The Sign Of Four Questions And Answers | The sign of four pdf
CHARACTER:
[A1]
Question - [i] Read the extract again and complete the web by highlighting the qualities of the following characters:
Solutions :
Question - [ii] Describe the character of Mary Morstan from Dr. Watson’s point of view.
Solutions :
From Dr. Watson’s point of view: When I first saw Mary, she was dressed simply but tastefully. I could see that she was a person of limited means. Her expression was sweet and pleasant, and I could make out that her nature was refined and sensitive. My calculations told me that she was about 27 years old. She was agitated by the mystery surrounding her life. I found her attractive, though her face did not have regular features or a beautiful complexion. Her eyes showed that she was a sympathetic person. I was much impressed by her and attracted to her.
Question - [iii] Sherlock Holmes is the leading character in the extract. Explain.
Solutions :
It is Sherlock Holmes who is the detective and the leading character. Mary Morstan had come to ask his advice about a problem that she was facing. Holmes was the one who took the lead and found out about Major Sholto; it was Holmes who analysed the handwriting in the letter that Mary had received. Holmes was sharp, accurate, intelligent and methodical. He had an excellent record of solving cases, and his deductions were always correct. Watson was merely his friend who helped him and kept a record of his cases.
Question - [iv] Dr. Watson, the narrator, is one of the major characters in the novel. Illustrate.
Solutions :
Dr. Watson is the narrator. He was present when the case was brought to Holmes by Mary Morstan. He is generally always with Holmes, helping him to solve cases. He accompanied Holmes whenever necessary.
He also kept a record of all the cases that Holmes was a part of. In this extract, he is present when Mary recounts her case, and he accompanies Holmes and Mary to meet the writer of the anonymous letter. [He marries Mary in the end.]
Question - [v] Holmes is always one step ahead of Dr. Watson in solving cases. Elucidate.
Solutions :
Where Watson is emotional, simple and trustful, Holmes is sharp, objective and methodical. Holmes is also analytical and notices the little details which give him clues to solving a case. Watson does not, and hence is often on the wrong track. Holmes is the real detective, while Watson is merely his companion. Holmes is always ahead of Watson and solves cases which Watson is not even near to cracking.
PLOT:
[A2]
Question - [i] Arrange the sentences in correct sequence as per their occurrence in the extract.
Solutions :
| Jumbled Incidents | Correct Sequence |
| 1. Holmes put a revolver in his pocket. | (a) Mary Morstan was a well-dressed young lady. |
| 2. Holmes gave Winwood’s book ‘Martyrdom of Man’ to Dr. Watson. | (b) Mary’s father was an officer in an Indian regiment. |
| 3. Mary received a large and lustrous pearl through the post. | (c) Mary received a large and lustrous pearl through the post. |
| 4. Mary’s father was an officer in an Indian regiment. | (d) Holmes gave Winwood’s book ‘Martyrdom of Man’ to Dr. Watson. |
| 5. Mary Morstan was a well-dressed young lady. | (e) Holmes put a revolver in his pocket. |
[ii] Discuss the importance of the following statements from the light of the extract.
Question - [a] The trio-Holmes, Dr. Watson and Mary decide to visit Lyceum Theatre.
Solutions :
Mary had received an anonymous letter asking her to be outside the Lyceum Theatre on a particular night at seven o’clock. The letter said that it would be to Mary’s advantage if she came. The letter also mentioned that she could bring two friends with her. However, she did not have any friends who could accompany her, and so she asked Holmes and Watson if they could do so. They agreed. Hence, Holmes, Dr. Watson and Mary decide to visit Lyceum Theatre. This was the first step to solving the case.
Question - [b] Mary received pearls every year on the same day.
Solutions :
Major Sholto, Mary’s father’s friend, had cheated Mary’s father of his share in the Agra treasure. When he died, Major Sholto informed his son Thaddeus of this. Though Thaddeus did not have the treasure, he tried to rectify the matter to a certain extent by sending Mary a rare and expensive pearl every year, on the same day as he sent the first one.
Question - [c] Holmes carefully examined the paper given by Mary.
Solutions :
Mary had found a curious paper in her father’s desk which no one could understand. Holmes deduced from the colour of the paper that it was an important document. He felt it was related in some way to the mystery on hand. Hence, he examined it carefully to get some clues which would help to solve the mystery.
