The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Fiction | Short Story Collection | Adult | Published in 1892

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“The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet”Chapter Summaries & Analyses

“The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet” Summary

During a cold, snowy day, a distressed man rushes to Baker Street to ask for Holmes’s help in restoring his honor. The man, Alexander Holder, is a banker who has been given a priceless artifact, the Beryl Coronet, as security against a loan. The coronet belongs to one of the “highest, noblest, most exalted names in England” (210). Its loss would not only be a financial disaster but also a huge scandal. Consequently, Holder decides to bring the coronet to his home for safekeeping. That evening, he tells his family: his son, a young man given to gambling and wasting money, and his niece, Mary, a quiet, dutiful woman.

In the middle of the night, the banker wakes to find his son holding the coronet with several jewels missing. Holder is certain that his son stole the jewels to pay off his debts, but the young man is offended by the accusations and refuses to say anything more on the matter. The police are called in but are unable to find the missing pieces.

The older man requests Holmes’s help in recovering the jewels as otherwise his professional life will be over. The detective examines the house and its surroundings and based on the footprints left in the snow deduces that the son is indeed innocent. It was the niece who stole the coronet and passed it along to her secret lover. The son saw everything and attempted to stop the theft, running after the man barefooted, but in the struggle, a piece was broken off and carried away by the lover. Holmes is able to trace down the thief and retrieve the jewels, saving Holder’s reputation and restoring his relationship with his son. In the meantime, the niece elopes with her lover.

“The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet” Analysis

This story plays with gender conventions. The niece is initially described as a paragon of Victorian womanly virtues. However, it turns out that she is the real culprit, suggesting that appearances, which are of paramount importance in 19th-century society, can be misleading. What is more, outwardly virtuous behavior does not guarantee a strong moral character. This idea goes beyond the scope of the story and implicates all of society. The author could be suggesting that his contemporaries’ obsession with propriety should not be confused with a concern for ethical behavior.

Despite Mary’s duplicitous behavior, she is not painted as a straight-out villain but as another victim. The banker’s words and behavior reveal that he holds stereotypical opinions about gender roles and is likely pressuring the young woman to behave a certain way with his constant praise of her womanly virtues. He is also obsessed with the idea that Mary can “save” his son from his gambling and other bad behaviors, a deeply unfair expectation. Living in such surroundings can easily explain her desire to escape. It is unclear by what means the lover induces her to steal the coronet and how he convinces her to run away with him. Considering women’s lack of rights in the 19th century, Mary’s actions might be the result of blackmail. This story thus suggests that women, even the most seemingly virtuous ones, can be easy prey for unscrupulous men.

This is the second story that introduces a client of royal or almost-royal descent. However, in this case, it is a British aristocrat, so the story does not provide a name, description, or other easily recognizable details. The account of the royal’s meeting is also conveyed second-hand by the banker. In this way, the author can retain plausible deniability.

In terms of detective work, this story contains most of Holmes’s patented skills, such as observation and deduction when he reads footprints in the snow, and disguise when he goes out to gather information. The story also contains other typical elements, such as a puzzling case, an unjustly accused person, and an unexpected ending. In the end, Holmes finds out the truth and retrieves the stolen goods but does not concern himself with having the thieves arrested.