Mrs. Hudson, Sherlock Holmes’s landlady, was a patient woman. She put up with Sherlock’s strangeness. His incredible untidiness, his addiction to music at strange hours, his occasional indoor gun practice, his weird and often smelly scientific experiments, and the atmosphere of violence and danger which hung around him made him the very worst tenant in London. On the other hand, his rent payments were enormous. I have no doubt that the house could have been purchased for the price which Holmes paid for his rooms during the years that I was with him. The landlady never dared to interfere with Holmes, however outrageously he might act. She respected him. He, on the other hand, disliked and distrusted all women, but his actions showed no evidence of it. He was always polite, albeit distant. Still, she truly cared for him. So when she came to my room and told me how concerned she was about Sherlock, I listened closely. "He's dying, Dr. Watson," she said. "For three days, he has been getting worse, and I doubt if he will make it through the day. He would not let me get a doctor. This morning when I saw his bones sticking out of his face, I couldn’t stand it anymore. 'With your consent or without it, Mr. Holmes, I am going for a doctor this very minute,' I said. 'Let it be Watson, then,' he said. I would hurry, sir, or you may not see him alive." I was horrified because I had heard nothing of his illness. I don’t need to say that I rushed for my coat and my hat. As we drove back, I asked for the details. "There is little I can tell you, sir. He has been working on a case down in an alley near the river, and he has brought this illness back with him. He took to his bed on Wednesday afternoon and hasn’t moved since. For three days, he hasn’t eaten or drank anything." "Good God! Why didn’t you call a doctor sooner?" "He wouldn't have it, sir. You know how he is. I didn't dare disobey him. But he's so sick." In the dim light of a November day the sick room was a gloomy spot, but it was Sherlock’s thin, pale face that sent a chill to my heart. His sweaty skin was a sure sign of fever. His thin hands twitched constantly, and his voice was weak. When I entered the room, he didn’t move, but his eyes showed recognition. "Well, Watson, we seem to have fallen on bad days," he said in a sickly voice. "My dear fellow!" I cried, approaching him. "Stand back! Stand right back!" he said sharply, in a voice reserved for emergencies. "If you approach me, Watson, I will order you out of the house." "But why?" "Because I want it that way. Isn’t that enough?" Yes, Mrs. Hudson was right. He was more stubborn than ever. It was sad, however, to see him so exhausted. "I only want to help," I explained. "Exactly! Do what you are told." "Certainly, Holmes." He relaxed. "You are not angry?" he asked, gasping for breath. Poor devil. I was worried about it; how could I be angry when he was so ill? "It's for your own safety, Watson," he said. "For MY safety?" "I know what is wrong with me. It is a disease from Sumatra. Only one thing is certain. It is always deadly, and it is horribly contagious." He spoke now with a feverish energy, his long hands twitching and jerking as he motioned me away. "Contagious by touch, Watson--that's it, by touch. Keep your distance and all is well." "Good heavens, Holmes! Do you think your warning would stop me from helping an old friend? I’m a doctor!" Again I advanced, but he was furious. "If you stay there, I will talk. If you do not, you have to leave." I respected Holmes and always followed his orders, but here in his sick room, I couldn’t. "Holmes," I said, "you are not yourself. A sick man is like a child, and that’s how I’ll treat you. Whether you like it or not, I will examine your symptoms and treat you." He looked at me with angry eyes. "If I have to see a doctor, I at least want one I can trust," he said. "But don’t you trust me?" "In your friendship, certainly. But facts are facts, Watson, and, after all, you are only a general practitioner with very limited experience and mediocre qualifications. It is painful to have to say these things, but you leave me no choice." I was truly hurt.