Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
Speaker 1: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, visit
Speaker 1: LibriVox dot org. Recorded by Kirsten Ferrairi. The Adventures of
Speaker 1: Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, Chapter eight, The Adventure
Speaker 1: of the Speckled Band. On glancing over my notes of
Speaker 1: the seventy odd cases in which I have, during the
Speaker 1: last eight years studied the methods of my friend Sherlock Holmes,
Speaker 1: I find many tragic, some comic, a large number merely strange,
Speaker 1: but noncommonplace for working as he did, rather for the
Speaker 1: love of his art than for the acquirement of wealth.
Speaker 1: He refused to associate himself with any investigation which did
Speaker 1: not tend towards the unusual and even the fantastic. Of
Speaker 1: all these varied cases, however, I cannot recall any which
Speaker 1: presented more singular features than that which was associated with
Speaker 1: the well known Surrey family of the Roylots of Stoke, Moran.
Speaker 1: The events in question occurred in the early days of
Speaker 1: my association with Holmes, when we were sharing rooms as
Speaker 1: bachelors in Baker Street. It is possible that I might
Speaker 1: have placed them upon record before, but a promise of
Speaker 1: secrecy was made at the time, from which I have
Speaker 1: only been free during the month by the untimely death
Speaker 1: of the lady to whom the pledge was given. It
Speaker 1: is perhaps as well that the facts should now come
Speaker 1: to light, for I have reasons to know that there
Speaker 1: are widespread rumors as to the death of doctor grimesby Roylet,
Speaker 1: which tend to make the matter even more terrible than
Speaker 1: the truth. It was early in April in the year
Speaker 1: eighty three, that I woke one morning to find Sherlock
Speaker 1: Holmes standing fully dressed by the side of my bed.
Speaker 1: He was a late riser as a rule, and as
Speaker 1: the clock on the mantelpiece showed me that it was
Speaker 1: only a quarter past seven, I blinked up at him
Speaker 1: in some surprise and perhaps just a little resentment, for
Speaker 1: I was myself regular in my habits. Very sorry to
Speaker 1: knock you up, Watson said he, but it's the common
Speaker 1: lot this morning. Missus Hudson has been knocked up, she
Speaker 1: retorted upon me, and I on you. What is it then?
Speaker 1: A fire? No, her client, it seems that a young
Speaker 1: lady has arrived in a considerable state of excitement who
Speaker 1: insists upon seeing me. She is waiting now in the
Speaker 1: sitting room. Now, when young ladies wander about the metropolis
Speaker 1: at this hour of the morning and knock sleepy people
Speaker 1: up out of their beds, I presume that it is
Speaker 1: something very pressing which they have to communicate. Should it
Speaker 1: prove to be an interesting case, you would, I am
Speaker 1: sure wish to follow it from the outset. I've thought
Speaker 1: at any rate that I should call you and give
Speaker 1: you the chance, My dear fellow, I would not miss
Speaker 1: it for anything. I had no keener pleasure than in
Speaker 1: following Holmes in his professional investigations, and in admiring the
Speaker 1: rapid deductions, as swift as intuition, and yet always founded
Speaker 1: on a logical basis with which he unraveled the problems
Speaker 1: which were submitted to him. I rapidly threw on my
Speaker 1: clothes and was ready in a few minutes to accompany
Speaker 1: my friend down to the sitting room. A lady dressed
Speaker 1: in black and heavily veiled, who had been sitting in
Speaker 1: the window, rose as we entered. Good morning, Madam, said
Speaker 1: Holmes cheerily. My name is Sherlock Holmes. This is my
Speaker 1: intimate friend and Associate doctor Watson, before whom you can
Speaker 1: speak as freely as before myself. Ah. I am glad
Speaker 1: to see that missus Hudson has had the good sense
Speaker 1: to light the fire. Pray, draw up to it, and
Speaker 1: I shall order you a cup of hot coffee, for
Speaker 1: I observe that you are tivering. It is not cold,
Speaker 1: which makes me shiver, said the woman, in a low voice,
Speaker 1: changing her seat, as requested. What then it is fear,
Speaker 1: mister Holmes, it is terror. She raised her veil as
Speaker 1: she spoke, and we could see that she was indeed
Speaker 1: in a pitiable state of agitation, her face all drawn
Speaker 1: and gray, with wrestlers frightened eyes like those of some
Speaker 1: hunted animal. Her features and figure were those of a
Speaker 1: woman of thirty, but her hair was shot with premature gray,
Speaker 1: and her expression was weary and haggard. Sherlock Holmbs ran
Speaker 1: her over with one of his quick, all comprehensive glances.
Speaker 1: You must not fear, said he soothingly, bending forward and
Speaker 1: patting her forearm. We shall soon set matters right. I
Speaker 1: have no doubt you have come in by train this morning.
Speaker 1: I see you know me then, no, But I observed
Speaker 1: the second half of a return ticket in the palm
Speaker 1: of your left glove. You must have started early, and
Speaker 1: yet you had a good drive in a dog cart
Speaker 1: along heavy roads before you reached the station. The lady
Speaker 1: gave a violent start and stared in bewilderment at my companion.
Speaker 1: There's no mystery, my dear madam, said he smiling. The
Speaker 1: left arm of your jacket is spattered with mud in
Speaker 1: no less than seven places. The marks are perfectly fresh.
Speaker 1: There is no vehicle save a dog cart which throws
Speaker 1: up mud in that way, and then only when you
Speaker 1: sit on the left hand side of the driver. Whatever
Speaker 1: your reasons may be, you are perfectly correct, said she.
Speaker 1: I started from home before six, reached Leatherhead at twenty past,
Speaker 1: and came in by the first train to Waterloo. Sir,
Speaker 1: I can stand this strain no longer. I shall go
Speaker 1: mad if it continues. I have no one to turn to,
Speaker 1: none save only one who cares for me, and he,
Speaker 1: poor fellow, can be of little aid. I've heard of you,
Speaker 1: mister Holmes. I have heard of you from Missus Farintosh,
Speaker 1: whom you helped in the hour of her sore need.
Speaker 1: It was from her that I had your address. Oh sir,
Speaker 1: do you not think that you could help me too,
Speaker 1: and at least throw a little light through the dense
Speaker 1: darkness which surrounds me. At present it is out of
Speaker 1: my power to reward you for your services. But in
Speaker 1: a month or six weeks I shall be married, with
Speaker 1: the control of my own income, and then at least
Speaker 1: you shall not find me ungrateful. Holmes turned to his
Speaker 1: desk and, unlocking it, drew out a small case book,
Speaker 1: which he consulted. Farintosh said, he ah, yes, I recall
Speaker 1: the case. It was concerned with an opal tiera. I
Speaker 1: think it was before your time, Watson. I can only say, madam,
Speaker 1: that I shall be happy to devote the same care
Speaker 1: to your case as I did to that of your friend.
Speaker 1: As to reward, my profession is its own reward. But
Speaker 1: you are at liberty to defray whatever expenses I may
Speaker 1: be put to at the time which suits you best.
Speaker 1: And now I beg that you will lay before us
Speaker 1: everything that may help us in forming an opinion on
Speaker 1: the matter. Alas, replied our visitor, the very horror of
Speaker 1: my situation lies in the fact that my fears are
Speaker 1: so vague, and my suspicions depend so entirely upon small
Speaker 1: points which might seem trivial to another, that even he
Speaker 1: to whom of all others, I have a right to
Speaker 1: look for help and advice, looks upon all that I
Speaker 1: tell him about it as the fancies of a nervous woman.
