The desperate need for physicians that winter had drawn me back into medical practice, while Holmes grappled with the weight of a secret problem his brother had dropped into his lap. By the end of January we were both of us well on our way to being automatons, sharing spare moments at dawn or dusk over hasty meals. Meals I ate, while he, I'm afraid, resorted to strong tobacco and the violin. But then an advertisement for an Wagner opera appeared, and I was quick to secure tickets.
To see Holmes smile again I was willing to endure anything, even Ragnarok.