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Sherlock Holmes Short Stories

Sherlock Holmes Short Stories - Teacher’s notes 1 of 5pearsonenglishreaders.com © Pearson Education Limited 2015

Teacher’s noteslevel 5 Teacher Support Programme

About the authorSir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) was born in Edinburgh and qualified as a doctor after studying medicine at Edinburgh University. He went into medical practice at Southsea on the south coast but began writing stories to supplement his income. In 1887, he published the first long Sherlock Holmes story, A Study in Scarlet. Four years later, when his short stories about the detective began to appear regularly in Strand magazine, he gave up his career as a doctor, though he later received a knighthood for organising medical services during the Boer War in Africa (1899–1902).

Conan Doyle looked like a stronger, taller version of the narrator of the Holmes stories, Dr Watson, and his values were similar too – those of public schoolboys in the Victorian era (1832–1901). He was brave, good at sport and chivalrous towards women. Doyle was fascinated by brave people in history and he preferred his historical novels to Sherlock Holmes. Consequently, he announced Holmes’s death in a story in 1893 and did not write about him again for several years. But in 1901, he had the idea for his most famous Holmes story, The Hound of the Baskervilles, and Holmes’s popularity with the public caused Doyle to bring him back to life for a further series of adventures.

SummaryThe six Sherlock Holmes stories in this volume contain examples of the contrasting kinds of stories that made the detective famous: those where pure logic solves an apparently insoluble problem, and those of action, where Holmes and his friend, Dr Watson, arrive just in time to save innocent victims from villains.

How could a respectable businessman be seen at the window of an opium den and his clothes found there with no trace of the man himself ? Surely the tramp with the twisted lip in the room must have murdered him. Or why should a millionaire in America have left a fortune to three people with the unusual surname of Garrideb? Or will Holmes and Watson be in time to discover the whereabouts of the beautiful Lady Frances Carfax before she is murdered by criminals?

The Man with the Twisted LipMrs Saint Clair sees her husband (Neville) at the window of a place that attracts opium addicts. Neville seems to wave at her nervously and then disappears from view. Mrs Saint Clair gets the police to search the building for her husband. In the room where she saw him, they only find his clothes. A crippled beggar who is in the room is arrested. Holmes tries to find the missing man.

Conclusion: Holmes discovers that the beggar is actually the missing husband in disguise. He has made his money by begging but doesn’t want his family to know that. He changed in and out of his disguise each day at that room in the opium den.

The Engineer’s ThumbVictor Hatherley, an engineer in need of money, is hired by a strange looking man (Captain Lysander Stark) who needs to fix a machine. Hatherley is offered a large sum of money to help him. However, Hatherley must not tell anyone about the job and he must travel by train at night to a location outside London.

After Hatherley meets Stark at the train station, they take an hour-long journey together. (Hatherley is not able to see where they are going because the carriage windows are coloured glass.)

When they finally arrive at their destination, a woman warns Hatherley to leave immediately. Hatherley ignores the warning because he wants to get paid for his work. Stark and another man (Mr Ferguson) take Hatherley to a room to look at the machine. When Stark believes Hatherley is checking out what the machine is used for (probably something illegal), he tries to kill him. The woman helps Hatherley escape but he loses his thumb when Stark strikes him with an axe. After waking from his unconscious state, Hatherley find himself back near the train station.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle




Conclusion: Holmes decides that the machine is used to press money and that an unconscious Hatherley was probably carried away from danger by the woman and Ferguson. The train station was near the house but Hatherley had been tricked into thinking it was far away. The house burned down in a fire that night, probably because of a lamp that Hatherley left by the machine. The three from the house get away with boxes of forged coins.

The PatientDr Trevelyan set up a private medical practice in his home, with the help of a stranger, Mr Blessington. In exchange, Blessington stayed at the house and received a percentage of the doctor’s earnings. Trevelyan came to Holmes when Blessington became crazy with fear. His anxiety started when he heard about a recent robbery. (Blessington kept all his money in a metal box in his room because he didn’t trust banks.)

Trevelyan started treating a patient who introduced himself as a Russian lord. He came with his son. Blessington was out for a walk when the man was being examined. When Blessington returned, he saw footprints in his room. Someone had been in there but nothing had been taken.

Holmes asked Blessington who the men were and why they were his enemies. When Blessington said he didn’t know them, Holmes told him he needed to tell the truth and left. The next day, Trevelyan told Holmes that Blessington had hung himself.

