We give you best, Holmes. I believe you are the devil himself.
The quote is spoken by Count Negretto Sylvius, as he is being taken away by the police after the Mazarin Stone has been recovered from him. The count is a cunning man, and knows of Holmes’ methods. He is aware that Holmes had been spying on him, and will recover the Mazarin Stone anyhow, so he carries the stone in his pocket everywhere. He decides to mislead Holmes and smuggle the diamond out of the country, however he is unaware that Holmes has been eavesdropping him by impersonating the wax effigy he had kept to mislead any sharp-shooters aiming at him. Sylvius who thinks he is clever enough to fool anyone, even Holmes is quite shocked at how real Holmes’ disguise seemed and he terms Holmes’ skills as unnatural, and so he calls him a devil as only a devil can do things out of the league of normal human beings.
It was worth a wound—it was worth many wounds—to know the depth of loyalty and love which lay behind that cold mask.
These lines are from The Adventure of The Three Garridebs, Watson feels so after he is slightly wounded during the altercation with Killer Evans. As he is lying wounded, Holmes gets tense and is extremely worried. As Holmes usually avoid showing his emotions and keeps them under a check, it’s a first for both of them to observe him getting worried over someone. It’s a mark of the friendship they have, that he would worry over Watson whom he mostly chides for being inobservant, when he had an importat criminal to catch.
Woman's heart and mind are insoluble puzzles to the male.
Holmes remarks this in The Adventure of the Illustrious Client as he and Watson are talking about Miss Violet de Merville, who is engaged to Baron Gruner, notorious for marrying rich women and killing them. Miss de Merville is feared to be his next victim, and despite of being told of Gruner’s character, she loves him ferociously and wouldn’t break off her marriage. Holmes is trying to unearth any detail that might turn her away from the man. He explains to Watson that even though she knows who Gruner is and loves him still, some other detail, however small, may rankle inside her and has her break off the marriage. He describes this possibility as part of a puzzle as he believes that women are much complex than men and hence can’t be understood.
You can't play with edged tools forever without cutting those dainty hands.
Holmes mentions this as a parting to Isador Klein in the Adventure of the Three Gables. Isadora is a temptress, who likes to live an adventurous life. She had had many lovers, Douglas Maberley, being one of them. Douglas after having been scorned by her penned a novel describing their relationship and her character. Since, she is to marry a Duke, the book could be dangerous for her image. Holmes investigates the case where she tries a number of tactics involving stealth at the Maberley house, to get her hands on the book. He finds her burning the book, and instead of getting her in the hands of police, asks her to finance Douglas’ mother’s trip around the world as the elderly lady wished to do. He asks her to avoid getting involved with men as it could prove dangerous for her and she can’t always get away from justice as she had done now.
It is my business to know things. That is my trade.
Holmes mentions this to Colonel Emsworth in The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier, when the Colonel asks him how Holmes knows of his son’s condition. Holmes tells him that knowing things is his business, as an investigative detective. When Holmes is presented with the case, he only knows what his client Dodd has told him and yet he is able to surmise an explanation of what happened to Godfrey Emsworth. There is another explanation to this. Colonel Emsworth stresses previously that whatever happened to Godfrey is his personal matter, as Holmes is a detective it’s his business to know even personal things so according to him he has not really trespassed Emsworth’s privacy but has conducted his business as any other businessman would do.
Come at once if convenient—if inconvenient come all the same.
Watson receives this message from Holmes in The Adventure of The Creeping Man. Watson describes this period as ‘peculiar’ as Holmes and Watson didn’t go well along during this time. Holmes with his arrogance and habits of patronizing Watson, annoys him to the point that Watson begins to question his importance in the life of Holmes. He begins to wonder why a man like Holmes, who needs no one and has no emotions would have the need of a simpleton like Watson. Watson decides that his presence must have served as a catalyst for the arrogant and attention-seeker mind of Holmes who functioned better in te presence of an inobservant audience.