Speaker 1: He does not say so, but I can read it
Speaker 1: from his soothing answers and averted eyes. But I heard,
Speaker 1: mister Holmes, that you can see deeply into the manifold
Speaker 1: wickedness of the human heart. You may advise me how
Speaker 1: to walk amid the dangers which encompass me. I am
Speaker 1: all attention, madam. My name is Helen Stoner, and I
Speaker 1: am living with my stepfather, who is the last survivor
Speaker 1: of one of the oldest Saxon families in England, the
Speaker 1: Roylots of Stoke, Moran on the western border of Surrey.
Speaker 1: Holmes nodded his head. The name is familiar to me,
Speaker 1: said he. The family was at one time the richest
Speaker 1: in England, and the estates extended over the borders into
Speaker 1: Berkshire in the north and Hampshire in the west. In
Speaker 1: the last century, however, four successive heirs were of a
Speaker 1: dissolute and wasteful disposition, and the family ruin was eventually
Speaker 1: completed by a gambler in the days of the regency.
Speaker 1: Nothing was left save a few acres of ground and
Speaker 1: the two hundred year old house, which is itself crushed
Speaker 1: under a heavy mortgage. The last squire dragged out his
Speaker 1: existence there, living the horrible life of an aristocratic pauper.
Speaker 1: But his only son, my stepfather, seeing that he must
Speaker 1: adapt himself in the new conditions, obtained an advance from
Speaker 1: relative which enabled him to take a medical degree, and
Speaker 1: went out to Calcutta, where, by his professional skill and
Speaker 1: force of character, he established a large practice. In a
Speaker 1: fit of anger, however, caused by some robberies which had
Speaker 1: been perpetrated in the house, he beat his native butler
Speaker 1: to death and narrowly escaped a capital sentence. As it was,
Speaker 1: he suffered a long term of imprisonment, and afterwards returned
Speaker 1: to England a morose and disappointed man. When doctor Roylett
Speaker 1: was in India, he married my mother, Missus Stoner, the
Speaker 1: young widow of Major General Stoner of the Bengal Artillery.
Speaker 1: My sister Julia and I were twins, and we were
Speaker 1: only two years old at the time of my mother's remarriage.
Speaker 1: She had a considerable sum of money, not less one
Speaker 1: thousand pounds a year, and this she bequeathed to doctor
Speaker 1: Roylet entirely while we resided with him, with a provision
Speaker 1: that a certain annual sum should be allowed to each
Speaker 1: of us in the event of our marriage. Shortly after
Speaker 1: our return to England, my mother died. She was killed
Speaker 1: eight years ago in a railway accident near Crewe. Doctor
Speaker 1: Roylett then abandoned his attempts to establish himself in practice
Speaker 1: in London and took us to live with him in
Speaker 1: the old ancestral house at Stoke, Moran. The money which
Speaker 1: my mother had left was enough for all our wants,
Speaker 1: and there seemed to be no obstacle to our happiness.
Speaker 1: But a terrible change came over our stepfather about this time.
Speaker 1: Instead of making friends and exchanging visits with our neighbors,
Speaker 1: who had at first been overjoyed to see a Roylot
Speaker 1: of Stoke Moran back in the old family seat, he
Speaker 1: shut himself up in his house and seldom came out,
Speaker 1: save to indulge in ferocious quarrels with whoever might cross
Speaker 1: his path. Violence of temper approaching to mania has hereditary
Speaker 1: in the men of the family, and in my stepfather's
Speaker 1: case it had, I believe, been intensified by his long
Speaker 1: residence in the tropics. A series of disgraceful brawls took place,
Speaker 1: two of which ended in the police court, until at
Speaker 1: last he became the terror of the village, and the
Speaker 1: folks would fly at his approach, for he is a
Speaker 1: man of immense strength and absolutely uncontrollable. In his anger.
Speaker 1: Last week he hurled the local blacksmith over a parapet
Speaker 1: into a stream. And it was only by paying over
Speaker 1: all the money which I could gather together, that I
Speaker 1: was able to avert another public exposure. He had no
Speaker 1: friends at all save the wandering gypsies, and he would
Speaker 1: give these vagabonds leave to encamp upon the few acres
Speaker 1: of bramble covered land which represent the family estate, and
Speaker 1: would accept in return the hospitality of their tents, wandering
Speaker 1: away with them, sometimes for weeks on end. He has
Speaker 1: a passion also for Indian animals, which are sent over
Speaker 1: to him by a correspondent, and he has at this
Speaker 1: moment a cheetah and a baboon, which wander freely over
Speaker 1: his grounds and are feared by the villagers. Almost as
Speaker 1: much as their master. You can imagine from what I
Speaker 1: say that my poor sister Julia and I had no
Speaker 1: great pleasure in our lives. No servant would stay with us,
Speaker 1: and for a long time we did all the work
Speaker 1: of the house. She was but thirty at the time
Speaker 1: of her death, and yet her hair had already begun
Speaker 1: to whiten, even as mine has. Your sister is dead. Then,
Speaker 1: she died just two years ago, and it is of
Speaker 1: her death that I wish to speak to you. You
Speaker 1: can understand that living the life which I have described,
Speaker 1: we were little likely to see any one of our
Speaker 1: own age and position. We had, however, an aunt, my
Speaker 1: mother's maiden sister, Miss Honoria Westvale, who lives near Harrow,
Speaker 1: and we were occasionally allowed to pay short visits at
Speaker 1: this lady's house. Julia went there at Christmas two years
Speaker 1: ago and met there a half pay major of Marines,
Speaker 1: to whom she became engaged. My stepfather learned of the
Speaker 1: engagement when my sister returned, and offered no objection to
Speaker 1: the marriage. But within a fortnight of the day which
Speaker 1: had been fixed for the wedding, the terrible event occurred
Speaker 1: which has deprived me of my only companion, Sherlock Holmes,
Speaker 1: had been leaning back in his chair with his eyes
Speaker 1: closed and his head sunk in a cushion. But he
Speaker 1: half opened his lids now and glanced across at his visitor.
Speaker 1: Pray be precise as to details, said he. It is
Speaker 1: easy for me to be so, for every event of
Speaker 1: that dreadful time is seared into my memory. The manor
Speaker 1: house is, as I have already said, very old, and
Speaker 1: only one wing is now inhabited. The bedrooms in this
Speaker 1: wing are on the ground floor, the sitting rooms being
Speaker 1: in the central block of the buildings. Of these bedrooms,
Speaker 1: the first is doctor Roylant's, the second my sisters, and
Speaker 1: the third my own. There is no communication between them,
Speaker 1: but they all open out into the same corridor. Do
Speaker 1: I make myself plain perfectly? So? The windows of the
Speaker 1: three rooms open out upon the lawn. That fatal night,
Speaker 1: Doctor Roylot had gone to his room early, though we
Speaker 1: knew that he had not retired to rest, for my
Speaker 1: sister was troubled by the smell of the strong Indian
Speaker 1: cigars which it was his custom to smoke. She left
Speaker 1: her room therefore, and came into mine, where she sat
Speaker 1: for some time, chatting about her approaching wedding. At eleven o'clock,
Speaker 1: she rose to leave me, but she paused at the
Speaker 1: door and looked back. Tell me, Helen, said she, have
Speaker 1: you ever heard any one whistle in the dead of
Speaker 1: the night, never, said I. I suppose that you could
Speaker 1: not possibly whistle yourself in your sleep? Certainly not. But why,
Speaker 1: because during the last few nights I have always, about
Speaker 1: three in the morning, heard a low, clear whistle. I
Speaker 1: am a light sleeper, and it has awakened me. I
Speaker 1: cannot tell where it came from, perhaps from the next room,
Speaker 1: perhaps from the lawn. I thought that I would just
Speaker 1: ask you whether you'd heard it. No, I have not.
