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Mr Sherlock Holmes @mrsherlockholmes.bsky.social · 17h

However, when our turn came the little man was much more favourable to me than to any of the others, and he closed the door as we entered, so that he might have a private word with us.
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Mr Sherlock Holmes @mrsherlockholmes.bsky.social · 17h

He said a few words to each candidate as he came up, and then he always managed to find some fault in them which would disqualify them. Getting a vacancy did not seem to be such a very easy matter, after all.

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Mr Sherlock Holmes @mrsherlockholmes.bsky.social · 17h

“There was nothing in the office but a couple of wooden chairs and a deal table, behind which sat a small man with a head that was even redder than mine.
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Mr Sherlock Holmes @mrsherlockholmes.bsky.social · 17h

“Your experience has been a most entertaining one,” remarked Holmes as his client paused and refreshed his memory with a huge pinch of snuff. “Pray continue your very interesting statement.”

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Mr Sherlock Holmes @mrsherlockholmes.bsky.social · 17h

There was a double stream upon the stair, some going up in hope, and some coming back dejected; but we wedged in as well as we could and soon found ourselves in the office.”
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Mr Sherlock Holmes @mrsherlockholmes.bsky.social · 17h

How he did it I could not imagine, but he pushed and pulled and butted until he got me through the crowd, and right up to the steps which led to the office.

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Mr Sherlock Holmes @mrsherlockholmes.bsky.social · 17h

Every shade of colour they were—straw, lemon, orange, brick, Irish-setter, liver, clay; but, as Spaulding said, there were not many who had the real vivid flame-coloured tint. When I saw how many were waiting, I would have given it up in despair; but Spaulding would not hear of it.

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Mr Sherlock Holmes @mrsherlockholmes.bsky.social · 17h

Fleet Street was choked with red-headed folk, and Pope’s Court looked like a coster’s orange barrow. I should not have thought there were so many in the whole country as were brought together by that single advertisement.
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Mr Sherlock Holmes @mrsherlockholmes.bsky.social · 17h

“I never hope to see such a sight as that again, Mr. Holmes. From north, south, east, and west every man who had a shade of red in his hair had tramped into the city to answer the advertisement.

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Mr Sherlock Holmes @mrsherlockholmes.bsky.social · 17h

He was very willing to have a holiday, so we shut the business up and started off for the address that was given us in the advertisement.
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Mr Sherlock Holmes @mrsherlockholmes.bsky.social · 17h

Vincent Spaulding seemed to know so much about it that I thought he might prove useful, so I just ordered him to put up the shutters for the day and to come right away with me.

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Mr Sherlock Holmes @mrsherlockholmes.bsky.social · 17h

“Now, it is a fact, gentlemen, as you may see for yourselves, that my hair is of a very full and rich tint, so that it seemed to me that if there was to be any competition in the matter I stood as good a chance as any man that I had ever met.

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Mr Sherlock Holmes @mrsherlockholmes.bsky.social · 1d

but perhaps it would hardly be worth your while to put yourself out of the way for the sake of a few hundred pounds.’
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Mr Sherlock Holmes @mrsherlockholmes.bsky.social · 1d

Then, again, I have heard it is no use your applying if your hair is light red, or dark red, or anything but real bright, blazing, fiery red. Now, if you cared to apply, Mr. Wilson, you would just walk in;

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Mr Sherlock Holmes @mrsherlockholmes.bsky.social · 1d

“‘But,’ said I, ‘there would be millions of red-headed men who would apply.’
“‘Not so many as you might think,’ he answered. ‘You see it is really confined to Londoners, and to grown men. This American had started from London when he was young, and he wanted to do the old town a good turn.

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Mr Sherlock Holmes @mrsherlockholmes.bsky.social · 1d

From all I hear it is splendid pay and very little to do.’
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Mr Sherlock Holmes @mrsherlockholmes.bsky.social · 1d

He was himself red-headed, and he had a great sympathy for all red-headed men; so, when he died, it was found that he had left his enormous fortune in the hands of trustees, with instructions to apply the interest to the providing of easy berths to men whose hair is of that colour.

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Mr Sherlock Holmes @mrsherlockholmes.bsky.social · 1d

“‘Well,’ said he, showing me the advertisement, ‘you can see for yourself that the League has a vacancy, and there is the address where you should apply for particulars. As far as I can make out, the League was founded by an American millionaire, Ezekiah Hopkins, who was very peculiar in his ways.

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Mr Sherlock Holmes @mrsherlockholmes.bsky.social · 1d

“Well, you can easily think that that made me prick up my ears, for the business has not been over good for some years, and an extra couple of hundred would have been very handy.
“‘Tell me all about it,’ said I.
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Mr Sherlock Holmes @mrsherlockholmes.bsky.social · 1d

“‘Why, I wonder at that, for you are eligible yourself for one of the vacancies.’
“‘And what are they worth?’ I asked.
“‘Oh, merely a couple of hundred a year, but the work is slight, and it need not interfere very much with one’s other occupations.’

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Mr Sherlock Holmes @mrsherlockholmes.bsky.social · 1d

In that way I didn’t know much of what was going on outside, and I was always glad of a bit of news.
“‘Have you never heard of the League of the Red-headed Men?’ he asked with his eyes open.
“‘Never.’
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Mr Sherlock Holmes @mrsherlockholmes.bsky.social · 1d

“‘Why, what is it, then?’ I asked. You see, Mr. Holmes, I am a very stay-at-home man, and as my business came to me instead of my having to go to it, I was often weeks on end without putting my foot over the door-mat.

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Mr Sherlock Holmes @mrsherlockholmes.bsky.social · 1d

If my hair would only change colour, here’s a nice little crib all ready for me to step into.’
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#ArthurConanDoyle
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Mr Sherlock Holmes @mrsherlockholmes.bsky.social · 1d

“‘Why,’ says he, ‘here’s another vacancy on the League of the Red-headed Men. It’s worth quite a little fortune to any man who gets it, and I understand that there are more vacancies than there are men, so that the trustees are at their wits’ end what to do with the money.

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Mr Sherlock Holmes @mrsherlockholmes.bsky.social · 1d

“The first thing that put us out was that advertisement. Spaulding, he came down into the office just this day eight weeks, with this very paper in his hand, and he says:
“‘I wish to the Lord, Mr. Wilson, that I was a red-headed man.’
“‘Why that?’ I asks.

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