The Adventure of the Cardboard Box: Part One

Summary

Podcast Summary: Sherlock Holmes Short Stories – The Adventure of the Cardboard Box: Part One

Podcast: Sherlock Holmes Short Stories
Host: NOISER
Narrator: Hugh Bonneville as Dr. John Watson
Episode: The Adventure of the Cardboard Box: Part One
Original Release: October 22, 2025

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Overview

In this captivating episode, Hugh Bonneville brings life to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson as they embark on one of their most peculiar mysteries: "The Adventure of the Cardboard Box." When a spinster named Miss Susan Cushing receives a gruesome parcel containing two freshly severed human ears, Holmes and Watson are swept into an investigation that spans from the tranquil streets of Croydon to Liverpool’s bustling docks. What begins as a supposed medical student prank soon reveals secrets of jealousy, betrayal, and vengeance. This is the first part of a two-part case.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Setting the Scene

• Baker Street on a Hot August Day
  • Holmes is completely absorbed by a letter, while Watson is bored, longing for countryside escapes that Holmes disdains in favor of the city’s intrigue.
  • The lethargic mood snaps when Holmes displays his trademark deduction skills by reading Watson’s unspoken thoughts purely from observation.
• Quote:

  “You are right, Watson, it does seem a most preposterous way of settling a dispute.”
  — Sherlock Holmes (04:05)

• Quote:

  “There you have followed me wonderfully!”
  — Dr. John Watson, amazed at Holmes' deduction (06:44)

2. The Mystery Arrives

• The Grim Package
  • Miss Susan Cushing of Croydon receives a box filled with salt and two human ears; sent from Belfast, addressed in a man's handwriting.
  • The press and local police suspect a revenge prank by former lodgers (medical students), but Holmes is skeptical.
  • Quote:

    “What appears at first to be a cruel prank soon reveals something far more sinister.”
    — Dr. Watson's narration opening (00:56)

3. Early Deduction and Forensics

• Examination of Evidence
  • Holmes, Watson, and Lestrade (Scotland Yard) visit Miss Cushing.
  • Holmes meticulously inspects the package:
    • The string: Tarred twine, cut with scissors, with the knot intact — a noteworthy detail.
      • Quote:

        “The importance lies in the fact that the knot is left intact and that this knot is of a peculiar character.”
        — Sherlock Holmes (15:57)

    • The box and wrapper: The paper smells of coffee, handwriting is masculine and unskilled, and the box is for honeydew tobacco.
    • Salt and the ears: Salt is of a commercial, not medical, grade. Notably, the two ears are from a man and a woman and are not from dissection but recently removed with a blunt instrument.
      • Quote:

        “These ears bear no signs of [preservatives]... They are fresh too. They have been cut off with a blunt instrument, which would hardly happen if a student had done it.”
        — Sherlock Holmes (18:05)

  • Holmes concludes this is a “serious crime,” not a student joke.

4. The Cushing Family and Suspects Emerge

• Family Intrigue
  • Holmes deduces, from photographs, that Ms. Cushing has two sisters: Sarah and Mary.
    • Mary married Jim Browner, a ship’s steward with a troubled history of alcoholism and violence.
    • Sarah, living in Wallington, has a volatile temper and is estranged from both sisters.
      • Quote:

        “Oh, you don’t know Sarah’s temper... I tried it when I came to Croydon and we kept on until about two months ago when we had to part.”
        — Ms. Susan Cushing (24:54)

5. Investigative Progress

• Visit to Wallington
  • Holmes and Watson try to see Sarah Cushing, but her doctor insists she is gravely ill with “brain symptoms” and cannot be seen.
  • Holmes only wanted “to look at her,” suggesting he is seeking a visual clue.
• Holmes’ Quiet Confidence
  • Holmes sends a telegram and, over lunch, muses about violins — signaling he’s pondering the case deeply.
• The Revelation
  • At the police station, Holmes receives a telegram, and with confidence announces:
    • Quote:

      “I have found out everything... A shocking crime has been committed and I think I have now laid bare every detail of it, and the criminal.”
      — Sherlock Holmes (29:29)

    • Holmes gives Lestrade the name of the culprit, telling him to wait until the following night to make an arrest, and requests not to be mentioned unless the case proves complex.

