Chapter 4.3 - The Red-Headed League
Part I : Mr Wilson’s Story
Meanings:
- league – an association or a formal group of people
- fiery – (here) very bright in colour
- pawn-broker – a person who lends money at interest when valuable things are kept with him till the loan is repaid
- cellar – a room below ground level in a house, used for storing, things
- well-suited – suitable
- to develop photographs – to treat a film with chemicals in order to make photographs
- diligently – carefully, with lots of effort
- bade – (here) said or wished
- dissolved – (here) it means that the organisation has come to an end
In Between the Lesson
Q1. Find samples of ‘classified ads’ from an English newspaper. Where will the advertisement given here be seen in the classifieds?
Ans: Students must do this on their own.
Q2. What do you have to do when you are told to ‘apply in person’?
Ans: If I am told to apply in person’, I would take my resume and go personally to the concerned office to submit it.
Q3. Find out how photographs were developed in those days.
Ans: Students must do this on their own.
Think and answer :
Q4. Who do you think is smarter – Mr Wilson or his assistant? Give reasons for your answer.
Ans: The assistant is smarter. He spotted the advertisement of the Red-headed League and persuaded Mr Wilson to apply for the job. On reaching Fleet Street. Mr Wilson saw that it was full of red-headed people. He was discouraged and wanted to go back. But the assistant pushed through the crowd and into the office.
Listen and answer :
Q5. Why was Fleet Street full of red-headed people?
Ans: The advertisement asking red-headed men to apply for a well-paying job had appeared in a newspaper. Many red-heads had seen it and come to Fleet Street in response to the ad.
Q6. Who was well suited for the job?
Ans: Mr Wilson, who was a red-head, was well-suited for the job.
Q7. Why did Mr Wilson accept the job?
Ans: The pay was good and the work easy. Besides, he had to work only for four hours daily. Spaulding assured him that he would look after Mr Wilson’s business in his absence. Therefore, Mr Wilson accepted the job.
Q8. Would you like to do such a job? Why?
Ans: No, I would not like to do such a job. I would find it boring. I want a job which is interesting.
Q9. Why would anyone want to copy an encyclopedia? Think of two good reasons.
Ans: A person would want to copy an encyclopedia if he wanted to send some particular information to someone else. Or it could be to keep a person completely occupied and out of trouble for some time.
Q10. What would we do today, if we needed copies of text from a big book?
Ans: We would go to a photo-copying shop and photo-copy it. Or scan it and take a print.
Things to do :
Q11. What is the difference between a dictionary and an encyclopedia? Find out.
Ans: A printed dictionary is typically found in one volume that contains tens of thousands of words and brief definitions, whereas a printed set of encyclopedias contains multiple volumes and in-depth explanations of words and concepts. A dictionary is more commonly used to verify the meaning of a word. An encyclopedia is used to gain a deeper understanding of that word.
Encyclopedias contain more general knowledge than dictionaries. A dictionary is very specific regarding the pronunciation, origin, and use of a word, while an encyclopedia explains to readers why that word is important. A person who reads a page from an encyclopedia may see a total of one or two entries on that page, while a person reading a page in a dictionary may see dozens of entries.
Q12. Suggest a few words that may appear under ‘A’ after Archery in an encyclopedia.
Ans: Words that may appear under ‘A’ after ‘Archery’ in an encyclopedia could be as follows: architect, aromatics, asparagus, assassinator, astrobiologist, astrophysical, etc.
Discuss :
Q13. What would you advise Mr Wilson to do in the given situation?
Ans: I would have told Mr. Wilson to go to the newspaper office and find out who had inserted the ad. Then he could have approached that person and made further enquiries. If he did not find the person, I would have told him to go to a detective or a lawyer to find out.