Conclusion: Holmes figured out that 15 years before, the two men and Blessington had been part of a group of four robbers. Blessington had helped the police and was set free, while one of the men was hanged. The other two (who had disguised themselves as the patient and son) had gone to prison. Once free, they came to punish Blessington. It seemed that they put Blessington on trial, found him guilty, and hanged him.

The Disappearance of Lady Frances CarfaxWatson is sent to Switzerland to look for Lady Frances Carfax, an unmarried woman travelling alone but who has not been heard from for weeks. While she is not rich, she always travels with her unique (and valuable) jewellery. She had been seen talking with a wild-looking Englishman in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Then in Baden-Baden, Germany, she had met a man (Dr Schlessinger) and his wife. The doctor, a religious man, had become ill and Lady Frances had helped the doctor’s wife take care of him. She had left with both of them for England. The hotel manager told Watson that a strange Englishman (likely the one she had seen in Lausanne) had asked about her.

Watson talks with Lady Frances’s maid (Marie Devine) in Montpellier. Devine had always been loyal to Lady Frances. However, she had left Lady Frances in Baden-Baden when Lady Frances accused her of stealing from her. Devine told Watson that she thought Lady Frances was trying to escape from the strange Englishman. Just then, she sees him walking past them. Watson tries to talk to the Englishman but when Watson mentions Lady Frances’s name, the man gets in a fight with him. Watson is saved by Holmes (who is there in disguise) and explains to him that the Englishman is actually an old friend of Lady Frances’s (Philip Green) who had been in South Africa earning enough money so he could marry her.

They discover that the doctor who Lady Frances is travelling with is actually ‘Peters the Priest’, a man known for robbing lonely women with the help of a woman who pretends to be his wife. Holmes, Watson and Green find the location of the evil couple in London by tracking the sale of some old jewellery through a pawn shop.

Conclusion: They find that the evil man and woman have arranged for Lady Frances to be buried in an extra deep coffin along with an elderly woman who has died. They break open the coffin and find Lady Frances who is still alive.

The Three GarridebsAn old man (Nathan Garrideb), who spends most of his days at home with his collection of things, contacts Holmes. Nathan has heard from an American lawyer (John Garrideb) that he could become rich. That lawyer meets with Holmes and explains that a rich American man named Alexander Hamilton Garrideb had died and left a strange condition in his will. Alexander said that if three adult males could be found with the unusual name of Garrideb, then these three men would then receive his property (worth five million dollars each).

The lawyer says he has found a third Garrideb (Howard) in England and asks Nathan to travel by train to meet this man and explain the situation. While Nathan does not want to leave home, Holmes persuades him to go.




Conclusion: Holmes and Watson wait in the old man’s house, and after some time the lawyer breaks in. He pushes away a table, lifts up the floor covering, and climbs into a hole underneath. They are able to stop the lawyer but not before he shoots Watson in the leg. Holmes discovers a press for printing money in the hole. The lawyer was actually ‘Killer Evans’. Years before, he had shot the man who owned the printing press in the house now occupied by Nathan. Evans served time in prison and had waited for his chance to access the house to obtain the printing press. But first, he had to get Nathan out of the house.

Wisteria HouseScott Eccles comes to Holmes to relate the previous night’s strange events at the house of a new friend named Garcia. Eccles then finds out that the police want to question him about the death of Garcia.

Eccles describes how he had been invited to spend a few days at Garcia’s house with Garcia and his two servants. At dinner, he saw how Garcia was distracted, especially after receiving a note. Eccles went to bed but woke up to hear Garcia at his door. Garcia noted the time (one o’clock) and said that he thought Eccles had rung a bell asking for assistance. The next morning, Eccles discovered there was no one in the house.

Meanwhile, the police find Garcia’s body in a nearby field and determine he was killed before a heavy rainfall at one o’clock. The police arrest Garcia’s cook in connection with the crime.

Holmes believes that Garcia invited Eccles to his house as a witness who could swear Garcia was home at one o’clock. In trying to decipher the note Garcia read, Holmes believes that a large house nearby was involved in the murder. He focuses his attention on High Gable, a house occupied by foreigners, including an evil man named Mr Henderson.

Meanwhile, Miss Burnet, an Englishwoman who taught the children in High Gable and lived there, has not been seen since Garcia’s murder. While Holmes and Watson plan to climb into Burnet’s room at the house, they hear that she has run away from Henderson and the others, who were escaping on a train.

Conclusion: Holmes discovers that the police arrested the cook to make Henderson feel safe and give the police a chance to save Miss Burnet.

