The adventure of the speckled band.

When I look at my notes which I have made over the last eight years of the 70 or more cases done by my friend, Sherlock Holmes, I find many cases which are very sad, some which are funny, and many which are only strange. There are none which are ordinary; because he worked for enjoyment, not for money. He refused to do any investigation which was not rather unusual, or even fantastic. Of all these cases though, I can't remember any which were as strange as the case of a well-known Surrey family, the Roylotts of Stoke Warren. The events happened in the early days of my time with Holmes, when we were sharing rooms as bachelors in Baker Street. I have written about them before, but at that time I promised not to release my notes, and this has only changed during the last month because of the death of the lady who I made the promise to. Now is perhaps a good time for the facts to be known, since I know there are a lot of stories about the death of Dr Grimsby Roylott, and these stories are sometimes even more terrible than the truth. Vocabulary: Speckled: Having lots of little dots on it. Band: Something which is long and thin and flat. Cases: Investigations. Strange: Unusual. None: Not one. Fantastic: very strange. (Today some people use this to mean. very good, but that is not the meaning here.) Sharing: Both using together. Bachelor: Somebody who is not married. It was early in April in the year 1883. I woke up one morning and saw Sherlock Holmes standing, completely dressed, by the side of my bed. He didn't usually get up early, and the clock on the wall showed me that it was only a quarter past seven. I looked at him in surprise, and I was perhaps just a little angry, because unlike Holmes, I like to get up and go to sleep at the same times. "Very sorry to wake you up, Watson, " said he "but it's happening to everyone this morning. Mrs Hudson has been woken up, she came to me, and I to you." "What is it, then-a fire?" "No, a client. It seems that a young lady has arrived. She is very upset, and she wants to see me. She is now waiting in the sitting room. Now, when young ladies run around London at this hour of the morning, and get sleepy people out of their beds, I presume that they have something very urgent that they want to say. If it is an interesting case, I am sure you would want to be in it from the beginning. I thought that anyway, I would come to you and give you the chance." "My dear fellow, I would not miss it for anything." Vocabulary: woke up: stopped sleeping completely dressed: with all his clothes on get up: get out of bed unlike: different from presume: decide, but with no real evidence

I quickly put on my clothes and was soon ready to go with my friend down to the sitting room. A lady dressed in black, who had been sitting near the window, rose as we entered. "Good morning, Madam," said Holmes cheerfully "my name is Sherlock Holmes. This is my friend, Dr Watson, and he will not tell anyone what you say to me. Ah! I am glad to see that Mrs Hudson has been clever enough to light the fire. Please come close to it and I will order a cup of hot coffee because I can see you're shivering." "It is not cold which makes me shiver," said the woman in a soft voice, moving her seat nearer the fire. "It is fear, Mr Holmes. It is terror." As she spoke, we could see that her face and figure were those of a 30 year old woman, but her hair was grey in places, and her expression was tired and frightened. Sherlock Holmes gave her one of his quick, intelligent looks. "You must not be afraid," he said. Vocabulary: sitting room: the main room of the house. cheerfully: in a lively and happy mood. rose: stood up. glad: very happy. shiver: when your muscles shake, even if you don't want it. figure: here this means body. "You came in by train this morning, I see, " said Holmes. You must have started early, and yet you had a long ride along muddy roads before you reached the station. " The lady gave a jump, and stared in astonishment at my friend. "There is no mystery, my dear Madam," said Holmes smiling. "The left arm of your jacket is marked with mud in no less than seven places. The marks are perfectly fresh. They must have been thrown up from the road on your journey to the station. I also observe one part of a return ticket tucked into your glove, so I know that you took the train." "You are perfectly correct," she said. "I started from home before six, reached Leatherhead twenty minutes later, and came in by the first train to Waterloo. Sir, I can stand it no longer; I will go mad if it continues. I have no one to turn to - except only one person. He cares for me, but he, poor man, can not help. I have heard of you Mr Holmes; do you think you can help me, and at least throw a little light into the darkness which surrounds me?" "At present, I can't pay you for your services, but in a month or six weeks, I shall be married, with the control of my own income, and then you will not find me ungrateful." Vocabulary: ride: journey on a horse or a bicycle. muddy: with a lot of wet earth. observe: see. marked: here means that some mud has changed the colour of her sleeve. tucked: folded into. Leatherhead: an English town.

turn to: ask for help. surround: to be all around control: to be the person who decides what to do. income: money.

""Madam, "said Sherlock Holmes" my work is its own reward; but you can repay any money I spend to solve the case, at the time which is best for you. But now I ask that you tell us everything that will help us to know about the case". "Oh dear!" replied our visitor, "the horror of my situation is I am not sure what I am afraid of, I worry about such small things, that might not seem important to someone else. Even the person who, of all others, I should be able to ask for help and advice thinks that everything I tell him are the worries of a nervous woman. He does not say so, but I can see it from his behaviour. Mr Holmes you must tell me what to do in this dangerous situation." "I will do everything I can," said Holmes. The young lady seemed to have recovered from her distress a bit, and now, after taking a deep breath, she began to explain what had brought her to us that morning. Vocabulary: reward: a prize for something you have done. case: something which a policeman or detective is investigating. nervous: agitated, upset and worried. worries: things that make you upset, or that you think will finish badly. distress: being upset, unhappy, and worried. brought: taken to a particular place. And so our visitor began her tale. "My name is Helen Steiner, and I am living with my stepfather, who is the last of one of the oldest families in England, the Roylotts, of Surrey." Holmes nodded his head. "The name is familiar to me," he said. "The family was once one of the richest in England, and owned property in Berkshire in the north, and Hampshire in the west. In the last century, however, four successive heirs were all corrupt and wasteful. The family ruin was eventually completed by a gambler sixty years ago. Nothing was left except a few acres of land and the 200 year-old-house, The last squire stayed there, living the horrible life of a poor aristocrat. But his only son, my stepfather, seeing that he must change to the new conditions, borrowed money from a relative, and obtained a medical degree. He went to Calcutta, where by his professional skill and his force of character, he became successful. Then, in a fit of anger, caused by some robberies in the house, he beat his butler to death. He was almost hanged, but instead he spent a long time in prison, and afterwards returned to England a bad-tempered and disappointed man. Vocabulary: tale: story. stepfather: the husband of a woman who has a child that is not his. Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire: English counties. heirs: people who receive money from someone who has just died. corrupt: bad, acting wrongly.

gambler: someone who puts money on horses, or bets in a casino. ruin : what is left after everything is destroyed. squire: the lowest rank of the English aristocracy. acre : a measure of land, about a hectare. degree: here it means a qualification from a university. fit: an attack of illness or emotion. butler: the chief servant in a house.

