The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax

His Last Bow #6

by Arthur Conan Doyle

Lady Frances Carfax has abruptly left her room at the Hôtel National in Lausanne and has not been heard of for weeks. Had she not been a woman, she would have been set to inherit a large amount of money. Nevertheless, she is known to have expensive jewellery. Watson comes to Switzerland to investigate as Holmes has to stay in London. His only is a bearded man was pestering her.
"The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax" is part of "His Last Bow".

Genres: Mystery, Classics, Short Stories, Fiction, Crime, Audiobook, Detective

24 pages

First published January 1, 1911

About the author

Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was a Scottish writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for A Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Sherlock Holmes stories are milestones in the field of crime fiction.

Doyle was a prolific writer. In addition to the Holmes stories, his works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger, and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. One of Doyle's early short stories, "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" (1884), helped to popularise the mystery of the brigantine Mary Celeste, found drifting at sea with no crew member aboard.

Reviews

[Dem · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

What an interesting and entertaining Short Story

I listened to this very short story on audible for free and at 56 minutes it made an interesting tale.

The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax is one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It is one of the eight stories in the cycle collected as His Last Bow, and one of the few stories in which for much of the plot Watson must act alone and try his best with Holmes left in the background.

I came across this while browsing Audible's Mystery collection on their Free Channels section and the narrator was excellent and anyone who enjoys Arthur Conan Doyle and short mystery stories should have a look through this free collection. I am always looking for 1 hour audio podcasts to pass my running time and this worked perfectly

[Exina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lady Frances Carfax disappears, and Sherlock Holmes almost fails to solve this case.

Great and exciting plot, a bit creepy. I really enjoyed this story.

[Jack Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars. I liked it. But I've grown a touch tired with Doyle's oft-used introduction in which Sherlock Holmes takes an innocuous clue and reconstructs the Eiffel Tower. This time he deduces that Dr. Watson has been to a Turkish bath recently after observing his boots. Am I right in saying that Doyle added these intellectual performances to the start of his short stories because readers at the time told him how much they liked them? Let's get down to business. Holmes has been consulted by Miss Dobney, the old governess of Lady Frances Carfax who is the last direct descendent of the late Earl of Rufton. The Lady is in her 40s, single and likes to travel. She's in Switzerland but has suddenly disappeared from her hotel in Lausanne. Likely after the appearance a day earlier of a tall, dark, bearded man. I though Dr. Watson did a fine job of tracing her; he finds more clues in the Swiss spa town of Baden where she stayed at Englischer Hof for two weeks. Not that Holmes agrees. When Watson asks, "Perhaps you would have done no better," Holmes arrogantly adds, "I know I have done better." And then he makes a mistake! It has shades of Edgar Allan Poe. (Oc2024)

[Charles van Buren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mystery, a chase and a search

Review of free Kindle edition
A Public Domain Book
Publication date: May 12, 2012
Language: English
ASIN: B0082XIC02
25 pages

A life or death chase and search ends with a plot device similar to one used in real life by the mob in the 1970's when some of us were engaged in watching their activities.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

قصة قصيرة ؛ اختفاء سيدة في منتصف العمر .
قصص الأختفاء مثيرة بالنسبة ليا ، يمكن لأنها تدور حول الشخصيات و الأماكن والاستجوابات ، سماع التعليقات و التنبأ بالشخصية .. فرع عبقري و مُهمل للأسف من الأدب البوليسي .

القصة جيدة

[Houneida Benmahidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating.

[رومولا الن emmajain-book · Rating 3 out of 5]

أول كتاب في السنة
تختفي السيدة فرانسيس بظروف غريبة فيسعى واطسون وهولمز للبحث عنها واكتشاف ما الذي حدث لها
قصة قصيرة وممتعة
استمعت لها من خلال تطبيق ستوري تيل
بالعموم أنصح بها

[Katja Labonté · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars & 5/10 hearts. Now this is a delightfully different story! For starters, it has no date and starts off with Sherlock once more demonstrating his abilities to read what Watson has been doing by looking at his clothes… something he doesn’t do much after the first two collections!

Also, Watson going off as Sherlock’s intermediary and being scolded for failing never gets old. ;) Lady Frances was a sweet woman, Green was a very interesting fellow, and Peters + Fraser are terrible but super cool (as usual, I would love to see them up against Sherlock again…) Also, Sherlock’s mode of action, the way he almost messes up, and the final ending are all so unusual and enjoyable!