Speaker 1: It must be those wretched gypsies in the plantation, very likely.
Speaker 1: And yet if it were on the lawn, I wondered
Speaker 1: that you did not hear it? Also, Ah, but I
Speaker 1: sleep more heavily than you. Well, it is of no
Speaker 1: great consequence at any rate. She smiled back at me,
Speaker 1: closed my door, and a few moments later I heard
Speaker 1: her key turn in the lock. Indeed, said Holmes, was
Speaker 1: it your custom always to lock yourselves in at night? Always?
Speaker 1: And why? I think that I mentioned to you that
Speaker 1: the doctor kept a cheetah and a baboon. We had
Speaker 1: no feeling of security unless our doors were locked. Quite so,
Speaker 1: pray proceed with your statement. I could not sleep that night.
Speaker 1: A vague feeling of impending misfortune impressed me. My my
Speaker 1: sister and I you will recollect, were twins. And you
Speaker 1: know how subtle are the lynks which bind two souls
Speaker 1: which are so closely allied. It was a wild night.
Speaker 1: The wind was howling outside, and the rain was beating
Speaker 1: and splashing against the windows. Suddenly, amid all the hubbub
Speaker 1: of the gale, there burst forth the wild scream of
Speaker 1: a terrified woman. I knew that it was my sister's voice.
Speaker 1: I sprang from my bed, wrapped a shawl around me,
Speaker 1: and rushed into the corridor. As I opened my door,
Speaker 1: I seemed to hear a low whistle such as my
Speaker 1: sister described, and a few moments later a clanging sound,
Speaker 1: as if a massive metal had fallen. As I ran
Speaker 1: down the passage, my sister's door was unlocked and revolved
Speaker 1: slowly upon its hinges. I stared at it, horror stricken,
Speaker 1: not knowing what was about to issue from it. By
Speaker 1: the light of the corridor lamp. I saw my sister
Speaker 1: appear at the opening, her face blanched with terror, her
Speaker 1: hands groping for help. Her whole figure swayed to and fro,
Speaker 1: like that of a drunkard. I ran to her and
Speaker 1: threw my arms round her, but at that moment her
Speaker 1: knees seemed to give way, and she fell to the ground.
Speaker 1: She writhed as one who is in terrible pain, and
Speaker 1: her limbs were dreadfully convulsed. At first I thought that
Speaker 1: she had not recognized me, but as I bent over her,
Speaker 1: she suddenly shrieked in a voice which I shall never forget. Oh,
Speaker 1: my God, Helen. It was the band, the speckled band.
Speaker 1: There was something else which she would fain have said,
Speaker 1: and she stabbed with her finger in the air in
Speaker 1: the direction of the doctor's room. But a fresh convulsion
Speaker 1: seized her and choked her words. I rushed out, calling
Speaker 1: loudly from my stepfather, and I met him hastening from
Speaker 1: his room in his dressing gown. When he reached my
Speaker 1: sister's side, she was unconscious, and though he poured brandy
Speaker 1: down her throat and sent for medical aid from the village,
Speaker 1: all efforts were in vain, for she slowly sank and
Speaker 1: died without having recovered her consciousness. Such was the dreadful
Speaker 1: end of my beloved sister. One moment said Holmes, are
Speaker 1: you sure about this whistle and metallic sound? Could you
Speaker 1: swear to it? That was what the country coroner asked
Speaker 1: me at the enquiry. It is my strong impression that
Speaker 1: I heard it, And yet among the crash of the
Speaker 1: gale and the creaking of an old house, I may
Speaker 1: possibly have been deceived. Was your sister dressed? No, she
Speaker 1: was in her night dress. In her right hand was
Speaker 1: found the charred stump of a match and in her
Speaker 1: left a match box, showing that she had struck a
Speaker 1: light and looked about her when the alarm took place.
Speaker 1: That is important and what conclusions did the coroner come to.
Speaker 1: He investigated the case with great care, for doctor Roylott's
Speaker 1: conduct had long been notorious in the county, but he
Speaker 1: was unable to find any satisfactory cause of death. My
Speaker 1: evidence showed that the door had been fastened upon the
Speaker 1: inner side, and the windows were blocked by old fashioned
Speaker 1: shutters with broad iron bars, which were secured every night.
Speaker 1: The walls were carefully sounded and were shown to be
Speaker 1: quite solid all round. And the flooring was also thoroughly
Speaker 1: examined with the same result. The chimney is wide, but
Speaker 1: it is barred up by four large staples. It is certain, therefore,
Speaker 1: that my sister was quite alone when she met her end. Besides,
Speaker 1: there were no marks of any violence upon her. How
Speaker 1: about poison? The doctors examined her for it, but without success.
Speaker 1: What do you think this unfortunate lady died of? Then?
Speaker 1: It is my belief that she died of pure fear
Speaker 1: and nervous shock. Though what it was that frightened her
Speaker 1: I cannot imagine. Were there gypsies in the plantation at
Speaker 1: the time, Yes, there are nearly always some there. Ah,
Speaker 1: And what did you gather from this allusion to a band,
Speaker 1: a speckled band? Sometimes I have thought that it was
Speaker 1: merely the wild talk of delirium. Sometimes that it may
Speaker 1: have referred to some band of people, perhaps to those
Speaker 1: very gypsies in the place. I do not know whether
Speaker 1: the spotted handkerchief which so many of them wear over
Speaker 1: their heads might have suggested the strange adjective which she used.
Speaker 1: Holmes shook his head like a man who is far
Speaker 1: from being satisfied. These are very deep waters, said he pray,
Speaker 1: go on with your narrative. Two years have passed since then,
Speaker 1: and my life has been until lately lonelier than ever.
Speaker 1: A month ago, however, a dear friend whom I have
Speaker 1: known for many years has done me the honor to
Speaker 1: ask my hand in marriage. His name is Armitage, Percy Armitage,
Speaker 1: the second son of mister Armitage of Cranewater, near Reading.
Speaker 1: My stepfather has offered no opposition to the match, and
Speaker 1: we are to be married in the course of the spring.
Speaker 1: Two days ago, some repairs were started in the west
Speaker 1: wing of the building, and my bedroom wall has been pierced,
Speaker 1: so that I have had to move into the chamber
Speaker 1: in which my sister died, and to sleep in the
Speaker 1: very bed in which she slept. Imagine then, my thrill
Speaker 1: of terror when last night, as I lay awake, thinking
Speaker 1: over her terrible fate, I suddenly heard in the silence
Speaker 1: of the night the low whistle, which had been the
Speaker 1: herald of her own death. I sprang up and lit
Speaker 1: the lamp, but nothing's to be seen in the room.
Speaker 1: I was too shaken to go to bed again, however,
Speaker 1: so I dressed and As soon as it was daylight,
Speaker 1: I slipped down, got a dog cart at the Crown Inn,
Speaker 1: which is opposite, and drove to Leatherhead From whence I
Speaker 1: have come on this morning with the one object of
Speaker 1: seeing you and asking your advice. You've done wisely, said
Speaker 1: my friend. But have you told me all? Yes, all,
Speaker 1: miss Roylott, you have not. You are screening your step father.
Speaker 1: Why what do you mean for answer? Holmes pushed back
Speaker 1: the frill of black lace which fringed the hand that
Speaker 1: lay upon our visitor's knee. Five little livid spots, the
Speaker 1: marks of four fingers and a thumb were printed upon
Speaker 1: the white wrist. You have been cruelly used, said Holmes.
