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Dr. Thorndyke Mysteries #14
A Certain Dr Thorndyke
A winding adventure that begins in an exotic, teasing location. Richard Austin Freeman introduces the reader to the delights of an extraordinary jewel heist. Hollis is a retired soap manufacturer, richer than Croesus and some say mad. Obsessed with amassing wondrous jewels, precious stones and bullion, Hollis chooses a strong room to deposit his dazzling hoard. But when he discovers that he's the victim of an elaborate and enigmatic robbery, even though the room was never broken into, Dr Thorndyke is summoned to bring his unrivalled knowledge to bear on a remarkable mystery.
242 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1927
About the author
R. Austin Freeman
629 books91 followersRichard Freeman was born in Soho, London on 11 April 1862, the son of Ann Maria (nee Dunn) and Richard Freeman, a tailor. He was originally named Richard, and later added the Austin to his name.
He became a medical trainee at Middlesex Hospital Medical College, and was accepted as a member of the Royal College of Surgeons.
He married Annie Elizabeth Edwards in 1887; they had two sons. After a few weeks of married life, the couple found themselves in Accra on the Gold Coast, where he was assistant surgeon. His time in Africa produced plenty of hard work, very little money and ill health, so much so that after seven years he was invalided out of the service in 1891. He wrote his first book, 'Travels and Life in Ashanti and Jaman', which was published in 1898. It was critically acclaimed but made very little money.
On his return to England he set up an eye/ear/nose/throat practice, but in due course his health forced him to give up medicine, although he did have occasional temporary posts, and in World War I he was in the ambulance corps.
He became a writer of detective stories, mostly featuring the medico-legal forensic investigator Dr Thorndyke. The first of the books in the series was 'The Red Thumb Mark' (1907). His first published crime novel was 'The Adventures of Romney Pringle' (1902) and was a collaborative effort published under the pseudonym Clifford Ashdown. Within a few years he was devoting his time to full-time writing.
With the publication of 'The Singing Bone' (1912) he invented the inverted detective story (a crime fiction in which the commission of the crime is described at the beginning, usually including the identity of the perpetrator, with the story then describing the detective's attempt to solve the mystery). Thereafter he used some of his early experiences as a colonial surgeon in his novels.
A large proportion of the Dr Thorndyke stories involve genuine, but often quite arcane, points of scientific knowledge, from areas such as tropical medicine, metallurgy and toxicology.
He died in Gravesend on 28 September 1943.
He became a medical trainee at Middlesex Hospital Medical College, and was accepted as a member of the Royal College of Surgeons.
He married Annie Elizabeth Edwards in 1887; they had two sons. After a few weeks of married life, the couple found themselves in Accra on the Gold Coast, where he was assistant surgeon. His time in Africa produced plenty of hard work, very little money and ill health, so much so that after seven years he was invalided out of the service in 1891. He wrote his first book, 'Travels and Life in Ashanti and Jaman', which was published in 1898. It was critically acclaimed but made very little money.
On his return to England he set up an eye/ear/nose/throat practice, but in due course his health forced him to give up medicine, although he did have occasional temporary posts, and in World War I he was in the ambulance corps.
He became a writer of detective stories, mostly featuring the medico-legal forensic investigator Dr Thorndyke. The first of the books in the series was 'The Red Thumb Mark' (1907). His first published crime novel was 'The Adventures of Romney Pringle' (1902) and was a collaborative effort published under the pseudonym Clifford Ashdown. Within a few years he was devoting his time to full-time writing.
With the publication of 'The Singing Bone' (1912) he invented the inverted detective story (a crime fiction in which the commission of the crime is described at the beginning, usually including the identity of the perpetrator, with the story then describing the detective's attempt to solve the mystery). Thereafter he used some of his early experiences as a colonial surgeon in his novels.
A large proportion of the Dr Thorndyke stories involve genuine, but often quite arcane, points of scientific knowledge, from areas such as tropical medicine, metallurgy and toxicology.
He died in Gravesend on 28 September 1943.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 7, 2019
While I quite enjoyed the second section, which involved Dr. Thorndyke and his investigation, the book as a whole felt like a short story which had been extended (perhaps due to pressure from the publisher?) to make it into a proper novel. I didn't dislike the first (and longer) section but it was unnecessary for the elucidation of the mystery.
January 24, 2021
A most strangely set out book as more than the first half is a Robinson Crusoe type of tale as James Osmond changes his name and flees for his home in England alighting on the African coast at a remote trading post. Lots of death and adventures into the jungle and he falls in love. A good enough "Boys own" tale in itself. Then, tacked on the end there is an investigation into an apparent robbery by the Doctor turned lawyer and forensic scientist Dr. Thorndyke.
This all left me unable to see past two separate stories and the two together became disjointed. The writing is an older style and at times quite difficult to follow. I thought 3 stars but moved back to two only.
This all left me unable to see past two separate stories and the two together became disjointed. The writing is an older style and at times quite difficult to follow. I thought 3 stars but moved back to two only.
February 11, 2025
A decent mystery that pretty much takes up the last 108 pages of this book. The first 134 pages seemed out of place at the time, but the author ties it altogether in the end. I was not a huge fan of part one. Because I trudged through that part of the book, I have to knock it down from 4 to 3 stars.
December 8, 2010
An unusually styled detective story.
***SPOILER***
We begin on the West Coast of Africa, following John Walker, aka John Osmond, on the run from Scotland Yard for a jewel robbery. Then he -- takes over a British colonial general store, buries its manager (who's died from black water fever), eludes the colonial police, overcomes a ship-board mutiny, falls in love with the female passenger, refuses mega-payment from the captain for 'only doing his job', refuses (for honorable reasons) to marry his lady-love, helps the British colonial police, inherits a modest fortune when the mutinied ship's captain dies, and discovers (through an old newspaper) that his innocence in the robbery has been publicly announced and he can return to England.
That's the first half of the book.
(And when written down like this, it sounds a lot more boring than it reads. lol)
The second half returns to the discovery of the jewel robbery, when the legal firm involved brings in higher counsel. This higher counsel insists on hiring Dr. Thorndyke, a lawyer-turned-Sherlock-Holmes, and we follow his precise, methodical investigations as he uncovers the true thief, and thereby clearing John Osmond (which we knew already). The second mystery -- why Osmond went on the lam for a crime he didn't commit -- is told in the final chapter.
