Bancroft himself.”
“So I assumed,” said Merriweather. “Yet it has occurred to me that that could be precisely what the sender wishes me to think. He is feigning a low level of mentality in order to deflect suspicion.”
“Holmes? Your view? Any inklings?”
But Holmes was already engrossed with the second letter.
REFLEKT ON YOUR MANY FEILINGS, MERRIWEATHER. YOU HAVE NOT EANNED YOUR PUSITION ON MERIT. I AM TAUKING OF YOOR PROPENSITY FOR BLATANT BLANDICHMENT AND BOOT-LICKING.
“Our letter writer has a penchant for alliteration, I’ll give him that,” I said. “What does his use of capitalisation signify, I wonder.”
I was prompting Holmes for an opinion, but he offered none. Instead, having perused the second letter for some minutes, he turned his attention to the third, which was the longest of them all.
YOU ARE IMFAMOUS FOR TREETING SOME OF YOUR PUPILS MORE FORGIFINGLY THAN OTHERS. YOU HAVE SUPPLYED THEM CONCISTENTLY WITH HIGH MARKS WHICH INCREASE THE MORE THEY COMBLIMENT AND FLATTER YOU. YOU HAVE FOREWARNED THEM OF THE QUESTIONS THEY WILL BE FOWCED TO CONFRONT IN THEIR EXOMS. THE PARSIALITY AND FAVOORITISM YOU SHOW ARE ENBARRASINGLY OBVIOUS. DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM NOW? OF THE MANY EXCEPTIONAL CHARACTERS THAT STAND BEFORE YOU, MINE SHOULD NOT BE TOO DIFFICULT TO SINGLE OUT CORRECTLY.
“He has grown in confidence with this one,” I said. “He is taunting you in a whole new way, Dr Merriweather. Not content with insulting and denigrating, he is inviting you to guess his identity. Clearly he is familiar to you, an acquaintance of some sort. The final sentence admits it. ‘Of the many exceptional characters that stand before you…’ He is someone who has been in your presence more than once.”
“I have drawn a similar conclusion,” said Merriweather. “But a goodly number of people, exceptional or otherwise, might be said to ‘stand before’ me in the normal course of my duties. Stand in my rooms awaiting my assessment of an essay. Stand in the dining hall as I and the other faculty members walk past in procession to reach the high table. Stand in the college chapel for the singing of hymns at Sunday service. Magdalen comprises a student body of some two hundred. Faculty and ancillary staff add a few dozen to that total. Far from narrowing down the list of suspects, the ‘characters’ reference would seem to widen it to include just about the entire college.”
“Do any of the accusations hit home? I’m not suggesting that they’re true, but do any of them strike you as the sort of opinion one particular individual might hold about you?”
Merriweather shook his head vehemently. “I cannot believe I have given anyone grounds even to suspect me of such actions. I have always endeavoured to comport myself with dignity and integrity in every aspect of my life. I have never plagiarised. I have licked no one’s boots – vile expression. I have never consciously shown favouritism, nor would I ever facilitate cheating in an exam. I prize
virtus
above everything. Do you know what that is? It is the Ancient Roman concept of virtue, encompassing the attributes of courage, honesty and worth. These should apply not just in one’s private practices but in one’s public dealings. For the Romans,
virtus
was gained through both illustrious deeds and proper conduct. I have written a paper on it, focusing on the writings of Sallust and Cicero, both of whom expounded on it at great length, and it is a philosophy that has, I hope, shaped my own nature.”
“It is almost as though your epistolary abuser knows that and is using it against you.”
“He could not wound me better than by aiming his malicious arrows at the values I hold dearest.”
Holmes, who had been busy going over all the three letters once again, at last looked up and spoke.
“You are both of you missing what lies plainly before you,” said he. “The culprit has identified himself by name in these letters.”
“He has?” said
“So I assumed,” said Merriweather. “Yet it has occurred to me that that could be precisely what the sender wishes me to think. He is feigning a low level of mentality in order to deflect suspicion.”
“Holmes? Your view? Any inklings?”
But Holmes was already engrossed with the second letter.
REFLEKT ON YOUR MANY FEILINGS, MERRIWEATHER. YOU HAVE NOT EANNED YOUR PUSITION ON MERIT. I AM TAUKING OF YOOR PROPENSITY FOR BLATANT BLANDICHMENT AND BOOT-LICKING.
“Our letter writer has a penchant for alliteration, I’ll give him that,” I said. “What does his use of capitalisation signify, I wonder.”
I was prompting Holmes for an opinion, but he offered none. Instead, having perused the second letter for some minutes, he turned his attention to the third, which was the longest of them all.
YOU ARE IMFAMOUS FOR TREETING SOME OF YOUR PUPILS MORE FORGIFINGLY THAN OTHERS. YOU HAVE SUPPLYED THEM CONCISTENTLY WITH HIGH MARKS WHICH INCREASE THE MORE THEY COMBLIMENT AND FLATTER YOU. YOU HAVE FOREWARNED THEM OF THE QUESTIONS THEY WILL BE FOWCED TO CONFRONT IN THEIR EXOMS. THE PARSIALITY AND FAVOORITISM YOU SHOW ARE ENBARRASINGLY OBVIOUS. DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM NOW? OF THE MANY EXCEPTIONAL CHARACTERS THAT STAND BEFORE YOU, MINE SHOULD NOT BE TOO DIFFICULT TO SINGLE OUT CORRECTLY.
“He has grown in confidence with this one,” I said. “He is taunting you in a whole new way, Dr Merriweather. Not content with insulting and denigrating, he is inviting you to guess his identity. Clearly he is familiar to you, an acquaintance of some sort. The final sentence admits it. ‘Of the many exceptional characters that stand before you…’ He is someone who has been in your presence more than once.”
“I have drawn a similar conclusion,” said Merriweather. “But a goodly number of people, exceptional or otherwise, might be said to ‘stand before’ me in the normal course of my duties. Stand in my rooms awaiting my assessment of an essay. Stand in the dining hall as I and the other faculty members walk past in procession to reach the high table. Stand in the college chapel for the singing of hymns at Sunday service. Magdalen comprises a student body of some two hundred. Faculty and ancillary staff add a few dozen to that total. Far from narrowing down the list of suspects, the ‘characters’ reference would seem to widen it to include just about the entire college.”
“Do any of the accusations hit home? I’m not suggesting that they’re true, but do any of them strike you as the sort of opinion one particular individual might hold about you?”
Merriweather shook his head vehemently. “I cannot believe I have given anyone grounds even to suspect me of such actions. I have always endeavoured to comport myself with dignity and integrity in every aspect of my life. I have never plagiarised. I have licked no one’s boots – vile expression. I have never consciously shown favouritism, nor would I ever facilitate cheating in an exam. I prize
virtus
above everything. Do you know what that is? It is the Ancient Roman concept of virtue, encompassing the attributes of courage, honesty and worth. These should apply not just in one’s private practices but in one’s public dealings. For the Romans,
virtus
was gained through both illustrious deeds and proper conduct. I have written a paper on it, focusing on the writings of Sallust and Cicero, both of whom expounded on it at great length, and it is a philosophy that has, I hope, shaped my own nature.”
“It is almost as though your epistolary abuser knows that and is using it against you.”
“He could not wound me better than by aiming his malicious arrows at the values I hold dearest.”
Holmes, who had been busy going over all the three letters once again, at last looked up and spoke.
“You are both of you missing what lies plainly before you,” said he. “The culprit has identified himself by name in these letters.”
“He has?” said
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