Speaker 1: The lady colored deeply and covered over her injured wrist.
Speaker 1: He is a hard man, she said, and perhaps he
Speaker 1: hardly knows his own strength. There was a long silence,
Speaker 1: during which Holmes leaned his chin upon his hands and
Speaker 1: stared into the crackling fire. This is a very deep business,
Speaker 1: he said, at last. There are a thousand details which
Speaker 1: I should desire to know before I decide upon our
Speaker 1: course of action. Yet we have not a moment to
Speaker 1: lose if we were to come to Stoke, Moran to day.
Speaker 1: Would it be possible for us to see over these
Speaker 1: rooms without the knowledge of your stepfather? As it happens,
Speaker 1: he spoke of coming into town to day upon some
Speaker 1: most important business. It is probable that he will be
Speaker 1: away all day, and that there would be nothing to
Speaker 1: disturb you. We have a housekeeper now, but she's old
Speaker 1: and foolish, and I could easily get her out of
Speaker 1: the way. Excellent, you are not averse to this trip, Watson?
Speaker 1: By no means, then we shall both come. What are
Speaker 1: you going to do yourself? I have one or two
Speaker 1: things which I would wish to do now that I
Speaker 1: am in town. But I shall return by the twelve
Speaker 1: o'clock train, so as to be there in time for
Speaker 1: your coming, and you may expect us early in the afternoon.
Speaker 1: I have myself some small business matters to attend to.
Speaker 1: Will you not wait in breakfast? No, I must go.
Speaker 1: My heart is lightened already since I have confided my
Speaker 1: trouble to you. I shall look forward to seeing you
Speaker 1: again this afternoon. She dropped her thick black veil over
Speaker 1: her face and glided from the room. And what do
Speaker 1: you think of it all? Watson asked? Sherlock Holmes, leaning
Speaker 1: back in his chair, it seems to me to be
Speaker 1: a dark and sinister business. Dark enough and sinister enough. Yet,
Speaker 1: if the lady is correct in saying that the flooring
Speaker 1: and walls are sound, and that the door, window and
Speaker 1: chimney are impassable, then her sister must undoubtedly have been
Speaker 1: alone when she met her mysterious end. What becomes then,
Speaker 1: of these nocturnal whistles, and what of the very peculiar
Speaker 1: words of the dying woman? I cannot think. When you
Speaker 1: combine the ideas of whistles at night, the presence of
Speaker 1: a band of gypsies who are on intimate terms with
Speaker 1: this old doctor, the fact that we have every reason
Speaker 1: to believe that the doctor has an interest in preventing
Speaker 1: his stepdaughter's marriage, the dying allusion to a band, and finally,
Speaker 1: the fact that miss Helen Stoner heard a metallic clang
Speaker 1: which might have been caused by one of those metal
Speaker 1: bars that secured the shutters falling back into its place.
Speaker 1: I think that there is good ground to think that
Speaker 1: the mystery may be cleared along those lines. But what
Speaker 1: then did the gypsies do? I cannot imagine. I see
Speaker 1: many objections to any such theory, and so do I.
Speaker 1: It is for precisely that reason that we are going
Speaker 1: to stoke Moran this day. I want to see whether
Speaker 1: the objections are fatal, or if they may be explained away.
Speaker 1: But what in the name of the devil? The ejaculation
Speaker 1: had been drawn from my companion by the fact that
Speaker 1: our door had suddenly been dashed open, and that a
Speaker 1: huge man had framed himself in the aperture. His costume
Speaker 1: was a peculiar mixture of the professional and the agricultural,
Speaker 1: having a black top hat, a long frock coat, and
Speaker 1: a pair of high gaiters, with a hunting crop swinging
Speaker 1: in his hand. So tall was he that his hat
Speaker 1: actually brushed the cross bar of the doorway, and his
Speaker 1: breadth seemed to span it across from side to side.
Speaker 1: A large face seared with a thousand wrinkles, burned yellow
Speaker 1: with the sun and marked with every evil passion, was
Speaker 1: turned from one to the other of us, while his
Speaker 1: deep set, bile shot eyes and his high, thin, fleshless
Speaker 1: nose gave him somewhat the resemblance to a fierce old
Speaker 1: bird of prey. Which of you is Holmes asked this apparition.
Speaker 1: My name, sir, But you have the advantage of me,
Speaker 1: said my companion quietly. I am Doctor grimesby Roylot of Stoke, Moran.
Speaker 1: Indeed doctor, said Holmes, blandly. Pray take a seat. I
Speaker 1: will do nothing of the kind. My step daughter has
Speaker 1: been here. I have traced her. What has she been
Speaker 1: saying to you? It is a little cold for the
Speaker 1: time of year, said Holmes. What has she been saying
Speaker 1: to you? Screamed the old man furiously. But I have
Speaker 1: heard that the crocuses promise well, continued my companion, imperturbably.
Speaker 1: Ha you put me off, do you, said our new visitor,
Speaker 1: taking a step forward and shaking his hunting crop. I
Speaker 1: know you, you scoundrel. I have heard of you before.
Speaker 1: You are Holmes the meddler, my friend, smiled Holmes, the
Speaker 1: busy body. His smile broadened, Holmes the Scotland yard jack
Speaker 1: in office. Holmes chuckled heartily. Your conversation is most entertaining,
Speaker 1: said he. When you go out, close the door, for
Speaker 1: there is a decided draft. I will go when I've
Speaker 1: said my say, don't you dare meddle with my affairs.
Speaker 1: I know that miss Stoner has been here I trace her.
Speaker 1: I am a dangerous man to fall foul of. See here,
Speaker 1: he stepped swiftly forward, seized the poker, and bent it
Speaker 1: into a curve with his huge brown hands. See that
Speaker 1: you keep yourself out of my grip, he snarled, and
Speaker 1: hurling the twisted poker into the fireplace, he strode out
Speaker 1: of the room. He seems a very amiable person, said Holmes, laughing.
Speaker 1: I am not quite so bulky. But if he had remained,
Speaker 1: I might have shown him that my grip was not
Speaker 1: much more feeble than his own. As he spoke, he
Speaker 1: picked up the steel poker and with a sudden effort,
Speaker 1: straightened it out again. Fancy his having the insolence to
Speaker 1: confound me with the official detective force. This incident gives
Speaker 1: zest to our investigation, however, and I only trust that
Speaker 1: our little friend will not suffer from her imprudence in
Speaker 1: allowing this brute to trace her. And now, Watson, we
Speaker 1: shall order breakfast, and afterwards I shall walk down to
Speaker 1: Doctor's Commons, where I hope to get some dato which
Speaker 1: may help us in this matter. It was nearly one
Speaker 1: o'clock when Sherlock Holmes returned from his excursion. He held
Speaker 1: in his hands a sheet of blue paper scrolled over
Speaker 1: with notes and figures. I have seen the will of
Speaker 1: the deceased wife, said he to determine its exact meaning.
Speaker 1: I have been obliged to work out the present prices
Speaker 1: of the investments with which it is concerned. The total income,
Speaker 1: which at the time of the wife's death was little
Speaker 1: short of eleven hundred pounds, is now, through the fall
Speaker 1: in agricultural prices, not more than seven hundred and fifty pounds.
