The Sign of the Four
Playbook 1 · The Science of Deduction
Adapted by Kateule Sydney from the Original work by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle · Public domain (1890)
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“The Sign of the Four” — the adventure begins at 221B Baker Street.
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Chapter 1 · The Science of Deduction
Sherlock Holmes lay upon the sofa, his long, gaunt form curled into a posture of deep reflection. His dressing-gown of blue flannel hung loosely about him, and his pipe, heavy with the dregs of a morning's smoke, rested upon the corner of the mantelpiece. I, Dr. John Watson, had just returned from a visit to a patient in the outer suburbs, and I found my friend in a state of unusual abstraction.
"You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive," said Holmes, without turning his head from the ceiling.
"How on earth did you know that?" I exclaimed, astonished.
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Holmes: "I observe the tan upon your wrist, the slight hesitation in your speech when discussing military matters, and the fact that you carry yourself like a man accustomed to command. It is elementary, my dear Watson."
Watson: "I have been back in London for only three months now. The wounds I received in the battle of Maiwand have healed, but the memories remain fresh."
Holmes: "Ah, Maiwand. A desperate affair. But you are not one to dwell on the past, I think. You are a man of action, Watson — and I have a feeling that action is about to find you."
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He rose from the sofa and crossed to the window, looking down upon the foggy London street below. "There is something in the air today, Watson. Something that speaks of mystery and danger."
He pulled a small, crumpled note from the pocket of his dressing-gown and held it up to the light. It was written in a strange, half-printed hand, and the paper was of a coarse, yellowish variety.
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“Be at the Lyceum Theatre tonight at seven o'clock. Come alone. If you fail to appear, all is lost. — M.”
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Holmes's eyes gleamed with that peculiar light that I had come to recognise as the prelude to a great adventure. “The game is afoot, Watson. I have been waiting for such a message as this — a message that speaks of hidden treasures, of dark conspiracies, and of the mysterious Sign of the Four.”
Chapter 2 · The Statement of the Case
It was a quarter past three in the afternoon when the bell rang, and a moment later our housekeeper, Mrs. Hudson, announced that a young lady was waiting below. She was dressed in the deepest mourning, and her veil, which she had not removed, cast a shadow over her pale, delicate features.
Her name, she told us, was Miss Mary Morstan. She trembled as she seated herself, and her eyes darted about the room with an air of nervous apprehension.
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Mary: “I come to you, Mr. Holmes, because I have heard of your wonderful skill. My father, Captain Arthur Morstan, was an officer in the Indian Army. He disappeared ten years ago, under the most mysterious circumstances.”
Holmes: “Pray continue, Miss Morstan. I am all attention.”
Mary: “For the past six years, on the same date, I have received a single large pearl in the post — a magnificent pearl of great value. There was never a letter, never a word of explanation. And now, this morning, a letter has arrived, asking me to meet at the Lyceum Theatre.”
Holmes: “And the sign?”
Mary: “This letter bore the words — ‘The Sign of the Four’. It is the same phrase that my father used in his last letter before he vanished.”
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Holmes examined the letter with his lens, noting the texture of the paper and the peculiar formation of the letters. “The paper is thick and coarse, the ink is a peculiar shade of brown, and the handwriting is that of an educated man, yet deliberately disguised. The writer is a man of means, possibly an ex-soldier or colonial officer. And the reference to the Sign of the Four suggests a pact, a secret society, or a shared enterprise of some kind.”
Miss Morstan produced a small cardboard box, from which she carefully extracted six pearls, each as large as a small pea and of a uniform, milky whiteness. They lay upon the table, gleaming softly in the fading afternoon light.
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“They are worth a fortune, Watson. Each one would fetch a thousand pounds in the market. But the mystery is not the pearls — it is the giver who holds the key.”
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✦ The Mystery Deepens
The disappearance of Captain Morstan, the annual arrival of the pearls, and the cryptic message all point to a single, coherent story — a story of treasure, betrayal, and murder. The Sign of the Four, Holmes suspects, is not a symbol of unity but of divided loyalty.
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Chapter 3 · In Quest of a Solution
At the appointed hour, we drove to the Lyceum Theatre. The fog clung to the streets like a grey shroud, and the gas-lamps cast eerie halos upon the pavement. Miss Morstan was pale but composed, her hand resting lightly upon my arm as we entered the foyer.
A small, one-eyed man approached us, bowing with an exaggerated courtesy. His name was Thaddeus Sholto, and he led us through a labyrinth of corridors to a richly appointed chamber, decorated with oriental silks and heavy, mahogany furniture.
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Thaddeus: “My brother Bartholomew and I are the heirs of the Sign of the Four. The treasure — a great hoard of jewels and gold — was brought from India by our father, Major Sholto, and by a man named Jonathan Small, who had a wooden leg. They were sworn to secrecy, but greed and suspicion tore them apart.”
