The Retired Colourman
Want to read this along with me? This essay is part of The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, published in 1927. I used the epub version found on Feedbooks.com.
“Tour de Holmes” week begins!
After two stories told from Holmes’ perspective, we’re back to a first-person story told by Watson. The classic formula is fully on display in this story, and there are some great moments between the two friends. For example, Watson is sent off as an “understudy” to collect evidence (an act that is retold later for good effect — it not only helps pacing, but also allows Holmes to comments on Watson’s efforts). Watson starts to explain what he’s found:
“… Right in the middle of them, a little island of ancient culture and comfort, lies this old home, surrounded by a high sun-baked wall mottled with lichens and topped with moss, the sort of wall —”
“Cut out the poetry, Watson,” said Holmes severely. “I note that it was a high brick wall.”
Holmes again chides Watson for missing details (like in “The Solitary Cyclist”), but at least this time he is more moderate, and often praises Watson’s observations, if not his deductions: “No one else would have done better. Some possibly not so well. But clearly you have missed some vital points.”
We see Holmes lamenting his relationship with the Yard (and how they send “incurables” to him), his preferences for city life (and “the horrors of a country inn” — quite at odds with his eventual retirement), and the fact that he considered burglery as an alternative profession. He remarks on Watson’s abilities to sway women, and the fact that there’s a telephone in Baker Street (previously mentioned in “The Illustrious Client” and “The Three Garridebs”). We also learn of a supposed rival to Holmes — Barker in Surrey — that we haven’t heard of before (or since). Many scholars have tried to link him to other characters in the canon; most notably the detective in “coloured glasses” noticed by Watson in “The Empty House.”
Historically, there’s a reference to Watson’s old school number. In boarding schools, each pupil was given an identification number, which is kept throughout the student’s career at that school. There’s also a passing mention of “Broadmoor,” which was a prison specifically for criminal lunatics (and is now a psychiatric hospital).
One thing that irritates me is that I’ve seen multiple references in my research that the story is set in 1898, but I can’t find anything in my version of the text that explicitly says that. Baring Gould seems to confirm it, though, so I’m not inclined to argue the point. However, this again brings up one of the irritations of Holmes scholarship. There are three different “official” versions of the text: the version published in the Strand magazine, the version eventually compiled into the British publications, and the version that was edited for the American publications. For casual reading the differences are largely negligable, but as you dive more and more into the study of Holmes and try to reconcile or even just track facts, time and again you’ll run into some flavor of “oh, that was mentioned in some other version of the text.” I swear, sometimes studying the different translations of the Bible is easier.