Then Lysander Stark and a "a short thick man with a chinchilla beard growing out of the creases of his double chin" Introduced as Mr Ferguson. He is soon showed the press, and makes he makes his recommendations as to needed repairs. Then, he makes the rash desicion to inspect the machine more closely "I returned to the main chamber of the machine and took a good look at it to satisfy my own curiosity." discovering that it is certainly not used for pressing fuller's earth however he is caught by Lysander Stark and now the tension felt by the reader is huge and Conan Doyles description just adds to this. Then Lysander Stark asks "What are you doing here?" Hatherley rashly says "I was admiring your fuller's-earth,' said I; 'I think that I should be better able to advise you as to your machine if I knew what the exact purpose was for which it was used." He then realises his mistake as Lysander Stark starts the press, by now the reader is tense and when Conan Doyle describes the press starting and moving "And then suddenly in the silence I heard a sound which sent my heart into my mouth. It was the clank of the levers and the swish of the leaking cylinder. He had set the engine at work. The lamp still stood upon the floor where I had placed it when examining the trough. By its light I saw that the black ceiling was coming down upon me, slowly, jerkily, but, as none knew better than myself, with a force which must within a minute grind me to a shapeless pulp. I threw myself, screaming, against the door, and dragged with my nails at the lock. I implored the colonel to let me out, but the remorseless clanking of the levers drowned my cries. The ceiling was only a foot or two above my head, and with my hand upraised I could feel its hard, rough surface. Then it flashed through my mind that the pain of my death would depend very much upon the position in which I met it. If I lay on my face the weight would come upon my spine, and I shuddered to think of that dreadful snap. Easier the other way, perhaps; and yet, had I the nerve to lie and look up at that deadly black shadow wavering down upon me? Already I was unable to stand erect, when my eye caught something which brought a gush of hope back to my heart" Hatherly had found a way out.
After narrowly escaping getting crushed to death Hatherly is forced to run for his life after being helped up by the woman seen earlier they run she leads him to a window and tells him to jump as she said this "a light sprang into view at the further end of the passage, and I saw the lean figure of Colonel Lysander Stark rushing forward with a lantern in one hand and a weapon like a butcher's cleaver in the other.", after seeing this he decides not to ignore the womans advice this time. Conan Doyle describes the garden beneath the window as being "quiet and sweet and wholesome the garden looked in the moonlight," which is almost like the calm during the storm" he is hesitant to leap and considers going back to aid the woman. By now the tension created and the exitement is huge. Reluctantly Hatherley decides to let go. as the woman trys to hold back Lysander Stark, eventually Lysander Stark breaks free shouting "He has seen too much" Lysander Stark lands a sharp blow to Hatherleys Hand culminating in him getting his thumb severed. Hatherley then "Rushed off among the bushes as hard as I could run, for I understood that I was far from being out of danger yet. Suddenly, however, as I ran, a deadly dizziness and sickness came over me." the story now leads to where Holmes is best, at solving crimes with very little evidence and clues. Holmes then shows Hatherley a newspaper advertisement saying "Lost, on the 9th inst., Mr. Jeremiah Hayling, aged twenty-six, a hydraulic engineer. Left his lodgings at ten o'clock at night, and has not been heard of since."Homes then goes on to say "That represents the last time that the colonel needed to have his machine overhauled, I fancy.".
Holmes then is lead to Eyeford station by Hatherley, alongside Holmes is the hydraulic engineer, Inspector Bradstreet, of Scotland Yard, a plain-clothes man and Dr Watson. Bradstreet had already drawn out a area where he thought the house must be, however Holmes is quick to correct the Inspector saying the house is nearby and he realises this because of the condition of the horse when Hatherley describes it as being fresh and glossy. This is what the victorians like most about Homes is his ability to solve crimes quickly and make the police look farcical. Ironically, the press was destroyed when Hatherley's lamp was crushed inside it, setting the machine on fire and ruining the criminals' operation and house. This case is one of the few where Holmes fails to catch the criminals and bring them to justice.
