The House of Silk

Show Holmes a drop of water and he would deduce the existence of the Atlantic. Show it to me and I would look for a tap. That was the difference between us.

Childhood, after all, is the first precious coin that poverty steals from a child.

For all men are equal at the moment of death and who are we to judge them when a much greater judge awaits?

I think my reputation will look after itself," Holmes said. "If they hang me, Watson, I shall leave it to you to persuade your readers that the whole thing was a misunderstanding.

I had received an answer to the question that Holmes had put to me. Now all I needed to know was why I had asked it.

It was quite elementary,' returned the detective with a languid gesture of one hand.

You look at me as if I were a conjuror,' Holmes remarked, with a laugh.

when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.

There are, I think, occasions when you know that you have arrived at the end of a long journey, when, even though your destination is still concealed from sight, you are somehow aware that when you turn the corner that lies just ahead of you, there it will be.

We’re all on the road to ruin but some are further ahead than others.

No, the events which I am about to describe were simply too monstrous, too shocking to appear in print. They still are. It is no exaggeration to suggest that they would tear apart the entire fabric of society and, particularly at a time of war, this is something I cannot risk.

The few questions I had asked had been futile and I was suddenly dispirited, for it had occurred to me that had Holmes been present, he would have probably have solved the entire mystery by now.

a detective must occasionally be guided by his worst imaginings – which is to say that he must put himself in the mind of the criminal.

He had entered a veritable miasma of evil, and harm, in the worst possible way, was to come to us all too soon.

Je l'entends toujours. Alors que je repose mon stylographe et que je me dirige vers mon lit, je perçois l'archet qu'on tire sur le chevalet, et la musique qui s'élève dans le ciel nocturne. C'est lointain et à peine audible - mais c'est là! Un pizzicato. Un trémolo. Le style est impossible à à confondre avec un autre. C'est Sherlock Holmes. ll faut que ce soit lui. J'espère que c'est pour moi qu'il joue...

If I were of a philosophical frame of mind I might wonder to what extent any one of us is in control of our own destiny, or if indeed we can ever predict the far-reaching consequences of actions which, at the time, may seem entirely trivial.

It has always struck me that any interpretation of a series of events is possible until all the evidence says otherwise and even then one should be wary before jumping to a conclusion.

aunque, como ya he contado, procuraba no llenar su mente con información que en su opinión careciera de valor material. Que el cielo protegiera al hombre que intentara entablar una conversación con él acerca de política o filosofía: un niño de diez años sabría más. Una cosa puedo decir acerca de aquella tarde:

Holmes had returned entirely to his old self – secretive, over-confident and thoroughly annoying.

Like many wealthy Americans, he was imbued with a sense of civic responsibility

content and only his death would suffice. The metal key that

It would upset me to have to be discourteous to you, so I would be obliged if you did not communicate with me again except, of course, in the most urgent circumstances. I wish you a good evening.’ It

Childhood, after all, is the first precious coin that poverty steals from a child. A