Content: For G*d’s sake; a woman living with a man; may include some trickery/lying.

A Favourite Quote: “Are you armed? … Well, well, we shall be strong enough. ‘Thrice is he armed who hath his quarrel just.’”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “I have no doubt, however, that your researches will soon clear the matter up.”
“MY researches!”
“Hence the health-giving expedition to Lausanne. You know that I cannot possibly leave London while old Abrahams is in such mortal terror of his life. Besides, on general principles it is best that I should not leave the country. Scotland Yard feels lonely without me, and it causes an unhealthy excitement among the criminal classes. Go, then, my dear Watson, and if my humble counsel can ever be valued at so extravagant a rate as two pence a word, it waits your disposal night and day at the end of the Continental wire.”

[Wissal H · Rating 4 out of 5]

مغامرة اختفاء السيدة فرانسيس كارفاكس هي واحدة من القصص الشيقة التي تدور في عالم المحقق الشهير شيرلوك هولمز. هذه القصة، على عكس مغامرة مدرسة الرهبان، تتميز بجو من الغموض والتشويق، حيث يتولى الدكتور واتسون مهمة التحقيق بدلاً من هولمز.

تبدأ القصة باختفاء غامض للسيدة فرانسيس كارفاكس، وهي سيدة ثرية تمتلك مجوهرات قيمة. يطلب صديق السيدة كارفاكس من هولمز مساعدته في العثور عليها، لكن هولمز يكون مشغولاً بقضية أخرى، فيطلب من واتسون السفر إلى لوزان في سويسرا للبحث عن أي أدلة حول اختفاء السيدة.

يتوجه واتسون إلى لوزان ويبدأ بالتحقيق في قضية الاختفاء. يلتقي بأشخاص مختلفين كانوا على علاقة بالسيدة كارفاكس، ويجمع الأدلة ويحلل المعلومات التي يحصل عليها. يواجه واتسون العديد من الصعوبات والعقبات في أثناء تحقيقه، لكنه يواصل البحث عن الحقيقة.

في النهاية، يتمكن واتسون من حل اللغز ويكشف الحقيقة وراء اختفاء السيدة كارفاكس. يتضح أن الاختفاء كان مدبرًا بعناية، وأن هناك أطرافًا عديدة متورطة في هذه القضية.

[Zahraa زهراء · Rating 3 out of 5]

والان سوف نتبع خطا استدلاليا آخر. فحين نتبع سلسلتين منفصلتين من الافكار يا واطسون، سنعثر على نقطة بينهما أقرب ما يكون من الحقيقة

[نادية أحمد · Rating 3 out of 5]

"علينا أن نكون أقوياء بما يكفي
مَن كانت قضيته عادلة، يكن سلاحه أقوى ثلاثة أضعاف"

"حين يكون ضمير المرء مرتاحاً
لا يمكنك أن تفقده أعصابه"

هولمز و واطسون يحلّان قضية عصيّة في اختفاء
السيدة فرانسيس

والمتهمان مبعوثان تبشيريّان سابقان

لكن اصرار هولمز ودقة ملاحظته
هما ما فكّا رموز الاختفاء

السيدة فرانسيس هي امرأة وحيدةٌ جميلة حُرِمتْ مِنَ الميراثِ لأنها امرأة،
لكنَّها تمتلكُ مجوهراتٍ ثمينة. انقطعَتْ رسائلُ السيدةِ كارفاكس التي كانَتْ
ترسِلُها بانتظامٍ إلى مربيتِها القديمة، السيدة دوبني العجوز، منذُ خمسةِ
أسابيع. يَتتبَّعُ واطسون تحرُّكاتِ السيدةِ كارفاكس في الفترةِ السابقةِ على
اختفائِها مُباشَرة، ويصلُ إلى مكانِ خادمتِها السابقة؛ فهل ستؤدِّي تحرِّياتُ
الدكتورِ واطسون إلى معرفةِ مكانِ السيدةِ كارفاكس، أمْ سيكونُ تدخُّلُ
هولمز حتميًّا من أجلِ حلِّ اللغزِ وإنقاذِ السيدةِ المسكينةِ من مصيرٍ يبدو مشؤومًا؟

نادية أحمد

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

From IMDb:
A headstrong but titled suffragette slips into the power of a murderous con artist..

