The Adventure of the three Students
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930)
Characters
Mr. Sherlock Holmes
A detective, a faithful and reliable friend of Mr. Hilton Soames. He solved the mystery of the stolen examination paper by observing every possible evidence and interviewing all the concerned parties.
Mr. Hilton
A tutor and lecturer at the College of St. Luke’s. He was tall, spare man, of a nervous and excitable temperament. He is restless in his manner.
Bannister
Mr. Hilton Soames’ servant, a man who has looked after his room for ten years, and his honesty is absolutely above suspicion. He was a little, white-faced, clean shaven, grizzly-haired fellow of fifty. He left the key in the door for he had the tea-tray in his hand. He thought he would come for the key, but he forgot. He nearly fainted when he came to know that someone had stolen the examination paper.
Daulat Ras
One of the suspects, Indian student who lives on the same stair. He went to ask Mr. Soames some particulars about the examination before the theft of examination papers. The second floor is inhabited by Daulat Ras, the Indian. He is quiet, inscrutable fellow, as most of those Indians are. He is well up in his work, though his Greek is his weak subject. He is steady and methodical.
Miles McLaren
One of the three suspects lives in the top floor. He is a brilliant fellow when he chooses to work. He is one the brightest intellects of the university; but he is wayward, dissipated, and unprincipled. Be was nearly expelled over a card scandal in his first year. Mr. Soames regards him the least unlikely of the three suspects.
Gilchrist
One of the suspects. He inhabits in the second floor. A fine scholar and athlete, plays in the Rugby team and cricket team for the college, and got his Blue for the hurdles and long jump. He is a fine, manly fellow.
Exploring the story
1. What made Mr. Soames aware that someone had rummaged among the examination papers?
Three long slips which Mr. Soames had left all together made him aware that someone had rummaged among the examination papers. He found that one of them was lying on the floor, one was on the side table near the window, and the third was where he had left it. At first, he thought that Banister had taken the unpredictable liberty of examining his papers. Having been convinced by Banister, he was sure that someone had rummaged among those papers.
2. Why was Bannister very upset by the incident?
Banister was very upset by the incident because the only duplicate of the office door key belonged to him. Someone had rummaged among the examination papers for the Fortescue Scholarship. Being the only man, except Soames, with the door key, he had nearly fainted when they found that the papers had undoubtedly been tampered with.
3. What was the source of the black clay found in Mr. Soames’ office?
The source of the black clay found in Mr. Soames' office was the athletic grounds. It was carried to the office by Gilchrist’s shoes. Gilchrist was a long-distance jumper. According to the detective, Gilchrist went to the ground to practise athletics and returned carrying his jumping shoes, which were provided with several spikes. When he entered Soames’ office, he unknowingly left the clay.
4. Why do you think Mr. Soames wants to settle the matter quietly and discretely?
I think Mr. Soames wants to settle the matter quietly and discretely for the credit of the college. He thinks that it is essential to avoid scandal for the reputation of the college. If he reports the police about the stealing of the examination papers, the reputation of the college will surely go down. To him, the hideous scandal will throw a cloud not only on the college, but on the university. Thus, he wants to settle the matter secretly be taking the help of his friend Mr. Sherlock Holmes, a researcher.
5. How did Sherlock Holmes solve the case?
Sherlock Holmes solved the case by taking interviews with the possible witnesses and/or intruders i. e. Bannister, Gilchrist, Daulat Ras and Miles McLaren about the incident. He also made a deep analysis of proofs and evidence related to the case. He also observed Soames’ room, furniture, and the papers to see if he could find any finger prints of the intruders.