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Holmes’ Mind-Reading Feat
  “I was very happy to have the opportunity of reading it off and eventually breaking into it as a proof that I had been in rapport with you.”
  — Sherlock Holmes (04:49)

• Holmes Mapping the Crime
  “One of these ears is a woman's, small, finely formed, and pierced for an earring. The other is a man's, sunburned, discoloured, and also pierced for an earring. These two people are presumably dead...”
  — Sherlock Holmes (19:35)

• Holmes’ Humility and Selectiveness
  “I should prefer that you do not mention my name at all in connection with the case, as I choose to be only associated with those crimes which present some difficulty in their solution.”
  — Sherlock Holmes (29:52)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:56: Episode premise and introduction of the Cushing case begins
• 04:05–07:19: Holmes' deduction of Watson’s thoughts
• 09:13–11:04: Reading the newspaper account of the parcel and police theories
• 13:08–15:07: Holmes, Watson, and Lestrade arrive at Miss Cushing’s home and investigate the package
• 15:28–18:33: Holmes’ forensic observations and elimination of the "medical student prank" theory
• 21:21–25:46: Holmes interviews Miss Cushing about her sisters and family history
• 27:04–28:14: The failed attempt to visit Sarah Cushing in Wallington and Holmes’ hints of insight
• 29:15–30:10: Holmes claims to have solved the case; Lestrade is given the name of the suspect
• 30:32–30:49: Teaser for Part Two: the truth behind the severed ears will emerge

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Final Thoughts

This episode is a masterclass in logical deduction, subtle forensic detail, and the delicate interplay of family secrets. Bonneville’s narration captures both Holmes’ razor-sharp intellect and the emotional undercurrents of the characters, setting up a tantalizing cliffhanger for the conclusion.

Preview for Next Episode:
“A curiously tied knot leads to a revelation, a sailor gives a dark confession, and the truth behind the severed ears emerges from the fog of Liverpool’s Docklands.” (30:32)

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For listeners who haven’t tuned in: expect rich atmosphere, sharp dialogue, and Holmesian detective work at its best — all leading to a mystery that’s as personal as it is macabre.

Transcript

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[Dr. John Watson]

I'm Hugh Bonneville and welcome to Sherlock Holmes Short Stories, the series where we delve into the files of fiction's most brilliant detective, following his keen mind and unerring instincts from the first subtle clue to the final dramatic revelation.

[Sherlock Holmes]

This time we present the Adventure of.

[Dr. John Watson]

The Cardboard Box, a case that begins.

[Sherlock Holmes]

When a lonely spinster receives a mysterious.

[Dr. John Watson]

Package that chills her to the bone. A simple cardboard box containing two freshly severed human ears. What appears at first to be a cruel prank soon reveals something far more sinister. Leading our heroes from the quiet streets of Croydon to the shipping routes of Liverpool, grisly evidence will be examined and family secrets exposed as Holmes pieces together a tale of jealousy, betrayal and above all, vengeance. From the Noiser Podcast network, this is the Adventure of the Cardboard Box. Part one. In choosing a few typical cases which illustrate the remarkable mental qualities of my friend Sherlock Holmes, I have endeavoured as.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Far as possible to select those which.

[Dr. John Watson]

Presented the minimum of sensationalism while offering.

[Sherlock Holmes]

A fair field for his talents. It is, however, unfortunately impossible entirely to.

[Dr. John Watson]

Separate the sensational from the criminal, and.

[Sherlock Holmes]

A chronicler is left in the dilemma that he must either sacrifice details which.

[Dr. John Watson]

Are essential to his statement and so give a false impression of the problem.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Or he must use matter which chance.

[Dr. John Watson]

And not choice, has provided him with. With this short preface I shall turn to my notes of what proved to be a strange, though a peculiarly terrible chain of events. It was a blazing hot day in August. Baker street was like an oven, and the glare of the sunlight upon the yellow brickwork of the house across the road was painful to the eye. It was hard to believe that these were the same walls which loomed so gloomily through the fogs of winter. Our blinds were half drawn and Holmes lay curled upon the sofa, reading and re reading a letter which he had received by the Morning Post. For myself, my term of service in India had trained me to stand heat better than cold, and a thermometer at 90 was no hardship. But the morning paper was uninteresting. Parliament had risen, everybody was out of town, and I yearned for the glades of the New Forest or the Shingle of Southsea. A depleted bank account had caused me to postpone my holiday.

