The Sign of the Four - Chapter 4

Classics Out Loud

Step into a world of sumptuous fabrics, exotic fumes, and heart-pounding secrets. In this chapter of The Sign of the Four, Holmes and Watson escort the determined Miss Morstan deep into a shabby London corridor, only to find themselves ushered into a dazzling sanctuary of Eastern luxury—tapestries, golden wire, and tiger-skins whispering of wealth and mystery. At the heart of this unexpected oasis stands a quivering, flame-haired figure with a gleaming bald head: Mr. Thaddeus Sholto, a man both curiously nervous and strangely proud, who dangles half-truths and precious clues before them like rare jewels.

As the tension crackles in the richly perfumed air, Sholto reveals shocking details about Miss Morstan’s father, the disappearance that rattled London’s gossip pages, and the fabled “Agra treasure” worth fortunes beyond imagining. Emotions run high—anger, grief, excitement—while the looming shadow of Sholto’s formidable brother and eerie visitors with wooden legs raise the stakes ever higher. Every sentence Sholto utters peels back another layer of this intricate puzzle, and Holmes’s keen mind hums quietly in the background, absorbing each revelation with razor-sharp focus.

This is a chapter drenched in atmosphere and brimming with intrigue, where one man’s “little sanctum” holds the key to dark family secrets and unimaginable wealth. Join us in the podcast episode as we unravel Sholto’s extraordinary confession and follow Holmes, Watson, and Miss Morstan on their path toward both danger and destiny. Your ears will not believe the twists awaiting in the heart of South London’s strangest hideaway.

Chapters

1. The Sign of the Four - Chapter 4 (00:00:00)

2. Chapter 01 (00:00:18)