But first, announcements:
Howard Ostrom's Facebook group is always discussing adaptations of the Canon.
The Dynamics of a Podcast will be recording their latest episode soon.
If you haven't been to the Parallel Case blog lately, there have been some great blog posts over the past few months!
The Sherlockian Chronologist Guild has launched since our last meeting.
It's time for nominations for the Susan Diamond Beacon Award for anyone introducing young people to Sherlock Holmes.
The Watsonian is accepting material for their latest volume.
The latest Enola Holmes novel came out last week.
And then it was time to discuss "The Missing Three-Quarter"
Our story starts off with Holmes receiving a telegram from Cyril Overton saying “Please await me. Terrible misfortune. Right wing three-quarter missing; indispensable to-morrow."
Watson tells us that this time in Holmes's career was one of inaction, but Watson had weaned Holmes "from that drug mania which had threatened once to check his remarkable career." Even though Holmes is off of drugs now, Watson worries that the habit is "not dead, but sleeping." This is some great foreshadowing for later on....
Cyril Overton arrives to ask for help. Godfrey Staunton has gone missing. And Overton talks about how great Staunton is. Holmes checks his commonplace book and finds Arthur Staunton, a forger, and Henry Staunton, whom he helped to hang, but nothing about Godfrey Staunton.
It turns out that Overton and Staunton are rugby players for Cambridge. Andrew read Overton's discourse on rugby, and Shana said the whole passage reminded her of the adults in Charlie Brown cartoons! Elaine said she wanted to read the rugby rules, but just couldn't get herself interested in it and Kevin was impressed with how many teeth rugby players lost. Michael pointed out that could have been a little too reminiscent if you believe that Doyle wrote the stories. He also told us that the etymology of "varsity" is a shortened version of "university."
Edith said Overton talking about rugby reminded her of Oliver Wood talking about Quidditch: overly excited and singularly focused. Elaine wondered why Watson didn't recognize either of the names from the team. Srini found it interesting that rugby never made it to the Indian subcontinent while it did to so many other colonies.
Cambridge is playing Oxford tomorrow. Last night, Staunton looked pale and bothered when Overton checked in on him. When he was found missing this morning, Overton learned from a hotel porter that a bearded man sent a not to Staunton's room and he fell into a chair when he read the note. Staunton left with the bearded man and hasn't returned. Overton thinks that his teammate is gone and the team is doomed in the upcoming match. Arthur shared that there is two types of rugby: union and league.
Since finding that Staunton was missing, Overton has wired Cambridge only to learn that Staunton was not there, wired Staunton's uncle, Lord Mount James, one of the richest men in the country, and been to Scotland Yard, who sent him to Holmes.
Holmes, Watson, and Overton return to the hotel, where the porter tells them that the bearded man was medium size and about 50. The man and Staunton talked for a minute and the porter heard something about time before they hurried off.
The porter also reported that Staunton received a telegram a few hours before this visit and that he sent a reply. Holmes looks at the blotting paper in the room and can see the end of Staunton's reply: "Stand by us for God's sake!"
Holmes notes that the use of the word "us" in this note proves that another person is involved. He also finds a piece of paper that leads him to believe that Staunton may be ill.
While Holmes is looking through Staunton's papers, Lord Mount James arrives. Mount James has a noticeable case of gout, and Srini took us through a medical digression on that and Arthur asked if King's Disease could lead to gout. Sonia found him being dressed like an undertaker's mute very interesting. Mount James demands to know what they are doing. Overton explains, and when questioned about the cost says he would imagine that Staunton or his family would cover expenses.
Mount James refuses Holmes any fee, but the detective says that maybe Staunton had been kidnapped to learn the layout of his rich uncle's house so that the old man could be robbed. Stacey wondered why this wasn't the first idea to cross his mind. Lord Mount James quickly changes his tune and offers "a fiver, or even a tenner" to Holmes to prevent this. This led us to talk about how much that would translate to in our time. Shaun pointed out that it would have been about one month's wages for the average workman.