SETTING:
[A3]
Question - [i] Cite various references [lines] from the extract that tell us about the time and period of the events:
Solutions :
| Lines | Time and period |
| 1. He disappeared upon the 3rd of December, 1878. – nearly ten years ago. | Mary’s father had disappeared about ten years before she met Holmes and Watson on a particular day. |
| 2. About six years ago – to be exact, upon the 4th of May, 1882 – an advertisement appeared in the Times asking for the address of Miss Mary Morstan. The same day there arrived through the post a small card-board box addressed to me, which I found to contain a very large and lustrous pearl. | Mary first received an expensive and rare pearl six years before she received an anonymous letter/before she came to meet Holmes. |
| 3. This morning I received this letter, which you will perhaps read for yourself. | Mary receives an anonymous letter on the morning of the day on which she consults Holmes. |
| 4. Major Sholto, of Upper Norword, late of the 34th Bombay Infantry, died upon the 28th of April, 1882. Within a week of his death Captain Morstan’s daughter receives a valuable present, which is repeated from year to year. | Mary begins to receive the pearls immediately after Major Sholto’s death. |
| 5. At the Lyceum Theatre the crowds were already thick at the side-entrances. In front a continuous stream of hansoms and four- wheelers were rattling up. | Holmes, Watson and Mary reach the Lyceum Theatre on the evening of the day Mary receives the anonymous letter, as instructed by the writer of the letter. This was in the year 1888. |
| 6. We had hardly done so before the driver whipped up his horse, and we plunged away at a furious pace through the foggy streets. | This happens when Holmes, Watson and Mary are taken by the driver to meet the writer of the anonymous letter, on the evening when Mary receives it. |
| 7. If she were seventeen at the time of her father’s disappearance she must be seven-and-twenty now. | Watson, who is attracted to Mary, calculates that Mary must be twenty -seven years old in 1888 when she meets him and Holmes. |
| 8. In the year 1878 my father, who was senior captain of his regiment, obtained twelve months’ leave and came home. | This was the time, ten years earlier, when Captain Morstan disappeared. |
Question - [ii] Explain by citting references from the extract the ways the series of actions moves from London to India.
Solutions :
The extract begins when Mary Morstan meets Sherlock Holmes at his house in London. They then meet Thaddeus Sholto in a rundown neighbourhood of London. Thaddeus reveals that his father Major Sholto had mistakenly killed Captain Morstan in London. They then go to Bartholomew Sholto’s house to get the treasure; however, Bartholomew is found dead.
Holmes follows Jonathan Small and Tonga, who have escaped by a steam launch, over the river Thames in London. When Small is captured, he tells them about the time he spent in India, where he was an accomplice in stealing the Agra treasure. Thus, the narration goes to India. Major Sholto and Captain Morstan were also at one time stationed in India.
Question - [iii] The extract begins when Mary Morstan meets Sherlock Holmes at his house. After that Holmes, Dr.Watson and Mary visit some places in London. Explain in detail the various places mentioned in the extract.
Solutions :
Holmes, Dr.Watson and Mary were taken down the Strand, which was crowded, badly lit and humid. All kinds of people-sad, happy, old and young could be seen moving about in the dim light. Watson found it eerie and ghostlike, and he felt nervous and depressed. They then reached the Lyceum Theatre, where the crowds were pouring in.
A continuous stream of horse carriages could be seen, with stylish people getting out of them. Near the Lyceum Theatre they were met by a coachman who took them in his coach through Rochester Row and Vincent Square onto Vauxhall Bridge Road. They were on the Surrey side, on the bridge from where they got glimpses of the river Thames with lamps shining on the silent water.
The cab then took them through a maze of streets. Holmes could identify Wordsworth Road, Priory Road, Lark Hall Lane, Stockwell Place, Robert Street and Cold Harbor Lane. They were all rundown places. The cab took them further to a rather grim and shady neighbourhood with dull brick houses and cheap and showy public houses at the corner.
Holmes mentions that this was not a very fashionable or rich neighbourhood. This was followed by rows of two-storied villas each with a small front garden, and then again there were never-ending lines of new brick buildings, which were an extension of the city. The houses in the area were all dark and appeared uninhabited.
At last the cab drew up at the third house in a new terrace, which was also dark except for a light in the kitchen. However, when they knocked the door was opened instantly, and an Oriental figure of a servant clad in a yellow turban, white loose-fitting clothes, and a yellow sash stood there. It was strange to find an Oriental figure framed in the doorway of a cheap suburban house.
Question - [iv] Basically the setting of the extract is in London but it has some references of India, too. Explain how the settings of the extract contribute to the theme of the novel.
Solutions :
The setting of the extract is in London, where Mary meets Holmes and Watson to explain her problem. She talks about her father being an officer in an Indian regiment. When he returned to England on leave, he called Mary to meet him at a London hotel, but disappeared mysteriously before she could do so. His only friend in London was a Major Sholto. Holmes finds that Major Sholto was also from the 34th Bombay Infantry.
Mary shows Holmes a piece of paper belonging to her father. The paper was of Indian origin, and three of the names written on it were also Indian. Holmes, Watson and Mary go to meet the anonymous letter writer at a rundown suburban house in London. Later they chase Jonathan Small and Tonga, who were trying to escape by boat on the river Thames. When Jonathan Small was captured, he spoke of being an accomplice in stealing the Agra treasure.
He was sent to the Andaman Islands, where Major Sholto and Captain Morstan were prison guards. At the end of the extract, the door of the anonymous letter writer’s house was opened by an Indian servant. His master used an Indian name to call him. Thus, we have a mingling of incidents both in London as well as in India, where the case had its roots.
