Canon Discussion: The Dancing Men

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

This week we’re looking at The Dancing Men. As usual, I’ve typed up a few thoughts to get the discussion underway, which you can find under the cut. But don’t forget to look at laurose8’s discussion post too, which considers Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes’ parents.

“You had chalk between your left finger and thumb when you returned from the club last night.” Is it mentioned anywhere else Watson belongs to a club? And Holmes refers to it as “the” club, not "your" club. Is Holmes perhaps a member too? Is he becoming more sociable? He appears to refer to Thurston in a familiar manner, and knows he is the only one Watson plays billiards with. Though Watson could have just told Holmes about Thurston, of course.

“Your cheque-book is locked in my drawer, and you have not asked for the key.” I know there’s a theory that Watson is an inveterate gambler, and that Holmes has control of Watson’s chequebook for his own good. But I don’t really buy it. Watson’s reference in SHOS to losing half his pension on the horses seems light-hearted and tongue in cheek. And would Watson blithely announce to his reading public that Holmes watches over his finances because he can’t control himself? I think Holmes’ drawer is a secure place that they both use for keeping their valuables in. There’s only one key, which Holmes looks after, but Watson can have it at any time.

"'What, be driven out of our own house by a practical joker?' said I. 'Why, we should have the whole county laughing at us.'” Does this seem a little out of character for Cubitt? He knows it’s not simply a case of a practical joker. "It's bad enough to feel that you are surrounded by unseen, unknown folk, who have some kind of design upon you; but when, in addition to that, you know that it is just killing your wife by inches, then it becomes as much as flesh and blood can endure.”) He cares deeply about his wife. Why doesn’t he just agree to his wife’s suggestion to go away for a while – get away from the danger?

Sometimes he was making progress and whistled and sang at his work… This rather interests me. Holmes saws away at his violin when he’s thinking, but here’s he’s whistling and singing not because he’s thinking but because he’s doing well. (And I wonder what he’s whistling and singing. Something classical I suppose but I do like the thought it’s musical hall songs ^^)

"We have let this affair go far enough," said he. "Is there a train to North Walsham to-night?" “This message makes it even more essential that we should not lose an hour in letting Hilton Cubitt know how matters stand… So, Holmes is in possession of a decoded message which threatens Mrs Cubitt’s life, and he has received a telegram confirming that the man who has been contacting her is highly dangerous. Why does he just accept that he can’t travel down that night and do nothing? There are telegrams (Holmes has just received one in the evening but I must admit I don’t know if you could send one in the evening) and some telephones (though it’s unlikely he could contact Cubitt directly). Why doesn’t he go to the police?

It was equally conceivable that he had shot her and then himself, or that she had been the criminal, for the revolver lay upon the floor midway between them. We find out that Mrs Cubitt isn’t the murderer but she is still technically a criminal – suicide was of course illegal at that time. It’s interesting that nobody mentions that – and Holmes is definitely sympathetic towards her. I’ve done some very basic research using the internet – I gather it’s likely most attempted suicides at that time would never have been prosecuted. Those who did go to court would probably have been released without punishment, but some people were sent to prison.

“It might be 'sever,' or 'lever,' or 'never.'” Holmes seems to make an awful lot of assumptions when decoding the messages. They are good, well-argued guesses but guesses all the same. For a start, “never” is an excellent choice but there are many more words that are _e_e_ than the three that are mentioned. I suppose Watson may have simplified the process when writing up the adventure…

“It was only after her marriage to this Englishman that I was able to find out where she was.” I wonder how exactly he tracked her down. Did he see her marriage listed somewhere? He knew where she was living in England while he was still in America.

….his penalty was changed to penal servitude in consideration of mitigating circumstances, and the certainty that Hilton Cubitt had fired the first shot. I get so used to there being guns in the stories but in this story I’m reminded of how much I dislike the things. If only Mr Cubitt hadn’t gone in with his gun drawn… I’m certainly not saying that Cubitt was responsible for his own death but the rights and wrongs of the situation are so murky. Slaney brought his gun out because Cubitt has his own gun ready. Cubitt then not unreasonably fired to protect himself, and Slaney returned fire to protect himself. Slaney is a dangerous man so he might have killed Cubitt whatever the circumstances, but I can’t help feeling if Cubitt had rushed in unarmed, or armed with a big stick instead of a gun, Slaney would have run off without shooting and Cubitt would have survived.

Next Sunday, 23rd March, we’ll be moving on to The Solitary Cyclist. Hope to see you then.

Comments

[laurose8.livejournal.com]

To the last point...under most circumstances an unarmed householder is less likely to be shot. But Cubitt had just been told his stalkee preferred her husband to him. I think he would have found it most tempting to shoot anyway. He was a violent career criminal, after all.

