September 29, 2023 • 62 mins
"The Adventure of the Speckled Band" follows Helen Stoner seeking Holmes' help regarding her sister's suspicious death. Their stepfather, Dr. Grimesby Roylott, exhibits aggressive behavior and controls the family estate. Before her death, Helen's sister, Julia, mentioned a "speckled band."Holmes investigates and discovers Roylott's sinister plot to kill Helen, using a poisonous snake, a speckled adder, through a vent. Holmes intervenes, preventing Helen's murder by altering the snake's path, causing it to turn on Roylott, leading to his demise.Holmes uncovers the truth, saving Helen and exposing Roylott's murderous intentions. This story showcases Holmes' deductive prowess in solving a perilous case and protecting the innocent.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Adventure eight of the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. This LibriVox
recording is in the public domain and is read by
Mark Smith of Simpsonville, South Carolina. The Adventures of Sherlock
Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Adventure eight The Adventure
of the Speckled Band. On glancing over my notes of
(00:26):
the seventy odd cases in which I have, during the
last eight years studied the methods of my friend Sherlock Holmes,
I find many tragic, some comic, a large number merely strange,
but none commonplace for working as he did rather for
the love of his art than for the acquirement of wealth.
(00:46):
He refused to associate himself with any investigation which did
not tend towards the unusual and even the fantastic. Of
all these varied cases, however, I cannot recall any which
presented more singing features than that which was associated with
the well known Surrey family of the Roilets of Stoke, Moran.
(01:08):
The events in question occurred in the early days of
my association with Holmes, when we were sharing rooms as
bachelors in Baker Street. It is possible that I might
have placed them upon record before, but a promise of
secrecy was made at the time, from which I have
only been freed during the last month by the untimely
death of the lady to whom the pledge was given.
(01:31):
It is perhaps as well that the fact should now
come to light, for I have reasons to know that
there are widespread rumors as to the death of doctor
grimesby Roylet, which tend to make the matter even more
terrible than the truth. It was early in April in
the year eighty three, that I woke one morning to
find Sherlock Holmes standing fully dressed by the side of
(01:54):
my bed. He was a late riser as a rule,
and as the clock on the mantelpiece that it was
only a quarter past seven, I blinked up at him
in some surprise, and perhaps just a little resentment, for
I was myself regular in my habits. Very sorry to
knock you up, Watson said he, but it's the common
(02:16):
lot this morning. Missus Hudson has been knocked up, she
retorted upon me, and I on you.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
What is it then?
Speaker 1 (02:24):
A fire?
Speaker 2 (02:25):
No, a client.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
It seems that a young lady has arrived in a
considerable state of excitement, who insists upon seeing me. She
is waiting now in the sitting room. Now, when young
ladies wander about the metropolis at this hour of the
morning and knock sleepy people up out of their beds,
I presume that it is something very pressing which they
have to communicate. Should it prove to be an interesting case,
(02:51):
you would, I am sure, wish to follow it from
the outset. I thought, at any rate that I should
call you and give you the chance, My dear fellow, I.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Would not miss it for anything.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
I had no keener pleasure than in following Holmes in
his professional investigations, and in admiring the rapid deductions, as
swift as intuitions, and yet always founded on a logical
basis with which he unraveled the problems which were submitted
to him. I rapidly threw on my clothes and was
ready in a few minutes to accompany my friend down
(03:26):
to the sitting room. A lady dressed in black and
heavily veiled, who had been sitting in the window, rose
as we entered. Good morning, madam, said Holmes cheerily. My
name is Sherlock Holmes. This is my intimate friend and
associate Doctor Watson, before whom you can speak as freely
(03:47):
as before myself.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Ah.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
I am glad to see that missus Hudson has had
the good sense to light the fire. Pray, draw up
to it, and I shall order you a cup of
hot coffee, for I observe that you are shivering. It
is not cold, which makes me shiver, said the woman,
in a low voice, changing her seat, as requested. What
then it is fear, mister Holmes, it is terror. She
(04:15):
raised her veil as she spoke, and we could see
that she was indeed in a pitiable state of agitation,
her face all drawn in gray, with restless, frightened eyes
like those of some hunted animal. Her features and figure
were those of a woman of thirty, but her hair
was shot with premature gray, and her expression was weary
(04:37):
and haggard. Sherlock Holmes ran her over with one of
his quick, all comprehensive glances. You must not fear, said
he soothingly, bending forward and patting her forearm. We shall
soon set matters right.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
I have no doubt you have.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Come in by train this morning. I see you know
me then, no, But I observed the second half of
a return ticket in the palm of your left glove.