Question - [v] Describe in brief the importance of the following places in the extract.
[a] London
[b] Lyceum Theatre
[c] Edinburgh
[d] Agra
[e] Andaman Islands
Solutions :
[a] London: The case starts here with Mary Morstan meeting Holmes at his place in London. They go to meet Thaddeus Sholto in London. They also chase Jonathan Small and Tonga in London. Tonga is killed and Small captured. Small then narrates the entire story.
[b] Lyceum Theatre: This is the place near which the writer of the anonymous letter told Mary Morstan to reach if she wished to get justice.
[c] Edinburgh: Mary spent her childhood till she was seventeen at a boarding school in Edinburgh.
[d] Agra: When Jonathan Small was standing guard one night at the Agra fortress, he was overpowered by two Sikh troopers, who forced him to waylay a servant of a Rajah and steal a valuable fortune in pearls and jewels. This was called the ‘Agra treasure’.
[e] Andaman Islands: Jonathan Small was arrested and imprisoned on the Andaman Islands for the robbery of the Agra treasure. After 20 years, Small made a deal with John Sholto and Arthur Morstan, who were the prison guards. Sholto would recover the treasure and in return send a boat to pick up Small and the Sikhs. Sholto double-crossed both Morstan and Small and stole the treasure for himself. Small vowed vengeance and four years later escaped from the Andaman Islands with an islander named Tonga after they both killed a prison guard.
Question - [vi] Complete:
Name the places/cities in India and England which are mentioned/have appeared in the extract. Describe their importance.
Solutions :
| India | Importance | London | Importance |
| Andaman Islands | Major Sholto and Captain Morstan were stationed here and in charge of the troops; Jonathan Small was also imprisoned here. | Baker Street | The residence of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. This was the place which Mary Morstan came to, to consult Holmes. |
| Agra | Jonathan Small was a gatekeeper at the Agra fortress when he was forced to be an accomplice in the theft of the Rajah’s jewels. | Langham Hotel | This was the place Mary’s father stayed at when he came to London. He invited Mary to the hotel to meet him; but disappeared before her arrival. |
| Bombay (Now Mumbai) | Major Sholto, and Captain Morstan were both from the regiment ‘the 34th Bombay Infantry’. | Lyceum Theatre | Mary was supposed to meet the writer of the anonymous letter or his messenger at the third pillar from the left outside the Lyceum Theatre. |
| – | – | River Thames | Jonathan Small, who tried to escape by boat along the river Thames, was captured. His accomplice Tonga was killed. |
THEME:
[A4]
Question - [i] Write in brief the theme of the extract.
Solutions :
The theme of the extract revolves round the mystery of the disappearance of Mary Morstan’s father, the receipt of expensive pearls by Mary and the mysterious letter received by her. It also involves the journey of Holmes, Watson and Mary Morstan to a strange house to meet the writer of the mysterious letter. The theme of the novel revolves around the Agra treasure.
Question - [ii] Write 4-5 sentences about the meeting of Miss Morstan with Holmes.
Solutions :
Miss Morstan met Holmes and Watson at their house in Baker Street. She then discussed with them the mysterious disappearance of her father a few years earlier, the receipt of an expensive pearl every year for the past six years, and the receipt of a mysterious letter that morning asking her to meet the writer of the letter. Miss Morstan was intensely agitated and confused and did not know what to do. She showed Holmes the pearls, the boxes in which they had come and the letter. Then they planned to follow the instructions and meet the writer of the letter.
Question - [iii] Write the central idea of the given extract of the novel, “The Sign of Four”.
Solutions :
The central idea is the meeting of Mary Morstan with Holmes and Watson, and her explanation of her problems. It is also about the short trip made by the three to meet I the writer of the mysterious letter. This is Watson’s first meeting with Miss Morstan and his attraction towards her.
Question - [iv] Complete the following giving reasons:
Solutions :
[a] Miss Morstan plans to meet Sherlock Holmes to ask his advice about the disappearance of her father, the receipt of expensive pearls and the mysterious letter received by her.
[b] Miss Morstan gives the reference of Mrs. Cecil Forrester because Mrs. Cecil Forrester was her employer, whom Holmes had once helped to solve a domestic complication. Mrs. Forrester had been impressed by his kindness and skill.
[c] It’s a singular case because Miss Morstan’s father had come back to England and contacted her, and had seemed happy. After fixing a meeting ; with her at his hotel, he had suddenly ; disappeared and was never seen again, Even his only friend in town, Major Sholto, had not known either of his ; arrival or disappearance.
[d] Holmes needed some references to find out details about Major Sholto, who was the only friend Mary’s father had in England, and who had said that he did not know about his arrival in England.
[e] Miss Morstan received a pearl every year, when she replied to an advertisement asking for her address, adding that it would be to her advantage.