Speaker 1: Each daughter can claim an income of two hundred and
Speaker 1: fifty pounds in case of marriage. It is evident therefore,
Speaker 1: that if both girls had married, this beauty would have
Speaker 1: had a mere pittance, while even one of them would
Speaker 1: cripple him to a very serious extent. My morning's work
Speaker 1: has not been wasted, since it has proved that he
Speaker 1: has the very strongest motives for standing in the way
Speaker 1: of anything of that sort. And now, Watson, this is
Speaker 1: too serious for dawdling, especially as the old man is
Speaker 1: aware that we are interesting ourselves in his affairs. So
Speaker 1: if you are ready, we shall call a cab and
Speaker 1: drive to Waterloo. I should be very much obliged if
Speaker 1: you would slip your revolver into your pocket. An Ely's
Speaker 1: number two is an ex excellent argument with gentlemen who
Speaker 1: can twist steel pokers into knots. That and a toothbrush ore,
Speaker 1: I think all that we need. At Waterloo, we were
Speaker 1: fortunate in catching a train for Leatherhead, where we hired
Speaker 1: a trap at the station inn and drove for four
Speaker 1: or five miles through the lovely Surrey lanes. It was
Speaker 1: a perfect day, with a bright sun and a few
Speaker 1: fleecy clouds in the heavens. The trees and wayside hedges
Speaker 1: were just throwing out their first green shoots, and the
Speaker 1: air was full of the pleasant smell of the moist earth.
Speaker 1: To me, at least, there was a strange contrast between
Speaker 1: the sweet promise of the spring and this sinister quest
Speaker 1: upon which we were engaged. My companion sat in front
Speaker 1: of the trap, his arms folded, his hat pulled down
Speaker 1: over his eyes, and his chin sunk upon his breast,
Speaker 1: buried in the deepest thought. Suddenly, however, he started, tapped
Speaker 1: me on the shoulder and pointed over the meadows. Look there,
Speaker 1: said he, A heavily timbered park stretched up in a
Speaker 1: gentle slope thickening into a grove. At the highest point.
Speaker 1: From amid the branches, there jutted out the gray gables
Speaker 1: and high roof tree of a very old mansion. Stoke
Speaker 1: Moran said he yes, sir, that be the house of
Speaker 1: doctor grimesby Roylet, remarked the driver. There is some building
Speaker 1: going on there, said Holmes. That is where we are going.
Speaker 1: There's the village, said the driver, pointing to a cluster
Speaker 1: of roofs some distance to the left. But if you
Speaker 1: want to get to the house, you'll find it shorter
Speaker 1: to get over this stile and sow by the footpath
Speaker 1: over the fields. There. It is where the lady is walking.
Speaker 1: And the lady I fancy is miss Stoner, observed Holmes,
Speaker 1: shading his eyes. Yes, I think we had better do
Speaker 1: as you suggest. We got off, paid our fare, and
Speaker 1: the trap rattled back on its way to Leatherhead. I
Speaker 1: thought it is well, said Holmes, as we climbed the stile,
Speaker 1: that this fellow should think we had come here as
Speaker 1: architects or on some definite business. It may stop his gossip.
Speaker 1: Good afternoon, miss Stoner. You see that we have been
Speaker 1: as good as our word. Our client of the morning,
Speaker 1: had hurried forward to meet us with a face which
Speaker 1: spoke her joy. I have been waiting so eagerly for you,
Speaker 1: she cried, shaking hands with us warmly. All has turned
Speaker 1: out splendidly. Doctor Roylett has gone to town, and it
Speaker 1: is unlikely that he will be back before evening. We
Speaker 1: have had the pleasure of making the doctor's acquaintance, said Holmes,
Speaker 1: and in a few words he sketched out what had occurred.
Speaker 1: Miss Stoner turned white to the lips as she listened.
Speaker 1: Good Heavens, she cried, he has followed me. Then, so
Speaker 1: it appears he is so cunning that I never know
Speaker 1: when I am safe from him. What will he say
Speaker 1: when he returns? He must guard himself, for he may
Speaker 1: find that there is some one more cunning than himself
Speaker 1: upon his track. You must lock yourself up from him
Speaker 1: to night. If he is violent, we shall take you
Speaker 1: away to your aunt's at Harrow. Now we must make
Speaker 1: the best use of our time, so kindly take us
Speaker 1: at once to the rooms which we are to examine.
Speaker 1: The building was of gray like in blue watched stone,
Speaker 1: with a high central portion and two curving wings, like
Speaker 1: the claws of a crab. Thrown out on each side.
Speaker 1: In one of those wings, the windows were broken and
Speaker 1: blocked with wooden boards, while the roof was partly caved
Speaker 1: in a picture of ruin. The central portion was in
Speaker 1: little better repair, but the right hand block was comparatively modern,
Speaker 1: and the blinds in the windows, with the blue smoke
Speaker 1: curling up from the chimneys, showed that this was where
Speaker 1: the family resided. Some scaffolding had been erected against the
Speaker 1: end wall, and the stone work had been broken into,
Speaker 1: but there were no signs of any workmen. At the
Speaker 1: moment of our visit. Holmes walked slowly up and down
Speaker 1: the ill trim lawn and examined with deep attention the
Speaker 1: outsides of the windows. This, I take it belongs to
Speaker 1: the room in which you used to sleep, the center
Speaker 1: one to your sisters, and the one next to the
Speaker 1: main building to doctor Roylett's chamber. Exactly so. But I
Speaker 1: am now sleeping in the middle room, pending the alterations.
Speaker 1: As I I understand by the way, there does not
Speaker 1: seem to be any very pressing need for repairs at
Speaker 1: that end of the wall. There were none. I believe
Speaker 1: that it was an excuse to move me from my room. Ah,
Speaker 1: that is suggestive. Now on the other side of this
Speaker 1: narrow wing runs the corridor from which these three rooms open.
Speaker 1: There are windows in it, of course, yes, but very
Speaker 1: small ones, too narrow for any one to pass through.
Speaker 1: As you both locked your doors at night, your rooms
Speaker 1: were unapproachable from that side. Now, when you have the
Speaker 1: kindness to go into your room and bar your shutters,
Speaker 1: Miss Stoner did so, and Holmes, after a careful examination
Speaker 1: through the open window, endeavored in every way to force
Speaker 1: a shutter open, but without success. There was no slit
Speaker 1: through which a knife could be passed to raise the bar. Then,
Speaker 1: with his lens he tested the hinges, but they were
Speaker 1: of solid iron, built firmly into the massive masonry. Hum said,
Speaker 1: he scratching his chin in some perplexity. My theory certainly
Speaker 1: presents some difficulties. No one could pass these shutters if
Speaker 1: they were bolted. While we shall see if the inside
Speaker 1: throws any light upon the matter. A small side door
Speaker 1: led into the whitewashed corridor from which the three bedrooms opened.
Speaker 1: Holmes refused to examine the third chamber, so we passed
Speaker 1: at once to the second, that in which Miss Stoner
Speaker 1: was now sleeping and in which her sister had met
Speaker 1: with her fate. It was a homely little room, with
Speaker 1: a low ceiling and a gaping fireplace, after the fashion
Speaker 1: of old country houses. A brown chest of drawers stood
Speaker 1: in one corner, a narrow, white counterpaned bed in another,
Speaker 1: and a dressing table on the left hand side of
Speaker 1: the window. These articles, with two small wicker work chairs,
Speaker 1: made up all the furniture in the room save for
Speaker 1: a square of wilton carpet in the center. The boards
Speaker 1: round and the paneling of the walls were of brown
Speaker 1: worm eaten oak, so old and discolored that it may
Speaker 1: have dated from the original building of the house. Holmes
Speaker 1: drew one of the chairs into a corner and sat
Speaker 1: silent while his eyes traveled round and round and up
Speaker 1: and down, taking in every detail of the apartment. Where
Speaker 1: does that bell communicate with he asked at last, pointing
Speaker 1: to a thick bell rope which hung down beside the bed,
Speaker 1: the tassel actually lying upon the pillow. It goes to
Speaker 1: the housekeeper's room. It looked newer than the other things. Yes,
Speaker 1: it was only put there a couple of years ago.
