Treasures of the Month

Three of Them

'Three of them' is a series of five short stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle about his three children, Denis, Adrian and Billie from his second marriage to Jean.

It was published on 2 November 1923, by John Murray who also added two other short stories 'Billy Bones' and 'The Forbidden Subject' to the five, with an introduction written by Arthur Conan Doyle.

Here is an extract discussing his daughter Billie:

‘The boys are but shallow, sparkling pools compared with this little girl with her self-repression and dainty aloofness. You know the boys, you never feel that you quite know the girl. Something very strong and forceful seems to be at the back of that wee body. Her will is tremendous. Nothing can break or even bend it. Only kind guidance and friendly reasoning can mould it. The boys are helpless if she has really made up her mind. But this is only when she asserts herself, and those are rare occasions. As a rule she sits quiet, aloof, affable, keenly alive to all that passes and yet taking no part in it save for some subtle smile or glance. And then suddenly the wonderful grey-blue eyes under the long black lashes will gleam like coy diamonds, and such a hearty little chuckle will come from her that everyone else is bound to laugh out of sympathy.’

The image shows three mounted individual prints of Lena Jean Conan Doyle 'Billie'; Adrian Conan Doyle ' Dimples'; and Denis Conan Doyle, 'Laddie'. This was used as the frontispiece to the book