Once Thorndyke starts to investigate, the reader spots the criminal pretty quickly, and at about the same time realizes Osmond's motive to leave England, but that doesn't detract from enjoying the read.
***
I first heard of the detective Dr. Thorndyke in Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime with Tommy and Tuppence, when they were imitating different detective styles -- and now I've read a real Thorndyke story. Fun! Also, the almost separate story-lines are reminiscent of the Holmes novellas 'The Valley of Fear' and 'The Sign of Four'; if you don't mind how they're constructed, I don't think you'll have a hard time with this book.
Final notes: my copy is a Hodder & Stoughton edition from the 1930s (I'm thinking they were a reprint company similar to Grosset & Dunlap in the USA), and, very faintly printed on the first fly-leaf is the name and address of a book-seller/stationer's located in Singapore!
I'm imagining ...
... The days are hot and humid in pre-WWII China. A well-dressed lady (looking remarkably like Bette Davis in THE LETTER) spends a week or two away from her husband's rubber-tree plantation on a trip into town. While shopping one day, she steps into her favorite stationer's and picks up a book, hoping to wile away an evening or two ....
***SPOILER***
We begin on the West Coast of Africa, following John Walker, aka John Osmond, on the run from Scotland Yard for a jewel robbery. Then he -- takes over a British colonial general store, buries its manager (who's died from black water fever), eludes the colonial police, overcomes a ship-board mutiny, falls in love with the female passenger, refuses mega-payment from the captain for 'only doing his job', refuses (for honorable reasons) to marry his lady-love, helps the British colonial police, inherits a modest fortune when the mutinied ship's captain dies, and discovers (through an old newspaper) that his innocence in the robbery has been publicly announced and he can return to England.
That's the first half of the book.
(And when written down like this, it sounds a lot more boring than it reads. lol)
The second half returns to the discovery of the jewel robbery, when the legal firm involved brings in higher counsel. This higher counsel insists on hiring Dr. Thorndyke, a lawyer-turned-Sherlock-Holmes, and we follow his precise, methodical investigations as he uncovers the true thief, and thereby clearing John Osmond (which we knew already). The second mystery -- why Osmond went on the lam for a crime he didn't commit -- is told in the final chapter.
Once Thorndyke starts to investigate, the reader spots the criminal pretty quickly, and at about the same time realizes Osmond's motive to leave England, but that doesn't detract from enjoying the read.
***
I first heard of the detective Dr. Thorndyke in Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime with Tommy and Tuppence, when they were imitating different detective styles -- and now I've read a real Thorndyke story. Fun! Also, the almost separate story-lines are reminiscent of the Holmes novellas 'The Valley of Fear' and 'The Sign of Four'; if you don't mind how they're constructed, I don't think you'll have a hard time with this book.
Final notes: my copy is a Hodder & Stoughton edition from the 1930s (I'm thinking they were a reprint company similar to Grosset & Dunlap in the USA), and, very faintly printed on the first fly-leaf is the name and address of a book-seller/stationer's located in Singapore!
I'm imagining ...
... The days are hot and humid in pre-WWII China. A well-dressed lady (looking remarkably like Bette Davis in THE LETTER) spends a week or two away from her husband's rubber-tree plantation on a trip into town. While shopping one day, she steps into her favorite stationer's and picks up a book, hoping to wile away an evening or two ....
August 9, 2013
Just finished this Thorndyke book. I was kind of thrown for a loop at first because it didn't start off like the others I've read.
This one has been split into two separate stories. The first part of the book is about Jack Osmond, who has fled England for some, as of yet, unknown reason. It chronicles his time in West Africa, which is his chosen place of hiding.
The second part of the book is about Thorndyke and his being called upon to solve a puzzling crime. A crime that, on the face of it, seems to have been impossible to achieve.
Through Thorndyke's scientific endeavors, the 2 stories become joined.
I liked this arrangement of the story. It was nice to have more back story of the person accused of the crime. I also liked the fact that you didn't know at all what it was that Osmond was accused of doing. That made me want to keep reading the story all the more because I just HAD to know!
I know these old detective novels aren't for everyone, and I really didn't think they'd appeal to me either. I'm glad I took the chance and downloaded the first Thorndyke novel (how could I pass up free, right!?). If you've never read one, try it. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised- just like I was.
This one has been split into two separate stories. The first part of the book is about Jack Osmond, who has fled England for some, as of yet, unknown reason. It chronicles his time in West Africa, which is his chosen place of hiding.
The second part of the book is about Thorndyke and his being called upon to solve a puzzling crime. A crime that, on the face of it, seems to have been impossible to achieve.
Through Thorndyke's scientific endeavors, the 2 stories become joined.
I liked this arrangement of the story. It was nice to have more back story of the person accused of the crime. I also liked the fact that you didn't know at all what it was that Osmond was accused of doing. That made me want to keep reading the story all the more because I just HAD to know!
I know these old detective novels aren't for everyone, and I really didn't think they'd appeal to me either. I'm glad I took the chance and downloaded the first Thorndyke novel (how could I pass up free, right!?). If you've never read one, try it. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised- just like I was.
April 19, 2017
3.5 stars
This was a very unexpected read. I remember one of the previous novels starting out in third person and describing the events of the crime so the reader could better follow Thorndyke in his process. This one took that a step further, devoting half the book to the suspected criminal, and half to Thorndyke solving the crime. You never learn what Osmand actually did for a crime in his half of the book, only that he ran away from something and how he ends up avoiding being chased and arrested for it. A lot of it went over my head because it happened on a boat; so parts of the ship and the slang were meaningless for me. The second half doesn't bring up Osmand until the very end, and the reader is let in on about 75% of Thorndyke's thought processes. I thought this made the summary at the end redundant initially, but there are some things that Freeman didn't put in, requiring Thorndyke to further explain them. A very interesting format since it didn't focus on the actual crime itself in any way.
This was a very unexpected read. I remember one of the previous novels starting out in third person and describing the events of the crime so the reader could better follow Thorndyke in his process. This one took that a step further, devoting half the book to the suspected criminal, and half to Thorndyke solving the crime. You never learn what Osmand actually did for a crime in his half of the book, only that he ran away from something and how he ends up avoiding being chased and arrested for it. A lot of it went over my head because it happened on a boat; so parts of the ship and the slang were meaningless for me. The second half doesn't bring up Osmand until the very end, and the reader is let in on about 75% of Thorndyke's thought processes. I thought this made the summary at the end redundant initially, but there are some things that Freeman didn't put in, requiring Thorndyke to further explain them. A very interesting format since it didn't focus on the actual crime itself in any way.