[Sherlock Holmes]

And as to my companion, neither the.

[Dr. John Watson]

Country nor the sea presented the slightest attraction to him.

[Sherlock Holmes]

He loved to lie in the very.

[Dr. John Watson]

Centre of five millions of people, with his filaments stretching out and running through them, responsive to every little rumour or suspicion of unsolved crime. Appreciation of nature found no place among his many gifts, and his only change was when he turned his mind from the evildoer of the town to track down his brother of the country. Finding that Holmes was too absorbed for conversation, I had tossed aside the barren.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Paper and leaning back in my chair.

[Dr. John Watson]

I fell into a brown study. Suddenly my companion's voice broke in upon my thoughts.

[Sherlock Holmes]

You are right, Watson, said he. It does seem a most preposterous way.

[Dr. John Watson]

Of settling a dispute. Most preposterous. I exclaimed.

[Sherlock Holmes]

And then, suddenly realizing how he had.

[Dr. John Watson]

Echoed the inmost thought of my soul.

[Sherlock Holmes]

I sat up in my chair and stared at him in blank amazement. What is this, Holmes?

[Dr. John Watson]

I cried. This is beyond anything which I could have imagined. He laughed heartily at my perplexity.

[Sherlock Holmes]

You remember, said he, that some little time ago when I read you the passage in one of Poe's sketches in which a close reasoner follows the unspoken thoughts of his companion, you were inclined to treat the matter as a mere.

[Dr. John Watson]

Tour de force of the author.

[Sherlock Holmes]

On my remarking that I was constantly in the habit of doing the same thing, you expressed incredulity. Oh, no, perhaps not with your tongue, my dear Watson, but certainly with your eyebrows. So when I saw you throw down your paper and enter upon a train of thought, I was very happy to have the opportunity of reading it off and eventually of breaking into it as a proof that I had been in rapport with you.

[Dr. John Watson]

But I was still far from satisfied. In the example which you read to me, said I, the reasoner drew his conclusions from the actions of the man whom he observed.

[Sherlock Holmes]

If I remember right, he stumbled over.

[Dr. John Watson]

A heap of stones, looked up at the stars, and so on.

[Sherlock Holmes]

But I have been seated quietly in.

[Dr. John Watson]

My chair, and what clues can I have given you?

[Sherlock Holmes]

You do yourself an injustice. The features are given to man as.

[Dr. John Watson]

The means by which he shall express his emotions, and yours are faithful servants. Do you mean to say that you read my train of thoughts from my features?

[Sherlock Holmes]

Your features and especially your eyes. Perhaps you cannot yourself recall how your reverie commenced?

[Dr. John Watson]

No, I cannot.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Then I will tell you. After throwing down your paper, which was the action which drew my attention to you, you sat for half A minute.

[Dr. John Watson]

With a vacant expression.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Then your eyes fixed themselves upon your newly framed picture of General Gordon, and I saw by the alteration in your face that a train of thought had been started. But it did not lead very far. Your eyes flashed across to the unframed portrait of Henry Ward Beecher which stands.

[Dr. John Watson]

Upon the top of your books.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Then you glanced up at the wall and of course your meaning was obvious. You were thinking that if the portrait were framed, it would just cover that bare space and correspond with Gordon's picture.

[Dr. John Watson]

There you have followed me wonderfully. I exclaimed.

[Sherlock Holmes]

So far I could hardly have gone astray. But now your thoughts went back to Beecher and you looked hard across, as if you were studying the character in his features. Then your eyes ceased to pucker, but you continued to look across and your face was thoughtful. You were recalling the incidents of Beecher's career. I was well aware that you could not do this without thinking of the mission which he undertook on behalf of the north at the time of the Civil War. For I remember your expressing your passionate.

[Dr. John Watson]

Indignation at the way in which he was received by the more turbulent of our people.

