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English Literature Summary: Scandal in Bohemian, The Red-Headed League, A case of Mistaken Identity, 2BR02B, Premium Harmony, Animal Farm
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Scandal in BohemianIrene Adler:
- opera singer
- Has had a relationship with the King of Bohemia
Wilhelm Gottsreich Sigismond von Ormstein, Grand Duke of Cassel-Felstein
and Hereditary King of Bohemia:
- Initially introduced himself as Count von Kramm
- Want a picture of him and Adler back because he's getting married to a
Scandinavian princess
Summary:
Dr. Watson visits Sherlock Holmes when a masked gentleman arrives at 221B
Baker Street. Initially he introduced himself as Count von Kramm, but he
reveals himself as Wilhelm Gottsreich Sigismond von Ormstein, Grand Duke of
Cassel-Felstein and hereditary king of Bohemia , after Holmes has derived his
true identity. The King says he had a secret relationship with American opera
singer Irene Adler five years earlier, who has since retired and now lives in
London. He is about to marry a young Scandinavian princess, but worries that
her strictly principled family will call off the marriage if they learn of this
impropriety.
The king goes on to explain that he wants to get back a photo of Adler and
himself together, which he has given her as a sign. His agents failed to get the
photo back in several ways and an offer to pay for it was also rejected. With
Adler threatening to send the photo to his fiancee's family, the king asks
holmes and watson's help to find him.
The next morning, a holmes in disguise goes to Adler's house. He discovers that
Adler has a friend, attorney Godfrey Norton, who calls at least once a day. On
this particular day, Norton visits Adler and shortly afterwards takes a taxi to a
nearby church. Minutes later, the lady herself steps into her landau, on her way
to the same place. Holmes follows in a taxi and enters the church, where he is
unexpectedly asked to testify at Norton and Adler's wedding. Strangely enough,
the newlyweds go their separate way after the ceremony.
Returning to Baker Street, Holmes tells his story to Watson and expresses his
amusedness at his role in Adler's wedding. He also asks whether Watson is
willing or unwilling to cooperate with an illegal plan to find out where the
,photo is hidden in Adler's house. Watson agrees, and Holmes turns into
another disguise as a preacher. They're leaving Baker Street for Adler's house.
When Holmes and Watson arrive, a group of unemployed men wander the
street. When Adler's coach quits, Holmes executes his plan. There's going to be
a fight between the men on the street about who Adler can help. Holmes
plunges into the battle to protect Adler and is seemingly beaten and wounded,
although it is later revealed that this is a self-inflicted spate of red paint. Adler
takes him to her sitting room, where Holmes gestures that she should open the
window. As Holmes raises his hand, Watson recognizes a pre-arranged signal
and throws in a plumber smoke rocket. As the smoke billows from the building,
Watson shouts "Fire!" and the cry echoes up and down the street.
Holmes slips out of Adler's house and tells Watson what he saw. As Holmes
expected, Adler rushed to get her most precious possession at the cry of "fire" -
the photo of herself and the king. Holmes notes that the image was kept in a
recess behind a sliding panel just above the right call button . However, he
could not steal it at the time, as the coachman was watching him.
The next morning, Holmes explains his findings to the king. When Holmes,
Watson and the king arrive at Adler's house at 8 a.m., her older handmaiden
mockingly tells them that she had left the country by train earlier that
morning. Holmes quickly goes to the photo's hideout and finds a photo of Irene
Adler in an evening dress and a letter addressed to him, dated midnight. In the
letter, Adler tells Holmes that he has succeeded very well in finding the photo
and incorporating her into his disguises. Adler has left England with Norton, "a
better man" than the king, adding that she will not compromise the king,
despite being "cruelly wronged" by him; she had only kept the photo to protect
herself from any further action he would take.
The king exuberantly thanks Holmes and offers a valuable emerald ring of his
finger as a further reward. Holmes refuses and says there's something he
appreciates even more: the photo of Adler, which he keeps as a reminder of
her cleverness. Watson concludes the story by noting that Holmes has always
referred to Adler with the honorable title , "the woman" since their meeting.
, The Red-Headed League
Wilson:
- Has a small shop
- Enters the Red-Headed League and wins he has to copy the
Encyclopædia Britannica
Duncan Ross:
- The person who led the competition
- He lights up Wilson he uses it to rob the bank through his shop.
- Real name: John Clay
Vincent Spaulding:
- Young assistant to Wilson
- He urges Wilson to compete in the competition
- He's in the plot with Duncan Ross.
- Real name: Archie
Summary:
Wilson, a London pawnbroker, comes to see Sherlock Holmes and Dr
Watson. Wilson tells them that his young assistant, Vincent Spaulding, had
urged him a few weeks earlier to respond to an advert in the newspaper of
"The Red-Headed League," which offers high-paying work (£4 a week) to only
redhead male candidates. The next morning, Wilson had waited in a long line of
redheaded fellows, was interviewed and was the only applicant hired. The work
was clearly useless administrative work in a bare office, he was forced to copy
the Encyclopædia Britannica. One morning, a sign on the closed office door
inexplicably announced that "THE RED-HEADED LEAGUE HAS BEEN RESOLVED"
- Oct. 9, 1890."
Wilson went to the landlord, who said he had never heard of Duncan Ross, the
person who ran the league's office. The landlord remembered the tenant with
scarlet hair and gave him a card that Wilson refers to an artificial knee
company.
Wilson leaves after describing Spaulding to the detective; Holmes decides to
see Spaulding, who Holmes notices has dirty pants. Holmes then taps the
sidewalk in front of Wilson's store.
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