Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 233 Conan Doyle's Solemn Promise (Bonus Chapter)

Conan Doyle was completely baffled.

This information seems unrelated, jumping from one topic to another, ranging from meteorology to tobacco science, from urban planning to religious studies, from geology to botany...

This reads more like the casual notes of a scholar with vast but unsystematic knowledge than the background information needed for a detective novel.

For a moment, he even had a doubt:
Was Lionel deliberately testing his patience and sincerity with these bizarre requests?
But Conan Doyle quickly dismissed the idea.

He recalled Lionel's emphasis in the letter that he hoped his reasoning would be as rigorous, truthful, and as sound as possible.

Professor Bell's voice seemed to echo in my ears again:

"Observation and logic are the cornerstones of medical diagnosis. Gentlemen, never look at appearances and the patient's self-report."

Trust the details you see with your own eyes; they will tell you the truth.

Conan Doyle suddenly had an epiphany.

Sherlock Holmes's brilliant reasoning is built upon countless seemingly insignificant pieces of trivia.

Cigar brands can be identified by examining cigarette ash, which in turn allows for inferences about the smoker's economic status and habits.
Determining which specific area of ​​London someone comes from by the special type of mud on their shoes...

Aren't these precisely Dr. Bell's daily clinical practice, which has been applied to literature?
A sense of mission arose spontaneously.

He, Arthur Conan Doyle, had a responsibility to gather all this scattered information and create a believable "Great Detective Sherlock Holmes"!
Without hesitation, Conan Doyle immediately demonstrated his efficiency and intelligence.

Regarding London's weather records, he recalled reading in a popular science magazine that there was a "Royal Meteorological Society" in London, whose members were all astronomy and weather enthusiasts.

He immediately wrote to the society, politely explaining that he was a medical student and requested detailed weather data for London over the past two months for an "important academic research project".

To increase the success rate, he even included a small sum of money as a thank you and for copying the materials.

The most challenging and most frustrating task was undoubtedly the research on cigar ash.

Conan Doyle was not wealthy, and smoking cigars was a luxury for him, something he knew nothing about.

Fortunately, Lionel provided £50.

He went to a reputable tobacco shop in Edinburgh and bought cigars from different origins, brands, and price ranges, as much as possible.

From expensive Havana to cheap Manila, they have it all, but you only buy one of each.

Back in his apartment, he began this "arduous" research.

He lit a cigar, took a careful drag, coughed from the smoke, and then watched intently as the burning tip changed.

After waiting for the ash to fall off naturally, he collected the ash from different cigars into labeled glass bottles.

He then carefully recorded the color, texture, whether it clumped, and the differences in smell after burning; he even drew a sketch.

Over the course of several days, his small apartment was filled with the lingering smell of tobacco. His eyes were stinging from the fumes, and his fingers were stained yellow, but he never tired of it.

Fortunately, the neighbors just thought it was because the young man had become addicted to smoking.

Discovering the conditions of London's slums was a challenge for him, who was living in Edinburgh.

He first wrote to several classmates who were interning or working at the London Medical School, asking them to help describe the surrounding environment of his residence.

He also wrote to several major London newspapers, requesting to purchase or copy recent property rental and sales advertisements.

These advertisements usually included a brief description of the house and its surroundings, which, though brief, provided some key information. In addition, he wrote to a cousin who was a struggling painter in London, earnestly requesting that he visit the poor neighborhoods to sketch them in detail and send them to him.

He promised to pay the corresponding compensation.

Regarding the activities of the Mormon Church in the UK, he went directly to the University of Edinburgh Library and browsed through bound volumes of mainstream newspapers such as The Times and The Scotsman in recent years, carefully searching for any reports related to the "Mormon Church".

He focused on news involving missionary controversies, marriage institutions, property disputes, or legal proceedings, and made careful notes.

He also collected critical viewpoints from some religious studies journals and anti-Mormon pamphlets.

As for information on the origins of clay and terracotta, the library and herbarium of the Department of Geology at the University of Edinburgh became his treasure trove.

He spent a great deal of time reviewing geological survey reports and copying down data on the properties of clay around London.

Collecting missing person notices from newspapers was relatively simple. He wrote to his friends in London, asking them to help him buy various tabloids recently and cut out the relevant sections to send to him.

This process is tedious, time-consuming, and sometimes even frustrating.

Conan Doyle often stayed in the library late into the night, or repeatedly compared the prices of cigars in order to save a few shillings.

He personally experienced how much effort is required to write, especially to pursue realistic details.

This is not a task that can be accomplished solely through inspiration and talent; it requires patience, perseverance, a rigorous attitude, and a vast knowledge base.

My admiration for Lionel grew day by day during this process.

He could hardly imagine how Lionel could have conceived a novel with such a vast time span and rich details as Benjamin Buton's Curious Cases, all by himself.

This sense of awe for creation makes him take every task at hand more seriously.

A few weeks later, a thick stack of documents had accumulated in front of Conan Doyle:
The neatly copied meteorological data records, boxes of cigar ash samples with detailed labels, London street sketches and real estate advertisement clippings sent by friends, news excerpts and notes about the Mormon Church, copies of geological data, and a stack of missing person notices clippings.

He carefully categorized all the materials, organized them neatly, and wrapped them in thick paper.

He sat down and wrote to Lionel again.

In the letter, he first expressed his enthusiastic admiration for the opening of "A Study in Scarlet," believing that Sherlock Holmes would become an immortal figure in literary history and that deductive reasoning would be recorded in history.

He then gave a detailed account of how he collected the various materials and sent all the physical evidence and notes he had gathered with the letter.

At the end of the letter, he solemnly wrote:

"...My dear Lionel, through this mission, I have gained a deeper understanding of your lofty pursuit of creation."

These seemingly trivial details are undoubtedly an indispensable cornerstone in building the image of Sherlock Holmes. I am honored to share this part of the work with you.

At the same time, please allow me to express my admiration and joy once again. Reading the opening of "A Study in Scarlet" is like witnessing the birth of a legend.

Mr. Holmes is so vivid that I can almost smell the tobacco in 221B Baker Street and hear the tunes he plays on the violin.

If you allow, I would love to be more involved in the creation of this great story.

Whether it's gathering more information, verifying details about medicine and London, or simply providing feedback as an enthusiastic reader, I would be honored.

And I, Arthur Conan Doyle, hereby solemnly pledge to be your most loyal "Watson" in the realm of literature!

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