The Adventure of the Copper Beeches

           "Tothemanwholovesartforitsownsake,"remarkedSherlockHolmes,tossingasidetheadvertisementsheetoftheDailyTelegraph,"itisfrequentlyinitsleastimportantandlowliestmanifestationsthatthekeenestpleasureistobederived. Itispleasanttometoobserve,Watson,thatyouhavesofargraspedthistruththatintheselittlerecordsofourcaseswhichyouhavebeengoodenoughtodrawup,and,Iamboundtosay,occasionallytoembellish,youhavegivenprominencenotsomuchtothemanycausescelebresandsensationaltrialsinwhichIhavefiguredbutrathertothoseincidentswhichmayhavebeentrivialinthemselves,butwhichhavegivenroomforthosefacultiesofdeductionandoflogicalsynthesiswhichIhavemademyspecialprovince." 

           "Andyet,"saidI,smiling,"Icannotquiteholdmyselfabsolvedfromthechargeofsensationalismwhichhasbeenurgedagainstmyrecords." 

           "Youhaveerred,perhaps,"heobserved,takingupaglowingcinderwiththetongsandlightingwithitthelongcherry-woodpipewhichwaswonttoreplacehisclaywhenhewasinadisputatiousratherthanameditativemood —"youhaveerredperhapsinattemptingtoputcolourandlifeintoeachofyourstatementsinsteadofconfiningyourselftothetaskofplacinguponrecordthatseverereasoningfromcausetoeffectwhichisreallytheonlynotablefeatureaboutthething." 

           "ItseemstomethatIhavedoneyoufulljusticeinthematter,"Iremarkedwithsomecoldness,forIwasrepelledbytheegotismwhichIhadmorethanonceobservedtobeastrongfactorinmyfriend’ssingularcharacter. 

           "No,itisnotselfishnessorconceit,"saidhe,answering,aswashiswont,mythoughtsratherthanmywords. "IfIclaimfulljusticeformyart,itisbecauseitisanimpersonalthing—athingbeyondmyself. Crimeiscommon.