 The Empty House
 Synopsis
Holmes explains how he was able to escape Moriarty, and that he remained in hiding in order to evade the rest of Moriarty’s gang. He tells Watson that his brother, Mycroft, has helped him to stay hidden all this time.
Holmes uses a wax bust of himself, planted in the window of 221B Baker Street, in order to fool COLONEL SEBASTIAN MORAN, one of Moriarty’s gang, who is after him. Mrs Hudson, Holmes’ housekeeper, moves the figure every quarter of an hour.
Holmes and Watson observe 221B from an empty house across the street.
Moran appears and tries to shoot the bust of Holmes. Holmes jumps on him and catches him, and, as pre-arranged, INSPECTOR LESTRADE arrives to arrest Moran. Holmes tells Lestrade to arrest Moran for the murder of ROBERT ADAIR, whose death had baffled London. Adair was shot in a seemingly impossible manner. Holmes realises it must be the work of Moran, who is one of the world’s best shots, and who shot Adair with a revolver bullet fired from an air gun.
Comments
Another story which is not remarkable in itself, but well worth looking at the beginning of the story for its account of what happened after the Reichenback Falls.
Holmes returns in disguise, first fooling Watson and then revealing his identity and causing Watson to faint with the sudden shock. We like the idea of Holmes building a dummy to match his famous silhouette.
Has yet another passage which is open to misinterpretation. Holmes and Watson’s relationship appears to be expressed not only in homoerotic but in romantic terms:
“Again in the utter silence I heard that thin, sibilant note which spoke of intense excitement. An instant later he pulled me back into the blackest corner of the room, and I felt his warning hand upon my lips. The fingers which clutched me were quivering. Never had I known my friend more moved, and yet the dark street still stretched lonely and motionless before us.” |
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