The police say that Henderson was an evil Central American ruler named Juan Murillo who had escaped from his country after an uprising. His enemies, including Garcia, were seeking revenge for his crimes. Miss Burnet’s husband had been the London representative of the San Pedro government and Murillo had ordered his death. Miss Burnet had gone into the house as a teacher and had sent Garcia the note that let him know where Murillo would be that night. However, the plot was discovered. Garcia was killed and Miss Burnet was kept prisoner until her escape at the train station.

Background and themes

Sherlock Holmes is by far the most famous fictional detective. His name has become part of the English language, and the stories still appeal to readers today even though the social background of London has changed completely.

Conan Doyle based Holmes on one of his teachers at Edinburgh University, a man called Bell, who had the ability to guess his patients’ background from observing their every minute detail. This kind of analysis and explanation continually astonishes Watson and delights readers. In contrast to Watson, who is a conventional ex-public schoolboy, Conan Doyle also gave Holmes characteristics that would have appeared rather exotic. He is a confirmed bachelor, he plays the violin, he takes drugs and he despises authority. Part of his attraction is that he is a rebel, but a rebel on the side of justice, and consequently he has a freedom of thought and action which the average policeman doesn’t have. But he is also able to defend himself physically and is a master of disguise so that even Watson fails to recognise him.

The contrast between Holmes and Watson is vital to the success of the stories. Watson asks all the questions the reader wants to ask, and when Holmes impatiently explains what to him is obvious, Watson is acting on our behalf. Apart from that, if Holmes told the stories he would sound arrogant, but instead of that we are full of admiration for him because we see him through Watson’s eyes.

Though there are two kinds of Sherlock Holmes stories represented in this selection, the themes are similar in both cases. The villains are usually professional criminals, often hiding behind false names, who aim to make money by robbery, fraud, or by forgery. The puzzling plots depend on the idea that there is always a logical explanation




for what seems strange. The other stories are more conventional tales of action.

The social background accurately reflects London a hundred years ago. This was a society where forty per cent of the population were servants. People respected gentlemen like Holmes and Watson, and hurried to obey their orders. The police belonged to a lower social class and were poorly thought of because of inefficiency and corruption. This is why almost all fictional detectives until the 1920s were amateurs. Another feature, in contrast to today, is that trains always seem to run on time, carriages were always on hand when needed, and Holmes and Watson never seemed delayed by traffic.

The villains in the stories of action tend to come from abroad. The German villain in The Engineer’s Thumb reflects the emergence of Germany as the main threat to the British Empire. When good and bad characters both have a colonial background (Green and Peters in The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax), we are reminded that young men at that time often went to ‘the colonies’ to make their fortune.

The enduring appeal of the Sherlock Holmes stories is partly due to television. They are ideally suited to short episodes where the characters are already known and the background can easily be recreated on the screen. The stories also depend on dialogue and adaptation to dramatic form. But above all, there is the fact that internationally Holmes has become the perfect example of the private detective.

Discussion activities

Before reading1 Discuss: Have the students seen films or videos

about Sherlock Holmes? What do they know about him? Have them look at the cover of the book. What do they think is happening? How does it make them feel?

2 Group work: These stories take place about a hundred years ago in London, England. In groups, have students discuss what might be different about life then and now. For example, the different types of transportation and the ways the police might take care of investigations.

IntroductionAfter reading 3 Read carefully: Have the students read about

Conan Doyle in the Introduction (pages viii to ix). Have students work in pairs and fill out a chart about the author.

Author’s name: Sir Arthur Conan DoyleDate and place of birth:Family: Education: Medical work:First printed stories:Introduction of Sherlock Holmes:First marriage:Second marriage:Children:Full-time writing:Other writing:Political life:Spiritual interests:Death:

The Man with the Twisted LipBefore reading4 Discuss: This story involves a person who begs for

money on the street. Have students discuss how it would feel to beg for money. What could be the reasons that cause people to beg?

After reading5 Pair work: Have students choose five words that

they feel best describe Neville Saint Clair. Have them discuss their choices with the class.

6 Group work: In small groups, have students list the reasons why Holmes initially believes Neville Saint Clair has been murdered. Then list how he reaches the correct solution to the story.

7 Role play: Have students imagine the conversation Neville would have with his wife after his release from jail. Student A is Neville. What would you say to your wife about your situation? Student B is Isa, the wife. What would you ask your husband about his disappearance? How would you respond to his story?

The Engineer’s ThumbBefore reading8 Guess: The picture on the cover of the book is from

this story. Have students look at the name of this story (The Engineer’s Thumb) and try to imagine what the story might be about.

