The Naval Treaty facts for kids

"The Naval Treaty" is an episode from the TV series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. This show is based on the famous detective stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The series was made by Granada Television in Britain. It ran from 1984 to 1994. Jeremy Brett plays the clever detective, Sherlock Holmes. This episode, "The Naval Treaty," first aired on May 8, 1984.

The Stolen Treaty Mystery

This episode tells the story of a very important government paper that goes missing. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson must find it before it causes big problems for England.

A Friend in Trouble

The story begins on a rainy night. A young man named Percy Phelps is brought home. He is very upset and worried. His fiancée, Annie, and her brother, Joseph Harrison, look after him.

Later, Dr. Watson gets a letter from his old friend, Percy Phelps. Percy works at the Foreign Office, a government department that handles international relations. He writes that something terrible has happened. It has ruined his career and his good name. He asks Dr. Watson to bring Sherlock Holmes to help him.

Holmes reads the letter. He agrees to go with Watson to Percy's home, Briarbrae House, in Woking.

The Missing Document

At Briarbrae House, Holmes and Watson meet Percy and Annie. Percy is still very distressed. He starts to explain what happened.

Percy was asked by Lord Holdhurst, a high-ranking official, to copy a secret document. This document was a "naval treaty" between England and Italy. It was written in French. Lord Holdhurst told Percy to be very careful. The document's contents were top secret. Other countries, like Russia and France, would pay a lot to know what was in it. Percy was told to work late, after everyone else had left. He had to keep both the original and the copy locked in his desk.

Percy went back to his office. He waited for his colleague, Charles Gorot, to leave. Then he started copying the long document.

Percy tells Holmes that he rang a bell to ask for coffee. A woman, the commissionaire's wife, answered. She said she would wake her husband to make the coffee. Percy went back to work. When the coffee didn't arrive, he left his office. He left the original treaty and his half-finished copy on his desk. He went to check on the commissionaire.

While Percy was with the commissionaire, a bell rang in Percy's office. Percy rushed back upstairs. He found that the original treaty was gone! He didn't see anyone on the stairs. He remembers hearing Big Ben strike a quarter to 10.

Percy and the commissionaire searched outside. It was raining, and no one was around. A policeman said he had only seen the commissionaire's wife leave the building.

Percy becomes very upset while telling his story. Holmes asks Joseph Harrison about his job. Joseph says he works in stocks and shares. He also expects to take over his father's business.

Holmes Investigates

Holmes and Watson go to the Foreign Office. They meet Inspector Forbes. The inspector says they have checked the commissionaire and Gorot. They don't know who rang the bell or why.

Holmes and Watson then meet Lord Holdhurst. He is sure no one knew about the secret task given to Percy. Holmes realizes that the thief must have found the document by accident. Lord Holdhurst says he would know if the treaty's secrets had been leaked.

Back at Baker Street, Holmes decides to wait. He has asked about cab drivers who might have been near the Foreign Office that night.

A Midnight Visitor

That night, Percy Phelps refuses his sleep medicine. He feels hopeful because Holmes is on the case. Later, he wakes up. He sees a shadowy figure trying to get into his room through the window. The person runs away when they see Percy is awake.

The next morning, Percy tells Holmes and Watson about the intruder. Holmes quickly speaks to Annie. He asks her to stay in Percy's room all day. When she leaves for bed, she must lock the room from the outside. Holmes then asks Percy to come to London with him and Watson. They will spend the night there.

On the way to the train station, Holmes suddenly gets out of the carriage. He tells Watson to take Percy to Baker Street. Holmes says he will join them for breakfast the next morning. Holmes spends the day in the countryside. He returns to Briarbrae House later that evening. He sees Annie still in Percy's room, reading.

The Treaty is Found!

The next morning, Holmes returns to Baker Street. He has a handkerchief tied around his hand. He seems to have hurt himself. Mrs. Hudson brings breakfast. Percy is too worried to eat. Holmes asks Percy to help him serve breakfast because of his injured hand.

Percy lifts the lid off a dish. To his great surprise and joy, he finds a rolled-up paper. It is the stolen treaty!

Holmes explains what happened. The night before, he waited outside Percy's window. Annie locked the door as he asked. Later, a person sneaked into the room through the window. Holmes followed them inside. It was Joseph Harrison! He had come to get the document. He had hidden it under the sofa.

Holmes and Harrison struggled. Holmes's hand was cut by Harrison's knife. Harrison escaped. Watson is surprised that Holmes let Harrison go. Holmes says he has told the police about Harrison. But he also thinks it's better for Percy and Lord Holdhurst if Harrison isn't caught. This way, the whole affair won't become a public scandal.

Holmes explains that Harrison was in a lot of debt from losing money in the stock market. This was why he stole the treaty. On the night of the theft, Harrison went to Percy's office. He used a side entrance. He saw the treaty on the desk and realized it was very important. He stole it. He then hid it under the sofa in his room at Briarbrae House. He planned to sell it later.

Just after he hid the document, Percy was brought home, very ill. Harrison had to move out of his room because it became Percy's sick room. Since someone was always in the room after that, Harrison couldn't get the treaty back.

Holmes explains that Harrison tried to break in again when he knew the nurse wouldn't be there. But Percy was sleeping lightly and woke up. Holmes made Harrison's desire for the treaty even stronger by having Annie stay in the room all day. By following Harrison, Holmes let Harrison show him where the treaty was hidden. Harrison used the window to make it look like a burglar did it. This also gave him an escape route.

Cast

• Jeremy Brett – Sherlock Holmes
• David Burke – Dr. Watson
• David Gwillim – Percy Phelps
• Gareth Thomas – Joseph Harrison
• Alison Skilbeck – Annie Harrison
• Ronald Russell – Lord Holdhurst
• Nicholas Geake – Charles Gorot
• Pamela Pitchford – Mrs. Tangey
• John Malcolm – Tangey
• David Rodigan – Inspector Forbes
• Eve Matheson – Miss Tangey
• Rosalie Williams – Mrs. Hudson
• John Taylor – Dr. Ferrier

Images for kids

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  Illustration by Sidney Paget from 'The Adventure of the Naval Treaty', The Strand Magazine, Volume 6

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  Illustration by Sidney Paget from 'The Adventure of the Naval Treaty', The Strand Magazine, Volume 6

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  Illustration by Sidney Paget from 'The Adventure of the Naval Treaty', The Strand Magazine, Volume 6