How is Dr. John Watson straight forward? The other question is please give evidence from the text to support you thinking!

Part of Watson's job is to run ideas and hypothesis past Holmes. Holmes will pick them apart and redact them to find clues to the crime. In that sense, Watson needs to be straight forward. Watson is also straight forward with his feelings.

I prayed, as I walked back along the grey, lonely road, that my friend might soon be freed from his preoccupations and able to come down to take this heavy burden of responsibility from my shoulders.