CHAPTER THREE


Jacobs had arranged the provision of a dog-cart to meet us and bring us the six miles down into Lyme Regis but we could see no sign of him as we waited outside the station, there were one or two families also awaiting some form of transport, the children looking so excited to be this close to the sea and who could fail to be moved by the joy on their faces, tiny hands clutching buckets and spades.? I motioned Holmes to observe the scene and he did so with barely a smile on his face, his machine-like countenance seemingly unmoved by the rapture that was provoked in me by these children and their sheer happiness. I had never lost my love for the sea and I remembered with great pleasure holidays spent with my Father and Mother together my brother Henry at Southsea. Thinking of my poor brother, I patted my inside pocket which contained a watch which had once belonged to my father and had been handed down to my brother and thence to me after his untimely and sad death. Holmes noted my movements and gave me a smile which spoke volumes for his humanity, at times like these I would be willing to swear he had the ability to read my innermost thoughts. Indeed, he very often did just that.

" I was just reminiscing Holmes, revisiting my childhood." I said by way of explanation.

Holmes looked at me, his eyes shining and he nodded sagely, " I understand Watson and I envy you those happy memories you possess in abundance, even when those self same memories have the ability to cause you sadness and pain."

It was not long after my brother's death that sweet Mary Morstan came into my life, she shared my burden of sadness and the feelings of irrational guilt that I should be living while my brother lay in his grave, and now, she was gone too,taken from me three short years ago.It was a time when I was truly alone having believed like the rest of the world that Holmes himself was dead, having fought his bitter duel with Moriarty to the end and beyond, culminating in the deaths of the most dangerous criminal and the foremost champion of the law of their generation in the swirling waters of the Reichenbach Falls.Then as the whole world knows, Holmes came back from the 'dead' and my shattered life began to be rebuilt slowly but surely and Holmes remained the one constant in my life, my one loyal and trusted friend.

A gnarled old man had alighted from a dog cart and approached us, bewhiskered and lugubrious looking with a somewhat hesitant manner " Er....Would you be the gentlemen from London for Master Jacobs ?" he asked slowly. When Holmes replied in the affirmative, he proffered his own name " I am William Curtis, Master Jacobs has sent me to collect you Sir."

" Capital" said Holmes " Very good my fellow, let's be off." With that we threw our luggage into the back of the cart, clambered in ourselves and set off for Lyme Regis. The ride took us through Axminster with it's fine old church dominating the town, within minutes we were in open countryside, trotting through leafy lanes which gave way to rolling fields and the dotted cottages of a hamlet or two.Curtis was greeted pleasantly by a few people we passed, and indeed there seemed an air of friendliness emanating from this area. As we passed through the village of Uplyme I was pleased to see that most English of sports taking place, a game of cricket, played for the love of the game with no thought of reward. Barely a mile later, we arrived at Lyme Regis and began a descent which afforded us views of the sea beyond the houses and cottages.

Curtis addressed us for the first time since leaving Axminster "Master Jacobs has asked me to convey you gentlemen directly to Mrs. Heidler's as he is with one of his patients."

" Thank you Curtis, that will be admirable." said I.

We turned to the left and descended another hill down to a narrow street that Curtis identified for us as Coombe Street.
We passed over a narrow bridge with a small river below and within yards Curtis pulled up outside a cream-coloured house.

" This will be Mrs. Heidler's then gentlemen." Curtis said. " She is expecting you."

We dropped to our feet, retrieved our luggage as Curtis drove off. I knocked the door and it was opened by a sallow looking youth, who said not a word to us, merely stared in a frankly mystifying manner.

" My name is Doctor Watson and this is my friend Mr. Sherlock Holmes, we are given to understand that Mrs. Heidler is expecting us, will you please let her know that we have arrived."

As a response, he opened the door wider and with a sweep of his arm, motioned for us to enter. We followed him down a long passageway and from there into a small parlour. There, seated at a table was the lady of the house, she rose and came over to us " Welcome to Lyme Regis Mr. Holmes and Doctor Watson, I am Mrs. Heidler." As she said this she had come into the light given off by an adjacent gas lamp and for a brief moment I thought I was going to faint for only the second time in my life, with her blonde hair and large blue eyes and such a sweet and amiable expression she was the very image of my own sweet Mary. Holmes must have noticed my discomfiture for he placed a hand on my elbow as if to steady me.

"Thank you Mrs.Heidler for your most warm welcome." and then to me, in an aside " Are you alright Watson ?" he asked " I must admit I too was struck by the resemblance to the good Mrs.Watson." " Yes, quite alright now Holmes and thank you." I, too offered my greetings to Mrs. Heidler and hoped that my confusion was not apparent to her.