General de Merville has been very loyal to the crown and the king wishes to spare Violet the heartbreak which a marriage to Gruner is sure to produce, so he has Damery hire Holmes to put some sense into Violet's head so she will break her engagement. Holmes in turn engages Shinwell who turns up Kitty. Kitty and Holmes meet with Violet but Gruner has brain washed her well and Violet feels that Kitty herself caused the end of her affair with Gruner and that Kitty's case is her own doing. Gruner hires a pair of assassins to murder Holmes. Only Holmes' boxing/single-stick skills save his life....