[f] The coachman confirmed that neither of Miss Morstan’s companion was a police officer because this was the condition made by the writer of the mysterious letter, whom they were going to meet.
LANGUAGE:
[A5]
[i] Elaborate the following lines in the light of the novel/extract, “The Sign of Four”:
Question - [a] “You really are an automaton – a calculating machine”.
Solutions :
These words are said by Watson to Holmes when Mary Morstan had left after discussing her case. Watson is attracted to her and full of admiration for her. When he voices his admiration, Holmes says that he had not noticed if she is attractive or not. Watson is indignant and calls him a calculating machine.
Question - [b] “The letter speaks of giving her justice.”
Discuss.
Solutions :
These are the words of Holmes to Watson, when they are discussing the letter that Mary Morstan has received from an unknown person. He wondered what was the ‘justice’ that the letter spoke of, and who had done ’ something wrong to Mary that she now needed justice.
Question - [c] “Our quest does not appear to take us to very fashionable regions.”
Solutions :
These words are said by Holmes to Watson and Mary Morstan, when they are being driven by the coachman to some strange place. They were going through narrow streets in an unfriendly and grim neighbourhood, which had dull brick rows of houses and cheap and showy public houses at the comer. Holmes mentions that this was not a very fashionable or rich neighbourhood.
Question - [ii] Following are some dialogues of the major characters in the extract. Find out who the speaker is, his/her tone, style, significance, etc. of the dialogue.
Solutions :
| Dialogue | Speaker | To whom it is said | Tone, Style, Significance etc. |
| 1. “… you have once enabled my employer, Mrs. Cecil Forrester, to unravel a little domestic omplication. She was much impressed by your kindness and skill.” | Miss Morstan | Sherlock Holmes | Polite, cultured. Mary proves her identity, and how she came to know about Sherlock Holmes. |
| 2. “You will, I am sure, excuse me.” | Watson | Miss Morstan and Sherlock Holmes | Polite and courteous; Watson wants to make a good impression on Miss Morstan, and doesn’t want to poke his nose if he is not wanted. |
| 3. “Your statement is most interesting. Has anything else occurred to you?” | Sherlock Holmes | Miss Morstan | Polite tone, acknowledging the story told by Miss Morstan, and trying to get further information. |
| 4. “Are you the parties who come with Miss Morstan?” | A coachman/ messenger sent by the letter-writer. | Sherlock Holmes and Watson | Firm but respectful; cautious and asking for affirmation; shows that the person who had invited Miss Morstan was being very cautious, and checking them out. |
| 5. “The Sahib awaits you.” | Khitmutgar (a male servant) | Miss Morstan, Sherlock Holmes and Watson | Respectful, formal. Shows some connection with the east, especially India. |
The Sign Of Four Questions And Answers | The sign of four pdf
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July
1930) was a British writer, who created the character Sherlock
Holmes. Originally a physician, in 1887, he published A
Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels and more than fifty
short stories about Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Sherlock
Holmes stories are generally considered milestones in the
field of crime fiction.
Doyle was a prolific writer; other than
Holmes stories, his works include fantasy and science fiction
stories about Professor Challenger and humorous stories about
the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances,
poetry, non-fiction and historical novels. One of Doyle’s early short stories, ‘J. Habakuk
Jephson’s Statement’, helped to popularise the mystery of the Mary Celeste. The Sign
of Four is the second novel of Arthur Conan Doyle in which Sherlock Holmes and
Dr. Watson solve the mystery of the hidden treasure and murder
Outline of the Novel
The novel begins with Holmes and
Dr. Watson engaged in a discussion when
Mary Morstan, a young woman, who
desires Holmes’ advice, soon visits the two
at their place. During the meeting, Mary
tells that after her father disappeared under
mysterious circumstances some ten years
ago; she began receiving a large pearl in
the mail on the same day of every year.
She
tells that she has received a letter instructing
her to go, with the accompaniment of two
friends, to Lyceum Theatre. The letter gives
a hint that some injustice has been done to
her. Holmes and Watson agree to accompany
Mary. Soon Watson and Mary are attracted
to one another.
When the three are heading to the
Lyceum Theatre, Holmes, Watson, and
Mary, they are whisked away in a darkened
carriage to a strange house. Within, they find
an eccentric gentleman named Thaddeus
Sholto. He reveals that not only has Mary’s
father died, but also she is partial heir to a
great hidden treasure.
Thaddeus goes on to
explain that his father always lived in fear
of men with wooden legs, and on occasion
struck out at perfect strangers who were so
handicapped. On his deathbed, the elder
Sholto revealed to his sons the existence
of the treasure, but just before he could tell
them where it was, the face of a bearded
man appeared in the window, and the old
man suffered a fatal heart attack.
The next morning, a note was found
affixed to the body: it read “Sign of Four”.
Thaddeus proceeds to explain that after
searching for years for the treasure, his
brother Bartholomew discovered it in a
hidden attack in the family house. On his
deathbed, the brothers’ father made them
swear they would share the treasure with
Mary Morstan, who has some unknown
claim in the fortune. Thaddeus concludes by
entreating the three to accompany him to the
family estate where they will divide up the
fortune.