After reading9 Discuss: Have students think about Mr Hatherley’s

situation. If they were him, would they have accepted the job, even though they had to meet the employer late at night at a faraway place and keep everything secret? Why or why not? What could they have done to keep safe?

10 Write: Have students imagine that they are Elise and they are riding away in the cart with Stark and Ferguson at the end of the story. How do you feel? What will you do? Will you stay with the men? Why or why not? Write your thoughts as a journal entry.




11 Art work: In pairs, ask students to design a ‘Wanted’ poster that the police could use to try to find and arrest Captain Stark. Have them draw a picture of Stark and write a brief description. State his crime and other important information, including a brief description of his travelling companions.

The PatientBefore reading12 Discuss: In The Patient, a doctor has his private

medical practice in his home. Have students discuss the possible benefits and problems involved with having patients visit one’s home.

After reading13 Pair work: In pairs, have students list what Holmes

discovers in the room that helps him explain how Blessington died.

14 Write: Have students read what happened to the Worthingdon Bank robbers on page 52. Then have them imagine that they are newspaper reporters. Write a story for their newspaper about the death of these four men. What can the readers learn from the story of these robbers?

15 Discuss: Have students discuss what they would have done with the money if they were Blessington. How could they keep safe from the other bank robbers and still enjoy their life?

16 Role play: In groups of three, have students role play Blessington and the two men who pretend to be a patient and his son. Students A and B are the two men who pretended to be father and son. Tell Blessington how you found him, why you wanted to find him and what you intend to do. Student C is Blessington. Try to explain your situation and get the men to forgive you.

The Disappearance of Lady Frances CarfaxBefore reading17 Guess: Have students look at the title of this story.

What will it be about? Who might be the main characters?

After reading18 Role play: Have students imagine the conversation

Mr Green and Lady Frances might have at the end of the story. Student A is Philip Green. Tell Lady Frances where you have been, what you have done, and your plans for the future. Student B is Lady Frances. Talk about what you have done in the last few years. What are your plans?

19 Discuss: On page 55, Holmes tells Watson that the London police ‘would feel lonely if I went abroad’. In the stories, the police are always polite to Holmes and depend on him to solve their cases. Have students discuss how they think the police in their country today would react if a private detective behaved like Holmes.

The Three GarridebsBefore reading20 Guess: Have students look at the title of this story.

What could it be about? Have them share their ideas in class.

After reading21 Group work: Have students make a list of the steps

Holmes took to solve this case. 22 Write: Have students imagine how Holmes would

feel if Watson were seriously injured in the shooting. Have them pretend they are Holmes. Write a letter to Watson in the hospital, thanking him for his help and friendship.

23 Role play: Have students imagine the first conversation Nathan Garrideb would have with a friend after hearing the news about the will from the American lawyer. Student A is Nathan Garrideb. What would you tell your friend about this news? How would you feel? Student B is Nathan’s friend. How would you respond to the news? What advice would you give Nathan?

24 Discuss: Have students imagine that they suddenly have five million dollars. What would they do with the money?

Wisteria HouseBefore reading25 Guess: Have students look at the title of this story.

Where might this house be located? What type of people might live here? What might happen? Share ideas as a class.

After reading26 Role play: In pairs, have students act out the

conversations between Baynes and Sherlock Holmes on pages 100–101 and 106–107. Encourage them to take on the roles of the characters and use expressive voices. Circulate around the room and find two students to perform the dialogues for the class.

27 Write: Have students imagine how Eccles might feel to be involved in this case. What might Eccles write in a letter to a friend about his role in this adventure? Have students write the letter.

28 Role play: In pairs, have students imagine how Henderson (Murillo) and Lucas (Lopez) might feel after they find Miss Burnet writing a note to Garcia. (See page 108.) Have them act out the conversation between Henderson and Lucas. What should they do about Miss Burnet?

29 Write: Have students imagine how Mrs Durando (Miss Burnet) might feel after the death of Murillo and Lopez in Madrid. Have students write a Letter to the Editor from Mrs Durando that expresses her feelings about their death.

Sherlock Holmes Short Stories Photocopiable

Sherlock Holmes Short Stories - Activity worksheets 1 of 2pearsonenglishreaders.com © Pearson Education Limited 2015

Activity worksheetslevel 5 Teacher Support Programme

While readingThe Man with the Twisted Lip1 Who is talking, who are they talking to, and

who or what are they talking about? a ‘Your wife has been waiting two days for you.

