"Ignorance caused by visual observation rather than a comprehensive" - Sherlock Holmes
"A
Scandal in Bohemia" was the first of Arthur Conan Doyle's
56 Sherlock Holmes
short stories to be published in The Strand Magazine and the first Sherlock
Holmes story illustrated by Sidney Paget. (Two of
the four Sherlock Holmes novels – A Study in Scarlet
and The Sign of the Four
– preceded the short story cycle). Doyle ranked "A Scandal in
Bohemia" fifth in his list of his twelve favourite Holmes stories.
While the
currently married Dr. Watson is paying
Holmes a visit, Holmes's called upon by a masked gentleman introducing himself
as Count Von Kramm, an agent for a wealthy client. However, Holmes quickly
deduce that he's in fact Wilhelm Gottsreich Sigismond Von Ormstein, Grand
Duke of Cassel-Felstein and the hereditary King of Bohemia.
The King admit this, tearing off his mask.
It
transpires that the King is to become engaged to Clotilde Lothman von
Saxe-Meiningen, a young Scandinavian princess.
However, he had five years previous to the events of the story had a liaison
with an American opera singer, Irene Adler, while she was serving a term as
prima donna of the Imperial Opera of Warsaw, who has since then retired to
London. Fearful that should the strictly principled family of his fiancée learn
of this impropriety the marriage would be called off he had sought to regain
letters and a photograph of Adler and himself together, which he had sent to
her during their relationship as a token. The King's agents have tried to
recover the photograph through sometimes forceful means, burglary, stealing her
luggage, and waylaying her. An offer to pay for the photograph and letters is
also refused. With Adler threatening to send them to his future in-laws, which
Von Ormstein presumes is to prevent him marrying any other woman, he makes the
incognito visit to Holmes to request his help in locating and obtaining the
photograph.
The
photograph is described to Holmes as a cabinet (5½ by 4 inches) and
therefore too bulky for a lady to carry upon her person. The King gives Holmes
£1,000 (£80,900 today) to cover any expenses, while saying
that he "would give one of [his] provinces" to have the photograph
back. Holmes asks Dr. Watson to join him at 221B Baker Street at 3 o'clock the following
afternoon.
The next
morning, Holmes goes out to Adler's house, disguised as a drunken out-of-work
groom. He discovers from the local stable workers that Adler has a gentleman
friend, the lawyer Godfrey Norton of the Middle Temple, who calls at least once a day. On
this particular day, Norton comes to visit Adler, and soon afterwards, takes a
cab to the Church of St. Monica in Edgware Road. Minutes later, the lady herself
gets in her landau, bound for
the same place. Holmes follows in a cab and, upon arriving, finds himself
dragged into the church to be a witness to Norton and Adler's wedding.
Curiously, they go their separate ways after the ceremony.
Meanwhile,
Watson has been waiting for Sherlock to arrive, and when Sherlock Holmes
finally arrives, he starts laughing. Watson is confused and asks what is so
funny, Sherlock then recounts his tale and comments he thought the situation
and position he was in at the wedding was amusing. He also asks whether or not
Watson is willing to participate in a scheme to figure out where the picture is
hidden in Adler's house. Watson agrees, and Holmes changes into another
disguise as a clergyman. The duo depart Baker Street for Adler's house.
When Holmes
and Watson arrive, a group of jobless men meander throughout the street. When
Adler's coach pulls up, Holmes enacts his plan. A fight breaks out between the
men on the street over who gets to help Adler. Holmes rushes into the fight to
protect Adler, and is seemingly struck and injured. Adler takes him into her
sitting room, where Holmes motions for her to have the window opened. As Holmes
lifts his hand, Watson recognizes the signal and tosses in a plumber's smoke rocket. While smoke billows out of the
building, Watson shouts "FIRE!" The cry is echoed up and down the
street.
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