Welcome to the conclusion of our seventy-third Tale for Our Time: The Final Problem by Arthur Conan Doyle. In this grand dénouement Holmes and Watson are booked on the Continental express, but at Victoria Station the latter cannot find the former:
In vain I searched among the groups of travellers and leave-takers for the lithe figure of my friend. There was no sign of him. I spent a few minutes in assisting a venerable Italian priest, who was endeavouring to make a porter understand, in his broken English, that his luggage was to be booked through to Paris. Then, having taken another look round, I returned to my carriage, where I found that the porter, in spite of the ticket, had given me my decrepit Italian friend as a travelling companion. It was useless for me to explain to him that his presence was an intrusion, for my Italian was even more limited than his English, so I shrugged my shoulders resignedly and continued to look out anxiously for my friend.
You probably know how this is going to shake out for Watson. Members of The Mark Steyn Club can hear me read the conclusion of The Final Problem simply by clicking here and logging-in. Part One can be found here.
Thank you for your comments on this latest venture into the Sherlock Holmes canon. JB, a Steyn Clubber in Bigfork, Montana, writes:
A pleasant surprise. As with Heart of Darkness, I have read this story more than once before. With TFOT, there is the added bonus that there will be a musical selection.
It wouldn't be right to read this tale without also doing The Empty House. It would be nice not to have the ten year gap in publishing, though.
Okay, JB, you'll be pleased to hear we're going to do The Empty House - and not with Conan Doyle's ten-year gap. So we've scheduled it for the summer of 2045.
Ahead of that, I'll be back with a brand new full-length audio adventure later this month. In the meantime, a word on listener reaction to our other Tales: some like the ripping yarns for boys, some the more genteel social comedy for girls, and some of you even enjoy our ventures into summer whimsy from yours truly. But of the tales in totality all seem to be in favour.
If you've yet to hear any of them, you can enjoy eight years' worth of audio adventures - by H G Wells, Kafka, Wodehouse, Gogol, Dickens, Baroness Orczy, Jane Austen, George Orwell, Robert Louis Stevenson and more - by joining The Mark Steyn Club. For details on membership, see here - and, if you're seeking the perfect gift for a fan of classic fiction, don't forget our Steyn Club Gift Membership. Sign up that special someone today - it's the perfect birthday present!
Tales for Our Time will be back later in August, and don't forget the latest episode of my weekend music show.