August 1, 2026
A Certain Dr. Thorndyke (1927) by R. Austin Freeman
The Realignment of Colonial Capital
When John Larkom dies of blackwater fever, he passes the ownership of the factory and its remaining stock to "James Cook" (John Osmond) via a hastily written will. In the eyes of the corporate metropole—the firm of Foster Brothers—Larkom was already a "waster" and a "rotten bad servant" because his alcoholism caused the factory to become a financial failure. Under capitalist logic, Larkom’s human decay is perfectly synonymous with economic inefficiency, leading the firm to ruthlessly cut him loose via a termination letter.
Cook as the Disciplined Agent of Commerce
Unlike the somnolent and broken Larkom, Cook immediately brings a rigid, systematic bourgeois work ethic to the long-neglected factory. He experiences a sense of "joy and exasperation" at the muddle and disorder of the store.
By peeling off his jacket and slogging away at organizing the shelves, lockers, and arrears of correspondence, Cook stabilizes the imperial trade loop. He immediately sets to work extracting surplus value from the local infrastructure, managing the transactions of native producers bringing in palm oil, kernels, and copra in exchange for cheap manufactured trade goods like baft, flint-lock guns, and gin.
The Paradox of the Bourgeois Fugitive
What makes this opening dynamic so fascinating under a Marxist critique is the irony of Cook's position. He is an elite fugitive fleeing the law of the metropole for an alleged financial crime (forgery). Yet, when placed on the "outside edge of the world," his deeply ingrained class conditioning compels him to fiercely protect and revitalize the very capitalist property relations that have cast him out. He cannot help but impose order, calculate exact currency exchanges, and transform a neglected outpost back into an efficient node of colonial extraction.
A Certain Dr. Thorndyke is a unique blend of Edwardian/Interwar detective fiction and maritime/colonial adventure fiction. R. Austin Freeman structurally divides the novel into two starkly different narrative styles, creating a hybrid genre reading experience:
Colonial Adventure & Maritime Romance (Book I):
The first half of the book relies heavily on the tropes of classic late-Victorian and Edwardian adventure writers like H. Rider Haggard or Joseph Conrad. It features elements of the "tropical exile," high-seas mutiny, hand-to-hand combat, native skirmishes, and a passionate romance blossoming in isolation on a stationary ship.
The Inverted/Forensic Mystery (Book II):
The second half pivots seamlessly into a text-book scientific detective story. Rather than a traditional "whodunit" where the reader guesses along blindly, Freeman utilizes a forensic approach where the protagonist's innocence is already accepted by the reader, and the narrative focus shifts entirely to the procedural, microscopic, and logical techniques used by Dr. Thorndyke to unmask the true culprit.
Characters and Their Interrelations
The Main Protagonist & Associates
John Osmond (alias John Walker, alias James Cook): The central figure of the narrative. He initially flees England under a cloud due to a jewel robbery accusation, traveling under the name "John Walker". In Africa, he takes the clean-shaved identity of "James Cook" and inherits a trading factory [store]. He is exceptionally strong, courageous, and possessive of an analytical, highly tactical mind.
Elizabeth "Betty" Burleigh: The daughter of the Acting Governor of the Gold Coast. An Oxford (Somerville) graduate who boards the Speedwell for adventure. She falls deeply in love with Osmond while they act as the ship's temporary "afterguard".
John Larkom: An Oxford (Merton) graduate who fell into severe alcoholism and functioned as a West African factory agent at Adaffia. He is a college pal of Hepburn, who recommends Osmond to him. He leaves his factory to Osmond in a will before dying of blackwater fever.
Hepburn: John Osmond’s brother-in-law and a college pal of Larkom. He works as a confidential clerk at Woodstock’s law office in England and orchestrates Osmond's initial flight to Africa.
The Factory Staff & Local Officials
Kwaku Mensah: A faithful native headman and store assistant from Cape Coast who works at the Adaffia factory and loyally serves Osmond.
Ekua Bochwi: Kwaku Mensah's pretty Fanti wife who helps run the factory store
Pea Soup: A Kroo boy from Half-Jack who works as a laborer at the Adaffia factory.
Assistant Inspector Cockeram: An officer of the Gold Coast Constabulary. He tracks the warrant for Osmond to Adaffia but is misled into believing Osmond is dead. Later, he delivers the news of Osmond's vindication
Westall & Stockbridge: Gold Coast Constabulary officers whom Osmond encounters inland. Westall is killed during a native ambush, and the wounded Stockbridge is rescued by Osmond.
The Crew of the 'Speedwell' & Criminals
Captain Nicholas Hartup: The elderly, blunt, but highly honorable master and owner of the brigantine Speedwell. He suffers from a chronic heart/brain condition and eventually dies at sea, leaving his entire fortune to Osmond.
Dhoody: A ruthless seaman promoted to second mate on the Speedwell. He instigates a violent mutiny, stabs the original mate, and isolates the captain. He is drowned during a midnight struggle with Osmond.
Will Redford: The original dandyish mate of the Speedwell who was murdered and thrown overboard by Dhoody prior to Osmond boarding.
Sam Winter, Bob Simmons, Joe Bradley, Jim Darker, Bill Foat: Sailors and original mutineers of the Speedwell who surrender to Osmond and are later manipulated by a smuggler.
Mr. Jones: A shifty Welsh skipper and gun-runner commanding the schooner Primula. He attempts to use Osmond to hide smuggled Mauser rifles and helps the Speedwell mutineers steal Hartup's cargo.
Zippah: A hostile native ringleader from Agotimé captured by the G.C.C.. Osmond utilizes him as a human shield to navigate a dangerous retreat.
The London Legal and Investigative Circle
Dr. John Thorndyke: A brilliant forensic investigator and legal counsel who takes up the inquiry into the English jewel robbery.
Mr. Joseph Penfield: An astute London solicitor who retains Dr. Thorndyke to analyze the case against Osmond.
Mr. Woodstock: A conveyancing solicitor from Burchester who employs Hepburn and Osmond, and whose strong-room housed the stolen jewels.
Mr. Hollis: A wealthy, retired soap manufact
urer and eccentric gem collector whose massive collection of precious stones is systematically systematically stolen and replaced with counterfeits.