[Sherlock Holmes]

You felt so strongly about it that I knew you could not think of Beecher without thinking of that. Also, when a moment later I saw your eyes wander away from the picture, I suspected that your mind had now turned to the Civil War. And when I observed that your lips set, your eyes sparkled and your hands clenched, I was positive that you were indeed thinking of the gallantry which was shown by both sides in that desperate struggle. But then again, your face grew sadder. You shook your head. You were dwelling upon the sadness and horror and useless waste of life. Your hand stole towards your own old wound and a smile quivered on your lips which showed me that the ridiculous side of this method of settling international.

[Dr. John Watson]

Questions had forced itself upon your mind.

[Sherlock Holmes]

At this point I agreed with you.

[Dr. John Watson]

That it was preposterous and.

[Sherlock Holmes]

And was glad to find that all my deductions had been correct.

[Dr. John Watson]

Absolutely, said I, and now that you have explained it, I confess that I am as amazed as before.

[Sherlock Holmes]

It was very superficial, my dear Watson. I assure you I should not have intruded it upon your attention had you.

[Dr. John Watson]

Not shown some incredulity the other day.

[Sherlock Holmes]

But I have in my hands here a little problem which may prove to be more difficult of solution than my.

[Dr. John Watson]

Small essay in thought reading.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Have you observed in the paper a short paragraph referring to the remarkable contents of a packet sent through the post to Ms. Cushing of Cross Street, Croydon? No, I Saw nothing. Ah, then you must have overlooked it. Just toss it over to me. Here it is, under the financial column. Perhaps you would be good enough to read it aloud.

[Dr. John Watson]

I picked up the paper which he had thrown back to me and read. The paragraph indicated it was headed a gruesome packet.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Miss Susan Cushing, living at Cross Street, Croydon, has been made the victim of what must be regarded as a peculiarly.

[Dr. John Watson]

Revolting practical joke, unless some more sinister meaning should prove to be attached to the incident.

[Sherlock Holmes]

At 2 o' clock yesterday afternoon, a small packet wrapped in brown paper was handed in by the postman.

[Dr. John Watson]

A cardboard box was inside which was.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Filled with coarse salt. On emptying this, Ms. Cushing was horrified to find two human ears apparently quite freshly severed. The box had been sent by parcel.

[Dr. John Watson]

Post from Belfast upon the morning before.

[Sherlock Holmes]

There is no indication as to the.

[Dr. John Watson]

Sender and the matter is the more.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Mysterious as Miss Cushing, who is a maiden lady of 50, has led a most retired life and has so few acquaintances or correspondence that it is a rare event for her to receive anything through the post.

[Dr. John Watson]

Some years ago, however, when she resided.

[Sherlock Holmes]

At Penge, she let apartments in her house to three young medical students whom she was obliged to get rid of.

[Dr. John Watson]

On account of their noisy and irregular habits. The police are of opinion that this outrage may have been perpetrated upon Ms. Cushing by these youths who owed her a grudge and who hoped to frighten her by sending her these relics of the dissecting rooms.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Some probabilities lent to the theory by the fact that one of these students came from the north of Ireland and.

[Dr. John Watson]

To the best of Ms. Cushing's belief, from Belfast.

[Sherlock Holmes]

In the meantime, the matter is being actively investigated.

[Dr. John Watson]

Mr. Lestrade, one of the very smartest of our detective officers, being in charge of the case.

[Sherlock Holmes]

So much for the Daily Chronicle, said.

[Dr. John Watson]

Holmes, as I finished reading.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Now, for our friend Lestrade. I had a note from him this morning in which he says, I think that this case is very much in your line. We have every hope of clearing the matter up, but we find a little difficulty in getting anything to work upon. We have of course wired to the Belfast Post Office, but a large number.

[Dr. John Watson]

Of parcels were handed in upon that.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Day and they have no means of identifying this particular one or of remembering the sender. The box is a half pound box of honeydew tobacco and does not help.

[Dr. John Watson]

Us in any way.

[Sherlock Holmes]

The medical student theory still appears to me to be the most feasible, but if you should have a few hours to spare, I should be very happy to see you out here? I shall be either at the house or in the police station all day. What say you, Watson? Can you rise superior to the heat and run down to Croydon with me on the off chance of a case for your annals?

