 my father, who was senior captain of his regiment, obtained twelve months’ leave and came home. He . . . directed me to come down at once."
"On reaching London I drove to the Langham and was informed that Captain Morstan was staying there, but that he had gone out the night before and had not returned."
"He disappeared upon the third of December, 1878 — nearly ten years ago."
"If she were seventeen at the time of her father’s disappearance she must be seven-and-twenty now — a sweet age . . ."
"I was quite a child . . . placed . . . in a comfortable boarding establishment at Edinburgh, and there I remained until I was seventeen years of age. In the year 1878 my father, who was senior captain of his regiment, obtained twelve months’ leave and came home. He . . . directed me to come down at once."
"On reaching London I drove to the Langham and was informed that Captain Morstan was staying there, but that he had gone out the night before and had not returned."
"He disappeared upon the third of December, 1878 — nearly ten years ago."
"If she were seventeen at the time of her father’s disappearance she must be seven-and-twenty now — a sweet age . . ."
THE YEARLY PEARL DELIVERY:
"About six years ago — to be exact, upon the fourth of May, 1882 — an advertisement appeared in the Times asking for the address of Miss Mary Morstan . . ."
"I published my address in the advertisement column. The same day there arrived through the post a small cardboard box addressed to me, which I found to contain a very large and lustrous pearl."
"Since then every year upon the same date there has always appeared a similar box, containing a similar pearl, without any clue as to the sender."
"She . . . showed me six of the finest pearls that I had ever seen."
"About six years ago — to be exact, upon the fourth of May, 1882 — an advertisement appeared in the Times asking for the address of Miss Mary Morstan . . ."
"I published my address in the advertisement column. The same day there arrived through the post a small cardboard box addressed to me, which I found to contain a very large and lustrous pearl."
"Since then every year upon the same date there has always appeared a similar box, containing a similar pearl, without any clue as to the sender."
"She . . . showed me six of the finest pearls that I had ever seen."
SIGNIFICANT MONTH AND DAY REFERENCE:
"This morning I received this letter . . ."
"Post-mark, London, S. W. Date, July 7."
"Be at the third pillar from the left outside the Lyceum Theatre to-night at seven o’clock."
"LOST — Whereas Mordecai Smith, boatman, and his son Jim, left Smith’s Wharf at or about three o’clock last Tuesday morning . . ."
"This morning I received this letter . . ."
"Post-mark, London, S. W. Date, July 7."
"Be at the third pillar from the left outside the Lyceum Theatre to-night at seven o’clock."
"LOST — Whereas Mordecai Smith, boatman, and his son Jim, left Smith’s Wharf at or about three o’clock last Tuesday morning . . ."
THE DATES OF MAJOR SHOLTO:
"He retired some eleven years ago . . ."
"The major had retired some little time before." (Captain Morstan’s disappearance)
"I have just found, on consulting the back files of the Times, that Major Sholto, of Upper Norwood, late of the Thirty-fourth Bombay Infantry, died upon the twenty-eighth of April, 1882."
"Captain Morstan disappears. . . . Four years later Sholto dies."
"Early in 1882 my father received a letter from India which was a great shock to him. He had suffered for years from an enlarged spleen, but he now became rapidly worse, and towards the end of April we were informed that he was beyond all hope . . ."
"He retired some eleven years ago . . ."
"The major had retired some little time before." (Captain Morstan’s disappearance)
"I have just found, on consulting the back files of the Times, that Major Sholto, of Upper Norwood, late of the Thirty-fourth Bombay Infantry, died upon the twenty-eighth of April, 1882."
"Captain Morstan disappears. . . . Four years later Sholto dies."
"Early in 1882 my father received a letter from India which was a great shock to him. He had suffered for years from an enlarged spleen, but he now became rapidly worse, and towards the end of April we were informed that he was beyond all hope . . ."
SIGNIFICANT MONTH REFERENCE:
"It was a September evening and not yet seven o’clock, but the day had been a dreary one, and a dense drizzly fog lay low upon the great city. Mud-coloured clouds drooped sadly over the muddy streets.
"It was a September evening and not yet seven o’clock, but the day had been a dreary one, and a dense drizzly fog lay low upon the great city. Mud-coloured clouds drooped sadly over the muddy streets.