Rob read a citation from the Sherlock Holmes Reference Library that noted "Holmes later 'assured Dr. Armstrong that he was 'not employed by Lord Mount-James' and, as he had to keep Godfrey Staunton's confession a closely guarded secret, it seems ridiculous to suppose that he was ever able to claim any reward from the parsimonious nobleman. Presumably nobody paid Holmes anything, despite the relatively heavy expenses which he must have incurred in investigating the case'"
Holmes and Watson go to the telegraph office to follow up on their lead and Holmes pretends to need to check on a telegram that he sent the previous night, actually checking on Staunton's communication. After reading the man's telegram, he tells Watson that he "had seven different schemes for getting a glimpse of that telegram."
Rob noted that in The Staunton Tragedy, Lou Lewis wrote an article hypothesizing what those schemes may have been: using personal charm, disguise, acting ill, creating a distraction in the office, a riot in the street, faking a bet, luring the clerk away from the desk, or just plain old burglary. Arthur wondered if Holmes just liked the number 7 from his days on a seven per-cent solution.
On the way to Cambridge, Holmes tells Watson that since the disappearance occurred on the eve of the big match, he suspects that it is related to Staunton's importance to the team or that he might be being held for ransom.
Once they arrive in Cambridge, Holmes and Watson visit Dr. Leslie Armstrong, the head of the university medical school. He tells Holmes that he does not approve of his profession, to which Holmes replies, "In that, Doctor, you will find yourself in agreement with every criminal in the country." Sonia pointed out that a private detective would not have been a respectful profession to many people, no matter how popular Holmes was.
Stacey found it interesting that Watson was not familiar with Dr. Armstrong, which led Brad to discuss the chronology of the case and where it would fall in Watson's medical career. Shana said that Armstrong would have been someone who published regularly but Sonia wondered if his specialty was outside of Watson's purview.
Dr. Armstrong tells Holmes that he is butting into other people's business and claims to have no knowledge of Staunton's whereabouts. He also answers Holmes's question about Staunton's health and says that he was a healthy man to which Holmes produces a receipt for medical services made out to Dr. Armstrong.
Holmes asks the doctor if he heard from Staunton last night and Armstrong says no, but Holmes tells him he knows of the telegram that Staunton sent him just four hours before his disappearance. Armstrong has had enough of Holmes and kicks them out after telling them that they can tell their employer, Lord Mount James, that he won't have anything to do with him. Sonia found it interesting that Holmes didn't correct the man and could have prevented a lot of complications if he had. Rob said he felt that Holmes immediately took an antagonistic view towards Armstrong.
Holmes tells Watson that Dr. Armstrong could be the next Moriarty! This made Charlene feel that Holmes wasn't antagonistic towards Armstrong, he was more respectful. Shana agreed and cited Holmes's talk of Armstrong's character. Brad wondered if Holmes's testiness had to do with him being weaned off of drugs.
Watson secures a room at the inn across the street from Dr. Armstrong's house while Holmes goes to collect some information. When he comes back, Holmes tells Watson that Dr. Armstrong leaves in his brougham once or twice per day and is gone for a few hours each time. Holmes tries to follow Armstrong on a bike the next time he leaves, only to have the doctor stop and call him out on his efforts.
The next day, a note from Dr. Armstrong arrives at the inn:
"Sir,
can assure you that you are wasting your time in dogging my movements. I have, as you discovered last night, a window at the back of my brougham, and if you desire a twenty-mile ride which will lead you to the spot from which you started, you have only to follow me. Meanwhile, I can inform you that no spying upon me can in any way help Mr. Godfrey Staunton, and I am convinced that the best service you can do to that gentleman is to return at once to London and to report to your employer that you are unable to trace him. Your time in Cambridge will certainly be wasted.
Yours faithfully,
Leslie Armstrong"
Shaun found it interesting that the author used the word "dogging." It's was some foreshadowing! Stacey loved Armstrong taunting Holmes. Brad wondered if Doyle was getting aggravated with Holmes eight stories into The Return and let some feelings towards the character come through in Armstrong's views.