[Dr. John Watson]

I was longing for something to do.

[Sherlock Holmes]

You shall have it then ring for our boots and tell them to order a cab. I'll be back in a moment when I have changed my dressing gown and filled my cigar case.

[Dr. John Watson]

Foreign.

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[Dr. John Watson]

A shower of rain fell while we were in the train and the heat was far less oppressive in Croydon than in town.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Holmes had sent on a wire so that Lestrade, as wiry, as dapper and.

[Dr. John Watson]

As ferret like as ever, was waiting for us at the station. A walk of five minutes took us to Cross street where Ms. Cushing resided. It was a very long street of two story brick houses, neat and prim with whitened stone steps and little groups of aproned women gossiping at the doors.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Halfway down Lestrade stopped and tapped at a door which was opened by a small servant girl.

[Dr. John Watson]

Ms. Cushing was sitting in the front room into which we were ushered. She was a placid faced woman with large gentle eyes and grizzled hair curving down over her temples on each side. A worked antimacassar lay upon her lap and a basket of coloured silks stood upon a stool beside her.

[Sherlock Holmes]

They are in the outhouse, those dreadful.

[Dr. John Watson]

Things, said she as Lestrade entered. I wish that you would take them away altogether. So I shall, Miss Cushing. I only kept them here until my friend Mr. Holmes should have seen them in your presence.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Why in my presence, sir?

[Dr. John Watson]

In case he wished to ask any questions.

[Sherlock Holmes]

What is the use of asking me.

[Dr. John Watson]

Questions when I tell you I know.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Nothing whatever about it?

[Dr. John Watson]

Quite so, madam, said Holmes in his soothing way.

[Sherlock Holmes]

I have no doubt that you have.

[Dr. John Watson]

Been annoyed more than enough already over this business. Indeed I have, sir. I am a quiet woman and live a retired life. It is something new for me to see my name in the papers and to find the police in my house.

[Sherlock Holmes]

I won't have those things in here.

[Dr. John Watson]

Mr. Lestrade, if you wish to see.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Them, you must go to the outhouse.

[Dr. John Watson]

It was a small shed in the narrow garden which ran behind the house. Lestrade went in and brought out a yellow cardboard box with a piece of brown paper and some string. There was a bench at the end of the path and we all sat down while Holmes examined one by one the articles which Lestrade had handed to him.

[Sherlock Holmes]

The string is exceedingly interesting, he remarked.

[Dr. John Watson]

Holding it up to the light and sniffing at it.

[Sherlock Holmes]

What do you make of this string, Lestrade?

[Dr. John Watson]

It has been tarred.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Precisely. It is a piece of tarred twine. You have also no doubt remarked that Miss Cushing has cut the cord with.

[Dr. John Watson]

A scissors, as can be seen by the double fray on each side.

[Sherlock Holmes]

This is of importance.

[Dr. John Watson]

I cannot see the importance, said Lestrade.

[Sherlock Holmes]

The importance lies in the fact that the knot is left intact and that this knot is of a peculiar character.

[Dr. John Watson]

It is very neatly tied. I had already made a note of that effect, said Lestrade complacently.

[Sherlock Holmes]

So much for the string then, said Holmes, smiling. Now for the box wrapper. Brown paper with a distinct smell of coffee. What, did you not observe it? I think there can be no doubt of it. A dress printed in rather straggling characters. Ms. S. Cushing, Cross Street, Croydon. Done with a broad pointed pen, probably a J, and with very inferior. The word Croydon has been originally spelled with an I, which has been changed to Y. The parcel was directed then by a man. The printing is distinctly masculine, of limited education and unacquainted with the town of Croydon. So far, so good. The box is a yellow half pound honeydew box with nothing distinctive save two.

[Dr. John Watson]

Thumb marks at the left bottom corner.

[Sherlock Holmes]

It is filled with rough salt of the quality used for preserving hides and.

[Dr. John Watson]

Other of the coarser commercial purposes.

[Sherlock Holmes]

And embedded in it are these very singular enclosures.

[Dr. John Watson]

He took out the two ears as.