POINTERS
1. Find and write the descriptions of different people given in this story.
Ans:
a. Sherlock Holmes:
Sherlock Holmes is a private detective and the story’s protagonist. His keen observations and ability to reason allow him to solve puzzles that astonish everyone. Sometimes quiet and contemplative, other times bursting with energy, he uses methods that can confuse and frustrate others. He is somewhat mysterious, rarely letting his thoughts be known until he has already solved the crime.
b. Dr. John Watson:
Sherlock Holmes’ partner and the story’s narrator Good-natured, brave, and down to earth, Watson is Sherlock Holmes’ sidekick, even though he rarely helps Holmes actually solve any mysteries, and Watson often mirrors the reader’s own confusion.
c. Jabez Wilson:
A London pawnbroker, Jabez Wilson is an average man whose only remarkable feature is his lock of fiery red hair. His slow and trusting nature prevented him from seeing anything suspicious about either Vincent Spaulding or the preposterous Red-headed League.
d. John Clay, aka Vincent Spaulding:
A notorious criminal working at Jabez Wilson’s pawnshop under the name of Vincent Spaulding. He is John Clay, and he catches the attention of Sherlock Holmes in spite of his clever plot.
e. Duncan Ross:
John Clay’s partner-in-crime Duncan’s red hair prompts John Clay to devise the Red-headed League to lure Wilson out of his pawnshop for four hours every day.
2. Present Mr Wilson’s story as it would be shown in a comic strip.
Write what picture you will show in each frame along with the dialogues.
Write the dialogue with the help of the story.
Examples :
Ans:
3. Form groups of five. Discuss how you can complete the rest of the story without referring to Part II of the story.
Ans: Mr. Holmes and Watson try to figure out why the league shut down so abruptly. Holmes feels he should meet Wilson at home to ask some questions that are bothering him. When he reached Wilson’s house, he noticed someone leaving the house. Mr. Holmes inquires about that person and understands that he was Wilson’s assistant. Mr. Holmes feels that he has seen the assistant’s face before.
Later, he checks on records and finds out that the assistant is none other than a notorious criminal who was absconding. Mr. Holmes already had a sketch of Mr. Ross. On further inquiry, he came to know that Ross and Spaulding were very close. Mr. Holmes goes to Mr. Ross’ house and threatens him. Mr. Ross spills the beans, saying that he and Spaulding were going to rob Mr. Wilson the very next day. Mr. Holmes informs the police, and both Spaulding and Ross are caught and put behind bars.
4. Language Study : Modal auxiliary :
You have read about main verbs and auxiliary verbs in Std VI. You know that auxiliary verbs are helping verbs.
Modal auxiliary verbs or modal verbs are also helping verbs. They are used with main verbs to show changes/modifications in the meaning of the main verb. They show possibility, ability, permission, intention, etc.
The modal auxiliaries are :
can, may, shall, will
could, might, should, would
must, ought to, used to, need, dare …
Remember the following :
We do not use ‘to’ before a modal.
We do not add ‘-ed’ or ‘-ing’ to a modal.
We can form questions and negative sentences using modals without using the auxiliaries be, have, or do.
Examples :
They can swim.
May I come in?
We shall sing.
Can he swim?
You may go.
She ought to play.
He cannot swim.
You must go.
They might come.
Frame simple sentences – statements, questions, requests, orders, permissions, etc. using the modals listed above.
Ans:
(i) Can that old man climb this steep hill?
(ii) May I eat this last piece of cake?
(iii) I shall complete my homework before the holidays.
(iv) The children will play in the house this evening.
(v) The boy could complete the job before his boss arrived.
(vi) We might go for a picnic this weekend.
Part II : What happened next –
Meanings:
- thump – hit or strike something heavily.
- strand – a famous place in London
- take the criminals by surprise – catch the criminals without giving them a warning
- stopped all the holes – closed all the routes by which the criminal may escape/run away
- gash – (here) a long deep slit
- foiled – laid waste; prevented
- object – (here) purpose or reason
- motive – purpose
- inferred – concluded
In Between the Lesson
Listen and answer :
Q1. Tell the name of the young man who opened the door to Mr Holmes.
Ans: The young man who opened the door to Holmes was Vincent Spaulding.
Q2. What did Holmes want to see?
Ans: Holmes wanted to see the knees of Mr Spaulding’s trousers.
Q3. Guess where Mr Merryweather took the others.
Ans: Mr Merryweather took the others to the huge cellar of the City branch of one of the main banks in London.
Think, discuss and guess the answer :
Q4. How did Mr Merryweather come to know about the crime?
Ans: Holmes must have told Mr Merryweather about the crime.
Q5. Why did Mr Holmes think the criminals would act that night?