You must have started early, and yet you had a
good drive and a dog cart along heavy roads before
you reached the station. The lady gave a violent start
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and stared in bewilderment at my companion. There is no mystery,
my dear madam, said he smiling. The left arm of
your jacket is spattered with mud in no less than
seven places. The marks are perfectly fresh. There is no
vehicle save a dog cart, which throws up mud in
that way, and then only when you sit on the
(05:35):
left hand side of the driver. Whatever your reasons may be,
you are perfectly correct, said she. I started from home
before six, reached Leatherwood at twenty past, and came in
by the first train to Waterloo. Sir, I can stand
this strain no longer. I shall go mad if it continues.
(05:58):
I have no one to turn two, none save only
one who cares for me, and he, poor fellow, can
be of little aid. I have heard of you, mister Holmes.
I have heard of you from Missus Ferintosh, whom you
helped in the hour.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
Of her sore need. It was from her that I
had your address.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Oh, sir, do you not think that you could help
me too, and at least throw a little light through
the dense darkness which surrounds me. At present, it is
out of my power to reward you for your services.
But in a month or six weeks I shall be married,
with the control of my own income, and then at
least you shall not find me ungrateful. Holmes turned to
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his desk, and, unlocking it, drew out a small case book,
which he consulted. Ferentosh said, he ah, yes, I recall
the case. It was concerned with an opal tiera. I
think it was before your time, Watson. I can only say, madam,
that I I shall be happy to devote the same
(07:01):
care to your case as I did to that of
your friend. As to reward, my profession is its own reward.
But you are at liberty to defray whatever expenses I
may be put to at the time which suits you best.
And now I beg that you will lay before us
everything that may help us in forming an opinion upon
(07:21):
the matter. Alas, replied our visitor, the very horror of
my situation lies in the fact that my fears are
so vague, and my suspicions depend so entirely upon small
points which might seem trivial to another, that even he
to whom of all others, I have a right to
look for help and advice, looks upon all that I
(07:44):
tell him about it as the fancies of a nervous woman.
He does not say so, but I can read it
from his soothing answers and averted eyes. But I have heard,
mister Holmes, that you can see deeply into the manifold
wickedness of the human heart. Art you may advise me
how to walk amid the dangers which encompass me. I
(08:06):
am all attention, madam. My name is Helen Stoner, and
I am living with my stepfather, who is the last
survivor of one of the oldest Saxon families in England,
the Roylets of Stoke, Moran on the western border of Surrey.
Holmes nodded his head. The name is familiar to me,
(08:27):
said he. The family was at one time among the
richest in England, and the estates extended over the borders
into Berkshire in the north and Hampshire in the west.
In the last century, however, four successive heirs were of
a dissolute and wasteful disposition, and the family ruin was
eventually completed by a gambler, and the days of the
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regency nothing was left to save a few acres of
ground and the two hundred year old house, which is
itself crushed under a heavy mortgage. The last squire dragged
out his existence there, living the horrible life of an
aristocratic pauper. But his only son, my stepfather, seeing that
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he must adapt himself to the new conditions, obtained in
advance from a relative which enabled him to take a
medical degree, and went out to Calcutta, where, by his
professional skill and his force of character, he established a
large practice. In a fit of anger, however, caused by
some robberies which had been perpetrated in the house, he
(09:32):
beat his native butler to death and narrowly escaped a
capital sentence. As it was, he suffered a long term
of imprisonment, and afterwards returned to England a morose and
disappointed man. When doctor Roylett was in India, he married
my mother, Missus Stoner, the young widow of Major General
(09:54):
Stoner of the Bengal Artillery. My sister Julia and I
were twins, and we were only two years old at
the time of my mother's remarriage. She had a considerable
sum of money, not less than one thousand pounds a year,
and this she bequeathed to doctor Roylett entirely while we
resided with him, with a provision that a certain annual
(10:16):
sum should be allowed to each of us in the
event of our marriage.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Shortly after our.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
Return to England, my mother died. She was killed eight
years ago in a railway accident near Crewe. Doctor Roylett
then abandoned his attempts to establish himself in practice in
London and took us to live with him in the
old ancestral house at Stoke, Moran. The money which my
mother had left was enough for all our wants, and
(10:44):
there seemed to be no obstacle to our happiness. But
a terrible change came over our stepfather about this time.
