"You are not hurt Watson? For God's sake, say that you are not hurt!"
It was worth a wound - it was worth many wounds - to know the depth of loyalty and love which lay behind that cold mask. The clear, hard eyes were dimmed for a moment, and the firm lips were shaking...

Probably the most sentimental lines in the entire set of stories featuring the pioneering detective Sherlock Holmes and his loyal aide and friend Dr. John Watson.
It is their rarity that makes these lines precious and every word worth a gem. In the cold, arid desert of Holmes' brainy explorations, they are few spots of oases and even though there are just a couple of date palms and probably a smallish pond there, yet they are that much more worth considering the contrast with a limitless desert.

Personally I enjoy Holmes' stories because of the minutely sketched characterization, of the sparseness of words yet the richness of expression.