While Dr Roylott was in India he married my mother, whose husband had just died. My sister Julia and I were twins, and we were only two years old when my mother married again. Soon after we returned to England, my mother died - she was killed eight years ago in a railway accident. She had a considerable amount of money, and this she left completely to Dr Roylott for while we lived with him, and we would receive a certain amount every year if we were married. When my mother died, Dr Roylott stopped trying to work in London as a doctor, and took us to live with him in his old family house at Stoke Moran The money which my mother had left was enough for everything we needed, and I thought we would be very happy. But a terrible change came over our step-father about this time. He did not make friends and visit our neighbours, who at first were very happy to see a Roylott returned to the old family house at Stoke Moran. Instead, he shut himself up in the house and almost never came out except to have furious arguements with everyone he met. Vocabulary: Twins: two people born at the same time. Considerable: quite a large amount. Leave: here it means to give somebody something after you have died. About this time: at this time, but not exactly. At first: at the beginning. Furious: very angry. Step-father: A man who is married to a woman, but is not the father of her children.

Last week he threw the local blacksmith over a wall into a stream. I had to collect all the money I could and give it to the blacksmith, to avoid another public incident. There are incidents like this all the time, and he is often in trouble with the police and the courts. He has no friends except some gypsies who he allows to stay on the weed-covered land of the estate. Sometimes he goes away with the gypsies for weeks. He also has a passion for Indian animals, including a cheetah and a baboon. Both of them wander around in the gardens. The villagers are almost as scared of the animals as they are scared of Dr Roylott. 'You can imagine that I and my poor sister Julia did not have very happy lives. No servant would stay with us, and we did all the work of the house. My sister was only thirty when she died, but already her hair was going white, just like mine. Is your sister dead? Holmes asked. She died just two years ago, and it is about her death that I want to speak to you. You can understand that, we did not often meet other people. But when Julia went to visit an aunt for Christmas, she met a major in the army and they decided to get married. Our step-father did not say no, but within a fortnight of the wedding, a terrible event occurred, which took away my sister, who was my only companion.

Vocabulary: Local : from near the same place. Here, a man who lived in the village Blacksmith : a man who works with iron. He makes the shoes for horses and similar things. Incident : something which happened. Here, it means something bad happening Weed : a plant which grows where it is not wanted. Baboon : a type of monkey, also found in Africa Cheetah : a large cat with spots like a leopard, which runs very fast. Wander : go without purpose or direction. Major : an officer in the army Step-father : a man who is the husband of a woman with children, but is not their father Occur : happen Companion : friend. Sherlock Holmes had been sitting back in his chair, with his eyes closed and his head on a cushion, but he half-opened his eyes now and looked at his visitor. '"Please be precise about the details," said he. "That is easy for me do, for every second of that horrible time is burned into my memory. The manor house is, as I said, very old, and only one part is now inhabited. The bedrooms are on the ground floor, the sitting rooms being in the centre of the buildings. Of the bedrooms, the first is doctor Roylott's, the second is my sister's, and the third my own. They all open into the same corridor. Do I make myself clear?" "Perfectly so." "The windows of the three rooms look out on to the lawn. That night Dr Roylott had gone to his room early, though we knew that he had not gone to bed, because my sister was troubled by the smell of the strong Indian cigars which he smoked. So she left her room and came into mine, where she sat for some time talking about her approaching wedding. Vocabulary: Precise: very accurate, not approximate. Burned: damaged by fire. Inhabited: lived in. Clear: here this means easily understood. Lawn: the area of grass in front of a house. Troubled: made uncomfortable, disturbed. Approaching : coming nearer.

When my sister was leaving me, she stopped at the door and looked back. "Tell me, " she said. "Have you ever heard anyone whistle in the middle of the night?" "Never," I said. "Why do you ask?" She replied, "Well, for the last three nights, always at about three in the morning, I have heard a low clear whistle. I am a light sleeper, and I cannot tell where it has come from. Perhaps it is from the next room, perhaps from the garden. I thought I would ask you if you had heard it. You dont whistle when you sleep, do you?"

"No. I have never heard this a whistle. But I sleep more deeply than you." "Yes. Well it is not important anyway." My sister went away and a few minutes later I heard her lock the door . We always used to lock ourselves in our rooms at night. The cheetah and the baboon walking around in the gardens caused us to feel unsafe. A few minutes later I went to bed as well. Vocabulary: whistle : the sound you make when you make an O with your lips and blow. light sleeper : someone who wakes up easily. sleep deeply : sleep without waking up lock : close with a key. unsafe : not secure, with some danger

I could not sleep that night. I had a feeling that some sort of disaster was going to strike. My sister and I, you will remember, were twins, and you know that twins are often very close together in spirit. It was a wild night. The wind was howling outside, and the rain was beating and splashing against the windows. Suddenly, in the middle of all the noise of the storm, I heard the wild scream of a terrified woman. I knew it was my sister's voice. I jumped from my bed, pulled my dressing gown around me, and rushed into the corridor. As I opened my door I seemed to hear a low whistle, such as the one my sister had described, and a few moments later a sound, as if a piece of metal had fallen. As I ran down the passage, my sister's door was unlocked, and it opened slowly. I stared at it in horror, not knowing what was about to come from it. By the light of the lamp in the corridor I saw my sister at the door, her face white with terror. She was walking as if she was drunk, and as I ran to her and put my arms around her, her knees seemed to lose their strength, and she fell to the ground. Vocabulary: Howling : making a noise like a wolf. Splashing : the noise made by water. Rushed : hurried as much as possible Low : here it means not very loud Stare : look at very hard Drunk : what happens to a person after drinking too much alcohol. My sister twisted her body in terrible pain. At first I thought that she did not recognise me. then, as I bent over her she suddenly screamed out "Oh, my God! Helen! It was the band! The speckled band." I will never forget the horror in her voice. There was something else which she wanted to say. She pointed with her finger into the air in the direction of the doctor's room, but a fresh convulsion seized her and choked her words. I hurried away, calling loudly for my step-father, and I met him coming from his room. When he reached my sister she was unconscious, and though he poured brandy down her throat and sent for medical help from the village, all efforts were in vain, for she died without ever recovering consciousness. Such was the dreadful end of my sister. Vocabulary:

Twisted : here this means turned her body around violently. Bent : lowered the top of half of the body. Band : a thin strip of flexible material. Speckled : with many small dots. Convulsion : when the muscles in the body contract without control. Choke : to block the throat. In vain : useless, unsuccessful. Recover consciousness : to stop being unconscious. To know what is happening to you.

"One moment" said Holmes, "are you sure about this whistle and of the sound of something metal falling? Are you sure that you heard them?" "That was what the county coroner asked me at the inquiry. I really think that I heard it, and yet, with the noise of the storm and the creaking of an old house, I may possibly be wrong." "Was your sister dressed?" "No, she was in her night dress. In her right hand she was holding a burned match, and in her left hand she had a matchbox." "This shows that she had light from the match and looked about her when the alarm took place. That is important. And what did the coroner decide?" Vocabulary: whistle :the sound when you make an O with your lips and blow. coroner : a type of lawyer whose job it is to investigate deaths creaking :the noise that a door makes when you open it if there is no oil match : a small stick with chemicals on one end to make a fire quickly matchbox : a box containing matches "The coroner investigated my sister's death with great care, because no-one in the area trusted doctor Roylott. But the coroner was not able to find out what killed her. I gave evidence to the court that the door of my sister's room had been locked on the inside. The windows were blocked by shutters with iron bars, and these were locked in the night. The police checked the walls carefully but they were completely solid all round, and the floor was also thoroughly examined, with the same result. The chimney is wide, but is blocked by four strong bars. So I am certain that my sister was completely alone when she met her fate. Besides, there were no signs of any violence on her. "How about poison?" asked Holmes "The doctors examined her, but they could not find any". Vocabulary: evidence :facts given to a court. block :to prevent something from coming through old-fashioned : in the style of an older time shutters : small doors which are put on windows for security or to block light solid : of one piece, without holes or air inside.

bars : long pieces of metal. fate : destiny. Here it means "death "What do you think that you're sister died of then?" "I think she died from pure fear and shock of though I cannot imagine what it is that frightened her." "Were there gypsies in the woods at the time that she died?" "Yes, there are nearly always some there." "Why do you think she mentioned a band, a speckled band?" "Sometimes I think she was just talking in delerium. Sometimes I think she was talking about a band of people, maybe those gypsies in the woods. May be the spotted handkerchiefs which many of them wear on their heads might have given her that idea." Holmes shook his head. He was not very satisfied. "These are very deep waters" he said, "please go on with your story" Vocabulary: shock : a sudden impact gypsies : a tribe of people who move from place to place without permanent homes. delerium : when your mind is affected by fever or drugs and you talk or dream nonsense. band : this word can also mean a group, as in "a rock band". hardkerchief : a piece of cloth usually carried in the pocket. sometimes for blowing the nose. spotted : with lots of small round marks on it. shake : to move your head from side to side. Also a way of saying "no". deep waters : something which is more complicated than it seems. Our visitor went on with her story. "That was two years ago. Since my sisters death, my life has been even more lonely. But a month ago, a dear friend, who I have known for a long time, asked to marry me. My stepfather did not object, and we will get married in the spring. Two days ago, workmen started to repair one side of the house. The work damaged my bedroom wall, and I had to move into my sisters room. That is the room in which she died, and I am now sleeping in that same bed. Last night something terrible happened. I was lying in the bed thinking about how my sister died when I heard the same whistle as she had heard just before her death. I jumped up and lit the lamp, but the room was empty. I could not sleep after that, so I got dressed, and as soon as it was day, I left the house. I came straight to you, with the idea of asking or your advice." "That was the right thing to do", said Holmes, "but you have not told me everything." Vocabulary: object: To give a reason for not doing something repair : to make something which is damaged as it should be damaged : something broken or hurt lamp : a light which is on a table or wall, and not on the ceiling Our visitors hand was on her knee. Holmes pushed up the lace of her sleeve. On her wrist were five little red spots, the marks of four fingers and a thumb.

"He has been cruel" to you," said Holmes. The lady blushed, and put her hand over her injured wrist. "He is a hard man ", she said, "and perhaps he doesn't know his own strength." Holmes put his chin on his hand and stared into the fire. There was a long silence. Finally Holmes said 'This is a very deep business. There are a thousand details which I need to know before I decide what we should do. But we do not have very much time. If we come to your house today, can we look at your rooms without your stepfather knowing? " Vocabulary: Lace: a type of fabric made with elaborate weaving. Wrist: the connection between your hand and your arm. Thumb: the short fat finger on the side of your hand. Cruel: be unkind, hurt . Blush: when the blood comes to your face. Chin: the part of your face under your mouth. Stare: to give a long, hard look. Deep: serious and complicated. Details: small things or parts of things. "In fact," the lady replied "he said he was coming into town today because he had some very important business. He will probably be away all day, so there will be nothing to disturb you. The housekeeper is old and foolish, and I will make sure that she stays away." "Excellent. You don't mind this trip, Watson?" "Of course not. And you Miss Stonor, what are you going to do with yourself?" "Well, now that I am in town there are one or two things which I would like to do. But I will go home on the 12.00 train to make sure I am there when you arrive." "You may expect us to arrive early in the afternoon. I have also some business to attend to. Will you have breakfast with us?" "No, I must go. I am already happier, now have told you my troubles. I look forward to seeing you again this afternoon." She put her thick black veil over her face, and walked from the room. Vocabulary: Disturb: here it means to interfere, to get in your way, Housekeeper: servant who has the job of running the house. Don't mind: not against, not opposed to One or two: some, a small number Make sure: to be certain Attend to: here this means to do Troubles: problems, worries Veil: cloth covering the face. Popular with some muslims.