[Sherlock Holmes]

He spoke, and, laying a board across.

[Dr. John Watson]

His knee, he examined them minutely while.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Lestrade and I, bending forward on each side of him, glanced alternately at these.

[Dr. John Watson]

Dreadful relics and at the thoughtful, eager face of our companion. Finally he returned them to the box once more and sat for a while in deep meditation.

[Sherlock Holmes]

You have observed, of course, said he.

[Dr. John Watson]

At last, that the ears are not a pair. Yes, I have noticed that. But if this were the practical joke of some students from the dissecting rooms in, it would be as easy for them to send two odd ears as a pair.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Precisely. But this is not a practical joke.

[Dr. John Watson]

You are sure of it?

[Sherlock Holmes]

The presumption is strongly against it, bodies in the dissecting rooms are injected with preservative fluid.

[Dr. John Watson]

These ears bear no signs of this.

[Sherlock Holmes]

They are fresh too. They have been cut off with a blunt instrument, which would hardly happen if a student had done it again. Carbolic or rectified spirits would be the.

[Dr. John Watson]

Preservatives which would suggest themselves to the medical mind.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Certainly not rough salt. I repeat that there is no practical.

[Dr. John Watson]

Joke here, but that we are investigating a serious crime. A vague thrill ran through me as I listened to my companion's words and saw the stern gravity which had hardened his features. This brutal preliminary seemed to shadow forth some strange and inexplicable horror in the background. Lestrade, however, shook his head like a man who is only half convinced. There are objections to the joke theory, no doubt, said he, but there are much stronger reasons against the other. We know that this woman has led a most quiet and respectable life at Penge and here for the last 20 years.

[Sherlock Holmes]

She has hardly been away from her.

[Dr. John Watson]

Home for a day during that time. Why on earth then should any criminal send her the proofs of his guilt?

[Sherlock Holmes]

Especially as unless she is a most consummate actress, she understands quite as little.

[Dr. John Watson]

Of the matter as we do.

[Sherlock Holmes]

That is the problem which we have.

[Dr. John Watson]

To solve, Holmes answered.

[Sherlock Holmes]

And for my part I shall set about it by presuming that my reasoning is correct and that a double murder has been committed. One of these ears is a woman's, small, finely formed and pierced for an earring. The other is a man's, sunburned, discoloured.

[Dr. John Watson]

And also pierced for an earring.

[Sherlock Holmes]

These two people are presumably dead, or.

[Dr. John Watson]

We should have heard their story before now.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Today is Friday. The packet was posted on Thursday morning. The tragedy then occurred on Wednesday or Tuesday or earlier. If the two people were murdered, who but their murderer would have sent this sign of his work to Miss Cushing? We may take it that the sender of the packet is the man whom we want. But he must have some strong reason for sending Ms. Cushing this packet.

[Dr. John Watson]

What reason then?

[Sherlock Holmes]

It must have been to tell her that the deed was done.

[Dr. John Watson]

Or to pain her.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Perhaps. But in that case she knows who it is. Does she know? I doubt it. If she knew, why should she call the police in? She might have buried the ears and no one would have been the wiser. The that is what she would have done if she had wished to shield the criminal. But if she does not wish to shield him, she would give his name. There is a tangle here which needs straightening out. He had been talking in A high, quick voice staring blankly up over the garden fence. But now he sprang briskly to his feet and walked towards the house. I have a few questions to ask, Ms. Cushing, said he.

[Dr. John Watson]

In that case, I may leave you here, said Lestrade, for I have another small business on hand.

[Sherlock Holmes]

I think that I have nothing further.

[Dr. John Watson]

To learn from Ms. Cushing. You will find me at the police station.

[Sherlock Holmes]

We shall look in on our way.

[Dr. John Watson]

To the train, answered Holmes. A moment later he and I were back in the front room, where the impassive lady was still quietly working away at her antimacassar.

[Sherlock Holmes]

She put it down on her lap.

[Dr. John Watson]

As we entered and looked at us with her frank, searching blue eyes. I am convinced, sir, said she, that this matter is a mistake and that the parcel was never meant for me at all. I have said this several times to the gentleman from Scotland Yard, but he simply laughs at me.

