The Return of Sherlock Holmes · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle.
Chapter 1
The Adventure of the Empty House
Holmes reveals to Watson that he survived the Reichenbach Fall by using baritsu to escape Moriarty, then hid for three years to allow his enemies to expose themselves. He returns to London and sets a trap using a wax bust of himself in Baker Street to lure Colonel Sebastian Moran, Moriarty's chief of staff, who attempts to assassinate him with an airgun. Holmes and Watson capture Moran, ending the threat.
Chapter 2
The Adventure of the Norwood Builder
Holmes and Watson, having reunited at Baker Street, are visited by a frantic young solicitor, John Hector McFarlane, who fears arrest for the murder of builder Jonas Oldacre. The newspaper reports Oldacre's disappearance, a fire at his timber-yard, and bloodstained evidence pointing to McFarlane. Holmes investigates the scene, uncovers inconsistencies, and ultimately reveals that Oldacre has faked his own death and hidden in a secret room, exposing the plot as a malicious scheme to ruin McFarlane.
Chapter 3
The Adventure of the Dancing Men
Holmes demonstrates his deductive reasoning by revealing Watson's thoughts about South African securities. He then receives a visit from Mr. Hilton Cubitt, who presents a mysterious paper covered with dancing stick figures that frighten his wife. Holmes deciphers the cipher, revealing it to be a coded message from Elsie's past. The case culminates in a tragic confrontation where Hilton Cubitt is shot, and the American Abe Slaney is captured. Holmes explains the cipher's solution and the events leading to the tragedy.
Chapter 4
The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist
Miss Violet Smith, a young music teacher, seeks Holmes's help after being followed by a bearded cyclist while cycling to and from Farnham. She works for Mr. Carruthers and is engaged to Cyril Morton. The case involves the menacing Mr. Woodley and mysterious weekend parties at Charlington Hall. Holmes and Watson investigate, leading to an abduction attempt and a violent confrontation.
Chapter 5
The Adventure of Black Peter
In the year 1895, Sherlock Holmes investigates the brutal murder of Captain Peter Carey, known as Black Peter, who was found pinned to the wall of his cabin with a harpoon. With the help of Inspector Stanley Hopkins and Dr. Watson, Holmes deduces that the killer must have returned to the scene to retrieve something from a logbook. They set an ambush and capture a young man, who is revealed to be the murderer.
Chapter 6
The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton
Holmes and Watson take on the case of Lady Eva Blackwell, who is being blackmailed by the notorious Charles Augustus Milverton. After failed negotiations, Holmes and Watson break into Milverton's house to retrieve the incriminating letters, but witness a mysterious woman murder Milverton. They burn the letters and escape. Lestrade later investigates the murder, but Holmes refuses to assist, sympathizing with the killers.
Chapter 7
The Adventure of the Six Napoleons
Inspector Lestrade visits Holmes and Watson to discuss a series of bizarre burglaries where plaster busts of Napoleon are smashed. The trail leads to a murder at the home of journalist Horace Harker. Holmes deduces that the busts contain a hidden treasure, the famous black pearl of the Borgias, and identifies the killer as Beppo, a former sculptor. The case culminates in Holmes purchasing the final bust and revealing the pearl.
Chapter 8
The Adventure of the Three Students
Holmes and Watson are staying in a university town when a tutor, Hilton Soames, seeks their help to avoid a scandal. The proofs for a scholarship exam have been tampered with, and three students are suspects. Through careful observation and deduction, Holmes identifies the culprit, Gilchrist, who confesses with the help of the servant Bannister's concealment.
Chapter 9
The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez
On a stormy November night, Inspector Stanley Hopkins arrives at 221B Baker Street to consult Holmes about a perplexing murder case at Yoxley Old Place. The victim is young Willoughby Smith, secretary to the reclusive Professor Coram. The case initially seems motiveless, but Holmes's investigation uncovers a hidden woman in the professor's study, who confesses to the accidental killing. She reveals herself as the professor's wife, a former Russian revolutionary who was betrayed by her husband and sent to Siberia. She had come to retrieve letters and a diary that could free her true love, Alexis, from a Siberian salt mine. The chapter ends with the woman collapsing, possibly poisoned, as the truth of the past comes to light.
Chapter 10
The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter
On a gloomy February morning, Sherlock Holmes receives a frantic telegram from Cyril Overton, a Cambridge athlete, about the disappearance of Godfrey Staunton, the star three-quarter rugby player. Overton explains that Staunton vanished just before a crucial match, and Inspector Stanley Hopkins directed him to Holmes. Holmes and Dr. Watson investigate, tracking Staunton to a cottage near Cambridge with the help of a dog named Pompey. They discover Staunton grieving over his wife, who has just died of consumption. Dr. Armstrong, the physician, reveals that Staunton secretly married his landlady's daughter, a union that would have disinherited him from his uncle Lord Mount-James. Holmes agrees to keep the matter private, resolving the case without scandal.
Chapter 11
The Adventure of the Abbey Grange
Holmes and Watson are summoned by Inspector Stanley Hopkins to the Abbey Grange in Kent, where Sir Eustace Brackenstall has been found murdered. Lady Brackenstall recounts a story of a burglary by the Randall gang, but Holmes suspects a deeper truth. Through investigation, he uncovers that the murder was committed by Captain Crocker, a former suitor of Lady Brackenstall, in a fit of passion after Sir Eustace's abuse. Holmes ultimately decides to let Crocker go, prioritizing justice over the letter of the law.
Chapter 12
The Adventure of the Second Stain
Holmes and Watson are visited by the Prime Minister and the Secretary for European Affairs, Trelawney Hope, who report the theft of a highly sensitive letter from a foreign potentate. The document's disappearance could lead to war if made public. Holmes investigates, linking the case to the murder of Eduardo Lucas. Through careful observation and deduction, Holmes recovers the letter and prevents a European crisis, revealing that the thief was Lady Hilda Trelawney, who acted to protect her husband's career.
Chapter 13
List of Illustrations
This chapter presents a list of illustrations that appear in the book, including depictions of the dancing men cipher, maps, and other visual evidence from various cases.
