1.
He was raised a standard good man: write to your parents, they'll be glad to hear from you; gypsies are nasty, avoid them; England, home and beauty.
The standard is a whetting stone, often applied to wrong edges. Most people are polished into cylinders: hard, colourless, murky, easily stocked together. He, on the other hand… His count of game suggests a cool-headed gambler. No stranger to violence, given and taken. Cuts a dashing figure, but doesn't indulge in women's graces or men's rivalry. His views on honour are dated, almost obsolete.
"Colonel Moran to see you, Sir."
"Let him in."
2.
"He was raised a good man. A mite authoritative, nothing a good wife wouldn't cure… I heard he became quite self-righteous in his years among the savages."
"Hasn't he paid you a visit?"
"No, he hasn't, strictly speaking. And won't, he's already off to his research again. Poor chap; I thought his heart would break there in my churchyard."
"Perhaps it did."
"At least he won't get killed."
"Killed?"
"Oh. Um. Ms. Brenda considered him a dear friend, so I thought he was in danger by association."
"He was."
"Still is, to my knowledge."
"Mr. Holmes!"
"Pray for him, Father."
3.
He was raised a good man, no doubt. I knew his parents. A good man, but a dreamer, and you cannot afford that today. When my foolish daughter caught his eye, I had mixed feelings. Then again, he had nothing to gain from it, and nothing I wouldn't be able to win by court, so I let them play.
Only there's a pattern we have here, an old one, for every true gentleman and every true lady. Aye, even for that rascal Hugo, or they'd've burned his portrait long ago.
We don't need to read Shakespeare, we live it.
4.
"I raised him a good man. A trustworthy one. There was nothing anybody could buy him with – he knew I would damn him to Hell myself. He found himself a decent girl. They were going to marry."
"Forgive me. Please forgive me."
"I was saving off for their wedding; he used to laugh at me, mother, I'm not the Prince of Wales. Did you know, he wanted so badly to go to the Army, I had to haul him off a ship once?"
"Mrs. West, visiting hours are over, ma'am."
"May you rot for what you did, Colonel."
"I shall."
5.
He was raised a good man. Probably.
The dearth of what I can tell about this character teases my mind; is he audacious, or simply craves redemption with all fibres of his soul? Has he committed any definable crime? Is he a puppet, or a puppeteer? Is he capable of replacing Moriarty?
Dare I trust him?
Is he still alive?
He forces me to guess on a hunch; he escapes logic's clutches like an eel.
Although, to do that, he has to use logic himself. Instinct wouldn't hold him afloat for any length of time.
Another piece of the puzzle.
6.
"One can be certain he wasn't raised a good man, if he were raised at all."
"Are you insulting my masterpiece? He had a very detailed background."
"Evidently, since you wouldn't be sitting here otherwise. Still, the man's better off dead; I was becoming bothered by the sway he had over you."
"I admit, the company he kept was anything but pleasant."
"Company, nothing. His quirks! His outrageous hobbies! His accent!"
"His most treasured achievements!"
"Modesty is a virtue some of us acquire later than others."
"And some don't. My darker side willed out."
"Appalling, Sherlock. Pitiful. Disgusting. A goatee?"