[Sherlock Holmes]

I have not an enemy in the.

[Dr. John Watson]

World, as far as I know, so.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Why should anyone play me such a trick? I am coming to be of the.

[Dr. John Watson]

Same opinion, Ms. Cushing, said Holmes, taking a seat beside her.

[Sherlock Holmes]

I think that it is more than probable.

[Dr. John Watson]

He paused, and I was surprised on glancing round to see that he was staring with singular intentness at the lady's profile.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Surprise and satisfaction were both for an.

[Dr. John Watson]

Instant to be read upon his eager face, though when she glanced round to find out the cause of his silence, he had become as demure as ever. I stared hard myself at her flat, grizzled hair, her trim cap, her little gilt earrings, her placid features.

[Sherlock Holmes]

But I could see nothing which could.

[Dr. John Watson]

Account for my companion's evident excitement.

[Sherlock Holmes]

There were one or two questions. Oh, I am weary of questions.

[Dr. John Watson]

Cried Ms. Cushing impatiently.

[Sherlock Holmes]

You have two sisters, I believe. How could you know that? I observed the very instant that I entered the room that you have a.

[Dr. John Watson]

Portrait group of three ladies upon the.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Mantelpiece, one of whom is undoubtedly yourself, while the others are so exceedingly like you that there could be no doubt of the relationship.

[Dr. John Watson]

Yes, you are quite right. Those are my sisters, Sarah and Mary.

[Sherlock Holmes]

And here at my elbow is another portrait taken at Liverpool of your younger sister in the company of a man who appears to be a steward by his uniform. And I observed that she was unmarried at the time.

[Dr. John Watson]

You are very quick at observing.

[Sherlock Holmes]

That is my trade.

[Dr. John Watson]

Well, you are quite right, but she was married to Mr. Browner a few days afterwards.

[Sherlock Holmes]

He was on the South American line.

[Dr. John Watson]

When that was taken, but he was.

[Sherlock Holmes]

So fond of her that he couldn't.

[Dr. John Watson]

Abide to Leave her for so long.

[Sherlock Holmes]

And he got into the Liverpool and London boats. Ah, the Conqueror, perhaps?

[Dr. John Watson]

No, the May Day, when last I heard, Jim came down here to see me once. That was before he broke the pledge. But afterwards he would always take drink when he was ashore, and a little drink would send him stark staring mad. Oh, it was a bad day that ever he took a glass in his hand again. First he dropped me, then he quarrelled with Sarah. And now that Mary has stopped writing, we don't know how things are going with them. It was evident that Ms. Cushing had come upon a subject on which she felt very deeply. Like most people who led a lonely life, she was shy at first, but.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Ended by becoming extremely communicative. She told us many details about her.

[Dr. John Watson]

Brother in law, the steward. And then, wandering off on the subject of her former lodgers, the medical students, she gave us a long account of their delinquencies with their names and those of their hospitals. Holmes listened attentively to everything, throwing in a question from time to time.

[Sherlock Holmes]

About your second sister Sarah, said he, I wonder, since you are both maiden ladies, that you do not keep house together.

[Dr. John Watson]

Oh, you don't know Sarah's temper or.

[Sherlock Holmes]

You would wonder no more. I tried it when I came to Croydon and we kept on until about two months ago when we had to part.

[Dr. John Watson]

I don't want to say a word against my own sister, but she was always meddlesome and hard to please. Was Sarah.

[Sherlock Holmes]

You say that she quarrelled with your Liverpool relations?

[Dr. John Watson]

Yes, and they were the best of friends at one time. Why?

[Sherlock Holmes]

She went up there to live in order to be near them. And now she has no word.

[Dr. John Watson]

Hard enough for Jim Browner. The last six months that she was.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Here she would speak of nothing but.

[Dr. John Watson]

His drinking and his ways. He had caught her meddling, I suspect, and given her a bit of his mind. And that was the start of it. Thank you, Ms. Cushing, said Holmes, rising and bowing.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Your sister Sarah lives, I think you said, at New Street Wallington. Good bye. And I am very sorry that you.

[Dr. John Watson]

Should have been troubled over a case with which, as you say, you have.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Nothing whatever to do.