When they arrived at the family estate,
the three find a shaken housekeeper who
claims that Bartholomew has not emerged
from his locked room all day.
Holmes and
Watson peer through the keyhole of the room
and find an unnatural grinning face leering
at them. Breaking down the door, they find
the body of Bartholomew, a poisoned thorn
lodged in his neck. After investigating for
some time, Holmes concludes that two
persons, one of whom had a wooden leg,
committed the crime. According to Holmes,
the second person was an especially
interesting individual. It also becomes
apparent that the murderers have stolen the
Agra treasure.
One of Holmes’ deductions reveals that
the wooden-legged man stepped in creosote
during his escape. Following up on this
lead, Holmes and Watson borrow a dog to
follow the scent. Their search leads them
to the edge of the Thames
where it is clear
the two criminals hired a boat. Over the next
few days, Holmes recruits his “Baker Street
Irregulars,” a gang of street urchins, to search
the river for the boat. When these efforts fail,
Holmes, in disguise, makes a search himself,
and discovers that the boat–the Aurora–has
been camouflaged.
That night, Holmes, Watson, and several
officers pursue the Aurora in a police barge.
They gradually overtake the boat, which
contains a wooden-legged captain and a small
pygmy native from the Andaman Islands.
The native attempts to shoot Holmes with a
blowpipe, and is consequently shot down by
both Holmes and Watson. The Aurora runs a
ground and the wooden-legged man becomes
entrapped in the mud; subsequently, he is
captured.
The wooden-legged man, whose name
is Jonathan Small, is brought back to Baker
Street, along with an iron box, which was
found on the boat. Captain Small proceeds
to relay the story of the Agra treasure, which
began when he was stationed as a fortress
gatekeeper in India. Small explains that he
was approached by three Arab guards and
offered a share in a great fortune if he would
help them murder the man who carried it.
Small agreed. When the man, an emissary
from a wealthy Sheik, arrived, the three
Arabs murdered the man as Small blocked
his escape. The four conspirators hid the
treasure, but soon after, were arrested for the
murder of the emissary.
Small was sent to a penal colony on the
Andaman Islands, where he managed to
befriend a native, Tonga, who became his
loyal companion. Small bribed two of the
guards on the island, Sholto and Morstan
(Mary’s father), into helping him escape
in exchange for a share in the fortune. The
two agreed, and Sholto left to bring back the
treasure. After some time, it became apparent
to Small that Sholto had betrayed him, and
he escaped from the island with Tonga.
After many years, Small had tracked down
Sholto, and arrived just in time to see him
die. After the death, Small affixed the note
that was found on the body, as a reference
to himself and his three Arab companions.
When he returned to the Sholto estate,
Tonga
murdered Bartholomew and the two stole the
treasure.
Small concludes his narrative by
revealing that in the course of the chase on
the Thames, he threw the treasure overboard.
Small is taken to prison, and Watson, who
has come to love Mary Morstan, proposes to
her.
Theme of the novel : The theme of the
novel revolves around the Agra treasure.
Throughout the story, the appearance of the
treasure leads to a direct and often tragic
change in the lives of the characters. Because
of this, it is important that the removal of
the treasure would cause the characters to
return to their previous position. In the case
of Small, a convict, the re-emergence of the
treasure leads him down a path that ends in
murder; with the removal of the treasure,
he is a prisoner once again.
Mary Morstan
is a charming young woman whom Watson
contemplates marrying. With the prospect
of Mary becoming an heiress, however, this
possibility is removed. When it is discovered
that the Agra treasure is gone, Mary returns to
a position in which Watson can comfortably
propose marriage. The shallowness of wealth
and the destruction that can come through it
is also seen prevailing throughout the novel.
As the Agra treasure directly and adversely
affects almost everyone. In the course of the
story,
the Sheik’s emissary and Bartholomew
are both murdered for the treasure, Tonga
is killed while fleeing with it, and Small is
sentenced to life imprisonment. Additionally,
both Thaddeus and his father spent their lives
constantly paranoid about wooden legged
men, and about strangers in general. The
Agra treasure even provides a “romantic
conflict” for Dr. Watson, who feels that he
cannot marry Miss Morstan for fear that he
will appear to be after her money
Plot of the Novel
(Mary’s father), into helping him escape
in exchange for a share in the fortune. The
two agreed, and Sholto left to bring back the
treasure. After some time, it became apparent
to Small that Sholto had betrayed him, and
he escaped from the island with Tonga.
After many years, Small had tracked down
Sholto, and arrived just in time to see him
die. After the death, Small affixed the note
that was found on the body, as a reference
to himself and his three Arab companions.
When he returned to the Sholto estate,
Tonga
murdered Bartholomew and the two stole the
treasure.