Professor Eccles: A leading gem expert who previously authenticated Hollis's collection and assists Thorndyke in examining the fraudulent replicas.
Nathaniel Polton: Dr. Thorndyke’s ingenious and multi-talented laboratory assistant.
Dr. Jervis: Thorndyke’s former medical-legal colleague who helps analyze microscopic dust particles gathered from the crime scenes.
Chapter Summaries
Book I. The Ishmaelite
I. The Fugitive
John Walker (Osmond) arrives by canoe at the remote African village of Adaffia. He discovers his intended host, the trader John Larkom, habitually hopelessly drunk. Walker is a fugitive fleeing a major indiscretion.
II. The Legatee
Walker drastically cleans and reorganizes the chaotic factory store. Larkom receives a letter of dismissal from his firm, which gives him the factory premises in lieu of notice. Soon after, Larkom contracts fatal blackwater fever. Before dying, he executes a will leaving everything to Walker under the newly minted alias "James Cook". To evade a constabulary officer named Cockeram who arrives with an arrest warrant, Walker fakes his own death by painting "John Osmond" on Larkom’s wooden grave cross.
III. The Mutiny on the ‘Speedwell’
While working as the sole trader of Adaffia, Osmond notices the brigantine Speedwell anchor offshore. A contingent of sailors lands and sleight-of-hands six cases of gin from the factory without paying. Osmond boards the vessel to collect his money, single-handedly battles the hostile crew with an iron belaying-pin, but is forced to dive into the open main hatch to escape a revolver-wielding seaman named Dhoody. The crew battens down the hatches, trapping him in the dark hold where he finds tools meant to scuttle the vessel.
IV. The Phantom Mate
Osmond uses a shipwright's auger to bore an escape hatch through the wooden bulkhead into the main cabin. He encounters the injured Captain Hartup and learns that the crew mutinied for the gold and ivory on board, and that a lady passenger, Miss Betty Burleigh, is locked in her berth. Dressing in the dead mate's distinctive yellow oilskins, Osmond uses stealth, plaster gags, and psychological terror to systematically capture, bind, and drop the superstitious mutineers down into the hold. During a violent struggle, the ringleader Dhoody falls overboard and drowns.
V. The New Afterguard
Osmond locks the final mutineers in the forecastle, effectively quelling the uprising. He shaves and presents himself cleanly to Miss Betty Burleigh. Together with the recuperating Captain Hartup, they re-establish legal routine on the ship. Osmond and Betty assume the responsibilities of the ship's mates and afterguard to keep the short-handed vessel running safely.
VI. Betty Makes a Discovery
During an extensive calm in the Doldrums, Osmond instructs Betty in practical seamanship and navigation. The two fall deeply in love. Recognizing his duty, Osmond confesses his true identity as the fugitive John Osmond and describes his faked death. Although Betty completely dismisses his legal troubles and offers to flee to America with him, Osmond's strict honor compels him to refuse to ruin her social standing. The naval gun-boat Widgeon arrives, and Betty is reluctantly taken back to civilization.
VII. The Mate Takes His Discharge
The calm breaks immediately after Betty’s departure, and the Speedwell sails back to Adaffia to drop Osmond off. Captain Hartup attempts to reward Osmond with a massive fortune in gold dust for saving the ship, which Osmond rejects. Hartup compromises by forcing Osmond to accept the sealed bags of gold dust for absolute safekeeping in his factory safe under a specific testamentary agreement.
VIII. The Last of the ‘Speedwell’
Two months later, the Speedwell drifts back to the Adaffia coast as an uncrewed, looted derelict. Osmond boards her to find that Captain Hartup has died peacefully in his bunk from his long-standing illness, and that the mutinous crew has fled with the cargo. The ship is smashed to pieces in the heavy surf, but Osmond manages to wash ashore safely using a cork fender. He gives Hartup a respectful burial and opens the safe to read the captain's will, discovering he has been left the captain's entire legal estate.
IX. Arms and the Man
A shifty Welshman named Mr. Jones arrives, asking Osmond to help hide a cargo of smuggled Mauser rifles intended for an inland native uprising, which Osmond flatly refuses. Later that night, Osmond witnesses Jones using the Speedwell's stolen long-boat to land the contraband. Learning via a letter from Betty that she is traveling directly into the unstable interior, Osmond mounts an inland trading expedition to protect her. He intercepts G.C.C. officers Westall and Stockbridge, who are escorting a dangerous native rebel named Zippah.
X. Betty’s Appeal
The constabulary column is violently ambushed by Mauser-wielding rebels in a narrow valley; Westall is instantly killed and Stockbridge is shot in the leg. Osmond takes charge, using the bound Zippah as a human shield to successfully orchestrate a retreat into a dense bamboo thicket, where he finds Betty safely sheltered. Osmond greases the crossing-log with shea butter to foil native attackers, sets up automated musket traps, and commandeers the enemy's own canoes to float the wounded downriver. Despite the romantic intimacy of their escape, Osmond again rejects Betty's pleas for marriage, refusing to make her the wife of a nameless outlaw.
XI. The Order of Release
The party arrives safely at the Quittah station. Captain Darley intercepts the smuggler Jones aboard the Primula, recovering the Speedwell's stolen ivory and capturing the mutinous crew. Inspector Cockeram encounters Osmond and hands him an English newspaper cutting detailing that the famous forensic investigator Dr. Thorndyke has caught the real thief and completely proven John Osmond's innocence. Free of his outlaw status, Osmond happily proposes to Betty.
Book II. The Investigator
XII. The Indictment
In London, the provincial solicitor Woodstock and his chief clerk Hepburn consult senior solicitor Joseph Penfield regarding the Hollis jewel robbery. Woodstock firmly asserts that his missing clerk, Osmond, must have stolen the gems from his strong-room before running away. Penfield notes that the prosecution has absolutely no positive case because the security seals on the boxes were returned entirely unbroken. He recommends handing the bizarre puzzle over to Dr. John Thorndyke.
XIII. Thorndyke Takes up the Inquiry
Dr. Thorndyke analyzes the initial facts with Penfield, maintaining an open mind despite Osmond's highly suspicious flight. Thorndyke coordinates a meeting with the victim, Mr. Hollis, and gem expert Professor Eccles to systematically open the remaining six sealed collection boxes. Eccles determines that every single valuable gem has been expertly extracted and replaced with perfectly dimensioned paste and glass facsimiles. Before Hollis leaves, Thorndyke takes highly precise control impressions of Hollis’s ancient Syracusan seal ring.
