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“ TO THE RED - HEADED LEAGUE : An American , Ezekiah Hopkins , left money to the League when he died . There is now another place open for a member . He will get £ 4 a week for very easy work . Any healthy red - headed man over twenty - one may apply . Come on Monday at eleven o’clock to Duncan Ross , at the office of the League , 7 Pope’s Court , Fleet Street . ” “ What on earth does this mean ? ” I cried . Holmes laughed quietly . “ It is a little unusual , isn’t it ? Now , Mr Wilson , tell us about yourself and about this advertisement . Watson , please make a note of the paper and the date . ” “ It is The Morning Chronicle , from about two months ago , ” I said . II . Four Pounds a Week “ Well , Mr Holmes , ” said Mr Wilson , “ I have a small pawnbroker’s shop in Saxe - Coburg Square , near the City . People bring me their watches and rings , and I lend them money . It is not a big business . I have only one assistant , and I could not really pay him a full wage . But he is happy to work for half the usual money , so that he can learn the trade . ” “ What is his name ? ” asked Holmes . “ Vincent Spaulding . He is a smart man , and he could earn twice as much in another place . But if he is happy , why should I put ideas in his head ? He has only one fault . He loves photography . He is always taking pictures , and then he runs down into the cellar like a rabbit into its hole to make his photographs . There is also a girl of fourteen who cooks and cleans . My wife is dead , and I have no children , so we live very quietly , the three of us . “ Eight weeks ago Spaulding came into the shop with this paper . ‘ I wish I was a red - headed man , Mr Wilson , ’ he said . ‘ There is another empty place in the League of Red - Headed Men . It is worth a small fortune , and the work is easy . You could get it yourself . ’ “ I do not go out much , Mr Holmes , so I had never heard of the League . Spaulding told me all about it . A rich American called Hopkins had red hair himself , and he wanted to help all red - headed men . When he died , he left his money to the League . It paid red - headed men for very easy work . ‘ But only men from London can have it , ’ Spaulding said , ‘ and their hair must be real bright , fiery red . If you went , I think they would take you at once . ’ “ Business has not been good for some years , so the money would be very useful . My hair , as you can see , is a very rich colour . So I closed the shop , and Spaulding and I went to the address . “ I never want to see a sight like that again . Every man with a bit of red in his hair came into the City that day . Fleet Street was full of red heads , and Pope’s Court looked like a fruit seller’s cart full of oranges . When I saw all those men , I wanted to go home . But Spaulding pushed and pulled until he got me through the crowd and up the stairs to the office .
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