Small concludes his narrative by
revealing that in the course of the chase on
the Thames, he threw the treasure overboard.
Small is taken to prison, and Watson, who
has come to love Mary Morstan, proposes to
her.
Theme of the novel : The theme of the
novel revolves around the Agra treasure.
Throughout the story, the appearance of the
treasure leads to a direct and often tragic
change in the lives of the characters. Because
of this, it is important that the removal of
the treasure would cause the characters to
return to their previous position.
In the case
of Small, a convict, the re-emergence of the
treasure leads him down a path that ends in
murder; with the removal of the treasure,
he is a prisoner once again. Mary Morstan
is a charming young woman whom Watson
contemplates marrying. With the prospect
of Mary becoming an heiress, however, this
possibility is removed. When it is discovered
that the Agra treasure is gone, Mary returns to
a position in which Watson can comfortably
propose marriage. The shallowness of wealth
and the destruction that can come through it
is also seen prevailing throughout the novel.
As the Agra treasure directly and adversely
affects almost everyone. In the course of the
story, the Sheik’s emissary and Bartholomew
are both murdered for the treasure, Tonga
is killed while fleeing with it, and Small is
sentenced to life imprisonment. Additionally,
both Thaddeus and his father spent their lives
constantly paranoid about wooden legged
men, and about strangers in general. The
Agra treasure even provides a “romantic
conflict” for Dr. Watson, who feels that he
cannot marry Miss Morstan for fear that he
will appear to be after her money.
The novel has a complex plot involving
service in India, the Indian Rebellion of
1857, a stolen treasure, and a secret pact
among four convicts (‘the Four’ of the title)
and two corrupt prison guards.
According to Mary, in December 1878,
her father had telegraphed her upon his safe
return from India and requested her to meet
him at the Langham Hotel in London. When
Mary arrived at the hotel, she was told that
her father had gone out the previous night
and not returned. Despite all efforts, no trace
was ever found of him.
Mary contacted her
father’s only friend, Major John Sholto who
was in the same regiment lived in England.
But he denied knowing her father had returned.
The second puzzle is that she has received
six pearls in the mail from an anonymous
benefactor, one per year since 1882 after
answering an anonymous newspaper query
inquiring for her. With the last pearl she
received a letter remarking that she has been
wronged and asking for a meeting.
Holmes
takes the case and soon discovers that Major
Sholto had died in 1882 and that within a
short span of time Mary began to receive the
pearls, implying a connection. The only clue
Mary can give Holmes is a map of a fortress
found in her father’s desk with the names of
Jonathan Small, Mahomet Singh, Abdullah
Khan and Dost Akbar.
Holmes, Watson, and Mary meet
Thaddeus Sholto, the son of the late Major
Sholto and the anonymous sender of the
pearls. Thaddeus confirms the Major had
seen Mary’s father the night he died; they
had arranged a meeting to divide a priceless
treasure Sholto had brought home from India.
While quarrelling over the treasure, Captain
Morstan—long in weak health—suffered a
heart attack. Not wanting to bring attention
to the object of the quarrel—and also worried
that circumstances would suggest that he had
killed Morstan in an argument, particularly
since
Morstan’s head struck the corner of the
chest as he fell—Sholto disposed of the body
and hid the treasure. However, he himself
suffered from poor health and an enlarged
spleen (possibly due to malaria, as a quinine
bottle stands by his bed). His own health
became worse when he received a letter from
India in early 1882. Dying, he called his
two sons and confessed to Morstan’s death
and was about to divulge the location of the
treasure when he suddenly cried,
“Keep him
out!” before falling back and dying. The
puzzled sons glimpsed a face in the window,
but the only trace was a single footstep in the
dirt. On their father’s body is a note reading
“The Sign of the Four”. Both brothers
quarrelled over whether a legacy should be
left to Mary Morstan, and Thaddeus left his
brother Bartholomew, taking a chaplet and
sending its pearls to Mary. The reason he sent
the letter is that Bartholomew has found the
treasure and possibly Thaddeus and Mary
might confront him for a division of it.
Bartholomew is found dead in his
home from a poison dart and the treasure
is missing. While the police wrongly take
Thaddeus in as a suspect, Holmes deduces
that there are two persons involved in the
murder: a one-legged man, Jonathan Small,
as well as another “small” accomplice. He
traces them to a boat landing where Small
has hired a steam launch named the Aurora.
With the help of dog Toby that he sends
Watson to collect from Mr. Sherman, the
Baker Street Irregulars and his own disguise,
Holmes traces the steam launch. In a police
steam launch Holmes and Watson chase the
Aurora and capture it, but in the process end
up killing the “small” companion after he
attempts to kill Holmes with a poisoned dart
shot from a blow-pipe. Small tries to escape
but is captured. However, the iron treasure
box is empty;
Small claims to have dumped
the treasure over the side during the chase.
Small confesses that years before he
was a soldier of the Third Buffs in India and
lost his right leg in a swimming accident to
a crocodile. After some time, when he was
an overseer on a tea plantation, the Indian
Rebellion of 1857 occurred and he was forced
to flee for his life to the Agra fortress.