XIV. Thorndyke Makes a Beginning
Thorndyke and his assistant Polton transfer the empty boxes and packaging material to his private laboratory. Using a vibrating tuning-fork over clean paper sheets, Thorndyke extracts all the microscopic dust and hidden debris from inside the linings of the boxes. Dr. Jervis joins the investigation. Together, they isolate several matching tawny-brown moustache hairs and a surprisingly large volume of unique red wood-boring beetle castings ("worm-dust"). Thorndyke reasons that this highly specific dust must have fallen from a heavily worm-eaten antique red-wood object (hypothesized to be cherry) uniquely associated with the true thief.
XV. Mr. Wampole Is Highly Amused
Dr. Thorndyke and Polton arrive at the provincial town of Burchester to examine the scene of the alleged crime at Mr. Woodstock’s law office. They are met by a local detective inspector or official named Mr. Wampole, who considers the forensic investigation of dust, hairs, and empty boxes to be an absurdly over-complicated waste of time. Wampole is highly amused by Thorndyke’s unconventional scientific methods, fully convinced that the simple flight of John Osmond is open-and-shut proof of his guilt.
XVI. Which Treats of Law and Buttons
Thorndyke ignores the skepticism and meticulously examines the private office and the steel strong-room where the collection was stored. He notices a heavy, old-fashioned, worm-eaten piece of furniture—such as an antique desk or cabinet—used by the clerks or within the office suite. Furthermore, Thorndyke looks into the mechanical and logistical possibilities of how the keys were accessed. During this structural review, highly specific minute clues, including a stray button or fabric fibers, are cross-referenced with the forensic profile of the suspect who spent extended periods in proximity to the boxes.
XVII. The Lapidary
Armed with the knowledge that the counterfeit stones were flawless facsimiles, Thorndyke traces the commercial source of high-quality paste gems and fake settings. This leads him to the workshop of a specialized lapidary (gem-cutter). By questioning the lapidary, Thorndyke uncovers who actually commissioned the perfectly measured glass replicas of Hollis’s rubies, emeralds, and jargoons. The artisan's records and descriptions provide a definitive link away from Osmond and toward the real mastermind.
XVIII. The End of the Clue
The investigative trails—the tawny moustache hairs, the rare red-wood cherry "worm-dust" from the antique office furniture, and the lapidary orders—converge directly upon a single individual inside Woodstock's firm. Thorndyke follows the final chain of evidence to its conclusion, springing a trap on the real culprit: Woodstock's trusted, deceptive chief clerk (and Osmond's brother-in-law), Hepburn. Hepburn is caught red-handed with the stolen gems and the mechanisms used to fake the Greek seal impressions.
XIX. Thorndyke Connects the Links
In his trademark fashion, Dr. Thorndyke formally reconstructs the entire sequence of events for Mr. Penfield, Mr. Woodstock, and the police. He explains that Hepburn used his daily, unrestricted access to the strong-room key to systematically remove the jewels, take precise measurements, order paste replicas, and painstakingly reseal the packages using a counterfeit duplicate of Hollis’s Syracusan ring. The microscopic "worm-dust" from Hepburn's own infested desk had fallen into the boxes while he was switching the gems at his station.
XX. Osmond’s Motive
The final chapter exposes the tragic psychological manipulation behind John Osmond's flight. It is revealed that Osmond was entirely innocent but had been deliberately framed by his cunning brother-in-law. Hepburn had preyed on Osmond’s protective, panicky nature, fabricating an imminent legal disaster to trick him into fleeing the country—thereby presenting the authorities with a perfect, ready-made scapegoat for the jewel thefts. With the full truth laid bare, Osmond’s character is entirely cleared, paving the way for the happy ending with Betty back in West Africa.
,
The Realignment of Colonial Capital
When John Larkom dies of blackwater fever, he passes the ownership of the factory and its remaining stock to "James Cook" (John Osmond) via a hastily written will. In the eyes of the corporate metropole—the firm of Foster Brothers—Larkom was already a "waster" and a "rotten bad servant" because his alcoholism caused the factory to become a financial failure. Under capitalist logic, Larkom’s human decay is perfectly synonymous with economic inefficiency, leading the firm to ruthlessly cut him loose via a termination letter.
Cook as the Disciplined Agent of Commerce
Unlike the somnolent and broken Larkom, Cook immediately brings a rigid, systematic bourgeois work ethic to the long-neglected factory. He experiences a sense of "joy and exasperation" at the muddle and disorder of the store.
By peeling off his jacket and slogging away at organizing the shelves, lockers, and arrears of correspondence, Cook stabilizes the imperial trade loop. He immediately sets to work extracting surplus value from the local infrastructure, managing the transactions of native producers bringing in palm oil, kernels, and copra in exchange for cheap manufactured trade goods like baft, flint-lock guns, and gin.
The Paradox of the Bourgeois Fugitive
What makes this opening dynamic so fascinating under a Marxist critique is the irony of Cook's position. He is an elite fugitive fleeing the law of the metropole for an alleged financial crime (forgery). Yet, when placed on the "outside edge of the world," his deeply ingrained class conditioning compels him to fiercely protect and revitalize the very capitalist property relations that have cast him out. He cannot help but impose order, calculate exact currency exchanges, and transform a neglected outpost back into an efficient node of colonial extraction.
A Certain Dr. Thorndyke is a unique blend of Edwardian/Interwar detective fiction and maritime/colonial adventure fiction. R. Austin Freeman structurally divides the novel into two starkly different narrative styles, creating a hybrid genre reading experience:
Colonial Adventure & Maritime Romance (Book I):
The first half of the book relies heavily on the tropes of classic late-Victorian and Edwardian adventure writers like H. Rider Haggard or Joseph Conrad. It features elements of the "tropical exile," high-seas mutiny, hand-to-hand combat, native skirmishes, and a passionate romance blossoming in isolation on a stationary ship.
The Inverted/Forensic Mystery (Book II):
The second half pivots seamlessly into a text-book scientific detective story. Rather than a traditional "whodunit" where the reader guesses along blindly, Freeman utilizes a forensic approach where the protagonist's innocence is already accepted by the reader, and the narrative focus shifts entirely to the procedural, microscopic, and logical techniques used by Dr. Thorndyke to unmask the true culprit.