SIGNIFICANT PRIOR ACQUAINTANCES:
Holmes to McMurdo: "Don’t you remember that amateur who fought three rounds with you at Alison’s rooms on the night of your benefit four years back?"
Athelney Jones: "It’s Mr. Sherlock Holmes, the theorist. Remember you! I’ll never forget how you lectured us all on causes and inferences and effects in the Bishopgate jewel case."
Holmes to McMurdo: "Don’t you remember that amateur who fought three rounds with you at Alison’s rooms on the night of your benefit four years back?"
Athelney Jones: "It’s Mr. Sherlock Holmes, the theorist. Remember you! I’ll never forget how you lectured us all on causes and inferences and effects in the Bishopgate jewel case."
WHAT THE BARING-GOULD ANNOTATED SAYS:
September 18, 1888. There’s long been two camps on SIGN, the July camp and the September camp, and Baring-Gould is firmly on the September side. Of course, there’s always one person who goes completely off the chart . . .
September 18, 1888. There’s long been two camps on SIGN, the July camp and the September camp, and Baring-Gould is firmly on the September side. Of course, there’s always one person who goes completely off the chart . . .
WHAT ZEISLER, THE KING OF CHRONOLOGY, SAYS:
April 16, 1888. Zeisler trusts Watson’s mentions of twilight and moonlight as if the doctor was an astronomer, yet doesn’t believe Watson knows what month it is?
April 16, 1888. Zeisler trusts Watson’s mentions of twilight and moonlight as if the doctor was an astronomer, yet doesn’t believe Watson knows what month it is?
THE BIRLSTONE RAILWAY’S TIMETABLE:
The year in which The Sign of the Four occurs would seem a straightforward calculation. Captain Morstan’s disappearance, December 3, 1878 is described as "nearly ten years ago." The ad in the May 4, 1882 newspaper is described as "about six years ago." Holmes’s research seems to back up these dates.
The year in which The Sign of the Four occurs would seem a straightforward calculation. Captain Morstan’s disappearance, December 3, 1878 is described as "nearly ten years ago." The ad in the May 4, 1882 newspaper is described as "about six years ago." Holmes’s research seems to back up these dates.
The next choice one has to make when pondering the dates of SIGN is whether one wants to go with Mary Morstan’s "This morning I received this letter" (said letter postmarked July 7) or Dr. Watson’s "It was a September evening . . ." As Keefauver’s First Rule of Chronology is "Trust Dr. Watson," I have to go with September. Apparently most of my predecessors do as well, making Holmes’s statement "Women are never to be trusted" from this case especially timely.
Why was Holmes so emphatic about the untrustworthiness of women when Watson announces his engagement to Mary Morstan? Is it that he really doesn’t trust women in general, or that he’s trying to break the news of Morstan’s duplicity to his friend? That envelope postmarked July 8 seems ample evidence for collusion between Mary Morstan and Thaddeus Sholto, who were simply using Holmes and Watson to force Bartholomew Sholto to play straight in dividing up the treasure. Add to that bit of evidence the fact that Mary Morstan shows the Baker Street boys six pearls when anyone who does the math knows she should have seven, and her credibility breaks down rather swiftly. Holmes knew this was not a woman to be trusted. (And this chronologist is also very fond of the script of Crucifer of Blood.)
As for the exact date, we know the case starts on a Tuesday, thanks to Holmes’s ad. Watson’s opening words, "Three times a day for many months I had witnessed this performance," lead me to believe that it was the first Tuesday in September, as the three summer months would be a natural bracket for Watson to track Holmes’s drug habit in. Thus, the Birlstone Railway Timetable has to go with Tuesday, September 4, 1888 for the start of this case.
It might be noticed that I’m dating SIGN based on internal evidence and, for the moment, totally ignoring Watson’s marital status in other tales. Well, as Sherlock Holmes once said "It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts."
My feeling is that presupposing Mary Morstan to be the only wife Dr. Watson ever had is definitely theorizing before the data. Thus, Keefauver’s Second Rule of Chronology states: "It is a capital mistake to theorize marriages before one has dates. Insensibly one begins to twist dates to suit marriages, instead of marriages to suit dates." (And we all know that dating must properly come before marriage!)
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