Red Széll

Thank you for joining us this evening.

Now it's time to relax.

Let your body fall into a comfortable position in your bed and drift gently into a state of total relaxation with tonight's story.

The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax

But why Turkish?

asked Mr Sherlock Holmes, gazing fixedly at my boots.

I was reclining in a cane-backed chair at the moment, and my protruded feet had attracted his ever-active attention.

''English,'' I answered in some surprise.

''I got them at Latimer's in Oxford Street.''

Holmes smiled with an expression of weary patience.

The bath, he said.

The bath.

Why the relaxing and expensive Turkish rather than the invigorating homemade article?

Because for the last few days I've been feeling rheumatic and old.

A Turkish bath is what we call an alterative in medicine, a fresh starting point, a cleanser of the system.

By the way, Holmes, I added, I have no doubt the connection between my boots and a Turkish bath is a perfectly self-evident one to a logical mind, and yet I should be obliged to you if you would indicate it.

The train of reasoning is not very obscure, Watson, said Holmes with a mischievous twinkle.

It belongs to the same elementary class of deduction which I should illustrate if I were to ask you who shared your cab in your drive this morning.

I don't admit that a fresh illustration is an explanation, said I with some asperity.

Bravo, Watson.