Two in the morning

 Every now and then, some little aspect of the Canon catches you by surprise. You go looking for some bit of information using a handy-dandy searchable copy of the sixty stories, as one does during the John H. Watson Society's annual August Treasure Hunt. And then suddenly you go, "Why is two in the morning such a thing?"

I mean, technically, the Canon is born at 2 A.M.

Watson only writes the adventures of Sherlock Holmes because John Rance saw a light on at the empty house at number 3 Lauriston Gardens at two in the morning. Had Rance not seen that light, stopped elsewhere on his patrol and didn't hit that spot at 2 AM? Sherlock Holmes might have had his little discussion with Watson about detection, then when the next crime came along, not have been as moved in the moment to invite Watson along.

Two in the morning, and a light in the darkness that starts it all.

And again in the next case. Jonathan Small strikes a match at 2 A.M. Another light in the darkness at two in the morning and downstream, Sherlock Holmes gets a case and John Watson gets a girlfriend. No match lit, no The Sign of the Four.

Alexander Holder gets stirred up at that hour. Holmes catches Joseph Harrison at that hour. Hilton Soames watches for dancing men at that hour. Peter Carey takes a harpoon at that hour. Watson does some stuff. Those Pennsyvania backstory folks do stuff. And there's some other guy and a thing.

Once the Canon is rolling 2 A.M. events become rather commonplace. But those first two, those key cases that set Watson to writing . . . they set the pace.

I won't be staying up to celebrate, though . . .