In the final problem Conan Doyle immeadiatly grabs the readers attention with the opening sentence "It is with a heavy heart that I take up my pen to write these the last words in which I shall ever record the singular gifts by which my friend Mr. Sherlock Holmes was distinguished." this leads the reader to assume the worst could happen, and this makes the reader, regretably want to read on. Holmes arrives at Dr. Watson's house one night and is acting as if afraid, Watson notices this and asks "You are afraid of something?" Holmes replys and say he is scared of being shot. Holmes then asks if Watson has heard of Proffessor Moriaty Watson says he has not.
Holmes has been tracking Moriarty for months and is on the brink of catching Moriaty and taking him to the courts. Moriarty is the leader of a criminal organisation and Holmes would consider it the crowning achievement of his career if he could capture Moriarty Holmes considers Moriarty intellectually equal to himself . The tension is building and the reader can sense this, and Holmes refers to Moriarty as "the napoleon of crime".
Holmes asks Watson to come to europe with him, giving him clear instructions saying "You will despatch whatever luggage you intend to take by a trusty messenger unaddressed to Victoria to-night. In the morning you will send for a hansom, desiring your man to take neither the first nor the second which may present itself. Into this hansom you will jump, and you will drive to the Strand end of the Lowther Arcade, handling the address to the cabman upon a slip of paper, with a request that he will not throw it away. Have your fare ready, and the instant that your cab stops, dash through the Arcade, timing yourself to reach the other side at a quarter-past nine. You will find a small brougham waiting close to the curb, driven by a fellow with a heavy black cloak tipped at the collar with red. Into this you will step, and you will reach Victoria in time for the Continental express." Watson seems confused by this and asks "Where shall I meet you?" Holmes then says that he has a carraige reserved for them. Watson offers Holmes a place to stay for the night, Holme refuses and leaves by climbing over Watsons rear wall. This shows that Holmes is nervous and fears for his life, the reader can sense this and would have been woried for Holmes wellbeing.
The next day Watson follows Holmes' instructions exctly and finds himself waiting in the reserved first class coach for his friend, but only an elderly Italian priest is there, Watson helps the preist, but then he is angry when the preist is put in the same carriage as him, however Watson soon finds out that the italian is actually Holmes in disguise. Holmes asks "Have you seen the morning paper, Watson?" watson says he hasn't Holmes then replys "They set fire to our rooms last night. No great harm was done."
As the train leaves Holmes notices Moriarty on the platform trying to get someone to stop the train. Holmes is forced to think quickly because Moriarty has obviously tracked Watson, despite extreme precautions taken by Homes and Watson. He and Watson arive at Canterbury they change their plans. As they are waiting for the train to Newbury another train comes hurtling past, this train conatins Moriarty, and as Watson and Holmes are forced to take cover behind luggage the tension rises.
Later in the story Holmes receives a letter that Moriarty's gang have been arrested in England and Holmes then suggests that Watson returns there now that Holmes will now be under risk or being killed. Watson however decides to stay with Holmes however we learn that Moriarty himself has escaped from the trap, it now becomes claer to the reader that Moriarty is now in Europe with Holmes and Watson. This is exciting and makes the reader want to read on as the tension rises.
Holmes' and Watson go to Switzerland and they stay at Meiringen, and with plans of walking over the hills and heading to Rosenlaui, they are told "on no account to pass the falls of Reichenbach." However they choose to ignore this advice, as the reader starts to realise, this is a fatal descion.
"We stood near the edge peering down at the gleam of the breaking water far below us against the black rocks, and listening to the half-human shout which cam booming up with the spray out of the abyss." Conan Doyle describes the area well so you can actually hear and see the falls.
"We saw a Swiss lad come running along it with a letter in his hand." and the letter reads "It appeared that within a very few minutes of our leaving, and English lady had arrived who was in the last stage of consumption. She had wintered at Davos Platz, and was journeying now to join her friends at Lucerne, when a sudden haemorrhage had overtaken her. It was thought that she could hardly live a few hours, but it would be a great consolation to her to see an English doctor, and, if I would only return, etc. The good Steiler assured me in a postscript that he would himself look upon my compliance as a very great favour, since the lady absolutely refused to see a Swiss physician, and he could not but feel that he was incurring a great responsibility." The reader and Holmes realise this is a fake, but Holmes remains quiet and says nothing, Watson decides it was "impossible to refuse the request of a fellow-countrywoman dying in a strange land." Watson was unsure about leaving Holmes but he decides to leave anyway.
