In this quiet period of their lives, the Conan Doyles settled into Davos, where he continued to ski and write the Gerard stories for The Strand. The stories were well-received, and Greenhough Smith welcomed a replacement for Holmes. He also began work on Rodney Stone, a historical novel about bare-knuckle boxing set in the Regency era, that he would finish in September.
In October, during a business trip to London he met Grant Allen, a fellow Strand contributor. Allen told him that he had cured himself of tuberculosis by staying at Hindhead, Surrey, about 50 miles southwest of London. Conan Doyle visited the village and thought the dry weather ideal for Louise’s health. Eager to live in England again, he bought land and hired an architect to design a home.
While the house was being built, and with Switzerland unseasonably cold, Conan Doyle took Louise to Egypt in November. In season, the country was considered a good place for a consumptive, and Louise was delighted with the change. During the voyage, Louise rested while Conan Doyle worked on his Gerard stories, helped by suitcases full of books he had bought at a London auction.
While they mingled with British society at a hotel near Cairo, Conan Doyle continued to write. He worked on Uncle Bernac, another novel set in the Napoleonic era, and adapted for the stage a novel by his friend and mentor James Payn called Halves. He climbed the Great Pyramid and golfed. His attempts to improve his horsemanship led to an encounter with an unruly steed who dragged him across the desert and kicked him in the forehead. The encounter left him with five stitches and a sagging eyelid.
Publications: The Stark Munro Letters (Sept.).