The Return of Sherlock Holmes · Chapter
The Adventure of the Six Napoleons explained
Inspector Lestrade visits Holmes and Watson to discuss a series of bizarre burglaries where plaster busts of Napoleon are smashed.
What happens
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.
Themes in this chapter
Deduction and Rationality
Holmes uses logical reasoning to connect the seemingly senseless bust smashing to a hidden treasure, demonstrating his deductive prowess.
Crime and Society
The case involves burglary, murder, and the underworld of immigrant laborers, highlighting societal crime.
Secrecy and the Past
The hidden pearl and Beppo's criminal history reveal secrets from the past that drive the plot.
Appearance vs. Reality
The cheap plaster busts conceal a valuable pearl, and the seemingly random vandalism masks a calculated crime.
Characters to notice
- Sherlock Holmes
Takes keen interest in the case of the broken Napoleon busts, deduces the hidden pearl, and orchestrates the final revelation.
- Dr. Watson
Present during Lestrade's visits and assists Holmes in the investigation.
- Inspector Lestrade
Brings the case to Holmes, provides updates, and works alongside Holmes to solve the murder.
- Horace Harker
Journalist who owns one of the busts and discovers the murdered man outside his home.
- Beppo
Italian sculptor and ne'er-do-well, arrested for the burglaries and later identified as the murderer.
- Mr. Sandeford
Owner of the final bust, who sells it to Holmes for ten pounds.
- Dr. Barnicot
Medical practitioner whose two busts were smashed in separate burglaries.
- Morse Hudson
Shopkeeper whose bust was the first to be destroyed.
Key passages
“It was no very unusual thing for Mr. Lestrade, of Scotland Yard, to look in upon us of an evening, and his visits were welcome to Sherlock Holmes, for they enabled him to keep in touch with all that was going on at the police headquarters.”
Lestrade frequently visited Holmes and Watson in the evenings, and Holmes appreciated these visits because they kept him informed of police activities.
Establishes the routine of Lestrade's visits and Holmes's interest in police news.
“Holmes took a paper from his pocket and laid a ten-pound note upon the table. 'You will kindly sign that paper, Mr. Sandeford, in the presence of these witnesses. It is simply to say that you transfer every possible right that you ever had in the bust to me.'”
Holmes paid ten pounds for the bust and had Sandeford sign a document transferring all rights to him.
Shows Holmes's methodical approach to securing the bust and its hidden contents.
“Next instant, with a loud shout of triumph he held up one splinter, in which a round, dark object was fixed like a plum in a pudding. 'Gentlemen,' he cried, 'let me introduce you to the famous black pearl of the Borgias.'”
Holmes triumphantly revealed the black pearl of the Borgias embedded in the broken bust.
Climactic moment where Holmes uncovers the treasure, resolving the mystery.
