It was for the best, they both decided. Holmes's habits were simply too trying, his lifestyle too unpredictable. Not that Watson was without his faults. A hair-trigger temper and iron stubbornness did not make him an ideal flatmate either.
However, it was with no rancor, but a little genuine regret, that they parted ways. Holmes returned to Montague Street to eke out a living as a private detective. Watson drifted to Scotland, relying on relatives until he could purchase a practice. A young dentist and his wife moved into 221B Baker Street.
Mrs. Hudson found them satisfactory, if anti-climactic, tenants.