A TV series was made based on this book and it's available at YouTube.

[Mennah · Rating 2 out of 5]

“مَن كانت قضيته عادلة، يكن سلاحه أقوى ثلاثة أضعاف.”

[Mostafa · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.8 stars
ناپدید شدن لیدی فرانسیس کارفکس که در ۱۹۱۱ نوشته شده ضمن برخورداری از طنز که از خصیصه های بارز شخصیتی شرلوک هلمز است به جریان ناپدید شدن یک خانم ثروتمند توسط یک مُبلغ مسیحی که در حقیقت یک جنایتکار مشهور در استرالیاست اشاره دارد که شرلوک هلمز با تیزبینی و روش همیشگی اش و بهره گیری از شواهد و استقراء منطقی موفق به حل معما میشود

[Rao Javed · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was perhaps the first time I saw Sherlock, doing action like taking our a gun...it was really cool. Nice story also.

[Roberto Mattos · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this story, Holmes sends Dr. Watson to Lausanne to investigate Lady Frances Carfax’s disappearance. Holmes is too busy in London. Lady Frances is a lone, unwed woman denied a rich inheritance on account of her sex. She does, however, carry valuable jewels with her. It is also her habit to write to her old governess, Miss Dobney, every other week, but for the past five weeks, there has not been a word from her. She has left the Hôtel National for parts unknown. Her last two bank transactions were checks, one to pay her hotel bill, and another for £50 to her maid, Miss Marie Devine.
In Switzerland, Watson finds out that Lady Frances stayed at the Hôtel International for several weeks, but then suddenly left in a hurry one day. Only one witness could suggest an explanation, one involving a big, bearded man who kept hounding her. It also emerges that Lady Frances’s maid has left her employ, although it is not known why.
Watson finds out where Lady Frances went, and inquires at the Englischer Hof in Baden, Germany. She stayed there for a fortnight and met a couple named Schlessinger, a missionary from South America, and an invalid. Lady Frances left with them three weeks ago for London, and nothing has been heard of her since. Watson also finds out that the big bearded man, the “savage”, came about a week ago looking for her. Watson telegraphs Holmes about his progress, and oddly, Holmes wires back asking for a description of Dr. Schlessinger’s left ear. Watson believes this to be Holmes’s attempt at humor. Holmes is actually in earnest.
Watson visits Marie Devine, the former maid, in Montpellier, France, and it turns out that her upcoming wedding was why she left Lady Frances’s employ. The £50 was a wedding present. She, too, believes that the bearded man was the reason that her former mistress left Lausanne. He was quite a rough man. During this interview, Marie sees the very man in question in the street. Watson rushes out and demands to know who he is and what he has done with Lady Frances. A fight ensues and Watson is nearly strangled. A French workman breaks the fight up with his cudgel and the bearded man withdraws. It then turns out that the workman is a disguised Holmes, who suggests that Watson accompany him back to London, and wryly observes that there is no blunder which Watson has failed to commit in this investigation.
Before leaving, however, Holmes interviews someone. It is the bearded man, Philip Green, an old suitor of Lady Frances’s. Yes, he is seeking Lady Frances, but he still wants to win her heart. As a younger man, he was not rich. Now that he has made his fortune in South Africa, he hopes she will see him differently, but he is still rather churlish and clearly Lady Frances is unwilling. Holmes recommends that he go back to London.
Once Holmes and Watson are back at 221B Baker Street, Holmes reads a telegram from Baden about Dr. Schlessinger’s left ear — “jagged or torn”. This confirms Holmes’s suspicion that Dr. Schlessinger is in fact Henry Peters, a vicious rascal from Australia (his earlobe was chewed away in a bar brawl). His wife’s real name is Fraser. He beguiles young women by playing to their religious beliefs, as Schlessinger did with Lady Frances. This suggested his true identity to Holmes. Holmes believes that Lady Frances is in London, and quite possibly dead, or if not, confined in some way.
The search seems hopeless. The police follow known associates, Holmes places advertisements hoping to learn something, but nothing happens. Then, a pawnshop reports that someone matching Schlessinger’s description has pawned a pendant very much like one owned by Lady Frances. He gave a false address, but this gives Holmes what he needs. He has Philip Green wait in the pawnshop, knowing that Henry Peters will want to pawn more jewellery. It takes a few days, but he is not disappointed. His wife shows up this time to pawn a matching pendant, and Green follows her, first to an undertaker’s, where he finds Peters’s wife discussing an “out of the ordinary” order, and later to an address in Brixton. He watches the house and sees some men deliver a coffin.
Holmes writes Green a note and sends him to the police to fetch a warrant. Meanwhile, Holmes and Watson go first to the undertaker’s to ask about the funeral — it is at eight o’clock the next morning — and then to Brixton where they demand to see Dr. Schlessinger, or whatever he may call himself. Once inside, in the absence of a warrant, Holmes is obliged to resort to force to search Peters’s house. He finds the coffin, and deep inside it is a small, emaciated, very old, dead woman. It is certainly not Lady Frances. Peters explains that it is his wife’s old nurse. The police come and tell Holmes and Watson that they must leave. Peters gloats over Holmes’s obvious humiliation.
The day ends in apparent failure. Nothing suspicious can be found about the household, no warrant arrives, and Holmes and Watson go back to Baker Street. Holmes does not sleep that night, preferring to go over the case in his mind.
Finally, early the next morning, Holmes realises what is going on. He and Watson rush to Brixton and make sure that the coffin is not removed from the house to go for burial. They unscrew the coffin lid and find Lady Frances inside, chloroformed. The Peterses, while dishonest enough to kidnap someone to steal her jewels, were too squeamish to commit murder. Watson manages to revive her, and the Peterses are found to have fled. It was the remark heard by Green at the undertaker’s that helped Holmes deduce the truth. The woman there had been talking about an unusual coffin, and Holmes then also remembered that it was a big coffin for a very small woman, the idea being to obtain the necessary legal documents for the old woman, and then “legitimise” the burial of a coffin containing two bodies.
Another excellent plot, I recommend this book to the permanent library of any reader that appreciates a well written mystery story, mainly featuring Mr. Sherlock Holmes.

