The Sign of the Four - Plot summary

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Sign of the Four is the second of Arthur Conan Doyle's

Sherlock Holmes novels. In it the detective and his companion
Dr Watson unravel a mystery of hidden treasure and murder.
Miss Mary Morstan arrives at 221B, Baker Street to request
help with the mystery of her missing father, her anonymous
gifts of pearls and a letter requesting her to meet an unknown
person that evening. Holmes takes on her case and the
adventure begins.
Watson narrates the tale that sees the detective tracking down
hidden treasure and murderers. By the end of the story the
criminals are either dead or arrested, and Miss Mary Morstan
and Watson are engaged to be married.
1.Miss Mary Morstan arrives and asks for help with a mystery.
2.Holmes and Watson accompany her to Thaddeus Sholto's house and
learn about the Agra treasure.
3.Bartholomew Sholto is found dead at Pondicherry Lodge.
4.Holmes investigates the clues and calls the police. Athelney Jones
arrests Thaddeus Sholto. Holmes sends Watson to borrow Toby, the dog.
5.Holmes employs the Baker Street Irregulars as spies and eventually
puts on a disguise to track down the Aurora launch.
6.Watson, Holmes and Inspector Jones pursue the villains along the River
Thames and catch up with them. The treasure chest is empty.
7.Jonathan Small is arrested and confesses his whole story. Watson and
Mary Morstan are engaged to be married.
The Sign of the Four is a detective story about double-crossing,
betrayal and greed.
 The Sign of the Four - Characters overview

The novel is narrated by Dr John Watson who accompanies the main

character, Sherlock Holmes, a private detective. The novel begins
with Holmes complaining of boredom. Miss Mary Morstan arrives at
Baker Street with a mystery regarding her missing father and an
annual anonymous gift of pearls she has received for several years.
Holmes is glad to take on the case, as it will occupy his mind. Watson
is also happy because he finds Miss Morstan attractive. They are
taken to Thaddeus Sholto who explains how his father and Captain
Morstan died. His brother, Bartholomew, is found dead in his home
and then Holmes uses the clues to unravel the mystery of his murder
and the hidden treasure. He rightly deduces that both Jonathan
Small and his accomplice are involved.
At the end of the novel, having solved the case, we see Holmes
return to his state of boredom.
The main character in the novel is the private
detective, Sherlock Holmes. He is presented
through the viewpoint of his friend, Dr John
Watson, the narrator of the story. Watson
describes him as a sharp and highly intelligent
individual.
At the start of the novel, Holmes is injecting
cocaine, which he argues he needs to numb his mind
when there is nothing more interesting to occupy
and challenge him. He is proud of his mental
capacities and often dismissive towards those who
he perceives to be less intelligent. In the opening
chapters he demonstrates his powers of observation
and deduction with reference to his work on tobacco
identification and by correctly explaining the history
of Watson's watch.
Holmes takes great pleasure in solving mysteries and
outwitting others. In this story he correctly
determines how Jonathan Small and Tonga steal the
Agra treasure from Sholto's house.
He also has a strong sense of justice and at the
end of the novel encourages Small to tell the truth
so that he is not wrongly accused of Sholto's
murder.
 Dr John Watson in The Sign of the Four

The story is written in the first person, with Dr John

Watson as narrator. He has lived with Sherlock Holmes for
several years, during which time he has witnessed his
companion at work on numerous difficult cases.
He is loyal and at the start of the novel, is concerned for his
friend's well-being. He accompanies Holmes into potentially
dangerous situations, and seems to take pleasure from the
adventures he is led into.
When he first meets Miss Mary Morstan, Watson is struck
by how attractive she is. Their growing love story is a sub-
plot of the novel. A complication in the development of their
romance comes in the form of the Agra treasure and Miss
Morstan's entitlement to it. Watson is wary of being
perceived as 'a mere vulgar fortune-seeker'. In the end,
when the treasure has been lost, he feels able, at last, to
declare his love.
 Jonathan Small in The Sign of the Four

Although Jonathan Small only actually appears towards

the end of the book, he is referred to by different
characters throughout. The reader learns about him
from the things other characters say about him and the
ways they respond to him.
Holmes identifies him as the wooden-legged man and we
learn that Major Sholto died from the shock of seeing
Small's face at the window. Mrs Smith, the boat
keeper's wife describes him as 'ugly' and 'outlandish'.
When Small is arrested and confesses in full to his
crimes, he is revealed as a cunning and manipulative
character. He also shows a frightening side when he is
angry. His involvement with the Sign of the Four pact
and the way he chases the treasure are key to the plot.
Miss Mary Morstan appears early in the novel Miss Mary Morstan in The Sign of the Four
and brings two mysteries to Sherlock Holmes.
The first is the puzzle of her missing father
and the second is a series of strange gifts of
beautiful pearls that she has received annually
for the past six years.
She remains calm and composed when they
arrive to meet the mysterious letter writer at
the Lyceum Theatre. The only time she
appears upset is when Thaddeus Sholto
announces that her father is dead. Even at
this time her response is self-possessed - she
does not respond with great emotion, but sits
down, her distress shown only in her 'white'
appearance.
Watson admits that he is attracted to her,
and he presents a flattering image of a gentle,
collected and modest woman. When reading
about Miss Morstan (as with all characters in
this novel) it is important to remember that we
are seeing her from Watson's point of view.
Thaddeus Sholto in The Sign of the Four
Thaddeus Sholto is a strange-looking character who lives in
a richly-decorated house. He is the one who has sent the letter of
invitation to Miss Morstan. Watson is annoyed with him when he
announces Captain Morstan's death in an offhand manner.

Thaddeus tells the story of his father, Major John Sholto, who
returned from India eleven years ago with a large sum of money and
treasures. He explains how, on his father's deathbed, he confessed
that Morstan died after an argument about the treasure. Major
Sholto regretted that he had left Miss Morstan without her share
of the wealth. Thaddeus explains how his father then saw a face at
the window and died of shock before he could tell them where the
treasure was hidden.
Thaddeus seems to be more conscientious than his brother,
Bartholomew, and is the one who has posted the pearls to Miss
Morstan. When his brother is found dead, he worries, rightly, that
he will be accused of murder.
He is arrested by Mr Athelney Jones, but later set free when
secure alibis are established.