When she had gone, Holmes sat back in his chair. "And what do you think about it all, Watson?" he asked.

"It seems to me to be a dark and strange business." "Very dark and very strange." "But if the lady is correct, and the floors and walls were solid and no-one could get through the door, window and chimney, then the sister must have been alone when she died. It's very mysterious." "And what do you think of the whistles at night, and the very strange words of the dying woman?" "I have no idea". "We must add together the whistles at night, and the gypsies who are very friendly with this doctor. Also the fact that we can be sure that that the doctor will lose quite a lot of money if his stepdaughter gets married." Vocabulary: Dark: here this means not good. Solid:impossible to get through. Add: put together. For example 2+2 =4 "Then" Holmes went on "the dying woman mentioned a band, and finally that metallic clang, which might have been one of the metal bars on the shutters falling back into place. and I think there is good reason to think that the mystery might be solved with these facts." "But what do you think the gypsies did?" "I cannot imagine" "I see many problems with your ideas." "And so do I. That is exactly why we are going to Stoke Moran today. I want to see whether the problems can be explained away, or it we have to start again. But what in the name of the devil!" The exclamation from Holmes was caused by the fact that the door had been suddenly thrown open, and a huge man stood in the doorway. His clothes were a peculiar mixture of a doctor's and a farmer's. He had a black top hat, a long coat, and a whip in one hand. Vocabulary: Clang: the sound metal makes when you hit it. Shutters: doors on windows. Solved: explained Exclamation: a noise you make when you are surprised. Top hat: A tall black hat shaped like a cylinder. Whip: something flexible for hitting things. He was so tall that his hat actually touched the top of the door, and his shoulders were so wide that they filled the entrance. He had a large face, with a thousand wrinkles, burned yellow with the sun, and marked by his terrible life. He turned this face from one to the other of us. His yellow eyes, and his high nose made him look like a fierce old bird of prey. "Which of you is Holmes?" asked this man "That is my name sir, but I don't know yours" said Holmes quietly.

"I am Dr Grimsby Roylott of Stoke Moran" "Indeed, Doctor" said Holmes. "Please take a seat." "I will do nothing like that. My stepdaughter has been here. I have followed her. What has she been saying to you?" "It is rather cold for the time of the year" said Holmes. Vocabulary: Wrinkles : lines on the skin Mark: a sign to show something. Bird of prey: birds like hawks and eagles. Take a seat: sit down.

"What has she been saying to you?" screamed the old man furiously. "But I have heard that the crocuses will be pretty" continued Holmes calmly. "You do not want to say?" said our new visitor taking a step forward and shaking his fist. "I know you, I have heard of you before. You are Holmes who interferes". My friend smiled. "Holmes the busybody!" Holmes smiled even more. Then he laughed. "Your conversation is most entertaining, my dear sir. When you go out, please close the door, because there is a draught. I will go when I have finished. Don't you dare to investigate my affairs. I know that Miss Stonor has been here. I followed her! I am a dangerous man when I am angry. See here." He stepped forward, picked up the poker, and bent it into a curve with his huge brown hands. "See that you keep yourself out of my way" he shouted. He threw the twisted poker into the fireplace and left the room. Vocabulary: Furious: in a very bad temper. Crocus: a flower in the early spring. Shaking: moving backward and forward quickly. Fist: when you make a hard ball out of your hand. Interferes: to stop other peoples lives or jobs from going well. Busybody: someone who interferes. Entertaining: amusing. Draught: a cold wind in the house. Poker: metal stick used to stir the fire. Curve: a part of a circle.

"He seems a very friendly person" said Holmes. He laughed. "I am not as big as he is, but if he had stayed I could have shown him that my grip was not much weaker than his ". He picked up the steel poker and, with a sudden effort, straightened it out again. "Well, this incident gives more flavour to our investigation. I hope that our little friend will not have any problems because she allowed him to follow her. And now, Watson, we shall order breakfast, and afterward I shall walk down to look at some documents. I hope to get some information which will help us. It was nearly 1.00 pm when Holmes returned. He held in his hand a sheet of blue paper, written all over with notes and figures. "I have seen the will of the dead wife", he said. "To understand exactly what the will means, I have worked out how much it is worth." Vocabulary: Grip: .how you hold things in your hand Effort: when you try hard to do something. Incident: something which happened. Flavour: taste. Sheet: here it means "page". Will: a document that says who will get a dead person's property. Work out: calculate. Worth: value.

"The total income was worth 1,100 when the wife died. Now the investments have not done well, and are worth not more than 750. Each daughter will get an income of 250 when she gets married". "So you can see that if both girls had married, Dr Royston would have lost a lot of money, while even one sister would cost him a lot. My morning's work has not been wasted. It shows that he has a very strong reason for wanting to stop any marriage. And now, Watson, this is very serious. We must hurry, especially as the old man is knows that we are interesed in his business". "If you're ready, we will call a cab, and drive to Waterloo station. Please put your gun into your pocket. A pistol is an excellent argument with gentlemen who can bend a steel poker. A gun and a toothbrush are all that we need". Vocabulary: Total: full, complete amount. Income: money that comes to someone. Investment: things you buy to get more money. Cost: what you must pay. Wasted: thrown away for nothing. Strong: here it means "good". Cab: taxi.

We were lucky at Waterloo because we caught a train for Leatherhead. There we hired a carriage at the station hotel and drove for four or five miles through the lovely Surrey countryside. It was a perfect day, with a bright sun and a few white clouds in the sky. The trees and hedges on the side of the road had their first green leaves, and the air was full of the pleasant smell of wet earth.