[فاطِمة طه · Rating 2 out of 5]

بحب وصف الستات في كتب شيرلوك.

[Adrián P. C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good.

[John Yelverton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson are flummoxed more than once due to the unusual nature of the crime and the villains in this mystery, but Holmes eventual deduces the answer from the only improbable thing which is left to him.

[Jason Parent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, I find myself asking if Doyle invented the trope.

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh! Would have been a 1 star were it not for the twist at the end.

[Sakina · Rating 3 out of 5]

قصة قصيرة وممتعة تحكي عن اختفاء السيدة فرانسيس ورحلة البحث عنها برفقة الشهير شيرلوك هولمز

[Grace, Queen of Crows and Tomes · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[TAJ ALGADDAFI | تاج القذافي · Rating 5 out of 5]

5\5 تقيمي لها.
اخيرا في حبكة ذكية شوي .
حبيت ان واتسون قام بجزء كبير من التحريات ❤️
والصراحه السيدة فرانسيس تستاهل ما جاها ، يعني ما علموها وهي طفلة انه يجب عليها الحذر من الغرباء؟
بس انزعجت ان النهاية ما وضحت لما افاقت ماذا حدث لها و هل ارتبطت بذاك الرجل ام لا🥲

[Joop · Rating 3 out of 5]

Een SH met zowaar wat spanning.

[Hany Adeeb · Rating 2 out of 5]

قراتها في جلسة .. قصة بوليسية ، أشعر بأنها سريعة بعضد الشيء و ناقصة لبعض التفاصيل

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Raised to 3.75 stars.

[Dreamy Alien · Rating 3 out of 5]

افضل من مغامرة العصبة المرقطة ك قصه وك ترجمة من نفس المترجم مصطفى توفيق عموما قصة قصيرة ولطيفة برضو

[Giorgina · Rating 5 out of 5]

La storia della scomparsa di Lady Frances Carfax è molto interessante e ti coinvolge a pieno nel racconto la storia in se è una delle migliori che abbia letto di Sherlock Holmes
Questa scomparsa ha un lieto fine anche se inaspettato, mi è piaciuto molto

[Meri Pindado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conan Doyle no me decepciona en ningún momento. Me gusta seguir los pasas de Holmes y Watson. Este caso me entretuvo mucho y me gustó su resolución.