You ought to be ashamed of yourself.’ b ‘I was surprised to find you in that place.’ c ‘He used to leave home every morning and

then catch the 5.14 train back from Cannon Street station.’

d ‘She heard a cry, and saw her husband looking down at her.’

e ‘His upper lip is twisted as the result of an old accident.’

f ‘This is written in pencil on a page torn from some book.’

g ‘It is clear that you are breaking the law by keeping me here.’

h ‘My ugly face made everybody pity me, and my pockets quickly filled with money. Only one man knew my secret.’

2 Match the letters with the numbers below to make complete sentences.

a Sherlock Holmes is in the opium den because …..

b Mrs Saint Clair feels something is wrong because …..

c The police believe Mrs Saint Clair’s story when …..

d Mrs Saint Clair feels hopeful that her husband is alive when …..

e Holmes brings a wet cloth with him because …..

f Neville doesn’t tell the police who he is because …..

g Neville says he returned to the street as a beggar because …..

1) she sees her husband waving at her from the window of a building in a bad neighbourhood.

2) he wants to wash the prisoner’s face. 3) he lost money to a friend. 4) he believes that men have been murdered

there. 5) he does not want his children to find out. 6) she receives a letter from him with his

ring.

7) they find her husband’s clothes in the room.

The Engineer’s Thumb3 Match the description or action with the name

(1–7). a ….. is a short, fat man with a beard. b ….. takes his visitor to see Sherlock Holmes. c ….. tries to save the engineer’s life. d ….. has read about a missing engineer. e ….. is a Scotland Yard detective. f ….. is a very thin German. g ….. went into business on his own.

1) Victor Hatherley 2) Dr Watson3) Captain Stark 4) Mr Ferguson 5) Elise

6) Sherlock Holmes 7) Bradstreet

4 Answer the following questions. a What has happened to the engineer’s thumb? b Why does Dr Watson take him to see

Sherlock Holmes? c Why was the engineer eager to accept

Captain Stark’s offer of a job? d What did he not like about it? e What did Stark say the machine was used for?

The Patient5 Are these sentences true (T) or false (F)?

Correct the wrong sentences. a Dr Trevelyan could not start his medical

practice at first because he was poor. c b Blessington helped the doctor in return

for half of the money he earned. c c The patient who says he is a Russian

lord comes to see the doctor alone. c d Blessington says he keeps all his money

in a black box in his room. c

6 Match the characters with their actions (1–7). a Dr Trevelyan ….. b Mr Blessington ….. c The Russian lord ….. d The young man ….. e Sherlock Holmes ….. f A servant ….. g A police officer ….. 1) refuses to help Blessington. 2) catches the servant who may have been

involved with the crime.


Sherlock Holmes Short Stories - Activity worksheets 2 of 2pearsonenglishreaders.com © Pearson Education Limited 2015

Activity worksheetslevel 5 Teacher Support Programme

3) goes to Holmes’s house to ask for help. 4) says he suffers from catalepsy. 5) finds Blessington’s body in the room. 6) brings his father to the doctor. 7) is very nervous after hearing about a

robbery.

The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax7 Put the events in order (1–7). a c Lady Frances meets Dr and Mrs

Schlessinger. b c The maid sees Lady Frances talking to a

man with a beard. c c Holmes and Watson find Lady Frances

alive in the coffin. d c A telegram proves that Dr Schlessinger is

‘Peters the Priest’. e c Green sees the assistant of Peters go into

an undertaker’s. f c Holmes introduces Philip Green to

Watson. g c Holmes and Watson see an old woman’s

body in a coffin.

8 Where did each activity happen? Write the place (1–6).

a Lady Frances leaves there soon after meeting a tall man with a beard. …..

b Lady Frances meets a sick man and his wife. …..

c Dr Watson gets in a fight with a tall Englishman. …..

d Mr Green worked there for many years. ….. e ‘Peters the Priest’, who robbed lonely ladies,

got his ear torn in a fight. ….. f Lady Frances’s jewellery is taken to a

pawnbroker. ….. 1) Montpellier, France 2) Lausanne, Switzerland 3) South Africa 4) Baden-Baden, Germany 5) London, England 6) Adelaide, Australia

The Three Garridebs9 Answer these questions. a Why does Holmes think that the American

lawyer has lived in England for a long time? b Why is it important to the lawyer that

Nathan never takes any exercise?

c What is unusual about Howard Garrideb’s advertisement?

d Why does Holmes ask to look at Nathan’s collection in his absence?

