the prime calcula/his citadel and other quotes

Roy C. Lackey · 18 Jan 2011, 20:48 · from 2011-January.txt.gz

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From: rclackey at stic.net (Roy C. Lackey)
Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2011 14:48:06 -0600
Subject: (urth) the prime calcula/his citadel and other quotes
References: <609292.90378.qm at web161801.mail.bf1.yahoo.com><00c201cbb68c$7229a680$b5cf4a0c@rclackey>	<4D34B7A5.3060607 at gmail.com><004901cbb6f6$cc7327a0$7bd04a0c@rclackey>
	<4D358382.8020301 at gmail.com>
Message-ID: <000b01cbb751$06529320$3ed14a0c@rclackey>

James Wynn wrote:
> I realize it is easy to forget, but these books weren't written by Silk.
> They were written by Horn.

You think?

> While we can assume Horn is honestly writing
> about what he was told and saw, we cannot make assumptions about things
> being so based on NEGATIVE evidence...that is, we don't have any record
> of Silk saying, "Pas looks like me. So he must have not looked like Pas.
> Mint doesn't say 'You look like Pas' so therefore she never saw the
> resemblance."

It was precisely the barks that the dog *didn't* make that led Holmes to
draw a correct conclusion. The bulk of LS consists of dialogues and actions
that Horn was not present to record. Do you really think Mint thought it
worth mentioning to Horn how filthy her drawers were after she got out of
the tunnels but not that Silk and Pas looked alike? That's not believable.

-Roy

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