“MY DEAR fellow,” said Sherlock Holmes as we sat on either side of the fire in his lodgings at Baker Street, “life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent. We would not dare to conceive the things which are really mere commonplaces of existence.”

Synopsis by Jim Hoy:

• MARY SUTHERLAND, a wronged woman who comes to seek Holmes counsel.
• MRS. WINDIBANK, mother of Mary
• JAMES WINDIBANK, a traveler in wines. Stepfather of Mary. He is 15 years younger than his wife and 5 years older than Mary.
• HOSMER ANGEL, betrothed of Mary
• BOY IN BUTTONS, a sort of pageboy.
• MR. HARDY, foreman to Mr. Sutherland who continued to manage the business after Mr. Sutherland’s death until Mr. Windibank persuaded his wife to sell it.
• MRS. ETHERIDGE, referred Mary to Holmes.
• WESTHOUSE & MARBANK, claret importers who employ James.

SUMMARY

Watson is married and not living at Baker street.

Mary lives with her mother and stepfather. She is a good typist and can type as many as 15 to 20 pages a day for which she receives 2p per sheet. She also has some New Zealand stock which she inherited from her Uncle Ned which pays her 20 pounds a year. She thus has a very good income but gives her money to her parents since she lives with them. Naturally, her father does not wish her to see anyone else, but she meets Hosmer at the Gasfitter’s Ball and falls in love with him.

It is a very strange courtship. osmer only shows up when James is in France; he wears tinted glasses and whiskers, he only walks out at dusk, all his letters to Mary reveal nothing about him and all are typewritten - including his signature. He speaks in a whispered voice (he told Mary he had quinsy as a child). He tells Mary he is a cashier in an office, but not where he works. He gets his mail general delivery and Mary does not know his address.

Even Lestrade could see that Hosmer is James in disguise. He wants to keep Mary at home so he can enjoy her income. Hosmer arranges to marry Mary and makes her promise that she will wait for him - no matter what happens. He then disappears on the way to the altar. Mrs. Windibank, who was a part of the scheme, advises Mary to come home and wait for Hosmer to reappear.

Holmes contacts James at his office by mail and asks him to drop by Baker street. James writes back to say he will come and Holmes can tell that both James’ letter and Hosmer’s letters were typed on the same machine, Holmes threatens to beat Windebank severely because of his actions, although Windibank points out that he has not committed a crime. Holmes decides not to tell Mary the truth because he feels she will not believe him. He predicts that Windibank will rise higher in the annals of crime.

OTHER ADVENTURES MENTIONED

1. The sign of the 4.
2. A study in Scarlet.
3. Anover in ‘77 - a parallel case.
4. The Hague - last year - a second parallel case.
5. The Irene Adler papers, for which the King of Bohemia gave Holmes a magnificent snuff box.
6. The matter of the reigning house of Holland, for which Holmes received a large diamond ring. The matter was too delicate to be confided to Watson.
7. An intricate matter referred from Marseilles.
8. Mrs. Etheredge. Holmes found her husband after he was thought to be dead. She referred Mary to Holmes.

DISGUISES
none

UNUSUAL DEDUCTIONS & bits

• “Do you find it hard to do so much typewriting because of your nearsightedness?”
• Holmes proves that all the letters were typed on the same machine.
• Watson attempts to solve the case and Holmes tells him, “You have missed everything of importance.”
• While waiting for a reply to his letters, Holmes distracts his mind from the case with a chemical analysis.
• Holmes discourses on the individuality of typewriters.
• Official Abbreviation: IDEN
• A Case Of Identity was first published in the Strand Magazine, September 1891

Find the complete text at Camden House