tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4617561529950733163.post6539842340843814192..comments2024-02-03T12:38:09.515-05:00Comments on An Observance Of Trifles: The Adventure of The Veiled Lodger--Sherlock's Quantum Of Solace?snellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06181997862745538999noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4617561529950733163.post-78323469258872808672021-07-29T04:37:56.071-04:002021-07-29T04:37:56.071-04:00If Holmes was 60 in "His Last Bow", whic...If Holmes was 60 in "His Last Bow", which took place in 1914, and he retired soon after 1903's "Creeping Man" case, he must've retired at about age 49 (depending on when in the year his birthday was compared to when the cases were). That does seem far too young for Holmes to retire, especially given how eagerly he performed his work as detective. <br /><br />I wonder if Watson's second wife was less enthusiastic about his adventures with Holmes than his first, Mary, had been. Mary of course met him thanks to him taking part in Holmes' work on her case, so she'd naturally be more forgiving or even encouraging of the duo's crime-fighting work. It's hard for me to tell if Watson was remarried at the time of 1902's "Three Garridebs" case, but if so I could imagine Watson getting shot during that episode being a factor in his second wife being uneasy about her (newish?) husband flirting with danger...<br /><br />Watson was at least remarried by the time of the following year's case Holmes did without him, "The Blanched Soldier". He was still living at Baker Street in 1901 per "Priory School" and had moved out, maybe in anticipation of his second marriage, at the time of "Illustrious Client" in 1902. <br /><br />So if his second wife didn't want Watson joining Holmes on adventures, that might've led to it being a rarity that Watson was involved in a case rather than the rarity being his absence, and that might've been something that pushed Holmes to give it all up before he lost his mental capacity for solving crimes or caught an air gun bullet in the head.<br /><br />It does seem strange he'd retire so early, especially as technology like the telephone made it easier for him to do his work without so much running around. He might've at least gone more towards Mycroft and done more "armchair detective work". But Watson not only moving out again but also taking less of a role in the work may have been a cause for Holmes to stop. <br /><br />While Holmes COULD work without Watson and sometimes did, as Watson said, Holmes had come to depend on Watson as part of the process, and even paid for Watson to return to Baker Street after Holmes' "resurrection" and Mary's death. Mary dying and Watson moving back in with Holmes was done probably because it was more convenient for Conan Doyle to not have to contrive a fresh reason for Watson to join the case in every story, but it happens in-story all the same.<br /><br />I didn't mean to get so long-winded! I've just finished going through all the canonical stories and was reading along in your blog as I went. Now to read the final story's post...Michael Avoliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03438405541305952042noreply@blogger.com