When Watson reaches the hotel he asks "I trust she is no worse?" the owner is confused by this and says in reply to "You did not write this?" he says "Certainly not! but it has the hotel mark upon it! Ha, it must have been written by that tall Englishman who came in after you had gone." Realizing at last what has happened and who wrote the letter Watson rushes back to Reichenbach Falls but finds no sign of anyone there, but he sees a pair of footprints going out down the muddy path with none coming back. Watson then realises what happened as do the audience they start to take stock of what happened. Watson notices a "gleam of something bright." there is also a note from Holmes, explaining that he knew the report Watson was given to be a hoax and that he is that he was about to fight with his nemisis Moriarty who has allowed him enough time to write this last letter. Watson sees that towards the end of the path a long struggling fight had taken place. At this point it is clear for sure that Moriarty and Homes had both fallen to their deaths down the waterfall during the fight. Watson then returns to England and has a deep sadness inside as the readers at the time felt.
After Holmes' death in "The Final Problem" there was a public outcry for the return of Holmes and the public was horrified, and the times recieved many letters begging that Holmes be returned. Eventually Conan Doyle started writing again and brings Holmes back in "The Empty House".
Dr Watson, had kept an interest in crime from his previous time with Holmes, decided to visit the crime scene of the murder and sees a plainclothed detective there with police, then he bumps into an elderly book collector, making the book collector drop his books to the ground. The accident angers the man who just walks away, but Watson sees him again, a short while later, the bookeeper comes to Watson's study. He distracts Watson for a few seconds, and while Watson looks away he takes off the disguise and becomes Sherlock Holmes, when Watson turns around he is startled to see the face of his old frien Holmes. The reader will be relieved Holmes is alive and well but now they are thinking how?.
Holmes then explains how he survived the fight at Reichenbach Falls. Holmes won the fight against Professor Moriarty, chucking him over the edge with the help of baritsu a martial art, and then climbed up the cliff next to the path to make it look like he, too, had fallen to his death. This was a plan that Holmes had just tought up help him hide away from Moriartys associates, however, one at least knew that Holmes was alive and tried to kill him by hurling rocks down on the ledge where he was hiding.
He then rushed to climb back down the cliff, then, when he was at the bottom, Holmes ran for his life.
He spent a few years travelling around the world, but was persuaded back to London by news of this Adair murder.
The readers no longer are upset and are exstatic that Holmes has returned alive and that he had won over Moriarty, even if the tale of how he did it was a bit farfetched, he is alive and the readers liked this.
The story continues with Holmes and Watson solving the murder of Adair and the person who murdered Adair was Colonel Moran, the very same person that through rocks at Holmes whilst he was trying to escape at Reichenbach Falls. The motive for murder thought by Holmes is that Adair caught Moran cheating at cards and threatened to expose Moran's cheating, Moran the criminal he is made a living of playing crooked cards, so Moran just killed Adair there and then, Apparently.
Although all Sherlock Holmes adventures were set ove 100 years ago I still see the storys i have read as a good intresting read, and i can easily understand why the Sherlock Holmes were so popular in their day, the plot in general is good and the ways Sherlock Holmes solves the cases show the writer himself was incredibly smart himself, also Conan Doyles great use of descriptive language makes you actually feel like you are there and in the days when there was no radio or television this was the best form of entertainment. I can also see why the victorian public found these storys intresting because they were set in the days when Jack The Ripper was at large and Sherlock Holmes often dropped subtle comments regarding the polices incompitence, the victorian readers loved this. I personally like the Sherlock Holmes storys and i can see why these storys were so popular in the late 1800's and i think if they were they were released nowadays they would still be popular today.
