give summary of the lion's mane Sherlock Holmes story in around 500 to 550 words please
Answers
Holmes is enjoying his retirement in Sussex when one day at the beach, he meets his friend Harold Stackhurst, the headmaster of a nearby preparatory school called The Gables. No sooner have they met than Stackhurst's science teacher, Fitzroy McPherson, staggers up to them, clearly in agony and wearing only an overcoat and trousers. He collapses, manages to say something about a "lion's mane", and then succumbs. He is observed to have red welts all over his back, possibly administered by a flexible weapon of some kind, for the marks curve over his shoulder and round his ribs.
Moments later, Ian Murdoch, a mathematics teacher at The Gables, comes up behind them. He has not seen the attack, and has only just arrived at the beach from the school. Holmes sees a couple of people far up the beach, but thinks they are much too far away to have had anything to do with McPherson's death. Likewise, the few fishing boats off the beach are too far out.
It emerges that Murdoch and McPherson were friends, but had not always been. Murdoch is an enigmatic fellow with an occasional bad temper. He once threw McPherson's dog through a plate-glass window, for instance. Despite this, Stackhurst is sure that the two were on good terms with each other.
McPherson also had a lover, and on further investigation, it turns out that Maud Bellamy was McPherson's fiancée. A note confirming a meeting with her was found on McPherson, although it gave no clear details.
Holmes goes to look at the lagoon formed by a recent storm that local men have been using as a bathing pond. He sees McPherson's towel lying there dry and concludes that he never went into the water. Holmes arranges to have the caves and other nooks at the foot of the cliffs searched. Nothing and no-one turns up, which is what Holmes expected would be the case.
Stackhurst and Holmes decide to go and see Miss Bellamy to see whether she can shed any light on this perplexing mystery. Just as they are approaching The Haven, the Bellamys' house, they see Ian Murdoch emerge. Stackhurst demands to know what he was doing there, and an angry exchange ensues with Murdoch declaring in effect that it is none of Stackhurst's business. Stackhurst loses his temper and sacks Murdoch on the spot. Murdoch then storms off to get ready to move out.
A Lion's Mane jellyfish capturing a sea gooseberry.
They visit the Bellamys and find an amazingly beautiful woman in Maud Bellamy, but two extremely unpleasant men in her father and muscular brother. It seems that Mr. Bellamy and his son did not approve of the liaison between Maud and McPherson; indeed, they do not even find out about the engagement until this meeting, so secret had been the affair. Maud says that she will help however she can. It emerges that Murdoch was once a potential suitor to Miss Bellamy. This, in turn, causes Holmes to suspect that he may be responsible for McPherson's death, out of jealousy.
Then McPherson's dog is found dead at the pool where McPherson met his end. It obviously died in agony, much as its master had. At this point, Holmes begins to suspect something else. The dead McPherson's dying words, "lion's mane", have triggered a memory, but he cannot quite place it.
Inspector Bardle of the Sussex Constabulary visits Holmes to ask if there is enough evidence to arrest Murdoch. Holmes is sure that there is not. Murdoch has an alibi. He also could not have singlehandedly overcome McPherson, who was quite strong, despite having heart trouble. The two men also consider McPherson's wounds. The weals actually looked as though they may have been administered by a hot wire mesh, or perhaps a cat o' nine tails. Holmes is about to go back to the bathing pond to test a theory he has formed which might explain McPherson's death. As he is about to leave, Murdoch arrives, helped in by Stackhurst, who is afraid that Murdoch might be dying; he fainted twice in pain. He has the same wounds on him that McPherson had. In great agony, he passes out, but finally recovers.
At the bathing pond, Holmes spots the murderer: a lion's mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata), a deadly creature about which Holmes has read. Holmes takes a rock and kills it. Murdoch is exonerated. It turns out that, given his former relationship with Maud, he acted as a go-between for her and McPherson, but for the same reason, did not wish to discuss it with anyone. Stackhurst forgives Murdoch and gives him his job back
When a vacationing Holmes finds a man with deep red cuts that lead to his untimely death, it appears many people are suspects! The mysterious death of a well-respected man opens our story, ''The Adventure of the Lion's Mane,'' -- and this mystery ends with a hard-to-believe conclusion. Let's dive in.
Murder ... Or Is It?
Retirement doesn't last long for Sherlock Holmes, who is trying to enjoy his time off when he and a friend, Harold Stackhurst, stumble upon a dying man on a nearby beach. The man, Fitzroy McPherson, is a science teacher at Stackhurst's school, The Gables. McPherson has clearly had a bad go of it with something or somebody and is staggering around in noticeable pain.
As he collapses, he utters the words, ''the Lion's Mane.'' Once he falls to the ground, Holmes notices the man is wearing only an overcoat and a pair of shoes. Underneath, the man's skin is torn up: ''His back was covered with dark red lines as though he had been terribly flogged by a thin wire scourge.'' The man had bitten through his bottom lip due to the pain, and his face was contorted in agony.
On the Scene
While Holmes and Stackhurst are trying to decipher what has happened, Ian Murdoch, a math teacher from the same school, happens upon the scene. We learn that Murdoch is a bit shady -- a ''tall, dark, thin man, so taciturn and aloof that none can be said to have been his friend.''
What's more, Murdoch and the victim were known to have been adversaries. Once, Murdoch had thrown McPherson's dog through a plate-glass window. That's sure to cause problems between a dog owner and the offender, right? However, Murdoch appears to know nothing of the crime and seems genuinely concerned for his colleague. Stackhurst thinks the bad blood has blown over.
Holmes sends Murdoch to the police for help, while he and Stackhurst stay with the body. Harkening back to his detective days, Holmes begins assessing the scene and looking for clues.
By the time he returns to the body, a crowd of people has started to form, including a local police officer. The men look through the dead man's pockets and discover an assortment of usual items, as well as an apparent love note signed ''Maudie.''
Meeting Maude
It doesn't take long to figure out the mystery of Maudie; Stackhurst quickly identifies the woman as Maud Bellamy, ''the beauty of the neighborhood,'' and the daughter of Tom Bellamy, a ''man of some substance.''
Holmes and Stackhurst decide to walk to the Bellamy home to talk with the young woman about her letter. They are greeted by none other than Ian Murdoch! How had he beaten them, and why was he there? Murdoch is belligerent and refuses to say why he is there. Yet, he leaves, and the men continue in their quest to speak to Maud.
It's clear from the brief conversation with Maud's father and brother that they did not approve of the now deceased man's affections toward their daughter/sister. Yet, Maud clearly does not care, telling the men that she and McPherson were engaged to be married. She pledges her help to Holmes and Stackhurst's investigation. The men also discover that Murdoch had been an admirer of Maud's. Cue the suspenseful music and suspicions of jealousy.