Ans: Firstly, the Red-headed League had been dissolved. Mr Wilson could now remain in his house and shop the whole day. This told Holmes that the criminals’ plan was ready and in place. Secondly, it was the weekend. Any crime that took place on Saturday night I would not be discovered till Monday morning, when the bank reopened its gates. This would give the criminals plenty of time to escape. These reasons made Holmes think that the would act that night.
Listen and answer :
Q6. How did the criminals enter the cellar?
Ans: The criminals entered the cellar through a square hole in the floor of the cellar.
Q7. Who were the two criminals?
Ans: The two criminals were Mr Spaulding, the assistant (John Clay), and Mr Duncan Ross.
Q8. Who tried to get away? Do you think he was able to escape? Why?
Ans: Duncan Ross tried to get away. I do not think he was able to escape because there were three men waiting for him at the other end.
Things to do :
Q9. Explain the trick of the ‘Red-headed
League’. How was it related to Mr Wilson’s hair?
Ans: Spaulding and Duncan Ross had seen that it was possible to dig a tunnel from Mr. Wilson’s shop to the cellar of the bank. However, to do this, they would have to get rid of Mr. Wilson from the shop for a few hours every day. Seeing that Mr. Wilson and Ross both had bright red hair, they thought of the plan of the Red-Headed League. Mr. Wilson was simple enough to fall for the plan, and since Spaulding accompanied him, they could ensure that only Wilson and no one else were chosen. Spaulding’s presence also ensured that any doubts that Wilson had could be sorted out.
Listen and answer :
Q10. Why did Holmes become suspicious?
Ans: The advertisement for the Red-Headed League was strange, and the job offered to Mr. Wilson was peculiar. In addition, the assistant Spaulding worked for half the wages. He also had the habit of disappearing into the cellar every now and then. All this made Holmes suspicious.
Q11. How did Holmes find out that the assistant was a criminal?
Ans: Using Mr Wilson’s description of his assistant, Holmes made enquiries and found that the assistant was a criminal.
Q12. How did Holmes guess that he was digging a tunnel?
Ans: When Spaulding answered the door, Holmes saw that the knees of his trousers were wrinkled and stained. He also had the habit of disappearing into the cellar every now and then. When Holmes saw a bank on one side of Wilson’s house, he guessed that the assistant was digging a tunnel.
POINTERS
1. Put the following events in proper order.
• Holmes and others go to the bank.
• Clay digs a tunnel.
• Ross closes the office of the ‘Red-headed League’.
• Holmes catches the criminal Clay.
• Clay and Ross enter the cellar to steal the gold.
• The bank received a lot of gold from the Bank of France.
• Holmes visits the area around Mr Wilson’s shop.
Ans:
(i) The bank received a lot of gold from the Bank of France.
(ii) Clay digs a tunnel.
(iii) Ross closes the office of the Red-headed League.
(iv) Holmes visits the area around Mr Wilson’s shop.
(v) Holmes and the others go to the bank.
(vi) Clay and Ross enter the cellar to steal the gold.
(vii) Holmes catches the criminal
2. From the passage, find adverbs that end with ‘-ly’. Find the adjective in each of the adverb.
Ans:
(i) Adverb – silently
Adjective in adverb – silent
(ii) Adverb – suddenly
Adjective in adverb – sudden
(iii) Adverb – really
Adjective in adverb – real
(iv) Adverb – beautifully
Adjective in adverb – beautiful
(v) Adverb – frankly
Adjective in adverb – frank
(vi) Adverb – carefully
Adjective in adverb – careful
(vii) Adverb – quickly
Adjective in adverb – quick
3. Discuss the following elements of a detective or mystery story.
• a mystery
• strange happenings
• a smart detective who investigates the happenings
• a crime / possibility of a crime
• preventing the crime and catching the criminal
• characteristics of the victim
• characteristics of the criminal
• characteristics of the detective
Use the elements to prepare outlines of detective stories using your imagination. Write a story using any one of the outlines.
Ans: Students must do this on their own.
4. Use the following outline to develop a story as a group activity. Then write the story individually.
Family returns home late at night ………… hear conversation between thieves
from inside the locked house ………… family gets ready to counter ………… attack ………… father opens the door ………… all enter ………… no one is seen ………… but TV is on ………… detective serial midway.