10 Match the letters with the numbers below to make complete sentences.

a Holmes knows that the lawyer is lying because …..

b Nathan rarely leaves his home because ….. c The lawyer says he found the third Garrideb

when ….. d The lawyer says he wants Nathan to talk to

Howard Garrideb because ….. e Holmes tells Watson this case might be

dangerous because ….. f Killer Evans didn’t kill Nathan because ….. 1) he saw an advertisement in the newspaper. 2) he does not like to shoot unless the other

person has a gun. 3) he says he knows Dr Starr. 4) he will believe what Nathan says. 5) they are dealing with a man who usually

carries a gun. 6) he is busy with his studies.

Wisteria House11 Answer these questions. a Why does Mr Eccles go to see Sherlock

Holmes and not the police? b Why does Gregson of Scotland Yard follow

Eccles to Holmes’s house? c How was Garcia’s behaviour at dinner strange? d Why was Eccles surprised and angry when he

woke up the next morning? e Why did Garcia invite Eccles to stay at his

house?

12 Check (✓) which clues are important in solving the mystery of Garcia’s murder.

a Eccles went to bed at eleven o’clock. c b Garcia wakes Eccles up and tells him

it is one o’clock. c c Baynes finds the note that arrived

during the meal. c d Baynes says that Garcia was killed

before it started to rain at one o’clock. c e A bird is torn to pieces in Garcia’s kitchen. c f A former gardener tells Holmes about

the strange people at High Gable. c


Sherlock Holmes Short Stories - Progress test 1 of 1pearsonenglishreaders.com © Pearson Education Limited 2015

Progress testlevel 5 Teacher Support Programme

The Man with the Twisted Lip 1 Complete the sentences with these words.

prison opium letter ring blood alive coatbeggar policemen

Mrs Saint Clair is worried because she sees her husband in the window of a building where (a) ……………… addicts go. She returns to the building with several (b) ……………… . They find drops of (c) ……………… on the window and floor of that room. They also find his clothes, but his (d) ……………… is missing. The man in the room is a well-known (e) ……………… named Hugh Boone. Boone was taken to (f ) ……………… . Meanwhile, Mrs Saint Clair receives a (g) ……………… in the mail from her husband. His (h) ……………… is inside the envelope. Perhaps her husband is (i) ………………, but where is he?

The Engineer’s Thumb2 Are these sentences true (T) or false (F)? Correct

the wrong sentences.a Captain Stark likes working with Mr Hatherley

because he comes from a good family. c

b Hatherley would rather not meet Captain Stark late at night but he wants the job. c

c Stark tells Hatherley that there is gold on his neighbours’ land. c

d Hatherley watches carefully where Stark takes him in the carriage. c

e Stark gets angry because Hatherley wants to know the truth about the machine. c

f Stark probably killed an engineer earlier. c

g The woman likely set the house on fire. c

The Patient3 Put the events in order (1–7).

a c Dr Trevelyan asks Holmes to talk with Blessington.

b c Holmes tells the others about the Worthingdon Bank robbers.

c c Holmes finds out Blessington is dead.d c Dr Trevelyan examines the older man.e c Blessington does not tell Holmes who the two

men might be.f c Two men visit the doctor.g c Blessington is upset because he believes

someone was in his room.

The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax4 Choose the correct word in italics.

a Lady Frances always travels the world with her money / jewellery.

b Lady Frances gave a cheque / piece of jewellery to her maid, Miss Marie Devine.

c The bearded man fights with Watson because he cares about / is angry with Lady Frances.

d The man from Australia talks about romance / religion to get the trust of lonely women.

e Police learn that Peters the Priest is in London by watching a pawnbroker’s shop / bank.

f The evil man and woman hide Lady Frances in a hole in the garden / large coffin.

g The first time Holmes looks in the coffin, he sees a woman who is old / middle-aged.

The Three Garridebs5 Underline YES or NO.

a Is John Garrideb happy to be working with Holmes on this case? YES NO

b Does Holmes really know Dr Lysander Starr? YES NOc Does Nathan Garrideb think his collection is

valuable? YES NOd Does Holmes say Nathan should go to Birmingham

to visit the man? YES NOe Did the man who says he is John Garrideb used to

live in Nathan’s room? YES NOf Did Nathan feel upset about not getting the money

from the will? YES NO

Wisteria House6 Write the correct names (1–7).

a ….. is surprised to find himself alone in Garcia’s house.

b ….. acts strangely after receiving a note at dinner.c ….. gets the names of all the large homes in the

area.d ….. is charged with the murder of Garcia five days

after the crime.e ….. writes a note to Garcia.f ….. is an evil man who ruled a South American

country.g ….. goes everywhere with Henderson.