To me there was a strange difference between the sweet promise of the spring and the dark investigation which we were doing. My friend sat in the front of the carriage, his arms folded, his hat pulled down over his eyes, and his chin on his chest, buried in very deep thought. Suddenly, however, he sat up, tapped me on the shoulder, and pointed over the fields. "Look there!" he said. A park with lots of trees went up in a gentle slope, with the trees getting thicker at the highest part. Among the branches you could see the high grey roof of a very old mansion. "Stoke Moran." Vocabulary: Leatherhead: an English town in Surrey Hired: borrowed for money. Carriage: something pulled by a horse. Hedge: a fence of bushes. Folded: wrapped around each other. Tap: to hit gently with one finger or toe Slope: higher at one side than on the other. Mansion: a big house owned by someone rich. "Yes, sir, that be the house of Dr. Grimesby Roylott," said the driver. "There is some building going on there," said Holmes; "that is where we are going." "There's the village," said the driver, pointing to a group of roofs some distance to the left; "but if you want to get to the house, you'll find it shorter to get over this fence, and so by the foot-path over the fields. There it is, where the lady is walking." "And the lady, I fancy, is Miss Stoner," said Holmes, shading his eyes. "Yes, I think we had better do as you suggest." We got off, paid our fare, and the carriage went back on its way to Leatherhead. Vocabulary: That be: "that is" in local dialect Group: things all in one place Fancy: here it means "think" Shading: putting a shadow over Fare: the price of a journey Miss Stonor hurried to meet us with a joyful expression on her face. "I have been waiting so eagerly for you," she cried, shaking hands with us. "Everything has turned out splendidly. Dr. Roylott has gone to town, and I don't think that he will be back before evening." "We have already met the doctor," said Holmes, and in a few words he described what had occurred. Miss Stoner turned white as she listened. "Good heavens!" she cried, "he has followed me, then." "So it seems."

"He is so clever that I never know when I am safe from him. What will he say when he returns?" Vocabulary: Eager: enthusiastic, wanting to do something. Turned out: happened Cried: here it means "said loudly" Occurred: happened "He must be careful in case there is someone more clever than he is on his track. You must lock yourself away from him to-night. If he is violent, we shall take you away to your aunt's at Harrow. Now, we must make the best use of our time, so please take us at once to the rooms which we need to look at." The building was of grey, lichen-blotched stone, with a high central part and two curving wings on each side. In one of these wings the windows were broken and blocked with wooden boards, while the roof was partly caved in. The central part of the house was not much better, but the right-hand part was quite modern. The curtains in the windows, and the blue smoke from the chimneys showed that this was where the family lived. Some scaffolding had been put up against the end wall, and the wall had been broken, but there were no workmen at the moment of our visit. Holmes walked slowly up and down the lawn and carefully examined the outsides of the windows. Vocabulary: On his track: following or hunting. Lichen: a plant which grows on stone. Blotched: with patches of another colour. Curving: bent like a bow. Caved in: fallen into itself. Scaffolding: temporary support for building work. Lawn: the grass part of a garden. "This window, I take it, belongs to the room where you used to sleep, the centre window is to your sister's room, and the next window is Dr. Roylott's bedroom?" "Exactly so. But I am now sleeping in the middle room." "Until the repairs are finished, I understand. By the way, the repairs do not seem to be very urgent on that end wall." "I am sure they aren't. I believe that it was an excuse to move me from my room." "Ah! that is interesting. Now, on the other side of these bedrooms is the corridor which joins the three rooms. There are windows in it, of course?" "Yes, but very small ones. Too narrow for anyone to get through." Vocabulary: I take it: I think this is true. By the way: changing the subject of the conversation. Corridor: a long room joining different parts of the house.

"As you both locked your doors at night, no-one could get into your rooms from the corridor. Now, would you have the kindness to go into your room and close your shutters?" Miss Stoner did so, and Holmes, after a careful examination through the open window, endeavoured in every way to open the shutter, but without success. There was no way to push in a knife to raise the bar. With his lens he examined the hinges, but they were of solid iron, built firmly into the masonry. "Hum!" said he, scratching his chin in some perplexity, "my theory has some difficulties. No one could get in through these shutters if they were closed. Well, we shall see if the inside throws any light upon the matter." Vocabulary: Endeavoured: tried. Lens: piece of glass shaped to make things look bigger Hinges: what a door turns on when opened Masonry: stone work, part of a building made from stone Perplexity: the feeling when you do not understand Bar: Noun: a stick of metal. Verb: to lock (out) Throw light: help to explain A small side door led into the whitewashed corridor. Inside there were doors for three bedrooms. Holmes wasn't interested in the third bedroom, so we went at once to the second room, where Miss Stoner was now sleeping - and in which her sister had died. It was a friendly little room, with a low ceiling and a wide fireplace, of the kind you often find in old country-houses. There was a brown chest of drawers in one corner, a small bed in another, and a dressing-table on the left-hand side of the window. These things and two small chairs were all the furniture in the room except for a square of carpet in the centre. The wooden panelling of the walls was of brown, worm-eaten oak, so old that it might have been as old as the original building. Holmes pulled up one of the chairs into a corner and sat silently, while his eyes travelled round and round and up and down, taking in every detail of the room. "Who does that bell communicate with?" he asked at last; pointing to a thick bell-rope which hung down beside the bed, the tassel actually lying upon the pillow. Vocabulary: Whitewash: a pure white powder used to paint walls. Chest of drawers: part of bedroom furniture, for shirts, socks etc. Dressing table: a table with a mirror Panelling squares of flat wood on the walls Worm: a small animal with no legs, arms or eyes Oak: wood from an oak tree Tassel: an ornamental ending to a piece of rope or cord "It goes to the housekeeper's room .It was only put there a couple of years ago" "Yes, it looks newer than the other things.Your sister asked for it, I suppose?" "No, I never heard of her using it. We always used to get what we wanted for ourselves." "Indeed, it seems unnecessary to put it there. You will excuse me for a few minutes while I check this floor." He got down to the floor with his lens in his hand and crawled swiftly backward and forward, examining the cracks between the boards. Then he did the same with the wood-work panels. Finally he

