"Violence does, in truth, recoil upon the violent, and the schemer falls into the pit which he digs for another."Whenever I read this splendid quote, the crisp, sonorous voice I hear in my head is that of Basil Rathbone. I don't know if that's from listening to the recording of him reading the story or from hearing his radio version.
-- Sherlock Holmes, "The Adventure of the Speckled Band"
At any rate, the quote has always seemed to be like a set piece, by which I mean a nice piece of writing that was just dropped into the story rather than flowing out of it. It's almost as though Holmes is quoting something else. So far as I know, he is not.
Another strange aspect for me is the phrase "in truth," as if Holmes is saying, "See, I told you so."
Many villains in the Canon are dispatched before they can be brought before the bar of justice, but I can't think of another who met a fate similar to that of Dr. Grimesby Roylott. Can you?
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