1) Miss Burnet 2) Sherlock Holmes3) Garcia 4) Scott Eccles 5) Lucas6) Mr Henderson 7) Garcia’s cook


Sherlock Holmes Short Stories - Answer keys 1 of 3pearsonenglishreaders.com © Pearson Education Limited 2015

Answer keyslevel 5 Teacher Support Programme

Book key1 Open answers2 a addict, client, cripple, maid, pawnbroker, undertaker b Possible answers are: axe, catalepsy, chloroform,

opium c clay, plough, soil, straw (and possibly axe and cart)3 a a patient b the Bar of Gold c a popular man d on business e believe f dead g beggar h wash i needed to earn more money j find another job4 a Saint Clair becomes a beggar because he can earn

more money than as a newspaper reporter, and he needs the money.

b Blood is found on the window and bedroom floor of the upstairs room at the Bar of Gold. This makes everyone believe that Saint Clair has been injured or murdered. In fact, he accidentally cut himself in his bathroom that morning.

c Holmes pretends to be an old man at the Bar of Gold. Saint Clair was an actor before he was a reporter. He uses his acting skills to pretend to be a beggar.

d Mrs Saint Clair finds a box of toys in the upstairs room at the Bar of Gold, which proves that her husband has been there.

e Mrs Saint Clair receives her husband’s ring through the post with a letter in her husband’s handwriting. This suggests to her that her husband must still be alive (although Holmes is not so sure).

f Holmes uses a wet cloth to wash away the false skin and twisted lip from Saint Clair’s face.

5–6 Open answers7 a 8 b 1 c 3 d 6 e 2 f 7 g 4 h 9 i 10 j 58 a Dr Watson to Hatherley, about his wounded hand. b Hatherley to Stark, when Stark shows that he

knows personal details about Hatherley’s private life.

c Stark to Hatherley, about his secret plans to dig Fuller’s earth from his land.

d Stark to Hatherley, about their arrangement for that night.

e Holmes to Hatherley, about the condition of the house at Eyford Station.

f Elise to Hatherley, warning him to leave. g Hatherley to Holmes and Watson, describing his

suspicions about the machine that he had been asked to examine.

h Hatherley to Holmes and Watson, describing what he did after he had lost his thumb.

i Holmes to Bradstreet, Hatherley, Watson and another policeman, about where the house might be.

j The stationmaster to Hatherley, about Dr Becher (Mr Ferguson).

9–11 Open answers12 a ✓ b ✗ c ✗ d ✗ e ✓ f ✓ g ✓ h ✓ i ✗ j ✓13 a In a black box at the end of his bed. b From the Worthingdon bank robbery. c He is hanged by Biddle and Hayward. d He knows, from the different cigar ends on the

floor, that there were other men in the room with him.

e He has written a book on catalepsy. f He needs the money for a private practice. g Because he gave the police information about the

other three robbers. h Biddle and Hayward acted as judges in a ‘trial’. i One of Dr Trevelyan’s servants. j Blessington14–15 Open answers16 a jewels/diamonds b Marie Devine c Dr Schlessinger d Holmes’s telegram/joke e the wild man/Philip Green f Henry Peters (Schlessinger) g a coffin h a funeral i Peters j the coffin17 a Holmes sends Watson there because Lady Frances

disappeared from a hotel recently. b Lady Frances stayed there for two weeks. She met

Schlessinger there.




c Dr Watson visits Marie Devine there. He has a fight with Philip Green and meets Holmes, who is dressed as a French workman.

d Peters had his ear torn in a fight there. e Philip Green follows Annie Fraser to this address in

London. Peters and Fraser are keeping Lady Frances a prisoner there.

f Peters and Fraser take a dying old lady from there, pretending that she is an old servant.

18 a She is Lady Frances’s old nurse. She asks Holmes to help find Lady Frances.

b She is Lady Frances’s maid. She leaves Lady Frances in Baden-Baden and returns to Montpellier, where Dr Watson visits her.

c Lady Frances meets him in Baden-Baden. He takes her to London, where he keeps her prisoner.

d Holmes dresses as one in Montpellier. e He loves Lady Frances and wants to marry her.