While
standing guard one night he was overpowered
by two Sikh troopers, who gave him a choice
of being killed or being an accomplice to
waylaying a disguised servant of a Rajah
who sent the servant with a valuable
fortune in pearls and jewels to the British
for safekeeping. The robbery and murder
took place and the crime was discovered,
although the jewels were not. Small got penal
servitude on the Andaman Islands and, after
20 years, he overheard that John Sholto had
lost much money gambling and cannot even
sell his commission; therefore, he will have
to resign. Small saw his chance and made a
deal with Sholto and Arthur Morstan:
Sholto
would recover the treasure and in return send
a boat to pick up Small and the Sikhs. Sholto
double-crossed both Morstan and Small and
stole the treasure for himself-after inheriting
a fortune from his uncle. Small vowed
vengeance and four years later escaped the
Andaman Islands with an islander named
Tonga after they both killed a prison guard.
It was the news of his escape that shocked
Sholto into his fatal illness. Small arrived
too late to hear of the treasure’s location, but
left the note which referred to the name of
the pact between himself and his three Sikh
accomplices. When Bartholomew found the
treasure, Small planned to only steal it, but
claims a miscommunication led Tonga to
kill Bartholomew as well. Small claims the
Agra treasure brought nothing but bad luck
to anyone who came in touch with it—the
servant who was murdered;
Sholto living with
fear and guilt; and now he himself is trapped
in slavery for life—half his life building a
breakwater in the Andaman Islands and the
rest of his life digging drains in Dartmoor
Prison.
Mary Morstan is left without the bulk
of the Agra treasure, although she will
apparently receive the rest of the chaplet.
John Watson falls in love with Mary and it
is revealed at the end that he proposed to her
and she has accepted.
Synopsis of the Extract
Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes were
discussing on general issues when they
were interrupted by the arrival of Ms. Mary
Morstan, who has a case for Sherlock to
solve. Mary tells about her father’s sudden
disappearance on a trip many years ago.
A few years later, an advertisement was
published in a newspaper asking for her
address, which she gave, and ever since then,
on the same day of each year, she received a
rare and expensive pearl. This continued for
some more years but today, she received a
letter asking to meet her.
The letter warned
Mary not to bring the police with her. Mary
requests Holmes and Watson to accompany
her to place so that they can figure out the
secret behind it. Both agree to accompany
her. Sherlock recommends Dr. Watson to
read Winwood Reade’s book ‘Martyrdom of
Man’ and leaves the room in search of some
references and facts that are essential for the
case. After returning from his investigation,
Sherlock shares his findings with Watson.
He believes that the death of Major Sholto,
Mary’s father’s only friend in London, has
something to do with the mysterious pearls
she has been receiving every year. Sherlock
believed that the Sholto’s heir knows that
Mary has been wronged in some way, and
may be seeking to rectify the problem.
Later
Mary arrives at Baker Street as planned.
Both Sherlock and Watson accompany her
to the appointment with the mysterious letter
writer. Mary has brought a paper of her
father’s with her which she wasn’t been able
to decipher; she felt that the paper might be
pertinent to the case in some way. It might
help Holmes to decode the mystery and find
the disappearance of her father. Sherlock
examines the letter and puts it away for
safe-keeping.
He, Watson, and Mary go to
the meeting; there, a person asks them any
of them are police officers, which they deny.
The person, who is apparently a servant
of the person they are meeting, then drives
them in carriage. The trio arrives in a ‘less
fashionable’ part of London, aka a more
rundown, working class neighbourhood.
They are escorted inside a house by a servant.
The Sign of Four
Chapter II
The Statement of the Case
Miss Morstan entered the room with
a firm step and an outward composure
of manner. She was a young lady, small,
dainty, well gloved, and dressed in the
most perfect taste. There was, however,
a plainness and simplicity about her
costume which bore with it a suggestion
of limited means. The dress was a sombre
grayish beige, untrimmed and unbraided,
and she wore a small turban of the same
dull hue, relieved only by a suspicion of
white feather in the side.
Her face had neither regularity of
feature nor beauty of complexion, but her
expression was sweet and amiable, and her
large blue eyes were singularly spiritual
and sympathetic. In an experience of
women which extends over many nations
and three separate continents, I have
never looked upon a face which gave a
clearer promise of a refined and sensitive
nature.
I could not but observe that as
she took the seat which Sherlock Holmes
placed for her, her lip trembled, her hand
quivered, and she showed every sign of
intense inward agitation.
“I have come to you, Mr. Holmes,”
she said, “because you once enabled my
employer, Mrs. Cecil Forrester, to unravel
a little domestic complication. She was
much impressed by your kindness and
skill.”
“Mrs. Cecil Forrester,” he repeated
thoughtfully. “I believe that I was of some
slight service to her. The case, however,
as I remember it, was a very simple one.”