Instead of making friends and exchanging visits with our neighbors,
who had at first been overjoyed to see a roilet
of Stoke Marine back in the old family seat, he
shut himself up in his house and seldom came out,
(11:06):
save to indulge in ferocious quarrels with whoever might cross
his path. Violence of temper approaching to mania has been
a hereditary in the men of the family, and in
my stepfather's case it had, I believe, been intensified by
his long residence in the tropics. A series of disgraceful
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brawls took place, two of which ended in the police court,
until at last he became the terror of the village,
and the folks would fly at his approach, for he
is a man of immense strength and absolutely uncontrollable.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
In his anger.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
Last week he hurled the local blacksmith over a parapet
into a stream. And it was only by paying over
all the money which I could gather together, that I
was able to avert another public exposure. He had no
friends at all save the wandering gypsies, and he would
give these vagabonds leave to encamp upon the few acres
(12:03):
of bramble covered land which represent the family estate, and
would accept in return the hospitality of their tents, wandering
away with them, sometimes for weeks on end. He has
a passion also for Indian animals, which are sent over
to him by a correspondent, and he has at this
moment a cheetah and a baboon, which wander freely over
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his grounds and are feared by the villagers almost as
much as their master. You can imagine from what I
say that my poor sister Julia and I had no
great pleasure in our lives. No servant would stay with us,
and for a long time we did all the.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
Work of the house.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
She was but thirty at the time of her death,
and yet her hair had already begun to whiten, even
as mine has. Your sister is dead, then she died
just two years ago. Is of her death that I
wished to speak to you. You can understand that living
the life which I have described, we were little likely
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to see any one of our own age and position.
We had, however, an aunt, my mother's maiden sister, Miss
Honorio Westvale, who lives near Harrow, and we were occasionally
allowed to pay short visits at this lady's house. Julia
went there at Christmas two years ago and met there
a half pay major of Marines, to whom she became engaged.
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My stepfather learned of the engagement when my sister returned,
and offered no objection to the marriage. But within a
fortnight of the day which had been fixed for the wedding,
the terrible event occurred which has deprived me of my
only companion. Sherlock Holmes had been leaning back in his
chair with his eyes closed and his head sunk in
(13:52):
a cushion. But he half opened his lids now and
glanced across at his visitor. Pray be precise as to details,
said he. It is easy for me to be so,
for every event of that dreadful time is seared into
my memory. The manor house is, as I have already said,
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very old, and only one wing is now inhabited. The
bedrooms in this wing are on the ground floor, the
sitting rooms being in the central block of the buildings.
Of these bedrooms, the first is doctor Roylet's, the second
my sisters, and the third my own. There is no
communication between them, but they all open out into the
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same corridor. Do I make myself plain perfectly? So? The
windows of the three rooms opened out upon the lawn.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
That fatal night.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
Doctor Roylett had gone to his room early, though we
knew that he had not retired to rest, for my
sister was troubled by the smell of the strong Indian
cigars which it was his custom to smoke. She left
her room therefore, and came into mine, where she sat
for some time, chatting about her approaching wedding. At eleven
(15:09):
o'clock she rose to leave me, but she paused at
the door and looked back.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Tell me.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
Helen, said she, have you ever heard any one whistle
in the dead of the night, never, said I. I
suppose that you cannot possibly whistle yourself in your sleep?
Certainly not. But why, because during the last few nights
I have always, about three in the morning, heard a low,
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clear whistle. I am a light sleeper, and it has
awakened me. I cannot tell where it came from, perhaps
from the next room, perhaps from the lawn. I thought
that I would just ask you whether you had heard it. No,
I have not. It must be those wretched gypsies in
the plantation, very likely. And yet if it were on
(16:01):
the lawn, I wonder that you did not hear it also, Ah,
but I sleep more heavily than you. Well, it is
of no great consequence at any rate. She smiled back
at me, closed my door, and a few moments later
I heard her key turn in the lock. Indeed, said Holmes,
(16:23):
was it your custom always to lock yourselves in at night?
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Always? And why? I think that?