Speaker 1: Your sister asked for it. I suppose no, I never
Speaker 1: heard of her using it. We used always to get
Speaker 1: what we wanted for ourselves. Indeed, it seemed unnecessary to
Speaker 1: put so nice a bell pull there. You will excuse
Speaker 1: me for a few minutes while I satisfy myself as
Speaker 1: to this floor. He threw himself down upon his face,
Speaker 1: with his lens in his hand, and crawled swiftly backward
Speaker 1: and forward, examining minutely the cracks between the boards. Then
Speaker 1: he did the same with the woodwork with which the
Speaker 1: chamber was paneled. Finally, he walked over to the bed
Speaker 1: and spent some time in staring at it, and in
Speaker 1: running his eye up down the wall. Finally, he took
Speaker 1: the bell rope in his hand and gave it a
Speaker 1: brisk tug. Why it's a dummy, said he won't it ring. No,
Speaker 1: it is not even attached to a wire. This is
Speaker 1: very interesting. You can see now that it is fastened
Speaker 1: to a hook just above where the little opening for
Speaker 1: the ventilator is. How very absurd I never noticed that before,
Speaker 1: very strange, muttered Holmes, pulling at the rope. There are
Speaker 1: one or two singular points about this room. For example,
Speaker 1: what a fool a builder must be to open a
Speaker 1: ventilator into another room, when with the same trouble he
Speaker 1: might have communicated with the outside air. That is also
Speaker 1: quite modern, said the lady, done about the same time
Speaker 1: as the bell rope, remarked Holmes. Yes, there were several
Speaker 1: little changes carried out about that time. They seem to
Speaker 1: have been of a most interesting character. Dummy bell ropes
Speaker 1: and ventilators which do not ventilate. With our permission, Miss Stoner,
Speaker 1: we shall now carry our researches into the inner apartment.
Speaker 1: Doctor Grimesby Roylet's chamber was larger than that of his
Speaker 1: step daughter, but was as plainly furnished. A camp bed,
Speaker 1: a small wooden shelf full of books, mostly of a
Speaker 1: technical character, an arm chair beside the bed, a plain
Speaker 1: wooden chair against the wall, a round table, and a
Speaker 1: large iron safe were the principal things which met the eye.
Speaker 1: Holmes walked slowly round and examined each and all of
Speaker 1: them with the keenest interest. What's in ear, he asked,
Speaker 1: tapping the safe. My stepfather's business papers. Oh you have
Speaker 1: seen inside then, only once, some years ago. I remember
Speaker 1: that it was full of papers. There isn't a cat
Speaker 1: in it, for example, no what a strange idea. Well,
Speaker 1: look at this. He took up a small saucer of milk,
Speaker 1: which stood on the top of it. No, we don't
Speaker 1: keep a cat, but there is a cheetah and a
Speaker 1: baboon ah. Yes, of course, Well a cheetah is just
Speaker 1: a big cat. And yet a saucer of milk does
Speaker 1: not go very far and satisfying its wants. I dare
Speaker 1: say there is one point which I should wish to determine.
Speaker 1: He squatted down in front of the wooden chair and
Speaker 1: examined the seat of it with the greatest attention. Thank you,
Speaker 1: that is quite settled, said he, rising and putting his
Speaker 1: lens in his pocket. Hullo, here is something interesting. The
Speaker 1: object which had caught his eye was a small dog
Speaker 1: lash hung on one corner of the bed. The lash, however,
Speaker 1: was curled upon itself and tied so as to make
Speaker 1: a loop of whipcord. What do you make of that, Watson?
Speaker 1: It's a common enough lash, but I don't know why
Speaker 1: it should be tied. That is not quite so common,
Speaker 1: is it, ah me. It's a wicked world, and when
Speaker 1: a clever man turns his brains to crime, it is
Speaker 1: the worst of all, I think that I have seen
Speaker 1: enough now, Miss Stoner, and with your permission, we shall
Speaker 1: walk out upon the lawn. I have never seen my
Speaker 1: friend's face so grim or his brow so dark as
Speaker 1: it was when we turned from the scene of this investigation.
Speaker 1: We had walked several times up and down the lawn,
Speaker 1: neither Miss Stoner nor myself liking to break in upon
Speaker 1: his thoughts before he roused himself from his reverie. It
Speaker 1: is very essential, miss Stoner, said he that you should
Speaker 1: absolutely follow my advice in every respect. I shall most
Speaker 1: certainly do so. The matter is too serious for any hesitation.
Speaker 1: Your life may depend upon your compliance. I assure you
Speaker 1: that I am in your hands in the first place.
Speaker 1: Both my friend and I must spend the night in
Speaker 1: your room. Both Miss Stoner and I gazed at him
Speaker 1: in astonishment. Yes, it must be so. Let me explain.
Speaker 1: I believe that that is the village in over there. Yes,
Speaker 1: that is the crown. Very good, your windows would be
Speaker 1: visible from there. Certainly, you must confine yourself to your
Speaker 1: room on pretense of a headache when your stepfather comes back. Then,
Speaker 1: when you hear him retire for the night, you must
Speaker 1: open the shutters of your window. Undo the hasp, put
Speaker 1: your lamp there as a signal to us, and then
Speaker 1: withdraw quietly with everything which you are likely to want
Speaker 1: into the room which you used to occupy. I have
Speaker 1: no doubt that, in spite of the repairs, you could
Speaker 1: manage there for one night. Oh yes, easily. The rest
Speaker 1: you will leave in our hands. But what will you do.
Speaker 1: We shall spend the night in your room, and we
Speaker 1: shall investigate the cause of the noise which has disturbed you.
Speaker 1: I believe, mister Holmes, that you have already made up
Speaker 1: your mind, said Miss Stoner, laying her hand upon my
Speaker 1: companion's sleeve. Perhaps I have, And for pity's sake, tell
Speaker 1: me what was the cause of my sister's death. I
Speaker 1: should prefer to have clearer proofs before I speak. You
Speaker 1: can at least tell me whether my own thought is correct.
Speaker 1: And if she died from some sudden fright. No, I
Speaker 1: do not think so. I think that there was probably
Speaker 1: some more tangible cause. And now, Miss Stoner, we must
Speaker 1: leave you, for if doctor Roylot returned and saw us,
Speaker 1: our journey would be in vain. Good Bye, and be brave,
Speaker 1: for if you will do what I have told you.
Speaker 1: You may rest assured that we shall soon drive away
Speaker 1: the dangers that threaten you. Sherlock Holmes and I had
Speaker 1: no difficulty in engaging a bedroom and sitting room at
Speaker 1: the Crown Inn. They were on the upper floor, and
Speaker 1: from our window we could command a view of the
Speaker 1: avenue gate and of the inhabited wing of Stoke Moran
Speaker 1: Manor House. At dusk we saw Doctor grimesby roylot drive past,
Speaker 1: his huge form looming up beside the little figure of
Speaker 1: the lad who drove him. The boy had some slight
Speaker 1: difficulty in undoing the heavy iron gates, and we heard
Speaker 1: the hoarse roar of the doctor's voice and saw the
Speaker 1: fury with which he shook his clinched fists at him.
Speaker 1: The trap drove on, and a few minutes later we
Speaker 1: saw a sudden light spring up among the trees as
Speaker 1: the lamp was lit in one of the sitting rooms.
Speaker 1: Do you know, Watson, said Holmes, as we sat together
Speaker 1: in the gathering darkness. I have really some scruples as
Speaker 1: to taking you tonight. There is a distinctive element of danger.