Holmes: “And the treasure?”
Thaddeus: “It was hidden, Mr. Holmes. Hidden in a place known only to the four who had sworn the oath. But now my brother is in danger. I fear that Jonathan Small — or some agent of his — is seeking to claim the treasure for himself.”
Holmes: “Tell me all, from the beginning. Leave nothing out.”
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Sholto spoke for nearly an hour, recounting the history of his father's service in India, the friendship with Jonathan Small, and the bitter quarrel that had led to the Major's death. “The four men swore an oath,” he concluded, “but only three remained true. The fourth — a man named Singh — betrayed them all.”
Chapter 4 · The Story of the Bald-Headed Man
Holmes listened without interruption, his eyes half-closed and his fingers steepled before him. When Thaddeus Sholto had finished, he rose from his chair and paced slowly about the room.
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“The treasure is real, Watson. But the danger is greater than you imagine. We have to do with a murder — and a man who walks with a wooden leg. Jonathan Small is not acting alone. He has allies — perhaps a native of the Andaman Islands, a savage who carries the poison of a blowpipe.” |
Thaddeus Sholto trembled visibly. “Bartholomew is alone in the house tonight. I fear for his life. He has been acting strangely — paranoid, terrified. He believes that the Sign of the Four is a curse, a mark of death.”
Holmes seized his hat and coat with a sudden, decisive motion. “Then we must go to Pondicherry Lodge at once. The game is moving fast, and we have not a moment to lose.”
As we rode in the cab through the foggy streets, Holmes turned to me with a serious expression. “I have seen the mark of the Andaman tribesman before, Watson. They are small, silent, and deadly. Their darts are tipped with a poison that acts with terrible speed. We are dealing with a ruthless enemy.”
Chapter 5 · The Tragedy of Pondicherry Lodge
Pondicherry Lodge was a large, forbidding house situated on the edge of the marshes, surrounded by high walls and iron gates. The door was ajar, and the stillness of death hung over the place like a shroud.
We entered cautiously, our footsteps echoing on the marble floor. The smell of chloroform hung heavy in the air, mixed with something else — a sharp, vegetable acid that caught at the back of the throat.
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Holmes: “He has been dead for some hours. The poison is a rapid-acting neurotoxin — the same that the Andaman tribes use on their arrows. And here — look, Watson — the mark of the Sign of the Four.”
Watson: “A small piece of paper, pinned to the dead man's shirt. It bears the same symbol — four crossed lines, like a letter 'X' with a dot in each quadrant.”
Holmes: “It is the sign of the pact. And it tells us that the murderer is Jonathan Small — or at least, one of the original four.”
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On the table lay a sheet of paper, weighted down by a heavy paper-knife. It was covered in a rough scrawl, as if written in haste:
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“The Sign of the Four — we have the treasure. The treasure is ours by right, and we will not be robbed of it. — J.S.”
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Holmes read it twice, then folded it carefully. “The 'J.S.' stands for Jonathan Small. He is the leader of the conspiracy, and he has decided to claim the treasure by any means necessary.”
Chapter 6 · A Detective's Knack
Holmes knelt on the floor, his magnifying glass held close to his eye. He examined the footprints with the meticulous care of a scholar studying a rare manuscript.
After several minutes, he rose to his feet, a look of triumph on his face. “Two men, Watson. The first has a wooden leg — the print is uneven, the heel dragging slightly. The second is a small man, barefoot, with the distinctive gait of a native of the Andaman Islands. He has been here before — I can see the traces of old footprints overlapping the new ones.”
He crossed to the window and examined the sill with his lens. “They entered through this window, climbing from the garden below. The Andaman tribesman is an expert climber — he left almost no trace. But the wooden leg was less careful.”
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Holmes: “The wooden leg, Watson, is the key to the whole case. It marks the trail of Jonathan Small. And the Andaman savage — a creature with a poisoned dart and a blowpipe — is the weapon he uses to silence his enemies.”
Watson: “But where have they gone?”
Holmes: “To the river, my dear Watson. To a steam launch that is waiting to carry them and the treasure to safety. We must find that launch before they escape us.”
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We left Pondicherry Lodge with a new resolve. The trail was cold, but Holmes had already glimpsed the truth. “We must find the steam launch that left the wharf last night. The name, I suspect, is the Aurora. And on board that launch we will find the treasure — and the murderer — of the Sign of the Four.”
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End of Playbook 1 · Holmes and Watson now pursue a murderer and a stolen treasure across the foggy streets of London. The Sign of the Four leads them into the darkest corners of the city — and into a conspiracy that stretches back to the heart of India.
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📖 You might also want to read
The Valley of Fear — The Warning · A shadow falls over Birlstone Manor, and Holmes receives a cryptic message that points to a conspiracy deeper than any he has faced.
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Adapted from the Original work by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Public domain (1890) · This adaptation follows the playbook series format
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