Basic Information
Abbreviation: LADY (J. F. Christ, 1947)
Word length: 7,740 (C. E. Lauterbach, 1960)
First published: Strand Magazine, December 1911; American Magazine, December 1911
A note on the title: In full, "The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax"—though it appeared in the American Magazine in 1911 as simply "The Disappearance of Lady Carfax"
Discussion Questions
- What point is Holmes trying to make by pointing out Watson’s shoes at the beginning of the story?
- Why does Holmes send Watson off to investigate by himself, especially if he was just going to criticize his investigation so harshly? There seems to be a common theme of Holmes telling Watson that he could have investigated much better than him. What do you think about this?
- Who of Lady Frances Carfax’s acquaintances suspects something suspicious about her disappearance? Why?
- How do Holmes and Watson use Lady France Carfax’s reputation and well-documented comings and goings to figure out what happened to her?
- What gave Holmes an idea that Lady Frances Carfax was somewhere in the Peters home, even after he discovered she was not in the coffin as he initially suspected?