The last Sherlock Holmes story; Michael Dibdin

The last Sherlock
Holmes story
13/03/2008
ACTIVITIES
While Reading
•
Read the Foreword and Introduction. Choose the best question-word for these
questions, and then answer them.
1. What did the locked box contain? It contained a packet of papers. They tell a
terrible history wrote by Watson.
2. When was the box opened? In 1976.
3. What did some people say about Watson? That he was stick when he wrote the
history.
4. Who wanted to write about Sherlock Holmes? Arthur Conan Doyle.
5. What did Sherlock Holmes think of A Study in Scarlet? That it was rubbish.
6. Who fell in love with Mary Morstan? Dr. Watson.
•
Read Chapter 1, and then answer these questions.
1. What happened when Holmes was bored? The police called him in order to help
them with the case of women ripped in Whitechapel.
2. Why did the inspector Lestrade need Holmes’s help? Because Holmes found this
case interesting and the police couldn’t find the killer.
3. How did the police plan to catch Jack the Ripper? They put extra policeman in
Whitechapel at night and some of policemen were dressed in women’s clothes.
4. What did Holmes plan to do in Whitechapel? He pretended to disguise as a poor
man and told with people who lived there about the murders.
5. What was written on a wall near one of the dead women? “ No time to rip”
•
Read Chapter 2, and then rewrite these sentences with de correct information.
1. Watson knew all about Moriarty → Watson didn’t know anything about Moriarty.
2. Holmes thought Moriarty killed because he was mad → Holmes thought Moriarty
killed because he was evil.
3. Nobody knew when Jack the Ripper would kill again → Holmes knew when Jack
the Ripper would kill again.
4. Holmes had to obey Lestrade’s orders → Lestrade had to obey Holmes’ orders.
•
Read Chapter 3, and then answer these questions.
1. What did Holmes do between Monday and the following weekend? He had been
keeping Moriarty busy and playing games with him. Moriarty was chased him.
2. How was Moriarty “writing his name” on London? The places where he murdered
the women form a letter “M” in the space.
3. Why did Watson decide to follow Holmes secretly, instead of running to the police
station? Perhaps Watson was afraid that Holmes couldn’t fight Moriarty on his own.
4. What did Holmes do to the girl which surprised Watson? He kisses her face.
5. Why didn’t Watson see who killed the girl? Because he fell asleep for two hours.
6. What was Holmes doing as he cut up the body? He was singing.
•
Read Chapter 4. Are these sentences true (T) or false (F)? Rewrite the false
sentences with the correct information.
1. Holmes left England after the death of Mary Kelly. True
2. Holmes sent a second telegram to Watson to say that he was still chasing
Moriarty. False, Holmes sent a second telegram to Watson to say that Moriarty
was die.
3. Watson hoped that Holmes was not the killer, but he needed to know the truth
about him. False, Watson hoped that Holmes was the killer
4. Mary was badly frightened by the Whitechapel murders. False, Mary wasn’t
frightened
5. When Holmes came back to London, he wanted to tell Watson all about the
death of Moriarty. False, Holmes didn’t want to tell Watson about Moriarty’s
death.
6. Watson and Holmes never worked together again. False, they worked together
again.
•
Before you read Chapter 5 (Death at the Reichenbach Falls) can you guess who
will die there, and how?
Sherlock Holmes, because this is the last chapter and the book entitles The last
Sherlock Holmes. I deduce that is the last Sherlock Holmes story because he die in this
book.
After reading
1. In Chapter 5 we get Dr. Watson’s side of the story. But how did Sherlock Holmes
see things? Join these parts of sentences from a passage in Holmes’s diary.
APRIL 1891, LONDON
1. I know Moriarty is alive, because he has killed another woman.
2. And he will kill again and again, if I don’t stop him.
3. I tried to explain this to Watson in my hidden message, but the stupid fellow
didn’t understand my letter.
4. Never mind. He has agreed to help me in my fight, and together we will follow
this evil murderer.
5. It is too dangerous to stay here in Watson’s house as I’m sure that Moriarty and
his men are watching it.
6. Yes! I have just seen one of his men in the garden so I must call Watson and
we must leave at once!