“She did not think so. But at least you
cannot say the same of mine. I can hardly
imagine anything more strange, more
utterly inexplicable, than the situation in
which I find myself.”
Holmes rubbed his hands, and his
eyes glistened. He leaned forward in his
chair with an expression of extraordinary
concentration upon his clear-cut, hawklike features. “State your case,” said he,
in brisk, business tones.
I felt that my position was an
embarrassing one. “You will, I am sure,
excuse me,”
I said, rising from my chair.
To my surprise, the young lady held
up her gloved hand to detain me. “If your
friend,” she said, “would be good enough
to stop, he might be of inestimable service
to me.” I relapsed into my chair.
“Briefly,” she continued, “the facts
are these. My father was an officer in
an Indian regiment who sent me home
when I was quite a child. My mother was
dead, and I had no relative in England.
I was placed, however, 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 telegraphed to me from
London that he had arrived all safe,
and directed me to come down at once,
giving the Langham Hotel as his address.
His message,
I remember, was full of
kindness and love. 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 yet returned. I waited all
day without news of him. That night, on
the advice of the manager of the hotel, I
communicated with the police, and next
morning we advertised in all the papers.
Our inquiries led to no result; and from that
day to this no word has ever been heard
of my unfortunate father. He came home
with his heart full of hope, to find some
peace, some comfort, and instead—” She
put her hand to her throat, and a choking
sob cut short the sentence.
“The date?” asked Holmes, opening
his note-book. “He disappeared upon the
3rd of December, 1878. —nearly ten years
ago. “His luggage?” “Remained at the
hotel. There was nothing in it to suggest
a clue,-some clothes, some books, and a
considerable number of curiosities from
the Andaman Islands. He had been one
of the officers in charge of the convictguard there.”
“Had he any friends in town?”
“Only one that we know of,—Major
Sholto, of his own regiment, the 34th
Bombay Infantry. The major had retired
some little time before, and lived at Upper
Norwood.
We communicated with him, of
course, but he did not even know that his
brother officer was in England.”
“A singular case,” remarked Holmes.
“I have not yet described to you the
most singular part. About six years ago—
to be exact, upon the 4th of May, 1882—
an advertisement appeared in the Times
asking for the address of Miss Mary
Morstan and stating that it would be to
her advantage to come forward. There
was no name or address appended. I
had at that time just entered the family
of Mrs. Cecil Forrester in the capacity of
governess.
By her advice I published my
address in the advertisement column. The
same day there arrived through the post
a small card-board box addressed to me,
which I found to contain a very large and
lustrous pearl. No word of writing was
enclosed. 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. They
have been pronounced by an expert to
be of a rare variety and of considerable
value. You can see for yourselves that
they are very handsome.”
She opened a
flat box as she spoke, and showed me six
of the finest pearls that I had ever seen.
“Your statement is most interesting,”
said Sherlock Holmes. “Has anything
else occurred to you?”
“Yes and no later than to-day. That
is why I have come to you. This morning
I received this letter, which you will
perhaps read for yourself.”
“Thank you,” said Holmes. “The
envelope too, please. Postmark, London,
S.W. Date, July 7. Hum! Man’s thumbmark on corner—probably postman. Best
quality paper. Envelopes at six pence a
packet.Particular man in his stationery.
No address. ‘Be at the third pillar from the
left outside the Lyceum
Theatre to-night
at seven o’clock. If you are distrustful,
bring two friends. You are a wronged
woman, and shall have justice. Do not
bring police. If you do, all will be in vain.
Your unknown friend.’ Well, really, this is
a very pretty little mystery. What do you
intend to do, Miss Morstan?”
“That is exactly what I want to ask
you.” “Then we shall most certainly go.
You and I and—yes, why,
Dr. Watson
is the very man. Your correspondent
says two friends. He and I have worked
together before.”
“But would he come?” she asked,
with something appealing in her voice
and expression. “I should be proud and
happy,” said I, fervently, “if I can be of We had, indeed, reached a questionable
and forbidding neighbourhood. Long lines
of dull brick houses were only relieved by
the coarse glare and tawdry brilliancy of
public houses at the corner.
Then came
rows of two-storied villas each with a
fronting of miniature garden, and then
again interminable lines of new staring
brick buildings,—the monster tentacles
which the giant city was throwing out
into the country. At last the cab drew up
at the third house in a new terrace. None
of the other houses were inhabited, and
that at which we stopped was as dark as
its neighbours, save for a single glimmer
in the kitchen window.
On our knocking however, the door was instantly thrown
open by a servant clad in a yellow turban,
white loose-fitting clothes, and a yellow
sash. There was something strangely
incongruous in this Oriental figure framed
in the commonplace door-way of a thirdrate suburban dwelling-house.
“The Sahib awaits you,” said he, and
even as he spoke there came a high piping
voice from some inner room. “Show them
in to me, khitmutgar,” it cried. “Show
them straight in to me.”
- Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle
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