Holmes and Watson at first think that he is involved in her disappearance, but he helps them by finding Peters in London.

f It is Schlessinger’s real name. He has a history of robbing old ladies by pretending to be a religious man.

g He receives Spanish jewels from a man who matched Peters’ description. Philip Green hides in the shop and follows the woman home.

h He is the undertaker who makes a special coffin. i She is the old lady from the Brixton hospital.19–20 Open answers21 a Nathan b rich c strange d angry e Birmingham f murderer g forger h printing press (and bank notes) i mad22 a Dr Lysander Starr does not exist but John Garrideb

says that he knows him. b The American spelling of ‘plough’ in the

advertisement shows that the advertisement was written by an American.

c From Holloway and Steele, Holmes learns that the rooms were rented, before Nathan Garrideb moved in, by a man called Waldron, who was really Prescott, a famous forger. He was murdered by the man who calls himself John Garrideb.

d In the police records, Holmes finds a photograph of John Garrideb under different names, including ‘Killer’ Evans.

23 a He wants to get Nathan Garrideb out of his flat so that he can find the hidden printing press and forged bank notes.

b He is very disappointed because the story about the Garridebs is not true.

c Open answers24 Open answers25 a men > women b Kensington > Esher c talkative > quiet/serious/impatient d a Spanish > an English e in a dream > at a window f animal > bird g gardener > cook h kill > help i businessman > ruler j rob > kill26 a He tells Holmes about his night at Garcia’s house. b He used to be Henderson’s gardener. He gives

Holmes information about Henderson’s house. He rescues Miss Burnet from Henderson’s carriage.

c It is Henderson’s real name. He was a hated ruler in a South American country. He escaped with valuables.

d He was Miss Burnet’s husband and was killed by Murillo. Because of this, his wife wanted revenge, and was helping Garcia to kill Henderson.

e It is Lucas’s real name. He is Murillo’s secretary. He discovered Miss Burnet’s note to Garcia, and addressed the envelope to Garcia.

f It is the name used by Murillo in Madrid, where he is finally killed.

27 a He needed someone at the house as a witness. If he had killed Henderson, Eccles would have told the police that Garcia was in the house at the time of the murder.

b To make Henderson feel confident that he was not suspected.

c It was part of a voodoo ceremony. 28–37 Open answers




Discussion activities key1–29 Open answers

Activity worksheets key1 a Dr Watson to Mr Whitney when he finds him at

the Bar of Gold. b Dr Watson to Holmes when he finds him in the

Bar of Gold. c Holmes explaining to Watson what Mr Saint Clair

did every day. d Holmes explaining what Mrs Saint Clair saw when

she was passing the Bar of Gold. e Holmes describing Hugh Boone to Watson. f Holmes talking to Mrs Saint Clair about the letter

she has received. g Mr Saint Clair talking to Bradstreet in prison when

Holmes has proved who he is. h Mr Saint Clair explaining how he became a beggar.

The man who knew his secret was the man who ran the Bar of Gold.

2 a 4 b 1 c 7 d 6 e 2 f 5 g 33 a 4 b 2 c 5 d 6 e 7 f 3 g 14 a It was cut off with an axe by Captain Stark. b Because someone has tried to murder him. c Because he had little money and Stark’s job offered

good pay. d Stark made him promise to keep a secret and said

the work had to be done at night. e He said it was used for making bricks of Fuller’s

earth.5 a T b F half > three-quarters c F alone > with his son d T6 a 3 b 7 c 4 d 6 e 1 f 5 g 27 a 2 b 1 c 7 d 4 e 5 f 3 g 6

8 a 2 b 4 c 1 d 3 e 6 f 59 a Because he no longer has a strong American accent

and has been wearing English clothes for at least a year.

b Because he never leaves the place and the American lawyer wants to get into it in his absence.

c The word ‘plow’ is spelt in the American way. d Because he thinks that Evans will try to get in.10 a 3 b 6 c 1 d 4 e 5 f 211 a Because no crime has been committed. b Because Garcia has been killed and Gregson found

the address of Eccles on the body. c He was nervous. He bit his nails and drummed on

the table. d The host and the servants were not there. e He wanted an honest man to be a witness to say

he was there at the time when he intended to kill Henderson (Murillo).

12 ✓: b, c, d, f

Progress test key1 a opium b policemen c blood d coat e beggar f prison g letter h ring i alive2 a F comes from a good family > has no family in

London b T c F gold > Fuller’s earth d F watches carefully > cannot see where e T f T g F woman > Hatherley’s lamp3 a 4 b 7 c 6 d 2 e 5 f 1 g 34 a jewellery b cheque c cares about d religion e pawnbroker’s shop f large coffin g old5 a NO b NO c NO d YES e NO f YES6 a 4 b 3 c 2 d 7 e 1 f 5 g 6

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