Characters and Their Interrelations
The Main Protagonist & Associates
John Osmond (alias John Walker, alias James Cook): The central figure of the narrative. He initially flees England under a cloud due to a jewel robbery accusation, traveling under the name "John Walker". In Africa, he takes the clean-shaved identity of "James Cook" and inherits a trading factory [store]. He is exceptionally strong, courageous, and possessive of an analytical, highly tactical mind.
Elizabeth "Betty" Burleigh: The daughter of the Acting Governor of the Gold Coast. An Oxford (Somerville) graduate who boards the Speedwell for adventure. She falls deeply in love with Osmond while they act as the ship's temporary "afterguard".
John Larkom: An Oxford (Merton) graduate who fell into severe alcoholism and functioned as a West African factory agent at Adaffia. He is a college pal of Hepburn, who recommends Osmond to him. He leaves his factory to Osmond in a will before dying of blackwater fever.
Hepburn: John Osmond’s brother-in-law and a college pal of Larkom. He works as a confidential clerk at Woodstock’s law office in England and orchestrates Osmond's initial flight to Africa.
The Factory Staff & Local Officials
Kwaku Mensah: A faithful native headman and store assistant from Cape Coast who works at the Adaffia factory and loyally serves Osmond.
Ekua Bochwi: Kwaku Mensah's pretty Fanti wife who helps run the factory store
Pea Soup: A Kroo boy from Half-Jack who works as a laborer at the Adaffia factory.
Assistant Inspector Cockeram: An officer of the Gold Coast Constabulary. He tracks the warrant for Osmond to Adaffia but is misled into believing Osmond is dead. Later, he delivers the news of Osmond's vindication
Westall & Stockbridge: Gold Coast Constabulary officers whom Osmond encounters inland. Westall is killed during a native ambush, and the wounded Stockbridge is rescued by Osmond.
The Crew of the 'Speedwell' & Criminals
Captain Nicholas Hartup: The elderly, blunt, but highly honorable master and owner of the brigantine Speedwell. He suffers from a chronic heart/brain condition and eventually dies at sea, leaving his entire fortune to Osmond.
Dhoody: A ruthless seaman promoted to second mate on the Speedwell. He instigates a violent mutiny, stabs the original mate, and isolates the captain. He is drowned during a midnight struggle with Osmond.
Will Redford: The original dandyish mate of the Speedwell who was murdered and thrown overboard by Dhoody prior to Osmond boarding.
Sam Winter, Bob Simmons, Joe Bradley, Jim Darker, Bill Foat: Sailors and original mutineers of the Speedwell who surrender to Osmond and are later manipulated by a smuggler.
Mr. Jones: A shifty Welsh skipper and gun-runner commanding the schooner Primula. He attempts to use Osmond to hide smuggled Mauser rifles and helps the Speedwell mutineers steal Hartup's cargo.
Zippah: A hostile native ringleader from Agotimé captured by the G.C.C.. Osmond utilizes him as a human shield to navigate a dangerous retreat.
The London Legal and Investigative Circle
Dr. John Thorndyke: A brilliant forensic investigator and legal counsel who takes up the inquiry into the English jewel robbery.
Mr. Joseph Penfield: An astute London solicitor who retains Dr. Thorndyke to analyze the case against Osmond.
Mr. Woodstock: A conveyancing solicitor from Burchester who employs Hepburn and Osmond, and whose strong-room housed the stolen jewels.
Mr. Hollis: A wealthy, retired soap manufact
urer and eccentric gem collector whose massive collection of precious stones is systematically systematically stolen and replaced with counterfeits.
Professor Eccles: A leading gem expert who previously authenticated Hollis's collection and assists Thorndyke in examining the fraudulent replicas.
Nathaniel Polton: Dr. Thorndyke’s ingenious and multi-talented laboratory assistant.
Dr. Jervis: Thorndyke’s former medical-legal colleague who helps analyze microscopic dust particles gathered from the crime scenes.
Chapter Summaries
Book I. The Ishmaelite
I. The Fugitive
John Walker (Osmond) arrives by canoe at the remote African village of Adaffia. He discovers his intended host, the trader John Larkom, habitually hopelessly drunk. Walker is a fugitive fleeing a major indiscretion.
II. The Legatee
Walker drastically cleans and reorganizes the chaotic factory store. Larkom receives a letter of dismissal from his firm, which gives him the factory premises in lieu of notice. Soon after, Larkom contracts fatal blackwater fever. Before dying, he executes a will leaving everything to Walker under the newly minted alias "James Cook". To evade a constabulary officer named Cockeram who arrives with an arrest warrant, Walker fakes his own death by painting "John Osmond" on Larkom’s wooden grave cross.
III. The Mutiny on the ‘Speedwell’
While working as the sole trader of Adaffia, Osmond notices the brigantine Speedwell anchor offshore. A contingent of sailors lands and sleight-of-hands six cases of gin from the factory without paying. Osmond boards the vessel to collect his money, single-handedly battles the hostile crew with an iron belaying-pin, but is forced to dive into the open main hatch to escape a revolver-wielding seaman named Dhoody. The crew battens down the hatches, trapping him in the dark hold where he finds tools meant to scuttle the vessel.
IV. The Phantom Mate
Osmond uses a shipwright's auger to bore an escape hatch through the wooden bulkhead into the main cabin. He encounters the injured Captain Hartup and learns that the crew mutinied for the gold and ivory on board, and that a lady passenger, Miss Betty Burleigh, is locked in her berth. Dressing in the dead mate's distinctive yellow oilskins, Osmond uses stealth, plaster gags, and psychological terror to systematically capture, bind, and drop the superstitious mutineers down into the hold. During a violent struggle, the ringleader Dhoody falls overboard and drowns.
V. The New Afterguard
Osmond locks the final mutineers in the forecastle, effectively quelling the uprising. He shaves and presents himself cleanly to Miss Betty Burleigh. Together with the recuperating Captain Hartup, they re-establish legal routine on the ship. Osmond and Betty assume the responsibilities of the ship's mates and afterguard to keep the short-handed vessel running safely.
VI. Betty Makes a Discovery
During an extensive calm in the Doldrums, Osmond instructs Betty in practical seamanship and navigation. The two fall deeply in love. Recognizing his duty, Osmond confesses his true identity as the fugitive John Osmond and describes his faked death. Although Betty completely dismisses his legal troubles and offers to flee to America with him, Osmond's strict honor compels him to refuse to ruin her social standing. The naval gun-boat Widgeon arrives, and Betty is reluctantly taken back to civilization.
