Hello,

Sumalsn, you are quite correct. Perhaps the summer heat has made us lazy. I
propose a new topic for discussion:

While listening to a radio broadcast of "The Stockbroker's Clerk" I was struck
by the number of cases brought to Holmes by clients who were presented with
business opportunities "too good to be true." Hall Pycroft is offered 500 pounds
a year, well above the 200 offered by Mawson. Jabez Wilson in "The Red Headed
League" is offered 4 pounds a week for "purely nominal" work. In "The Engineer's
Thumb" Victor Hatherley is lured away by the promise of 50 guineas for one
night's work. And in "The Copper Beeches" Violet Hunter is offered 120 pounds
per year, compared to the 48 pounds she had at her last place.

I have an idea that ACD is having fun, reflecting on his poverty at the
beginning of his medical career. There was a well-known episode in his life
where he went into partnership with Dr Budd, with the expectation of doing well,
but which ended badly. Perhaps these examples of hard working people offered
payments well above their usual, with tragic results, are his way of dealing
with that?

I note that these stories were all published in the first series of
"Adventures," except for "Clerk" which was in the "Memoirs." Can anyone adduce
other examples?

Best wishes,

Jeff

PS: I note this is "digest number 1000" - surely this marks a milestone!

> ________________________________________________________________________
> 1. Get active
> Posted by: "sumalsn" no_reply@... sumalsn
> Date: Sat Aug 2, 2008 12:55 pm
>
> Dear Holmesians,
> We are getting slack on posts of late
> Sumalsn

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