Speaker 1: Can I be of assistance? Your presence might be invaluable.
Speaker 1: Then I shall certainly come. It is very kind of
Speaker 1: you you speak of danger. You have evidently seen more
Speaker 1: in these rooms than was visible to me. No, but
Speaker 1: I fancy that I may have deduced a little more.
Speaker 1: I imagine that you saw all that I did. I
Speaker 1: saw nothing remarkable save the bell rope. And what purpose
Speaker 1: that could answer, I confess, is more than I can imagine.
Speaker 1: You saw the ventilator too, Yes, but I do not
Speaker 1: think it is such a very unusual thing to have
Speaker 1: a small opening between two rooms. It was so small
Speaker 1: that a rat could hardly pass through. I knew that
Speaker 1: we should find a ventilator before ever we came to
Speaker 1: Stoke Moran, My dear Holmes. Oh yes, I did you
Speaker 1: remember in her statement she said that her sister could
Speaker 1: smell doctor Roylott's cigar. Now, of course that suggested at
Speaker 1: once that there must be a communication between the two rooms.
Speaker 1: It could only be a small one, or it would
Speaker 1: have been remarked upon at the coroner's inquiry. I deduced
Speaker 1: a ventilator. But what harm can there be in that? Well?
Speaker 1: There is at least a curious coincidence of dates. A
Speaker 1: ventilator is made, a cord is hung, and a lady
Speaker 1: who sleeps in the bed dies? Does not that strike you?
Speaker 1: I cannot as yet see any connection. Did you observe
Speaker 1: anything very peculiar about that bed? No? It was clamped
Speaker 1: to the floor. Did you ever see a bed fastened
Speaker 1: like that before? I cannot say that I have. The
Speaker 1: lady could not move her bed. It must always be
Speaker 1: in the same relative position to the ventilator and to
Speaker 1: the rope, or so we may call it, since it
Speaker 1: was clearly never meant for a bell pull, Holmes, I cried,
Speaker 1: I seem to see dimly what you are hinting at.
Speaker 1: We are only just in time to prevent some subtle
Speaker 1: and horrible crime. Subtle enough and horrible enough. When a
Speaker 1: doctor goes wrong, he is the first of criminals. He
Speaker 1: has nerve, and he has knowledge. Palmer and Pritchard were
Speaker 1: among the heads of their profession. This man strikes even deeper.
Speaker 1: But I think, Watson, that we shall be able to
Speaker 1: strike deeper still. But we shall have horrors enough before
Speaker 1: the night is over. For goodness sake, let us have
Speaker 1: a quiet pipe and turn our minds for a few
Speaker 1: hours to something more cheerful. About nine o'clock, the light
Speaker 1: among the trees was extinguished, and all was dark in
Speaker 1: the direction of the manor house. Two hours passed slowly away,
Speaker 1: and then suddenly, just at the stroke of eleven, a
Speaker 1: single bright light shone out right in front of us.
Speaker 1: That is our signal, said Holmes, springing to his feet.
Speaker 1: It comes from the middle window. As we passed out,
Speaker 1: he exchanged a few words with the landlord, explaining that
Speaker 1: we were going on a late visit to an acquaintance,
Speaker 1: and that it was possible that we might spend the
Speaker 1: night there. A moment later we were out on the
Speaker 1: dark road, a chill wind blowing in our faces, and
Speaker 1: one yellow light twinkling in front of us through the
Speaker 1: gloom to guide us on our somber errand there was
Speaker 1: little difficulty in entering the grounds, for unrepaired breeches gaped
Speaker 1: in the old park wall. Making our way among the trees,
Speaker 1: we reached the lawn, crossed it, and were about to
Speaker 1: enter through the window, when out from a clump of
Speaker 1: laurel bushes there darted what seemed to be a hideous
Speaker 1: and distorted child, who threw itself upon the grass with
Speaker 1: writhing limbs, and then ran swiftly across the lawn into
Speaker 1: the darkness, My god, I whispered, did you see it?
Speaker 1: Holmes was, for the moment as startled as I. His
Speaker 1: hand closed like a vice upon my wrist in his agitation.
Speaker 1: Then he broke into a low laugh and put his
Speaker 1: lips to my ear. It is a nice household, he murmured.
Speaker 1: That is the baboon. I had forgotten the strange pets
Speaker 1: which the doctor affected. There was a cheetah, too, Perhaps
Speaker 1: we might find it upon our shoulders at any moment.
Speaker 1: I confess that I felt easier in my mind when,
Speaker 1: after following Holmes's example and slipping off my shoes, I
Speaker 1: found myself inside the bed. My companion noiselessly closed the shutters,
Speaker 1: moved the lamp on to the table, and cast his
Speaker 1: eyes round the room. All was as we had seen
Speaker 1: it in the daytime. Then, creeping up to me and
Speaker 1: making a trumpet of his hand, he whispered into my
Speaker 1: ear again, so gently that it was all that I
Speaker 1: could do to distinguish the words. The least sound would
Speaker 1: be fatal to our plans. I nodded to show that
Speaker 1: I had heard. We must sit without light. He would
Speaker 1: see it through the ventilator. I nodded again, do not
Speaker 1: go asleep. Your very life may depend upon it. Have
Speaker 1: your pistol ready in case we should need it. I
Speaker 1: will sit on the side of the bed, and you
Speaker 1: in that chair. I took out my revolver and laid
Speaker 1: it on the corner of the table. Holmes had brought
Speaker 1: up a long, thin cane, and this he placed upon
Speaker 1: the bed. Beside him. By it he laid the box
Speaker 1: of matches and the stump of a candle. Then he
Speaker 1: turned down the lamp, and we were left in darkness.
Speaker 1: How shall I ever forget that dreadful vigil. I could
Speaker 1: not hear a sound, not even the drawing of a breath,
Speaker 1: and yet I knew that my companion sat open eyed,
Speaker 1: within a few feet of me, in the same state
Speaker 1: of nervous tension in which I was myself. The shutters
Speaker 1: cut off the least ray of light, and we waited
Speaker 1: in absolute darkness. From outside came the occasional cry of
Speaker 1: a night bird, and once at our very window, a long, drawn,
Speaker 1: catlike whine, which told us that the cheetah was indeed
Speaker 1: at liberty. Far away we could hear the deep tones
Speaker 1: of the parish clock, which boomed out every quarter of
Speaker 1: an hour. How long they seemed those quarters twelve struck
Speaker 1: and one, and two and three, and still we sat,
Speaker 1: waiting silently for whatever might befall. Suddenly there was the
Speaker 1: momentary gleam of a light up in the direction of
Speaker 1: the ventilator, which vanished immediately, but was succeeded by a
Speaker 1: strong smell of burning oil and heated metal. Some one
Speaker 1: in the next room had lit a dark lantern. I
Speaker 1: heard a gentle sound of movement, and then all was
Speaker 1: silent once more, though the smell grew stronger. For half
Speaker 1: an hour. I sat with straining ears. Then suddenly another
Speaker 1: sound became audible, a very gentle, soothing sound, like that
Speaker 1: of a small jet of steam escaping continually from a kettle.
