“I took the precious case” — illustration to Arthur Conan Doyle's “A Case of Identity” by Sidney Paget

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I took the precious case

Sidney Paget

1891

Photographic reproduction of watercolor

Illustration for Arthur Conan Doyle's “The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet,” p. 153. See below for passage illustrated

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Formatting and text by George P. Landow

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Passage illustrated

‘You have doubtless heard of the Beryl Coronet?’

“ ‘One of the most precious public possessions of the empire,’ said I.

“ ‘Precisely.’ He opened the case, and there, imbedded in soft, flesh-coloured velvet, lay the magnificent piece of jewellery which he had named. ‘There are thirty-nine enormous beryls,’ said he, ‘and the price of the gold chasing is incalculable. The lowest estimate would put the worth of the coronet at double the sum which I have asked. I am prepared to leave it with you as my security.’

“I took the precious case into my hands and looked in some perplexity from it to my illustrious client.

“ ‘You doubt its value?’ he asked.

“ ‘Not at all. I only doubt—’

“ ‘The propriety of my leaving it. You may set your mind at rest about that. I should not dream of doing so were it not absolutely certain that I should be able in four days to reclaim it.

Bibliography

Doyle, Arthur Conan. The Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes. “Reproduced from the original publication in The Strand Magazine with the classic illustrations by Sidney Paget.” Edison, New Jersey: Castle Books, [after 1954]. Internet Archive version of a copy donated by Friends of the San Francisco Library. Web.

Last modified 21 November 2013