[Dr. John Watson]

Foreign.

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[Dr. John Watson]

There was a cab passing as we came out and Holmes hailed it.

[Sherlock Holmes]

How far to Wallington?

[Dr. John Watson]

He asked.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Only about a mile, sir.

[Dr. John Watson]

Very good.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Jump in, Watson. We must strike while the iron is hot. Simple as the case is, there have been one or two very instructive details in connection with it. Just pull up at a telegraph office as you pass cabby.

[Dr. John Watson]

Holmes sent off a short wire and.

[Sherlock Holmes]

For the rest of the drive lay back in the cab with his hat.

[Dr. John Watson]

Tilted over his nose to keep the sun from his face.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Our drive pulled up at a house.

[Dr. John Watson]

Which was not unlike the one which we had just quitted. My companion ordered him to wait and.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Had his hand upon the knocker when the door opened and a grave young.

[Dr. John Watson]

Gentleman in black with a very shiny hat appeared on the step.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Is Ms. Cushing at home?

[Dr. John Watson]

Asked Holmes. Miss Sarah Cushing is extremely ill, said he. She has been suffering since yesterday from brain symptoms of great severity. As her medical advisor, I cannot possibly take the responsibility of allowing anyone to see her. I should recommend you to call again in 10 days. He drew on his gloves, closed the door and marched off down the street.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Well, if we can't, we can't, said Holmes cheerfully.

[Dr. John Watson]

Perhaps she could not or would not have told you much.

[Sherlock Holmes]

I did not wish her to tell me anything. I only wanted to look at her. However, I think that I have got.

[Dr. John Watson]

All that I want.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Drive us to some decent hotel, Cabby.

[Dr. John Watson]

Where we may have some lunch and.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Afterwards we shall drop down upon friend.

[Dr. John Watson]

Lestrade at the police station. We had a pleasant little meal together.

[Sherlock Holmes]

During which Holmes would talk about nothing.

[Dr. John Watson]

But violins, narrating with great exultation how he had purchased his own Stradivarius, which was worth at least 500 guineas, at.

[Sherlock Holmes]

A broker's in Tottenham Court Road for 55 shillings. This led him to Paganini, and we sat for an hour over a bottle.

[Dr. John Watson]

Of claret while he told me anecdote after anecdote of that extraordinary man. The afternoon was far advanced and the hot glare had softened into a mellow glow before we found ourselves at the police station. Lestrade was waiting for us at the door. A telegram for you, Mr. Holmes, said he.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Ah, it is the answer.

[Dr. John Watson]

He tore it open, glanced his eyes over it and crumpled it into his pocket.

[Sherlock Holmes]

That's all right, said he.

[Dr. John Watson]

Have you found out anything?

[Sherlock Holmes]

I have found out everything. What?

[Dr. John Watson]

Lestrade stared at him in amazement. You are joking.

[Sherlock Holmes]

I was never more serious in my life. A shocking crime has been committed and I think I have now laid bare every detail of it, and the criminal.

[Dr. John Watson]

Holmes scribbled a few words upon the back of one of his visiting cards and threw it over to Lestrade.

[Sherlock Holmes]

That is the name, he said. You cannot effect an arrest until tomorrow.

[Dr. John Watson]

Night at the earliest.

[Sherlock Holmes]

I should prefer that you do not mention my name at all in connection with the case, as I choose to be only associated with those crimes which present some difficulty in their solution. Come on, Watson.

[Dr. John Watson]

We strode off together to the station.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Leaving Lestrade still staring with a delighted.

[Dr. John Watson]

Face at the card which Holmes had thrown him. Next time on Sherlock Holmes Short Stories. A curiously tied knot leads to a revelation, a sailor gives a dark confession.

[Sherlock Holmes]

And the truth behind the severed ears.

[Dr. John Watson]

Emerges from the fog of Liverpool's Docklands. That's next time on the thrilling conclusion of the Adventure of the Cardboard Box.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Can't wait a week until the next episode? Well, listen to it right away by subscribing to Noiser Plus. Head to www.noiza.comscriptions for more information or.

[Dr. John Watson]

Click the link in the episode Description.

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