VII. The Mate Takes His Discharge
The calm breaks immediately after Betty’s departure, and the Speedwell sails back to Adaffia to drop Osmond off. Captain Hartup attempts to reward Osmond with a massive fortune in gold dust for saving the ship, which Osmond rejects. Hartup compromises by forcing Osmond to accept the sealed bags of gold dust for absolute safekeeping in his factory safe under a specific testamentary agreement.
VIII. The Last of the ‘Speedwell’
Two months later, the Speedwell drifts back to the Adaffia coast as an uncrewed, looted derelict. Osmond boards her to find that Captain Hartup has died peacefully in his bunk from his long-standing illness, and that the mutinous crew has fled with the cargo. The ship is smashed to pieces in the heavy surf, but Osmond manages to wash ashore safely using a cork fender. He gives Hartup a respectful burial and opens the safe to read the captain's will, discovering he has been left the captain's entire legal estate.
IX. Arms and the Man
A shifty Welshman named Mr. Jones arrives, asking Osmond to help hide a cargo of smuggled Mauser rifles intended for an inland native uprising, which Osmond flatly refuses. Later that night, Osmond witnesses Jones using the Speedwell's stolen long-boat to land the contraband. Learning via a letter from Betty that she is traveling directly into the unstable interior, Osmond mounts an inland trading expedition to protect her. He intercepts G.C.C. officers Westall and Stockbridge, who are escorting a dangerous native rebel named Zippah.
X. Betty’s Appeal
The constabulary column is violently ambushed by Mauser-wielding rebels in a narrow valley; Westall is instantly killed and Stockbridge is shot in the leg. Osmond takes charge, using the bound Zippah as a human shield to successfully orchestrate a retreat into a dense bamboo thicket, where he finds Betty safely sheltered. Osmond greases the crossing-log with shea butter to foil native attackers, sets up automated musket traps, and commandeers the enemy's own canoes to float the wounded downriver. Despite the romantic intimacy of their escape, Osmond again rejects Betty's pleas for marriage, refusing to make her the wife of a nameless outlaw.
XI. The Order of Release
The party arrives safely at the Quittah station. Captain Darley intercepts the smuggler Jones aboard the Primula, recovering the Speedwell's stolen ivory and capturing the mutinous crew. Inspector Cockeram encounters Osmond and hands him an English newspaper cutting detailing that the famous forensic investigator Dr. Thorndyke has caught the real thief and completely proven John Osmond's innocence. Free of his outlaw status, Osmond happily proposes to Betty.
Book II. The Investigator
XII. The Indictment
In London, the provincial solicitor Woodstock and his chief clerk Hepburn consult senior solicitor Joseph Penfield regarding the Hollis jewel robbery. Woodstock firmly asserts that his missing clerk, Osmond, must have stolen the gems from his strong-room before running away. Penfield notes that the prosecution has absolutely no positive case because the security seals on the boxes were returned entirely unbroken. He recommends handing the bizarre puzzle over to Dr. John Thorndyke.
XIII. Thorndyke Takes up the Inquiry
Dr. Thorndyke analyzes the initial facts with Penfield, maintaining an open mind despite Osmond's highly suspicious flight. Thorndyke coordinates a meeting with the victim, Mr. Hollis, and gem expert Professor Eccles to systematically open the remaining six sealed collection boxes. Eccles determines that every single valuable gem has been expertly extracted and replaced with perfectly dimensioned paste and glass facsimiles. Before Hollis leaves, Thorndyke takes highly precise control impressions of Hollis’s ancient Syracusan seal ring.
XIV. Thorndyke Makes a Beginning
Thorndyke and his assistant Polton transfer the empty boxes and packaging material to his private laboratory. Using a vibrating tuning-fork over clean paper sheets, Thorndyke extracts all the microscopic dust and hidden debris from inside the linings of the boxes. Dr. Jervis joins the investigation. Together, they isolate several matching tawny-brown moustache hairs and a surprisingly large volume of unique red wood-boring beetle castings ("worm-dust"). Thorndyke reasons that this highly specific dust must have fallen from a heavily worm-eaten antique red-wood object (hypothesized to be cherry) uniquely associated with the true thief.
XV. Mr. Wampole Is Highly Amused
Dr. Thorndyke and Polton arrive at the provincial town of Burchester to examine the scene of the alleged crime at Mr. Woodstock’s law office. They are met by a local detective inspector or official named Mr. Wampole, who considers the forensic investigation of dust, hairs, and empty boxes to be an absurdly over-complicated waste of time. Wampole is highly amused by Thorndyke’s unconventional scientific methods, fully convinced that the simple flight of John Osmond is open-and-shut proof of his guilt.
XVI. Which Treats of Law and Buttons
Thorndyke ignores the skepticism and meticulously examines the private office and the steel strong-room where the collection was stored. He notices a heavy, old-fashioned, worm-eaten piece of furniture—such as an antique desk or cabinet—used by the clerks or within the office suite. Furthermore, Thorndyke looks into the mechanical and logistical possibilities of how the keys were accessed. During this structural review, highly specific minute clues, including a stray button or fabric fibers, are cross-referenced with the forensic profile of the suspect who spent extended periods in proximity to the boxes.
XVII. The Lapidary
Armed with the knowledge that the counterfeit stones were flawless facsimiles, Thorndyke traces the commercial source of high-quality paste gems and fake settings. This leads him to the workshop of a specialized lapidary (gem-cutter). By questioning the lapidary, Thorndyke uncovers who actually commissioned the perfectly measured glass replicas of Hollis’s rubies, emeralds, and jargoons. The artisan's records and descriptions provide a definitive link away from Osmond and toward the real mastermind.
XVIII. The End of the Clue
The investigative trails—the tawny moustache hairs, the rare red-wood cherry "worm-dust" from the antique office furniture, and the lapidary orders—converge directly upon a single individual inside Woodstock's firm. Thorndyke follows the final chain of evidence to its conclusion, springing a trap on the real culprit: Woodstock's trusted, deceptive chief clerk (and Osmond's brother-in-law), Hepburn. Hepburn is caught red-handed with the stolen gems and the mechanisms used to fake the Greek seal impressions.
