Last Updated on July 22, 2020, by eNotes Editorial. Word Count: 296

Sherlock Holmes

Holmes is the detective extraordinaire who uses pure logic and his knowledge of human nature to quickly and effectively deduce the sequence of events that led to a situation occurring, in the case of the novel, that led to Mary's father disappearing ten years prior.

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John Watson

Watson is Holmes's partner, a former member of the military and now a physician. His medical knowledge is frequently prevailed upon to aid these cases. He falls in love with Mary Morstan in the story.

Mary Morstan

Mary Morstan is a socialite whose father went missing years earlier. She is being courted by another man, Thaddeus Sholto, but she has feelings for Dr. Watson.

Major Sholto

Major Sholto worked with Mary Morstan's father prior to his disappearance. He is the possessor of the jewels over which Mary's father was murdered and reveals the murder to the other characters, as they had simply believed that Morston had disappeared.

Dr. Thaddeus Sholto and Bartholomew Sholto

Dr. Thaddeus Sholto and Bartholomew Sholto are the sons of Major Sholto. Thaddeus is in love with Mary Morstan and attempts to woo her by frequently sending her pearls from his own collection. The two brothers attempt to find their father's cache of hidden jewels after Major Sholto dies mysteriously. Bartholomew finds the location of the treasure chest eventually—their father's attic—but he is also mysteriously killed.

Jonathan Small

Small was one of the original discoverers of the jewels in India. During an imprisonment he had informed Major Sholto and Morstan of the jewels and had sought to reclaim them after his release. He is one of the "Four" from whence the title of the story comes, who had discovered the jewels, and he and the other remaining member attempt to get the jewels back by whatever means necessary.

Last Updated on May 5, 2015, by eNotes Editorial. Word Count: 305

Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes, the famous detective known for his powers of observation and deduction.

Dr. John Watson

Dr. John Watson, Holmes’s friend and assistant. In this story, he is attracted to Mary Morstan, proposes to her, and is accepted.

Mary Morstan

Mary Morstan, Holmes’s client. She is a young Englishwoman whose father, an officer with an Indian regiment, failed to meet her, as he had sent word he would, at a London hotel....