walked over to the bed and spent some time staring at it and in looking up and down the wall. Finally he took the bell-rope in his hand and gave it a hard pull. "Oh, it's a dummy" he said. Vocabulary: Check: look at for a reason. Crawled: moved on his hands and knees. Cracks: here itmeans the places where the wood is joined Boards: flat pieces of wood on the floor Panels: flat pieces of wood on the walls Bell-rope: a rope attatched to a bell in the servant's rooms Dummy: an imitation - not real "Won't it ring?" "No, it is not connected to anything. This is very interesting. You can see now that it is just hanging on a hook above where the little opening for the ventilator is." "How very strange! I never noticed that before." "Very unusual!" said Holmes to himself, pulling at the rope. "There are one or two very interesting things about this room. For example, what a fool a builder must be to open a ventilator into another room, when, with the same trouble, he might have opened it to the outside air!" "That is also quite modern," said the lady. "Done about the same time as the bell-rope?" asked Holmes. Vocabulary: Hang: hold off the ground. Hook: a curved piece of metal, often used for hanging things. Ventilator: a hole in the wall to let in fresh air How: here it means "that is indeed"

"Yes, several little changes were made at about that time." "They seem to have been of a very interesting kind - dummy bell-ropes, and ventilators which do not ventilate. With your permission, Miss Stoner, we shall now take a look at Dr Royston's apartment." Dr. Grimesby Roylott's room was larger than his step-daughter's room, but was as simply furnished. A camp-bed, a small wooden shelf full of books, mostly technical books, an armchair beside the bed, a plain wooden chair against the wall, a round table, and a large iron safe were the things which were visible. Holmes walked slowly round and examined each and all of them with very great interest. "What's in here?" he asked, tapping the safe. Vocabulary:

Permission: when you let someone do something. Camp-bed: a light bed that can be taken to pieces. Visible: able to be seen Tap: to hit very lightly

"My stepfather's business papers. I saw inside, once, some years ago. I remember that it was full of papers." "There isn't a cat in it, do you think? Look at this!" Holmes picked up a small saucer of milk which stood on the top of the safe. "What a strange idea. No; we don't keep a cat. But there is a cheetah and a baboon." "Ah, yes, of course! Well, a cheetah is just a big cat, and yet a saucer of milk will not do much to feed it if it is hungry. There is one point which I want to be sure about." He squatted down in front of the wooden chair and examined the seat of it with the greatest attention. "Thank you. That is quite certain," he said, rising and putting his lens in his pocket. "Hello! Here is something interesting!" The object which had caught his eye was a small dog whip which hung on one corner of the bed. The lash, however, was curled in and tied into a loop. "What do you think about that, Watson?" Vocabulary: Saucer: A small dish which you put under a cup. Squat: to sit on the back of your legs. Seat: the flat horizontal part of a chair Lash: here it means the flexible part of a whip Curl: to bend Loop: a flexible circle Lash: here the flexible part of a whip "It's a common enough whip. But I don't know why it should be tied." "That is not quite so common, is it? Oh dear! it's a wicked world. And when a clever man turns his brains to crime, it is the worst of all. I think that I have seen enough now, Miss Stoner, and I would like us to walk out on the lawn." I had never seen my friend's face so serious or his expression so angry as it was when we went from the scene of this investigation. We had walked several times up and down the lawn. Neither Miss Stoner nor myself wanted to interrupt Holmes' thoughts before he finished what he was thinking about. "It is very important, Miss Stoner," he said, "that you should do exactly what I tell you. The matter is too serious for any hesitation. Your life may depend upon your doing as I say." "I will trust you and do as you want." "In the first place, both my friend and I must spend the night in your room." Vocabulary:

Common enough: here it means quite common. Scene: the place where something happens Depend: rely, need absolutely The first place: the first thing to say or do

We looked at him in astonishment, but Holmes said "Yes, That is how it must be. I will explain. I believe that that is the village inn over there?" "Yes, it is called the Crown." "Very good. I am sure that we can see your bedroom window from there." "You must stay in your room. Pretend that you have a headache when your stepfather comes back. Then when you hear him go to bed, you must open the shutters of your window, and put a lamp there as a signal to us. Then go quietly with everything that you need for the night into your old bedroom. I have no doubt that, even if they are doing repairs, you could stay there for one night." "Oh, yes, easily." "The rest you will leave in our hands." Vocabulary: Inn: a country hotel. Crown: what a king wears on his head. But here it is a name. Headache: a pain in the head Lamp: a light that is not on the wall or ceiling Leave in our hands: we will do everything else

"But what will you do?" "We shall spend the night in your room, and we shall investigate the cause of this noise which has disturbed you." "I believe, Mr. Holmes, that you have already made up your mind," said Miss Stoner, putting her hand upon Holmes' sleeve. For pity's sake, tell me what caused my sister's death." "I should prefer to have clearer evidence before I speak." "You can at least tell me if my own idea is correct. I think she died from some sudden fright." "No, I do not think so. I think that there was probably something more real. And now, Miss Stoner, we must leave you. If Dr. Roylott returns and sees us, our journey would be for nothing. Good-bye, and be brave. If you will do what I have told you, you can be sure that we shall soon drive away the dangers that threaten you." Vocabulary: Spend: here it means go through. Make up your mind: decide

For pity's sake: a very strong way to say "please". Drive away: remove Sherlock Holmes and I had no difficulty in finding a rooms at the Crown Inn. They were on the upper floor, and from our window we had a view of the road to the house, the gate, and of the part of Stoke Moran Manor House where people lived. As it became dark we saw Dr. Grimesby Roylott come past, his huge body beside the little figure of the boy who was driving the carriage. The boy had some difficulty in opening the heavy iron gates, and we heard the doctor shout and saw the anger with which he shook his fists at the boy. A few minutes later we saw a light between the trees as the lamp was lit in one of the sitting-rooms. "Do you know, Watson," said Holmes as we sat together in the gathering darkness, "I really feel a bit guilty about taking you to-night. There is a some danger. Yet your presence might be very important." "You speak of danger. You have obviously seen more in these rooms than I did." Vocabulary: Upper: higher. Huge: very big Fist: when the hand in made into a tight ball. Lamp: a kind of lighting Guilty: when you think you have done something wrong. Presence: being there

