Holmes, Dr.Watson and Mary were taken down the Strand, which was crowded, badly lit and humid. All kinds of people-sad, happy, old and young could be seen moving about in the dim light. Watson found it eerie and ghostlike, and he felt nervous and depressed. They then reached the Lyceum Theatre, where the crowds were pouring in.

A continuous stream of horse carriages could be seen, with stylish people getting out of them. Near the Lyceum Theatre they were met by a coachman who took them in his coach through Rochester Row and Vincent Square onto Vauxhall Bridge Road. They were on the Surrey side, on the bridge from where they got glimpses of the river Thames with lamps shining on the silent water.

The cab then took them through a maze of streets. Holmes could identify Wordsworth Road, Priory Road, Lark Hall Lane, Stock well Place, Robert Street and Cold Harbor Lane. They were all rundown places. The cab took them further to a rather grim and shady neighbourhood with dull brick houses and cheap and showy public houses at the corner.

Holmes mentions that this was not a very fashionable or rich neighbourhood. This was followed by rows of two-storied villas each with a small front garden, and then again there were never-ending lines of new brick buildings, which were an extension of the city. The houses in the area were all dark and appeared uninhabited.

At last the cab drew up at the third house in a new terrace, which was also dark except for a light in the kitchen. However, when they knocked the door was opened instantly, and an Oriental figure of a servant clad in a yellow turban, white loose-fitting clothes, and a yellow sash stood there. It was strange to find an Oriental figure framed in the doorway of a cheap suburban house.