Ans:
The Joshi family had gone to see a film. It was 1 a.m. when they returned home. Mr. Joshi had parked the car, and Mrs. Joshi was about to open the door with her key when they heard voices from inside the house. They looked at each other in shock. The children trembled in fear. Who was inside the house? It had been empty when they had gone for the film!
“Maybe it’s robbers,” said Mrs. Joshi nervously. “There have been a number of robberies in the area recently.”
Mr. Joshi put his fingers on his lips to indicate silence. Then he went out and picked up the cricket bat that was lying in the garage. He also brought a stout stick, which he gave to Rahul.
As silently as possible, Mrs. Joshi turned the key in the lock and opened the door. Mr. Joshi and Rahul rushed in with their weapons. Then they all stood still in shock. There was not a soul in the room. What was happening?
Then they understood. The TV was on, and there was a detective serial going on. Someone was shouting, and someone else was talking in a threatening voice. The Joshi family dissolved into laughter. Their robbers had turned out to be voices in a TV detective serial after all! Thanking their stars, they switched off the TV and proceeded to go to bed.
5. Language Study : Synonyms, antonyms, homonyms :
Synonyms are words from the same language that have the same or more or less the same meaning.
Examples :
• good – nice – pretty
• shut – closed – sealed
• intelligent – bright
Antonyms are words from the same language that have opposite meanings.
Examples :
• strong – weak
• right – wrong
• hard – soft
• up – down
Homonyms are words that are spelt and pronounced in the same way but have different meanings.
Examples :
• round (adjective) – round (noun)
• walk (noun) – walk (verb)
Start a collection of synonyms, antonyms and homonyms. Collect at least 50 each. Keep adding to your selection.
Ans:
Synonyms:
adapt – adjust
anger – enrage, infuriate
alike – same
annual – yearly
bright – shining, gleaming,
big – enormous, huge
barren – desolate
bucket – pail
brave – courageous, fearless
certain – sure
careful-cautious
cry – shout, yell, weep
dark – shadowy, gloomy
disclose – announce
difference – disagreement, inequity
eager – keen, enthusiastic
exit- leave
false – fake, fraudulent
fast – quick, rapid, speedy
go – recede, depart, fade
great – noteworthy, worthy,
distinguished
happy – pleased, contented
help – aid, assist
idea – thought, concept
jest – joke
large- big, enormous, huge
little – tiny, small, minute
make – create, originate
move – plod, go
end – stop, finish, terminate
clever – smart
carpet – rug
beautiful – pretty, lovely
fly – soar
hurry – rush, run
important – necessary, vital
keep – hold
mark – label
fall – drop, descend
couch – sofa
come – approach, advance
cool – chilly, frosty
ask – question, inquire of
busy – engaged
close – shut
conceal – hide
cease – stop
delight – joy
garbage – trash
gift – present
Antonyms:
absent – present
admit – deny
alive – dead
ally – enemy
apart – together
arrive – depart
ascend – descend
backward – forward
boundless – limited
bent – straight
boring – interesting
bless – curse
brave – cowardly
build – destroy
bright – dim, dull
captive – free
clear – cloudy, opaque
common – rare
correct – incorrect, wrong
create – destroy
deep – shallow
diseased – healthy
despair – hope
dusk – dawn
encourage – discourage
even – odd
export – import
fade – brighten
fast – slow
foolish – wise
fresh – stale
giant – tiny, small, dwarf
gloomy – cheerful
grow – shrink
harmful – harmless
humble – proud
courageous – coward
increase – decrease
internal – external
just – unjust
lawful – unlawful, illegal
lengthen – shorten
light – dark, heavy
loud – quiet
low – high
misunderstand – understand
merry – sad
messy – neat
minority – majority
miser – spendthrift
Homonyms:
Bear (noun) – Bear (verb)
Right (noun) – Right (adjective)
Tear (noun) – Tear (verb)
Match (noun) – Match (verb)
Ring (noun) – Ring (verb)
Kind (noun) – Kind (adjective)
Lie (noun) – Lie (verb)
Bright (adjective) – Bright (adjective)
Address (noun) – Address (verb)
Watch (noun) – Watch (verb)
Well (noun) – Well (adverb)