Conceit and patience

"You remind me of Edgar Allen Poe's Dupin. I had no idea that such individuals did exist outside of stories.”

Sherlock Holmes rose and lit his pipe. “No doubt you think that you are complimenting me in comparing me to Dupin,” he observed. “Now, in my opinion, Dupin was a very inferior fellow. That trick of his of breaking in on his friends' thoughts with an apropos remark after a quarter of an hour's silence is really very showy and superficial.” []

“Does Lecoq come up to your idea of a detective?”

Sherlock Holmes sniffed sardonically. “Lecoq was a miserable bungler,” he said, in an angry voice; “[] That book made me positively ill. The question was how to identify an unknown prisoner. I could have done it in twenty-four hours. Lecoq took six months or so. It might be made a text-book for detectives to teach them what to avoid.”

I felt rather indignant at having two characters whom I had admired treated in this cavalier style. [] “This fellow may be very clever,” I said to myself, “but he is certainly very conceited.”

~

“You know a conjuror gets no credit when once he has explained his trick, and if I show you too much of my method of working, you will come to the conclusion that I am a very ordinary individual after all.”

“I shall never do that,” I answered; “you have brought detection as near an exact science as it ever will be brought in this world.”

My companion flushed up with pleasure at my words, and the earnest way in which I uttered them. I had already observed that he was as sensitive to flattery on the score of his art as any girl could be of her beauty.

~

One of the most striking differences between Thrawn and Sherlock is the absolute naivete and patience of the first versus the arrogance and conceit of the second. Sherlock hates explaining himself to others, fundamentally unworthy of his genius. On the contrary, Thrawn teaches and mentors, never dismissing the potential around him. He does not live for the applauding crowd.

It is telling that, although said directly to Watson just in "The Crooked Man", "elementary!" is the undoubted expression associated with Holmes, while for Thrawn is "perhaps".

[Photo: in love of @lilac_vode art]