2. Now complete the last page in Sherlock Holmes diary with these linking words.
(You will need to use some more than once.)
APRIL 1891, SWITZERLAND
I have enjoyed myself since we left England. I knew that something was wrong
because I found my bathroom door was locked in Watson’s house. I tried to hit the man
who came in, but he jumped away. And then there was the letter to Lastrade, which
said that I was the Whitechapel murderer- what rubbish! I took it from the cook’s hand
while Watson was calling the cab –which it wasn’t Watson, of curse. No, Moriarty had
killed my poor friend and taken his place. I know this man is Moriarty because I have
seen him injecting himself with cocaine, when Watson would never, never do that. The
end will come today. M has asked me to walk with him to the Reichenbach Falls, which
is a wild and lonely place. I know he will try to shoot me there, but he will not succeed
which I have put blanks in his gun. He is clever, but I will destroy him! It will be the last
and greatest success of my life!
Summary
The story begins when a terrible murderer appears in London, while Holmes was
boring (in order to this, he consumed cocaine). Murderer ripped his victims, only
women neither young nor beautiful. Inspector Lastrade wanted to see Holmes in order
to help the police with the ripper of Whitechapel, who called himself Jack the Ripper.
Holmes was very interested in this case. He and his fellow, Dr. Watson, tried to find
Jack. Holmes asked Watson that he wanted to stay three days in Whitechapel. The
third day, the police asked Watson that was other murder in Whitechapel, but this
woman wasn’t rip. He went to the place where the woman was killed and he saw
Holmes. Holmes showed to Watson a letters write on a wall “No time to rip”.
After three weeks, Holmes saw Jack the Ripper in an empty house opposite his office.
Holmes and Watson followed him around London. Finally, they retired and Holmes
explained Watson that the murderer was a man called Moriarty, a professor who
became evil. Moriarty was intelligent like Holmes. Holmes said that Moriarty wanted a
fight to the death with him.
Holmes knew when and what day will Moriarty kill again. The police go to this point but
nothing happened. Holmes thinked that Moriarty didn’t kill that day because was full of
people. Watson and Holmes went to Witechapel the day which Jack the Ripper will kill
again.
Holmes saw Moriarty. Holmes said to Watson that he will follow Moriarty while Watson
will call the police. But Watson, instead of going to the police station, follow Holmes.
Holmes entered in a house and changed his suit. After, he met with a woman and both
entered in a house. Watson fell asleep under the windows when Holmes and the
woman were staying.
When Watson got up he saw Holmes was ripping the woman while he singed a song.
After this, Holmes left the country. Watson married with his girlfriend because he was
worried about her. Watson was frightened to saw Holmes again, because he thinked
that Holmes was Jack the Ripper. Holmes sent a telegram to Watson. The letter said
that he was following Moriarty. More days later, and other telegram was sent by
Holmes. He said that Moriarty was dead. Finally, when he had finished some cases in
foreigner coutryes, Holmes returned to London. He didn’t wanted to talk to Watson
about Moriarty’s death. After that, Holmes and Watson worked together again for many
years. The people didn’t remembered Jack the Ripper.
In 1891 other woman was ripped in Whitechapel. Soon after this, Holmes left the
country and sent an intelligible message to Watson. Watson remembered the house
behind Holmes Office, where Holmes saw Moriarty. Watson entered in the house and
found pieces of bodys.
When Holmes returned asked that Moriarty was alive and he was following them.
Holmes looked mad. Holmes left the country and go to Switzerland with Watson.
Watson must injected cocaine to be able to follow Holmes. One day, when they were in
Reichenbach Falls, Watson confessed to Holmes that he know everything about he.
Watson shot Holmes with a gun, but Holmes took the bullets from the gun and put in
blanks. Holmes believed that Watson was Moriarty disguised. Holmes tried to kill
Watson with a knife but at the last moment he gave up his fellow and said to him “I
shall not let him hurt you”. Then he stepped backwards off the path. Holmes dies.
Watson wrote this success in a packed of papers, and he said that this papers mustn’t
were opened until fifty years after Watson’s death.