The Sign of Four: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery
Sherlock Holmes and the Sign of Four
Sherlock Holmes receives a visit from Miss Mary Morstan, a visit that lifts him out of the boredom into which he had fallen after solving the case, *A Study in Scarlet*. This boredom he mitigates by taking doses of cocaine. Mary Morstan presents her case: her father, after returning from India, disappeared ten years ago from the hotel where he was staying. For six years, she has received a small box annually, containing a valuable pearl. Someone has summoned her to a theater that night. Holmes and Dr. Watson accompany her to the rendezvous, where a driver awaits them, leading them to a secluded house.
The Revelation of Thaddeus Sholto
They are greeted by Thaddeus Sholto, son of Major Sholto, the only friend of Arthur Morstan, Miss Mary’s father. He recounts that Morstan and his father returned from India with a treasure, but they argued during the allocation, and Morstan died accidentally after falling and hitting his head. Thaddeus’s father, to avoid explaining the treasure to the police, disposed of the body. Then, when he was about to die, he confided the whole story to him and his brother. He repented of his greed, telling them both to share the treasure, which he had not dared to touch, with the daughter of his friend.
But before revealing the location of the treasure, seeing a face in a window, he goes mad and dies. The next day, the room is found in disarray, and above his father’s corpse is a paper with the words “The Sign of Four”. Only a headband gives certainty about the existence of the treasure. The pearls from this jewel are what Sholto’s brother anonymously sent each year to Miss Mary. Now, years later, the treasure has been found, and Miss Mary has been called to receive her share.
The Death of Bartholomew Sholto
The group goes to the home of Bartholomew, the other brother. Upon arrival at Pondicherry Lodge, they find him dead, with a paper reading “The Sign of Four” written on it. The treasure is gone. Holmes discovers footprints of two people: those of the lame Jonathan Small and those of someone who appears to be a child. Thanks to the latter’s scent—creosote spilled on the attic floor—Holmes and Watson, with the help of a dog, follow the invisible traces left by the odor.
Along the way, Holmes tells Watson that Sholto and Morstan found the treasure in India thanks to a plan made by Small. The plane was found among Morstan’s belongings for his daughter. Small and three other individuals, calling themselves “The Sign of Four”, expected help from them to escape from the prison where they were locked up, promising them some of the treasure. But Sholto and Morstan did not fulfill their part of the deal and escaped with the treasure to England. Small, furious at the betrayal, manages to escape on his own and travels to London to retrieve the treasure. However, he fails because the traitors are dead, and the treasure is hidden until, at last, Bartholomew finds it.
The Chase and Capture of Jonathan Small
The dog’s tracking leads them to a pier. Small tries to escape the country using a boat to reach a ship. When he sets out to do this, Holmes, Watson, and Inspector Athelney Jones pursue him in another boat. Small’s companion, a dwarf from the Andaman Islands, dies in the pursuit. Small is captured. The box is recovered, but it is empty: Small has been throwing the jewels into the River Thames during the chase.
A Happy Ending for Watson
Watson proposes marriage to Miss Mary, and she accepts.