"No, but maybe I understood a little more. I think that you saw everything that I did." "I saw nothing remarkable except the bell-rope, and why that was put there is more than I can imagine." "You saw the ventilator, too?" "Yes, but I do not think that it is very unusual to have a small opening between two rooms. It was so small that a rat could hardly get through." "I knew that we should find a ventilator before we came to Stoke Moran. You remember Miss Stonor said that her sister could smell Dr. Roylott's cigar. Now, of course, that told me at once that there must be a connection between the two rooms. It could only be a small one, or it would have been mentioned at the coroner's inquiry. I decided it was a ventilator. You must say that there is something a bit strange about the dates. A ventilator is made, a bell-rope is hung, and a lady who sleeps in the bed dies. Does not that seem rather strange to you?" Vocabulary: Remarkable: interesting. Hardly: almost not Inquiry: here it means investigation

"Did you notice something very peculiar about that bed?" Holmes asked. "It was fixed to the floor. Did you ever see a bed like that before?" "I cannot say that I have."

"The lady could not move her bed. It must always be in the position next to the ventilator and to the rope - or so we may call it, since it was clearly never meant to be a bell-pull." "Holmes," I said, "I am beginning to see what you are telling me. We are only just in time to prevent some clever and horrible crime." "Clever enough and horrible enough. When a doctor goes wrong he is the worst of criminals. He is brave and he knows what to do. Palmer and Pritchard were doctors and evil men. This man may be even worse, but I think, Watson, that we shall be able to defeat him. But we shall see enough horrors before the night is over. For goodness' sake let us relax and talk for a few hours about something more cheerful." Vocabulary: Peculiar: almost not Fixed: put so that it cannot be moved. Prevent: stop Evil: the opposite of holy and good Defeat: beat in a contest For goodness' sake: this means nothing, but makes the words afterwards stronger. Cheerful: happy About nine o'clock the light among the trees went out, and the Manor House was all in darkness. Two hours went slowly past. Then, suddenly, just at eleven o'clock, a single bright light appeared right in front of us. "That is our signal," said Holmes, jumping to his feet; "it comes from the middle window." As we left the hotel, we told the owner that we were going on a late visit to a friend. We said that it was possible that we might spend the night there. A moment later we were out on the dark road, a cold wind blowing in our faces, and one yellow light shining in the darkness to guide us on our mission. It was easy enough to enter the grounds of Manor House, for there were many holes in the old wall. We went through the trees until we reached the lawn. We crossed it, and were about to enter into the house through the window. Suddenly from the bushes there ran what seemed to be a horrible child, who jumped on the grass with waving arms and legs and then ran swiftly across the lawn into the darkness. "My God!" I whispered; "did you see it?" Vocabulary: Right: here it means "exactly" To his feet: this means to stand up. Mission: something that must be done Grounds: the garden of a large house Bushes: plants like small trees Waving: moving up and down Swiftly: very quickly For a moment Holmes was as surprised as I was. His hand closed tightly around my wrist in his shock. Then he gave a low laugh and put his lips near my ear. "It is a lovely house," he whispered. "That is the baboon."

I had forgotten the doctor's strange pets. There was a cheetah, too; and it might jump upon our shoulders at any moment. I must admit that I felt much more relaxed when, after doing the same as Holmes and taking off my shoes, I climbed inside the bedroom. My friend very quietly closed the shutters, moved the lamp onto the table. Then he looked around the room. Everything looked the same as we had seen it in the daytime. Then Holmes came up to me and put his hands to my ear. He spoke so gently that it very hard to understand what he was saying: "Even a little sound would spoil our plans. We must sit without light. He would see it through the ventilator." I nodded to show Holmes that I had heard him. "Do not go asleep; your life depends upon it. Keep your pistol ready - we might need it. I will sit on the side of the bed, and you sit in that chair." Vocabulary: Shock: surprise and fear Low: here this means quiet. Spoil: make bad or useless Depend on: need completely.

I took out my revolver and put it on the corner of the table. Holmes had brought a long thin stick, and he put it on the bed beside him. By it he put the box of matches and part of a candle. Then he turned off the lamp, and we were left in darkness. How shall I ever forget that terrible wait? I could not hear a sound, not even someone breathing, but I knew that Holmes sat open-eyed, a few feet away from me, just as nervous as I was myself. The shutters cut off every single bit of light, and we waited in absolute darkness. From outside we heard the occasional sound of a night-bird. Once at our window a long cat-like sound, which told us that the cheetah was indeed free for the night. Far away we could hear the bell of the church clock, which rang every quarter of an hour. How long they seemed, those quarters of an hour! Twelve o'clock came, and one and two and three. Still we sat waiting silently for whatever might happen. Vocabulary: Revolver: a type of pistol Candle: a stick of wax that can be lit on one end. Cut off: stopped from coming through Absolute: complete. Occasional happening sometimes

Suddenly I saw a light shine for a second up in the direction of the ventilator, but it vanished immediately. Then was a strong smell of burning oil and heated metal. Someone in the next room had lit a dark-lantern. I heard a gentle sound of movement, and then everything was silent once more, though the smell grew stronger. For half an hour I sat with straining ears. Then suddenly I heard another sound. It was a very gentle, soothing sound, like that of a steam coming from a kettle. The instant that we heard it, Holmes jumped from the bed, struck a light, and hit furiously with his stick at the bell-pull.