XIX. Thorndyke Connects the Links
In his trademark fashion, Dr. Thorndyke formally reconstructs the entire sequence of events for Mr. Penfield, Mr. Woodstock, and the police. He explains that Hepburn used his daily, unrestricted access to the strong-room key to systematically remove the jewels, take precise measurements, order paste replicas, and painstakingly reseal the packages using a counterfeit duplicate of Hollis’s Syracusan ring. The microscopic "worm-dust" from Hepburn's own infested desk had fallen into the boxes while he was switching the gems at his station.
XX. Osmond’s Motive
The final chapter exposes the tragic psychological manipulation behind John Osmond's flight. It is revealed that Osmond was entirely innocent but had been deliberately framed by his cunning brother-in-law. Hepburn had preyed on Osmond’s protective, panicky nature, fabricating an imminent legal disaster to trick him into fleeing the country—thereby presenting the authorities with a perfect, ready-made scapegoat for the jewel thefts. With the full truth laid bare, Osmond’s character is entirely cleared, paving the way for the happy ending with Betty back in West Africa.
,
February 18, 2018
The first part of this book is a classic adventure romance, full of danger and excitement with a strong, clever hero saving himself and others over and over again. The second part brings us back to England and Dr Thorndyke, and because the protagonist is still in Africa we actually get to see Dr Thorndyke's methods and thinking process, making the 'bad guy' obvious but still leaving some surprises for the end. I wouldn't recommend this as an introduction to the Dr Thorndyke series, but it is one now of my favorites.
October 20, 2011
I do enjoy Thorndyke mysteries, but this is an odd one. The first half of the book is taken up with the entertaining (but largely irrelevant and most implausible) exploits of Osmond in Africa. Only in the later chapters does Thorndyke actually appear - at which point he naturally proceeds to clear everything up with characteristic thoroughness.
January 19, 2017
A very good one, even if the format is a bit odd, even for Freeman. While faithful readers are used to Thorndyke's erratic appearances this is quite a delayed one and by the time he does arrive it's all over but the shouting. I especially enjoyed the first half and the adventures of the main characters, as well as the spot on description of the Gulf of Guinea coast.
December 21, 2019
This was a book of two halves as the first half was kind of after the affair and was set in an African coastal village and the second half was why the main character, John Osmond, had gone there. They are clever books these ones, but always a little drawn out with explanations of how Thorndyke does his investigations and the science behind them. Still I've got a few left to read!
May 22, 2014
Very odd, but very readable, two books in one, really, rather badly sewn together in the last chapter. Written with the usual verve and wit of this author, but I think I prefer his more integrated works.
April 2, 2019
Literally a book of two halves. A very entertaining adventure story followed by a satisfying mystery.
May 14, 2021
This is probably the best volume of the first fourteen of the series. As Freeman is want to do he has created a different style for this novel. The book is presented in two sections, the first is about the principle character and how he ended up in Africa in an isolated village on the Bight of Benin. (The title of the book has nothing to do with the story.) While there his companion dies and he takes on the other's life and name. He meets a woman, falls in love and determines to head home.
The crime that Osmund, the protagonist, is accused of turns out to be specious. After stopping a mutiny on a coastal schooner, he returns to the Village. A local marshal has come to arrest him, but seeing that he has "died" reports so to England. When the Captain of the mutinied ship dies he leaves Osmund a fortune. Now freed from the crime (and independently wealthy) he thought was hanging over his head, he decided to go back to England. What he didn't know was that he had been found innocent of the crime as the result of an inquiry by Dr Thorndyke.
Using scientific method and an investigation that was detailed and based on looking at the minutia of the supposed theft, Thorndyke was able to find what had happened and brought the actual thief to justice. Once again Thorndyke is able to prove that just because everyone makes a decision based on coincidental information, he always looks for the actual 'habeus corpus' information.
(This would have been a five star book except that Freeman took the easy way out near to the end of the story by using a 'mcguffin' to prove his point.)
The crime that Osmund, the protagonist, is accused of turns out to be specious. After stopping a mutiny on a coastal schooner, he returns to the Village. A local marshal has come to arrest him, but seeing that he has "died" reports so to England. When the Captain of the mutinied ship dies he leaves Osmund a fortune. Now freed from the crime (and independently wealthy) he thought was hanging over his head, he decided to go back to England. What he didn't know was that he had been found innocent of the crime as the result of an inquiry by Dr Thorndyke.
Using scientific method and an investigation that was detailed and based on looking at the minutia of the supposed theft, Thorndyke was able to find what had happened and brought the actual thief to justice. Once again Thorndyke is able to prove that just because everyone makes a decision based on coincidental information, he always looks for the actual 'habeus corpus' information.
(This would have been a five star book except that Freeman took the easy way out near to the end of the story by using a 'mcguffin' to prove his point.)
November 21, 2020
I had never heard of R Austin Freeman or Dr Thornkdyke until several months ago, but I have now read 17 of his short stories and eight Thorndyke novels. This one just blew me away. The author had spent years in West Africa and the first half of this book read like a swashbuckling "Mutiny on the Bounty" type adventure and love story, and the second half was Thorndyke figuring things out. This was a wonderful story.
Currently Reading
June 18, 2026This is such an unusually structured book, but I find I'm enjoying it.
Book One is written as an adventure story on the west coast of Africa, overcoming a shipboard mutiny, outwitting rebel forces, running a trading post, and a romance. In my opinion, it could be a book in a continuing series (as there is rather a cliff-hanger at the end).
Book Two answers the cliff-hanger and wraps up the romance, and it is not until Book Two that Thorndyke makes his appearance.
Book One is written as an adventure story on the west coast of Africa, overcoming a shipboard mutiny, outwitting rebel forces, running a trading post, and a romance. In my opinion, it could be a book in a continuing series (as there is rather a cliff-hanger at the end).
Book Two answers the cliff-hanger and wraps up the romance, and it is not until Book Two that Thorndyke makes his appearance.
February 6, 2021
John Osmond has escaped from England as there is a warrant for his arrest. We read tales of his adventures in Africa in Part 1. Meanwhile Dr. Thorndyke has been employed to prove Osmond's guilt.
The first Part is more of a adventure story while the second half is an enjoyable historical mystery.
Originally published in 1920
The first Part is more of a adventure story while the second half is an enjoyable historical mystery.
Originally published in 1920
December 24, 2016
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