Sherlock Holmes - The Retired Colourman
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Who are the central characters and what sets up 'The Retired Colourman' mystery?
From London, we present The Retired Colour Man, a play for radio based on the short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The Retired Colour Man. It was late one summer afternoon. I returned from my club to 221B Baker Street to find Sherlock Holmes' gaunt figure stretched in his deep chair.
I recognize his melancholy and philosophic mood.
His alert, practical nature was subject to such reactions. Well, my dear Watson, did you see him? Who? Oh, the old fellow who's just gone out. Precisely. I met him at the door. What did you think of him? Well, pathetic, futile, broken creature. Exactly, Watson. Pathetic and futile. But isn't all life pathetic and futile? Isn't history a microcosm of the whole? We reach, we grasp, and what is left in our hands at the end? A shadow, or worse than the shadow, misery. Oh, come, Holmes. Is he one of your clients? Well, I suppose I may call him so. Well, who is he anyway? Mr. Josiah Amberley. He says he was junior partner of Brickfall and Ambley, manufacturers of artists' materials. You'll see their names upon paint boxes.
He made his little pile, retired at the age of 61, bought a house at Lewisham, and settled down to rest after a life of ceaseless grind. Sounds a comfortable prospect. He retired in 1896. Early in 1897, he married a woman 20 years younger than himself. Aha. Yes, good-looking, too, if her photograph doesn't flatter. A competence, a wife, leisure. It looked like a straight road before him. Yet within two years, he's reduced to the broken and miserable creature you've just seen. But what's happened, Holmes? The old story, Watson. A treacherous friend and a fickle wife. It seems that Amberley has one hobby in his life. Chess. Not far from him at Lewish, and there lives a young doctor, Dr. Ray Ernest, who is also a chess player.
Ernest was frequently in Amberley's house, And an intimacy between him and Amberley's wife was the result. That doesn't surprise me. Your car doesn't look like a paragon of the Graces. Well, the couple went off together last week. Destination so far untraced. What's more, the woman carried off the old man's jeep box by way of personal luggage. It had a good part of his life savings in it. Well, that's bad. So, Watson, can we find the lady? Can we save the money? That's a commonplace sort of case to bother you with, Helms, isn't it? But vital enough for poor Josiah Ambley. Well, that's so. What will you do, then? What will you do, my dear Watson? Eh? If you will be good enough to understudy me, that is. Oh. You know how preoccupied I am with this case of the two Coptic patriarchs.
It should come to a head today. Now, I really haven't time to go out to Lewisham. And yet, evidence taken on the spot has a special value...
Well, by all means, Holmes. I confess I don't see that can be much service, but I'm willing to do my best.
Capital. Oh, by the way, the name of his house is The Haven. The old fellow was quite insistent that I should go, but I explained my difficulty. He's quite prepared to meet a representative.
I hardly expected so humble an individual as myself would merit the complete attention of so famous a man as Mr. Sherlock Holmes, especially after my heavy financial loss. I can assure you, Mr. Ambler, the financial question does not arise. No, of course. It's art for art's sake with him, I understand. Still, even on the artistic side of crime, he might have found something here to study. And human nature, Dr. Watson. Ah, the blackened gratitude of it all. Tell me, when did I ever refuse one of her requests? Was ever a woman so pampered? And that young man, he might have been my own son. Had to run of my house and see how they treated me. Oh, it's a dreadful world. Dreadful, dreadful world. Did you say something?
How does Amberley's retirement, marriage, and financial situation create motive and suspicion?
I was merely going to point out that if you continue to wave your paintbrush about like that, it wouldn't be long before you did your clothing a mischief.
But I'm afraid the damage is done.
Oh, dear me. You see how this business has distracted me. I'm in the middle of painting this hall. You seem surprised, Doctor. One must do something to ease an aching heart.
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