The Adventure of the Second Stain
"The Adventure of the Second Stain", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1905) and the only unrecorded case mentioned passively by Watson to be written. It was first published in The Strand Magazine in the United Kingdom in December 1904, and was also published in Collier's in the United States on 28 January 1905.
Doyle ranked "The Adventure of the Second Stain" eighth in his list of his twelve favourite Holmes stories.
Holmes finds the hiding place in the floor, 1904 illustration by Sidney Paget in The Strand Magazine
The Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for European Affairs consult Holmes, 1904 illustration by Sidney Paget
Holmes is visited by Lady Hilda Trelawney Hope, 1905 illustration by Frederic Dorr Steele in Collier's
Holmes confronts Lady Hilda, 1905 illustration by Frederic Dorr Steele
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and logical reasoning that borders on the fantastic, which he employs when investigating cases for a wide variety of clients, including Scotland Yard.
Sherlock Holmes in a 1904 illustration by Sidney Paget
The cover page of the 1887 edition of Beeton's Christmas Annual, which contains Holmes's first appearance (A Study in Scarlet)
Holmes (right) and Watson in a Sidney Paget illustration for "The Adventure of Silver Blaze"
Holmes and archenemy Moriarty struggle at the Reichenbach Falls; drawing by Sidney Paget