Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Story of the Bald-Headed Man

At the beginning of the chapter, the group enter the house and are introduced to a small, nervous-looking man - Thaddeus Sholto.

Presentation of Sholto

When he meets Holmes and Watson, Thaddeus tells them he is their 'servant’.
Thaddeus’ apartment is lavishly decorated with expensive, foreign objects. Watson notes that this luxury seems out of place in this apartment.
When he realises that Watson is a doctor, Thaddeus gets quite excited and starts asking him about medical tests – he appears to be very worried about his own health.

Revelation about Captain Morstan

Thaddeus reveals that Captain Morstan (Mary’s father) is dead.
- As Mary looks pale with shock, Watson shows his anger at Thaddeus for upsetting her.
Thaddeus then hints to the group that his brother, Bartholomew, was reluctant to tell Mary the truth about the treasure and her father.
Thaddeus tells them that they need to travel to Pondicherry Lodge to visit Bartholomew Sholto.

Major Sholto's story

Sholto tells the group about his father, Major Sholto. Major Sholto had been in the Indian army and lived a lavish life, but his health had deteriorated upon returning to England and receiving a disturbing letter from India.
Major Sholto revealed that Captain Morstan had died during an argument he and Sholto were having about his share of the Agra treasure – during the argument, he got a pain in his side and fell back, hitting his head and dying.
Major Sholto never told anyone through fear of being blamed.

Location of the treasure

On his deathbed, Major Sholto began to tell Bartholomew and Thaddeus about the location of the treasure. But he dies before he can reveal.
Thaddeus and Bartholomew, despite all of their searching, were unable to find the treasure. He and Bartholomew had decided to send pearls to Mary Morstan to ensure that she was receiving some of her rightful share of her father’s wealth.

Agra treasure found

Back to the present day, Thaddeus explains to the group that Bartholomew had revealed to him that he had located the Agra treasure – this is why Thaddeus contacted Mary.
He excitedly tells the group that they just need to visit Bartholomew and collect the treasure. They all go outside and climb into a waiting carriage.
Thaddeus reveals that Batholomew uncovered the Agra treasure in a hidden space at the top of the house and that the total value of the Agra jewels is approximately half a million pounds.

Key Quotations from Chapter 4

Here are three key quotations from Chapter 4:

Thaddeus Sholto

‘Writhed his hands together… his features were in a perpetual jerk’ (Thaddeus Sholto).
- Thaddeus Sholto is presented as a very nervous-looking man. This creates tension for readers as we wonder why he seems so anxious.
- His anxiety is ‘perpetual’ – it never ends. As readers, we realise that there must be a reason for his nervousness but this reason remains hidden for now.

Thaddeus' wealth

Thaddeus’ apartment has the ‘richest’, ‘glossiest’ items of ‘Eastern luxury’.
- Conan Doyle uses the superlatives ‘richest’ and ‘glossiest’ to highlight how ornately Thaddeus’ home is decorated.
- All of the other characters appear to be surprised by the level of wealth and decoration he has in his home – it makes the reader question how Thaddeus obtained this wealth and why he seems to hide it away in this unusual home.

Sherlock's people skills

‘Whatever you may choose to say will go no further’ (Sherlock Holmes).
- Despite his apparent lack of good social skills, Holmes does know how to work well with those he is questioning – he does this later with Jonathan Small.
- He is able to make people feel comfortable around him, have faith in him, and trust in his judgement. He understands how to talk to people in order to achieve the results he desires.

1Context

1.1Victorian England & British Empire

1.1.1Author Background

1.1.2Victorian Crime & Police

1.1.3Historical Context

1.1.4Victorian London

1.1.5Women

1.1.6The British Empire

1.1.7End of Topic Test - Author & Victorian Police

1.1.8End of Topic Test - Victorian London & Empire

2Plot Summary

2.1Chapter Summaries

2.1.1Chapter 1

2.1.2Chapter 2

2.1.3Chapter 3

2.1.4Chapter 4

2.1.5Chapter 5

2.1.6Chapter 6

2.1.7Chapter 7

2.1.8Chapter 8

2.1.9Chapter 9

2.1.10Chapter 10

2.1.11Chapter 11

2.1.12Chapter 12

2.1.13Chapter 12: Jonathan Small's Stories

2.1.14End of Topic Test - Chapters 1-6

2.1.15End of Topic Test - Chapters 7-12

3Characters

3.1Key Characters

3.1.1Sherlock Holmes

3.1.2Sherlock Holmes: Quotations

3.1.3Dr John Watson

3.1.4Mary Morstan

3.1.5End of Topic Test - Key Characters

3.1.6Exam-Style Questions - Mary & Dr Watson

3.2Other Characters

3.2.1Thaddeus Sholto

3.2.2Jonathan Small

3.2.3End of Topic Test - Thaddeus and Jonathan Small

3.3Grade 9 - Key Characters

3.3.1Grade 9 - Key Characters

3.3.2Extract Analysis - Tonga

4Key Themes

4.1Key Themes

4.1.1Corruption

4.1.2Criminals & Victims

4.1.3Victorian Fear

4.1.4British Empire & Imperialism

4.1.5Duality

4.1.6End of Topic Test - Key Themes

5Writing Techniques

5.1Writing Techniques

5.1.1Narrative Voice

5.1.2Dialogue

5.1.3Structure

5.1.4Structure & Characters

5.1.5Pathetic Fallacy

5.1.6End of Topic Test - Writing Techniques

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