Holmes searches the nearby villages for sign of Armstrong's carriage, but has no luck. In the meantime, Cambridge lost their match against Oxford. Elain offered a theory on why Holmes was taking so long to find Staunton: he had a bet on Oxford!
The next day, Watson comes into their room to find Holmes standing with a syringe in his hand! But Holmes says that it will prove to be a solution to their mystery. Outside, Holmes introduces Watson to "a squat, lop-eared, white-and-tan dog, something between a beagle and a foxhound." It's Pompey, the real detective in this story! Michael pointed out that the dog's name may have been a nod to Portsmouth's football team, the Portsmouth Pompey, on which Doyle played for a time.
Holmes had sprayed aniseed oil on the rear wheel of Dr. Armstrong's brougham and Pompey will follow the scent. Sonia appreciated how similar this was to the use of Toby in SIGN, but Andrew pointed out that Holmes may have learned from his mistake in that previous case. He leads them to a lonely cottage where they see Dr. Armstrong leaving. Holmes says, "I fear there is some dark ending to our quest." Arthur said this reminded him of Holmes's line that the worst things happen out in the country.
They barge into the cottage only to find a young woman lying dead in the room. Godfrey Staunton is sobbing at the foot of the bed, and thinking Holmes and Watson to be some medical men, tells them that they are too late and the woman has died. Armstrong comes back and is angry with Holmes and Watson for interrupting the grieving man. They all go to another room to explain themselves.
kind." When it worsened, Staunton came to the cottage to visit her despite the rugby match. Bruce said it would've made for a better story if Staunton had played in the match.
Armstrong says to Holmes, "I am sure that I can rely upon your discretion and that of your friend" to which Holmes agrees. (That is, until Watson publishes this story for every Strand reader a few years later...) Stacey was impressed with what a great confederate Armstrong was in this secret. There was a very good discussion connecting this story to Doyle's personal experience having a wife suffering from consumption.
Sonia pointed out the reference to Sleepy Hollow, written by Washington Irving. Charlene said that there were a few poems during this time called Sleepy Hollow, so it may not be a direct reference to the classic story. Kevin said that Holmes talks about Poe a few times in other stories, so maybe this was meant to be a reference to American literature. Shana felt that Mrs. Staunton's death scene had a very Poe-like feeling to it. This led to a small sidebar where Michael and Adam shared some Mark Twain-Arthur Conan Doyle connections and fun stories.
Holmes and Watson leave the cottage, and that's the end of the story, a very abrupt end to the story.
Shaun said he kept expecting there to be a villain in this story, but one never appeared. In fact, the antagonist turned out to be pretty cool! Rob felt that this story was similar to YELL: Holmes follows someone to a house, has a wrong idea, and leaves quietly when he sees what's really going on.
While no one was going to put MISS on their top ten list, Elaine pointed out how well-written all of the characters were and Michael appreciated the chivalrous aspect of the story. Stacey was reminded of the Brontes as she read. Shana found it interesting that the title character was the least interesting one in the story!
Rob brought up another point from the SH Reference Library: "What is it that Dr. Leslie Armstrong, the head of a medical school and a 'thinker of European repute' who is devoted to his literary work, saw in Staunton, a man regarded by his coach as a 'sportsman...down to his marrow'?..."
Kevin offered that maybe Armstrong patched up Staunton. Stacey and Elaine said maybe he was just a fan of the sport. Arthur wondered if Armstrong really was a villain, the Moriarty of medicine! Madeline thought he could have been a friend of Staunton's parents, Brad said of Staunton's in-laws, and Andrew thought he was friends with the dog! Shana won the discussion by connecting Armstrong and Staunton in a Doc Brown/Marty McFly friendship.
Join us again in November, for our next meeting on "The Adventure of the Abbey Grange." Come at once if convenient!
Post Script: The Watsonian Weekly followed up this month's meeting on their latest episode and Brad Keefauver did his own recap on his blog.
