What About Mrs. Watson?

I'm practically positive that out of every question an avid Holmesian has about the books, the one that is most commonly asked is this:

"What happened to Mrs. Watson?"

I'll start at the beginning.

We are only tolerant of Mrs. Watson because she was Mary Morstan in The Sign of Four. Yet, those of us so devoted to Holmes - those of us who tend to forget about Watson - are selfish. Selfish in the fact that Miss Morstan's marriage to Holmes' best friend and chronicler resulted in Watson's leaving Baker Street; we are angry at anyone or anything that comes between the infamous pair.

Watson's falling in love was, in my opinion, a nice addition to the otherwise dreary and depressing story presented to us in The Sign of Four. Seeming as Holmes is referred to as "a thinking machine" more than once in the canon, seeing someone experience so human an emotion as falling in love in the books is welcome. But did it have to be Watson? There are many other people involved in the case that could have become Miss Morstan's suitor...Athelby Jones, for example, is, as far as we know, unmarried. Sure, it would have been an awkward match, but anything is better in our minds than Watson leaving Baker Street for good. After running down the list, however, ruling out Holmes, who, as we know, is practically incapable of expressing human emotion, the only logical choice to the author would be, unfortunatly for us, Watson.

I have to admit, I found myself a bit perturbed upon reading the section in The Sign of Four where Watson announces his engagement to Miss Morstan to his friend. I wasn't annoyed with Holmes' response, though it was a bit disheartening for the poor fellow...but I was annoyed with the fact that Watson had indeed done what I had thought to be impossible in the books - proposed to one of Holmes' clients. I knew upon the chapter when Watson and Miss Morstan break open the treasure box, only to find it empty, that Watson was going to propose, but when he actually said he did... My first thought was, Oooh Watson, you've ruined everything! Then a bit of consolation as Holmes expresses his disapproval.

Then, to our great sadness, we learn that Watson has moved out of Baker Street. He hasn't seen Holmes in some time - this leaves the ovbious impression that he hasn't chronicled anything for the great detective. After reading this, I was saddened. How many great mysteries did we miss, since Watson wasn't there to record them? True, we do feel slightly happy for the man, who, we later find out, has opened his own practice and is doing well. Yet there is some sort of jealousy - why do we get to hear about Watson's doctor's office, when we could have, with the elimination of the obstacle called Mary Morstan, heard a numerous amount of fresh cases Holmes has worked on. I was mad.

Then, just as I'm wishing Watson was back living at Baker Street - he is, once more! Holmesians rejoice. The once thought to be inseperable pair has been reunited once more! Yet this leaves us with this rather unsettling question: "Where did Mrs. Watson go?"

Watson never once mentions Mary after he returns to Baker Street, as far as I know. Could he have had a bitter divorce? Did she get ill and die? We will probably never know.

But then, after things have gone well for awhile, another Mrs. Watson shows up! Holmes mentions her briefly in one of only 2 or 3 cases he recorded himself, The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier.

"I find from my notebook that it was in January, 1903...The good Watson had at that time deserted me for a wife, the only selfish action which I can recall in our association. I was alone."

This Mrs. Watson has no other details about her. Could she have been the same Mrs. Watson, nee Mary Morstan, from earlier times? Yet it seems like such a big gap, between Watson's marriage, return to Baker Street, and this second mention of a wife.

We'll probably never know what happened to Mrs. Watson - and whether or not the second Mrs. Watson was truly the second Mrs. Watson or still the first. But I suppose we will have to live with it forever, only delighting in the fact that Watson does indeed return to Baker Street to be with his famous friend, Sherlock Holmes, once more.

(picture above: Jenny Seagrove as Mary Morstan in the Granada TV Movie, The Sign of Four)