Speaker 1 (16:32):
I mentioned to you that the doctor kept a cheetah
and a baboon. We had no feeling of security unless
our doors were locked. Quite so, pray proceed with your statement.
I could not sleep that night. A vague feeling of
impending misfortune impressed me. My sister and I, you will recollect,
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were twins, and you know how subtle are the links
which bind two souls which are so closely alive. It
was a wild night. The wind was howling outside, and
the rain was beating and splashing against the windows. Suddenly,
amid all the hubbub of the gale, there burst forth
the wild scream of a terrified woman. I knew that
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it was my sister's voice. I sprang from my bed,
wrapped a shawl round me, and rushed into the corridor.
As I opened my door, I seemed to hear a
low whistle such as my sister described, and a few
moments later a clanging sound, as if a mass of
metal had fallen. As I ran down the passage, my
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sister's door was unlocked and revolved slowly upon its hinges.
I stared at it, horror stricken, not knowing what was
about to issue from it. By the light of the
corridor lamp. I saw my sister appear at the opening,
her face blanched with terror, her hands groping for help,
her whole figure swaying to and fro like that of
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a drunkard. I ran to her and threw my arms
round her, but at that moment her knees seemed to
give way, and she fell to the ground. She writhed
as one who is in terrible pain, and her limbs
were dreadfully convulsed. At first I thought that she had
not recognized me, but as I bent over her, she
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suddenly shrieked out in a voice which I shall never forget. Oh,
my God, Helen, it was the bad the speckled band.
There was something else which she would fain have said,
and she stabbed with her finger into the air in
the direction of the doctor's room. But a fresh convulsion
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seized her and choked her words. I rushed out, calling
loudly for my stepfather, and I met him hastening from
his room in his dressing gown. When he reached my
sister's side, she was unconscious, and though he poured branding
down her throat and sent for medical aid from the village,
all efforts were in vain, for she slowly sank and
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died without having recovered her consciousness.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
Such was the.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
Dreadful end of my beloved sister. One moment said Holmes,
are you sure about this whistle and metallic sound? Could
you swear to it? That was what the county coroner
asked me at the inquiry. It is my strong impression
that I heard it, And yet among the crash of
(19:28):
the gale and the creaking of an old house, I
may possibly have been deceived. Was your sister dressed? No,
she was in her night dress. In her right hand
was found the charred stump of a match and in
her left a match box, showing that she had struck
a light and looked about her when the alarm took place.
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That is important and what conclusions did the coroner come to.
He investigated the case with great care, for doctor Roylett's
conduct had long been notorious in the county, but he
was unable to find any satisfactory cause of death. My
evidence showed that the door had been fastened upon the
inner side, and the windows were blocked by old fashioned
(20:15):
shutters with broad iron bars, which were secured every night.
The walls were carefully sounded and were shown to be
quite solid all round. And the flooring was also thoroughly
examined with the same result. The chimney is wide, but
is barred up by four large staples. It is certain, therefore,
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that my sister was quite alone when she met her end. Besides,
there were no marks of any violence upon her. How
about poison? The doctors examined her for it, but without success.
What do you think that this unfortunate lady died of? Then?
It is my belief that she died of pure fear
(20:57):
and nervous shock. Though what it was that frightened her
I cannot imagine. Were there gypsies in the plantation at
the time, Yes, there were nearly always some there. Ah,
And what did you gather from this allusion to a band,
a speckled band? Sometimes I have thought that it was
(21:20):
merely the wild talk of delirium. Sometimes that it may
have referred to some band of people, perhaps to these
very gypsies in the plantation. I do not know whether
the spotted handkerchiefs which so many of them wear over
their heads might have suggested the strange adjective which he used.
Holmes shook his head like a man who is far
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from being satisfied. These are very deep waters, said he pray,
go on with your narrative. Two years have passed since then,
and my life has been until lately lonelier than ever.
A month ago, however, a dear friend whom I have
known for many years has done me the honor to
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ask my hand in marriage. His name is Armitage, Percy Armitage,
the second son of mister Armitage of Crane Water, near Redding.
My stepfather has offered no opposition to the match, and
we are to be married in the course of the spring.