About leaving the house. Practical joke is, perhaps, not a very good term. Though they can be vicious. I don't think it was really possible for a Victorian country gentleman, who was proud of how long and how well his family had held their land, to run away from it.

edit - re drawer: well, they are bachelors, Holmes especially. I bet they just bunged in everything financial into the one drawer, in a heap, and spend some time retrieving and sorting stuff out from the pile.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

I agree that Slaney might simply have shot an unarmed Cubitt in anger. But it would have been in front of a witness, Mrs Cubitt, who obviously could have identified him. (I believe that he definitely wouldn't have hurt her.) He would have been heading straight for the noose. He may have baulked at shooting if he knew he would be arrested soon after. But because Cubitt had a gun and shot at him, Slaney was definitely going to shoot back.

It did irritate me, all that talk about family honour. It seemed a little ridiculous. (Wonder how it appeared to the original readers...) But I did understand how it would be important to the Cubitts. It's just the way Cubitt puts it, at this point. His wife suggests it's the work of a practical joker, but Cubitt already believes it's something more serious than that. It seems out of character that he snaps back at her that he won't be driven out by a practical joker and be laughed at. He knows there's something sinister going on - that's why he went to Holmes.

Re drawer: well, we know from the beginning of MUSG that Holmes is an astoundingly untidy man, and that Watson doesn't consider himself a tidy man either (though not in Holmes' league of untidiness). So sounds about right to me ^_^

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Regarding the guns, there's always the question of why Slaney brought one in the first place. I doubt he was expecting to be shot at, so presumably he was thinking he could use it as a threat.

The problem of why Holmes didn't send a telegram always bothers me too. It's as if he didn't consider it, because if he had he might have said "and it's too late to telegraph tonight."

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

I think Slaney is a man who would always carry a gun, in all situations. I don't think his having a gun that night necessarily meant he was planning on using it for anything, even as a threat.

I suppose re the telegram, if it was the case that it was too late to telegraph, then the original readers would know this - there would be no need to explain. Holmes wouldn't consider it as an option because it was something that he obviously couldn't do. (It's so frustrating not knowing whether or not sending a telegram was possible ^^")

[marta-bee.livejournal.com]

On the practical joker bit: I read that as Cubitt trying to cajole his wife into telling what she knew. Of course it's not a practical joker, but if she really wanted to get away, him acting like he wouldn't go away without reason, might pressure her into explaining why it was so important that they travel travel for a bit.

As for why Holmes didn't telegraph, I may be completely wrong on this, but I read that as him being concerned about the Cubitts' privacy and sense of honor as a fine upstanding family. I don't think we actually are told why he thinks it's so important he get out there immediately, are we? He seems worried but not convinced they're in immediate danger. In which case if he sends a wire to the local police he has to tell them everything he's worked out so far. While he's not been sworn to secrecy, Holmes probably knows something of the details Cubitt didn't want to press his wife for. He does seem genuinely surprised that they're both dead when they arrive in Norfolk, and while I think he worried they were in danger, I'm not sure he'd convinced himself the danger was immediate enough to warrant giving away their secrets to the local police.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Thank you for commenting - it's lovely to see someone new about the place ^_^

Re the practical joker bit: I think I agree with you there. Your reading does make a lot of sense. "Cajole" may not be the exact word perhaps but you're right - I think Cubitt at this point is fed up with the situation and may be pushing his wife into explaining what's going on.

I'm not sure I agree with your thoughts about not telegraphing though. It's possible I suppose Holmes didn't want to contact the police because he wanted to protect the Cubitts' privacy. But Cubitt when he first visits Baker Street says: "It was not a thing that I could take to the police, for they would have laughed at me, but you will tell me what to do." So Cubitt isn't averse to the police being involved; he wasn't worried about his family honour - he simply thought they wouldn't take him seriously. If Cubitt didn't mind the police being involved, would Holmes be worried about contacting them? Admittedly it would mean some of Mrs. Cubitt's past coming to light, but her life was in danger.

Holmes decodes a message: "ELSIE PREPARE TO MEET THY GOD". (Though we aren't told the meaning of the message until later.) It's a completely unambiguous death threat. His face was haggard with anxiety. This is in the evening but Holmes is ready to drop everything and leave at once - he seems to believe the danger is immediate. And then he gets a telegram stating that Slaney is "the most dangerous crook in Chicago". Holmes even says: "This message makes it even more essential that we should not lose an hour in letting Hilton Cubitt know how matters stand, for it is a singular and a dangerous web in which our simple Norfolk squire is entangled." (My italics.) And yet once he knows there's no train that night, he's content to do nothing.

I suppose you must be right that Holmes doesn't consider the danger immediate (imminent perhaps). But it just seems odd that he goes from a sense of urgency to the idea that the morning will be soon enough.

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

As far as I can tell telegrams could be sent at any time: http://www.victorianlondon.org/communications/telegraphoffices.htm . Whether they would be received immediately, because they would require a boy to deliver them is another matter. But any attempt to contact the Cubitts would have been better than none.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for that link. So interesting, as well as informative - really pleased you found it ^_^ So, there were some London offices open 24 hours, and there was a 24 hour office in Norwich too... I agree - I think it was at least worth a try, sending a telegram to Mr Cubitt.