British literature summaries - 2020
Short summary - The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle
VERY BRIEFLY
At the countess - the hotel guest - a gem disappears. Suspicion falls on the tried-on soldering iron. Sherlock Holmes discovers that the stone was stolen by the Countess's maid and hotel employee.
On Christmas Eve, a theft occurred in a London hotel. Countess Morkar was stolen of a valuable stone - the blue carbuncle, one of the most expensive diamonds in the world. Suspicion fell on the convict of the theft of the soldering iron John Horner, who was repairing the countess's fireplace grate. Testimony against him was given by hotel employee James Ryder and the Countess's maid. The soldering iron stated that he was not involved in the theft.
Meanwhile, a fight takes place on one of the streets of London - hooligans attack a middle-aged man. A passing messenger Peterson decides to protect a passerby. When fleeing, a man runs away and leaves a hat and a Christmas goose at the scene of the fight. A card with a name is attached to the paw of the bird, and Peterson brings the finds to Sherlock Holmes to find the owner. Goose Peterson fried for dinner, and in return brought another.
Studying the hat, the great detective makes an idea of the passerby. A middle-aged man named Henry Baker was once wealthy, but now his affairs are shaken. He leads a sedentary lifestyle, has lost the disposition of his wife, addicted to drunkenness.
Messenger Peterson flies into an apartment on Baker Street. Carving the goose, the cook found a stolen blue carbuncle in his goiter.
Mr. Henry Baker, who came by announcement, confirms the conclusions of the great detective. After asking him a few questions about the goose, Sherlock Holmes makes sure that the visitor has no idea about the diamond. Mr. Baker reports that he is a regular at a pub whose owner founded the Goose Club. By paying a few pence a week, club members get goose by Christmas.
The great detective goes to the indicated tavern, where he finds out the address of the goose merchant. Innocent questions about the bird infuriate the merchant, but nevertheless he gives the address of a certain Mrs. Oakeshot, who supplies him with the goods.
Going out into the street, Holmes and Watson hear a noise and see a merchant driving a small red-faced man out of the shop trying to find out to whom the geese bought from Mrs. Oakeshot were sold to. Sherlock Holmes brings the little man to his home, finding out along the way that his name is James Ryder.
On Baker Street, the great detective makes the visitor admit that he and the countess's maid broke the grate and sent Horner to fix it. Having stolen a stone, James came to his sister, Mrs. Oakeshot, who promised him a gift of a goose. James went into the poultry yard and stuck a stone in the throat of a huge goose. But the goose escaped from his hands and mingled with the herd. Taking his present, James mixed up the geese.
Frightened that Sherlock Holmes would hand him over to the police, Ryder promises not to testify against Horner and go abroad. In this case, the solder will be charged with no evidence. James Ryder is so scared that he is unlikely to repeat something like that. Seeing that partridge was prepared for lunch, the great detective offers to check the insides of the bird.