Two days ago, some repairs were started in the west
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wing of the building, and my bedroom wall has been pierced,
so that I have had to move into the chamber
in which my sister died, and to sleep in the
very bed in which she slept. Imagine then, my thrill
of terror when last night, as I lay awake, thinking
over her terrible fate, I suddenly heard in the silence
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of the night the low whistle, which had been the
herald of her own death. I sprang up and lit
the lamp, but nothing was to be seen in the room.
I was too shaken to go to bed again.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
However, so I.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
And as soon as it was daylight, I slipped down,
got a dog cart at the Crown Inn, which is opposite,
and drove to leatherhead from whence I have come on
this morning with the one object of seeing you and
asking your advice. You have done wisely, said my friend.
But have you told me all? Yes, all, miss Roylet
(23:24):
you have not you are screening your stepfather.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
Why what do you.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
Mean for answer? Holmes pushed back the frill of black
lace which fringed the hand that lay upon our visitor's knee.
Five little livid spots, the marks of four fingers and
a thumb were printed upon the white wrist. You have
been cruelly used, said Holmes. The lady colored deeply and
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covered over her injured wrist. He is a hard man,
she said, and perhaps he hardly knows his own strength.
There was a long silence, during which Holmes leaned his
chin upon his hands and stared into the crackling fire.
This is a very deep business, he said, at last,
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There are a thousand details which I should desire to
know before I decide upon our course of action. Yet
we have not a moment to lose if we were
to come to Stoke Moran to day.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
Would it be.
Speaker 1 (24:25):
Possible for us to see over these rooms without the
knowledge of your stepfather? As it happens, he spoke of
coming into town to day upon some most important business.
It is probable that he will be away all day,
and that there will be nothing to disturb you. We
have a housekeeper now, but she is old and foolish,
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and I could easily get her out of the way. Excellent,
you are not averse to this trip, Watson? By no means,
then we shall both come. What are you going to
do yourself? I have one or two things which I
would wish to do now that I am in town.
But I shall return by the twelve o'clock train, so
(25:08):
as to be there in time for your coming, and
you may expect us early in the afternoon. I have
myself some small business matters to attend to. Will you
not wait and breakfast?
Speaker 2 (25:20):
No, I must go.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
My heart is lightened already since I have confided by
trouble to you. I shall look forward to seeing you
again this afternoon. She dropped her thick black veil over
her face, and gliding from the room. And what do
you think of it all?
Speaker 2 (25:39):
Watson?
Speaker 1 (25:40):
Asked Sherlock Holmes, leaning back in his chair. It seems
to me to be a most dark and sinister business.
Dark enough and sinister enough. Yet, if the lady is
correct in saying that the flooring and walls are sound,
and that the door, window and chimney are impassive, then
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her sister must have been undoubtedly alone when she met
her mysterious end. What becomes then, of these nocturnal whistles,
and what are the very peculiar words of the dying woman?
I cannot think when you combine the ideas of whistles
at night, the presence of a band of gypsies who
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are on intimate terms with this old doctor, the fact
that we have every reason to believe that the doctor
has an interest in preventing his stepdaughter's marriage, the dying
allusion to a band, and finally, the fact that miss
Helen Stoner heard a metallic clang which might have been
caused by one of those metal bars that secured the
(26:42):
shutters falling back into its place. I think that there
is good ground to think that the mystery may be
cleared along those lines. But what then did the gypsies do?
I cannot imagine. I see many objections to any such theory.
Speaker 2 (27:01):
And so do I.
Speaker 1 (27:03):
It is precisely for that reason that we are going
to Stoke Moran this day. I want to see whether
the objections are fatal, or if they may be explained away.
But what in the name of the devil? The ejaculation
had been drawn from my companion by the fact that
our door had been suddenly dashed open, and that a
huge man had framed himself in the aperture. His costume
(27:26):
was a peculiar mixture of the professional and of the agricultural,
having a black top hat, a long frock coat, and
a pair of high gaiters, with a hunting crop swinging
in his hand. So tall was he that his hat
actually brushed the cross bar of the doorway, and his
breath seemed dispand it across from side to side. A
(27:48):
large face seared with a thousand wrinkles, burned yellow with
the sun, and marked with every evil passion, was turned
from one to the other of us, while his deep set,
bile's shot eyes and his high, thin, fleshless nose gave
him somewhat the resemblance to a fierce old bird of prey, which,
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if you is Holmes asked this apparition. My name, sir,
But you have the advantage of me, said my companion quietly.
