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sherlock60This week we’re having a look at The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax. As usual, I’ve typed up a few thoughts to get the discussion started.
“Therefore it is equally clear that you had a companion.” So just who did Watson share the cab with..?
“You know that I cannot possibly leave London while old Abrahams is in such mortal terror of his life.” Any thoughts on this client?
His explanation of his sudden and opportune appearance was simplicity itself, for, finding that he could get away from London, he determined to head me off at the next obvious point of my travels. How does the Abrahams case resolve itself so quickly? And why does Holmes wait for Watson in disguise?
“…before you found it better to go to South Africa.” “I was a wild youngster, I know...” This bit always makes me uneasy. What had he done that was so bad he thought it better to leave the country? Or was it just disappointment in love that made him want to go?
How do you feel about Green overall? I do believe he genuinely loves Lady Frances, and that Lady Frances has some affection for him. But you can’t ignore that he is a violent man. He physically attacks Watson in his anger, and Marie Devine tells Watson earlier that with her own eyes she had seen him seize the lady’s wrist with great violence on the public promenade by the lake. Would he ever truly be able to change his ways and be a good husband?
“And yet she loved me… well enough to remain single all her sainted days just for my sake alone.” I wonder if that was the sole reason she remained single. Green does refer to his younger self as being “not worse than others of my class”. Perhaps Lady Frances realised all her potential suitors were behaving in the same way, and there was no-one she was prepared to marry. She would rather stay single than have a husband she couldn’t respect.
He had been called in, had found the woman dying of pure senility, had actually seen her pass away, and had signed the certificate in due form. I wonder if Peters and Fraser murdered Rose Spender. She was patently dying but they couldn’t be absolutely sure of when she would pass away. Perhaps they hurried things along, knowing that the doctor would assume the death was from old age and associated causes. But then, they do seem to have recoiled from directly murdering Lady Frances.
“And here,” he added as a heavy step hurried along the passage, “is someone who has a better right to nurse this lady than we have.” So what happens between Lady Frances and Green once she recovers? Does she stick to her guns and refuse to have anything more to do with him? I wonder if she might perhaps agree to marry him, not out of love—though I think she does have some affection for him—but out of a sense of resignation. Because she’s lost her faith in humanity—she believes she needs a “savage” man to protect her from a savage world.
On that note: was she too innocent in trusting “Dr. and Mrs. Shlessinger”, or was she simply unlucky?
“If our ex-missionary friends escape the clutches of Lestrade, I shall expect to hear of some brilliant incidents in their future career.” Any thoughts on what happens next with the villains? Does Lestrade catch up with them?
Next Sunday, 2nd November, we’ll be having a look at His Last Bow. Hope you can join us then.
“Therefore it is equally clear that you had a companion.” So just who did Watson share the cab with..?
“You know that I cannot possibly leave London while old Abrahams is in such mortal terror of his life.” Any thoughts on this client?
His explanation of his sudden and opportune appearance was simplicity itself, for, finding that he could get away from London, he determined to head me off at the next obvious point of my travels. How does the Abrahams case resolve itself so quickly? And why does Holmes wait for Watson in disguise?
“…before you found it better to go to South Africa.” “I was a wild youngster, I know...” This bit always makes me uneasy. What had he done that was so bad he thought it better to leave the country? Or was it just disappointment in love that made him want to go?
How do you feel about Green overall? I do believe he genuinely loves Lady Frances, and that Lady Frances has some affection for him. But you can’t ignore that he is a violent man. He physically attacks Watson in his anger, and Marie Devine tells Watson earlier that with her own eyes she had seen him seize the lady’s wrist with great violence on the public promenade by the lake. Would he ever truly be able to change his ways and be a good husband?
“And yet she loved me… well enough to remain single all her sainted days just for my sake alone.” I wonder if that was the sole reason she remained single. Green does refer to his younger self as being “not worse than others of my class”. Perhaps Lady Frances realised all her potential suitors were behaving in the same way, and there was no-one she was prepared to marry. She would rather stay single than have a husband she couldn’t respect.
He had been called in, had found the woman dying of pure senility, had actually seen her pass away, and had signed the certificate in due form. I wonder if Peters and Fraser murdered Rose Spender. She was patently dying but they couldn’t be absolutely sure of when she would pass away. Perhaps they hurried things along, knowing that the doctor would assume the death was from old age and associated causes. But then, they do seem to have recoiled from directly murdering Lady Frances.
“And here,” he added as a heavy step hurried along the passage, “is someone who has a better right to nurse this lady than we have.” So what happens between Lady Frances and Green once she recovers? Does she stick to her guns and refuse to have anything more to do with him? I wonder if she might perhaps agree to marry him, not out of love—though I think she does have some affection for him—but out of a sense of resignation. Because she’s lost her faith in humanity—she believes she needs a “savage” man to protect her from a savage world.
On that note: was she too innocent in trusting “Dr. and Mrs. Shlessinger”, or was she simply unlucky?
“If our ex-missionary friends escape the clutches of Lestrade, I shall expect to hear of some brilliant incidents in their future career.” Any thoughts on what happens next with the villains? Does Lestrade catch up with them?
Next Sunday, 2nd November, we’ll be having a look at His Last Bow. Hope you can join us then.
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no subject
Date: 2014-10-26 01:12 pm (UTC)I've answered your question about Watson's companion ;)
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Date: 2014-10-26 05:37 pm (UTC)I don't think Green is a bad man but I think that Lady Frances made the sensible choice in not marrying him. If they do marry, I doubt it'll be a happy or content marriage.
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Date: 2014-10-26 05:07 pm (UTC)re stalkers: have you read Jeffrey Deaver? His full length novels are exceedingly poor, and his short stories brilliant. They often address the problem of a man who fantasises his victim loves him.
Personally, I hope that Green(?)'s old trouble with the law crops up, and he has to leave Britain again. This might be one case where the victim has to call in the police where Sherlock Holmes fails.
no subject
Date: 2014-10-26 05:57 pm (UTC)I'm not sure that I would classify Green as a stalker - not yet at least. Admittedly, he does follow Lady Frances to Baden even though she tried to do so secretly. But I think at this point we can give him the benefit of the doubt - he still loves Lady Frances and she does still have affection for him. He's genuinely trying to make things right but is letting his own feelings get in the way of considering Lady Frances' feelings. I think when Lady Frances recovers, if she tells him she wants nothing more to do with him, I believe he will respect that.
I don't think Green is a truly bad man but I guess it wouldn't be a good idea for Lady Frances to marry him. I'm not sure he can control himself when under the influence of strong emotion.