Speaker 1: The instant that we heard it, Holmes sprang from the bed,
Speaker 1: struck a match, and lashed furiously with his cane at
Speaker 1: the bell pole. Do you see it, Watson, he yelled,
Speaker 1: do you see it? But I saw nothing. At the
Speaker 1: moment when Holmes struck the light, I heard a low,
Speaker 1: clear whistle, but the sudden glare flashing into my weary
Speaker 1: eyes made it impossible for me to tell what it
Speaker 1: was at which my friend lashed so savagely I could, however,
Speaker 1: see that his face was deadly pale, and filled with
Speaker 1: horror and loathing. He had ceased to strike and was
Speaker 1: gazing up at the ventilator, when suddenly there broke from
Speaker 1: the silence of the night the most horrible cry to
Speaker 1: which I have ever listened. It swelled up, louder and louder,
Speaker 1: a hoarse yell of pain and fear and anger, all
Speaker 1: mingled in one dreadful shriek. They say that away down
Speaker 1: in the village, and even in the distant parsonage, that
Speaker 1: cry raised the sleepers from their beds, struck cold to
Speaker 1: our hearts. And I stood gazing at Holmes and he
Speaker 1: at me, until the last echoes of it had died
Speaker 1: away into the silence from which it rose. What can
Speaker 1: it mean, I gasped. It means that it is all over,
Speaker 1: Holmes answered, and perhaps after all it is for the best.
Speaker 1: Take your pistol and we will enter doctor Roylot's room.
Speaker 1: With a grave face, he lit the lamp and led
Speaker 1: the way down the corridor twice. He struck at the
Speaker 1: chamber door without any reply from within. Then he turned
Speaker 1: the handle and entered. I at his heels with the
Speaker 1: cocked pistol in my hand. It was a singular sight
Speaker 1: which met our eyes. The table stood a dark lantern
Speaker 1: with the shutter half open, throwing a brilliant beam of
Speaker 1: light upon the iron safe, the door of which was ajar.
Speaker 1: Beside this table, on the wooden chair sat Doctor grimesby Roylot,
Speaker 1: clad in a long gray dressing gown, his bare ankles
Speaker 1: protruding beneath, and his feet thrust into red heel less
Speaker 1: Turkish slippers. Across his lap lay the short stalk with
Speaker 1: the long lash, which we had noticed during the day.
Speaker 1: His chin was cocked upward, and his eyes were fixed
Speaker 1: in a dreadful, rigid stare. At the corner of the ceiling.
Speaker 1: Round his brow, he had a peculiar yellow band with
Speaker 1: brownish speckles, which seemed to be bound tightly round his head.
Speaker 1: As we entered, he made neither sound nor motion. The band,
Speaker 1: the speckled band, whispered Holmes. I took a step forward.
Speaker 1: In an instant, his strange headgear began to move, and
Speaker 1: there reared itself from among his hair, the squat, diamond
Speaker 1: shaped head and puffed neck of a loathsome serpent. It
Speaker 1: is a swamp adder, cried Holmes, the deadliest snake in India.
Speaker 1: He has died within ten seconds of being bitten. Violence does,
Speaker 1: in truth recoil upon the violent, and the schemer falls
Speaker 1: into the pit which he digs for another. Let us
Speaker 1: thrust this creature back into its den, and we can
Speaker 1: then remove miss Stoner to some place of shelter and
Speaker 1: let the county police know what has happened. As he spoke,
Speaker 1: he drew the dog whip swiftly from the dead man's lap, and,
Speaker 1: throwing the noose round the reptile's neck, he drew it
Speaker 1: from its horrid perch, and, carrying it at arm's length,
Speaker 1: threw it into the iron safe, which he closed upon it.
Speaker 1: Such are the true facts of the death of doctor
Speaker 1: grimesby Roylot of Stoke, Moran. It is not necessary that
Speaker 1: I should prolong a narrative which has already run too
Speaker 1: great a length by telling how we broke the sad
Speaker 1: news to the terrified girl, how we conveyed her by
Speaker 1: the morning train to the care of her good aunt
Speaker 1: at Harrow, of how the slow process of official enquiry
Speaker 1: came to the conclusion that the doctor met his fate
Speaker 1: while indiscreetly playing with a dangerous pet. The little which
Speaker 1: I had yet to learn of the case was told
Speaker 1: me by Sherlock Holmes as we traveled back the next day.
Speaker 1: I had said, he come to an entirely erroneous conclusion,
Speaker 1: which shows, my dear Watson, how dangerous it always is
Speaker 1: to reason from insufficient data. The presence of the gypsies
Speaker 1: and the use of the word band, which was used
Speaker 1: by the poor girl, no doubt, to explain the appearance
Speaker 1: which she had caught a hurried glimpse of by the
Speaker 1: light of her match, were sufficient to put me upon
Speaker 1: an entirely wrong scent. I can only claim the merit
Speaker 1: that I instantly reconsidered my position, when, however, it became
Speaker 1: clear to me that whatever danger threatened an occupant of
Speaker 1: the room could not come either from the window or
Speaker 1: the door. My attention was speedily drawn, as I have
Speaker 1: already remarked to you, to this ventilator and to the
Speaker 1: bell rope which hung down to the bed. The discovery
Speaker 1: that this was a dummy, and that the bed was
Speaker 1: clamped to the floor instantly gave rise to the suspicion
Speaker 1: that the rope was there as a bridge for something
Speaker 1: passing through the hole. And coming to the bed. The
Speaker 1: idea of a snake instantly occurred to me, and when
Speaker 1: I coupled it with my knowledge that the doctor was
Speaker 1: furnished with a supply of creatures from India, I felt
Speaker 1: that I was probably on the right track. The idea
Speaker 1: of using a form of poison which could not possibly
Speaker 1: be discovered by any chemical test was just such a
Speaker 1: one as would occur to a clever and ruthless man
Speaker 1: who had had an Eastern training. The rapidity with which
Speaker 1: such a poison would take effect would also, from his
Speaker 1: point of view, be an advantage. It would be a
Speaker 1: sharp eyed coroner, indeed, who could distinguish the two little
Speaker 1: dark punctures which would show where the poison fangs had
Speaker 1: done their work. Then I thought of the whistle. Of course,
Speaker 1: he must recall the snake before the morning light revealed
Speaker 1: it to the victim. He had trained it, probably by
Speaker 1: use of the milk which we saw to return to
Speaker 1: him when summoned. He would put it through this ventilator
Speaker 1: at the hour that he thought best, with the certainty
Speaker 1: that it would crawl down the rope and land on
Speaker 1: the bed. It might or might not bite the occupant.
Speaker 1: Perhaps she might escape every night for a week, but
Speaker 1: sooner or later she must fall a victim. I had
Speaker 1: come to these conclusions before I had ever entered his room.
Speaker 1: An inspection of his chair showed me that he had
Speaker 1: been in the habit of standing on it, which of
Speaker 1: course would be necessary in order that he should reach
Speaker 1: the ventilator. The sight of the safe, the saucer of milk,
Speaker 1: and the loop of whipcord were enough to finally dispel
Speaker 1: any doubts which may have remained. The metallic clang heard
Speaker 1: by miss Stoner was obviously caused by her stepfather hastily
Speaker 1: closing the door of his safe upon its terrible occupant.
Speaker 1: Having once made up my mind, you know the steps
Speaker 1: which I took in order to put the matter to
Speaker 1: the proof. I heard the creature hiss, as I have
Speaker 1: no doubt that you did also, and I instantly lit
Speaker 1: the light and attacked it, with the result of driving
Speaker 1: it through the ventilator, and also with the result of
Speaker 1: causing it to turn upon its master at the other side.
Speaker 1: Some of the blows of my cane came home and
Speaker 1: roused its snakish temper, so that it flew upon the
Speaker 1: first person it saw. In this way, I am no
Speaker 1: doubt indirectly responsible for Doctor grimesby Brolett's death, and I
Speaker 1: cannot say it is likely to weigh very heavily upon
Speaker 1: my conscience. End of the Adventure of the Speckled Band