"You see it, Watson?" he shouted. "You see it?" But I saw nothing. At the moment when Holmes struck the light I heard a low, clear whistle, but the sudden light flashing into my tired eyes made it impossible for me to tell what it was that my friend was hitting so savagely. I could, however, see that his face was very pale and filled with horror and loathing. He he stopped hitting, and stared up at the ventilator. Then suddenly there came from the silence of the night the most horrible cry which I have ever heard. Vocabulary: Shine: what light does so that you can see it Dark-lantern: a lamp with a cover that allowed the light to go only in one direction. Straining: making the muscles work as hard as possible Soothing: relaxing Furiously: with great energy and anger Flashing: coming quickly Savagely: in a completely uncivilised manner Loathing: hate and disgust Cry: half a shout, half a scream It grew louder and louder, a hoarse shout of pain and fear and anger all mixed in the one dreadful scream. They say that away down in the village, and even further away than that, that cry raised sleeping people from their beds. It struck a cold feeling into our hearts, and I stood looking at Holmes, and he at me, until the last echoes of it had died away into the silence. "What can it mean?" I asked. "It means that it is all over," Holmes answered. "And perhaps, after all, it is the best thing that could have happened. Take your pistol, and we will enter Dr. Roylott's room." With a serious expression on his face he lit the lamp and led the way down the corridor. Twice he knocked on the chamber door without any reply from inside. Then he turned the handle and entered, I at his heels, with the pistol in my hand, ready to fire. It was a strange sight which we saw there. On the table stood a dark-lantern with the shutter half open, throwing a brilliant beam of light upon the iron safe, the door of which was slightly open. Beside this table, on the wooden chair, sat Dr. Grimesby Roylott in a long grey dressing-gown, his bare ankles pushed out beneath, and his feet in red Turkish slippers. Vocabulary: Hoarse: sound made through a tight throat Echoes: sound that has bounced. After all: at the end of the story. Handle: the thing on the door you use to open and close it Fire: here it means to shoot a gun Beam: a thick line of light Dressing gown: a coat you put over your night clothes Slippers: soft shoes you wear in the house at night Across his lap lay the short stick with the whip which we had seen during the day. His chin pointed upward and his eyes were fixed in a dreadful, unmoving stare at the corner of the ceiling. Round his head he had a peculiar yellow band, with brownish speckles, which seemed to be tied tightly. As we entered he did not move or speak.

"The band! The speckled band!" whispered Holmes. I took a step forward. Suddenly the strange headgear began to move, and the squat diamond-shaped head and neck of a dangerous snake appeared in Dr Roylott's hair. "It is a swamp adder!" said Holmes; "the deadliest snake in India. He died ten seconds after he was bitten. Violence really does punish the violent, and the the man who makes clever plans falls into the trap which he digs for someone else. Let's put this creature back into the safe. Then we can take Miss Stoner to some safe place and let the county police know what has happened." As he spoke he quickly took the whip from the dead man's lap, and throwing the noose round the reptile's neck he drew it from its horrid perch. Carrying it at arm's length, Holmes threw the snake into the iron safe, which he closed tightly. Vocabulary: Lap: the flat area made by your legs when you sit Headgear: what you wear on your head. Squat: short and strong. Swamp: a very wet part of the country Deadly: something that can make you dead Violence: using strength and force Trap: something used to catch things Perch: normally this means where a bird sits Arm's length: held as far from the body as possible This is the true story of the death of Dr. Grimesby Roylott, of Stoke Moran. It is not necessary that I should carry on with a story which has already become too long. We told the sad news to the terrified girl, and we took her by the morning train to her good aunt in Harrow. Later there was an official inquiry which came to the conclusion that the doctor had died while unwisely playing with a dangerous pet. The little bit which I did not know about the case was told to me by Sherlock Holmes as we travelled back the next day. "I had," he said, "started with completely the wrong idea. This shows, my dear Watson, that it is dangerous to try to think logically without enough information. The gypsies, and the word 'band,' which was used by the poor girl, no doubt to explain the appearance of the thing which she saw quickly by the light of her match, were sufficient to give me the wrong idea. I can only say that I instantly changed my mind when, however, it became clear to me that whatever danger threatened somebody in the room could not come in through the window or the door." "So then I looked carefully, as I have already told you, at this ventilator, and at the bell-rope which hung down to the bed. I found that this was a dummy, and that the bed was fixed to the floor. This made me suspect that the rope was there as a bridge for something coming through the hole and down to the bed. At once I thought of a snake, and when I discovered that the doctor had a supply of animals from India, I felt that I was probably correct." Vocabulary: Harrow: An English town Come to the conclusion: decide Sufficient: enough. Clear: obviousDr Roylott was a clever and dangerous man who knew India well. The idea of using a poison which could not possibly be discovered by any chemical test was the kind of idea that he would have. The speed with which such a poison would work would also, from his point of view, be an advantage. It would be a sharp-eyed policeman, indeed, who would see the two little dark marks which

would show where the poisonous fangs of the snake had bitten. Then I thought of the whistle. Of course Dr Roylott must call back the snake before the morning. He had trained it, probably with the milk which we saw, to return to him when he whistled for it to come. He would put the snake through this ventilator late at night, being sure that it would come down the rope and land on the bed. It might or might not bite the person in the bed. Perhaps she might escape every night for a week, but sooner or later she must be bitten. "I had come to these conclusions before I entered his room. An inspection of his chair showed me that he had been in the habit of standing on it, which of course would be necessary for him to reach the ventilator. The sight of the safe, the saucer of milk, and the loop which he used to hold the snake were enough to finally clear away any doubts which I still had. The metallic clang heard by Miss Stoner was obviously caused by her stepfather quickly closing the door of his safe upon the terrible creature inside. Once I had made up my mind, you know what I did to prove I was right. When I heard the snake hiss, as I have no doubt that you did also, I quickly lit the light and attacked it." Vocabulary: Sharp-eyed: someone who can see very well Marks: things which show you where to look Fangs: the teeth of an animal. Conclusions: here it it something which is decided Clang: the sound of metal being dropped Make up your mind: be sure. Hiss: the sound of air being pushed from something

"With the result of chasing it back through the ventilator." "And also with the result of causing it to attack its master at the other side. I must have hit the snake several times with my stick and made it so angry that it bit the first person it saw. In this way I am no doubt responsible for Dr. Grimesby Roylott's death. I cannot say that it is likely to worry me very much." The End Vocabulary: No doubt: certainly Responsible: here it means to blame