Watson paints portraits, as well as landscapes, using his pen for his brushes etc. &tc. &tc. In “The Adventure of the Priory School” Dr. Watson presents to us a graphic portrait of the Duke of Holderness in this picturesque language ---
“I was, of course, familiar with the pictures of the famous statesman, but the man himself was very different from his representation. He was a tall and stately person, scrupulously dressed, with a drawn, thin face, and a nose which was grotesquely curved and long. His complexion was of a dead pallor, which was more startling by contrast with a long, dwindling beard of vivid red, which flowed down over his white waistcoat, with his watch-chain gleaming through its fringe.” [PRIO]
This is the man who was described in Holmes’s encyclopedia as ---
“ Holdernesse, 6th Duke, K.G., P.C.’–[ and half the alphabet!] Baron Beverley, Earl of Carston’–… ‘Lord Lieutenant of Hallamshire since 1900. Married Edith, daughter of Sir Charles Appledore, 1888. ….. Owns about two hundred and fifty thousand acres. Minerals in Lancashire and Wales. Address: Carlton House Terrace; Holdernesse Hall, Hallamshire; Carston Castle, Bangor, Wales. Lord of the Admiralty, 1872; Chief Secretary of State….”
I don’t know how you feel about Watson, but I’d say that Watson is good with words.
Respectfully submitted,
Inspector Baynes
(Jody Baker is a Chattanooga attorney, who specializes in Sherlock Holmes lore. He can be reached at josiahbaker@bkhcw.com.)