I am doctor grimesby Roylet of Stoked, Moran. Indeed, doctor,
said Holmes, blandly. Pray take a seat. I will do
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nothing of the kind. My stepdaughter has been here. I
have traced her. What has she been saying to you?
It is a little cold for the time of the year,
said Holmes. What has she been saying to you? Cried
the old man furiously. But I have heard that the
(28:51):
crocuses promised well, continued my companion, imperturbably. Ha you put
me off, do you? Our new visitor, taking a step
forward and shaking his hunting crop. I knew you, you scoundrel.
I have heard of you before. You are Holmes the meddler,
my friend, smiled Holmes, the busybody. His smile broadened, Holmes
(29:18):
the Scotland yard jack in office. Holmes chuckled heartily. Your
conversation is most entertaining, said he. When you go out,
close the door, for there is a decided draft. I
will go when I have said my say. Don't you
dare to meddle with my affairs? I know that miss
(29:39):
Stoner has been here, I traced her. I am a
dangerous man to fall foul of. See here, he stepped
swiftly forward, seized the poker, and bent it into a
curve with his huge brown hands. See that you keep
yourself out of my grip, he snarled, and her the
(30:00):
twisted poker into the fireplace. He strode out of the room.
He seems a very amiable person, said Holmes, laughing, ha ha,
I am not quite so bulky. But if he had remained,
I might have shown him that my grip was not
much more feeble than his own. As he spoke, he
(30:21):
picked up the steel poker and with a sudden effort,
straightened it out again. Fancy his having the insolence to
confound me with the official detective force. This incident gives
zest to our investigation, however, and I only trust that
our little friend will not suffer from her imprudence in
allowing this brute to trace her. And Now, Watson, we
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shall order breakfast, and afterwards I shall walk down to
Doctor's Commons, where I hope to get some data which
may help us in this matter. It was nearly one
o'clock when Sherlock Holmes returned from his excursion. He held
in his hand a sheet of blue paper scrawled over
with notes and figures. I have seen the will of
(31:06):
the deceased wife, said he to determine its exact meaning.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
I have been.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
Obliged to work out the present prices of the investments
with which it is concerned. The total income, which at
the time of the wife's death was little short of
eleven hundred pounds, is now, through the falling agricultural prices,
not more than seven hundred fifty pounds. Each daughter can
claim an income of two hundred fifty pounds in case
(31:33):
of marriage. It is evident therefore, that if both girls
had married, this beauty would have been a mere pittance,
while even one of them would cripple him to a
very serious extent. My morning's work has not been wasted,
since it has proved that he has the very strongest
motives for standing in the way of anything of the sort.
(31:54):
And now, Watson, this is too serious for Dardling, especially
as the old man is aware that we are interesting
ourselves in his affairs. So if you are ready, we
shall call a cab and drive to Waterloo. I should
be very much obliged if you would slip your revolver
into your pocket. And Ely's number two is an excellent
(32:14):
argument with gentlemen who can twist deal pokers into knots.
That and a toothbrush are I think all that we need.
At Waterloo, we were fortunate in catching a train for Leatherhead,
where we hired a trap at the station inn and
drove for four or five miles through the lovely Surrey lanes.
Speaker 2 (32:33):
It was a perfect day, with a.
Speaker 1 (32:35):
Bright sun and a few fleecy clouds in the heavens.
The trees and wayside hedges were just throwing out their
first green shoots, and the air was full of the
pleasant smell of the moist earth. To me, at least,
there was a strange contrast between the sweet promise and
the spring and this sinister quest upon which we were engaged.
(32:57):
My companion sat in the front of the trap, his
arms folded, his hat pulled down over his eyes, and
his chin sunk upon his breast, buried in the deepest thought. Suddenly, however,
he started, tapped me on the shoulder and pointed over
the meadows. Look there, said he A heavily timbered park
(33:19):
stretched up in a gentle slope thickening into a grove.
At the highest point from amid the branches, there jutted
out the gray gables and high roof tree of a
very old mansion. Stoke Moran said he, yes, Sarah, that
be the house of doctor grimesby Roylett, remarked the driver.
(33:40):
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 cluster 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 stile, and so
by the footpath over the there it is where the
(34:02):
lady is walking. And the lady I fancy is miss Stoner,
observed Holmes, shading his eyes. Yes, I think we had
better do as you suggest. We got off, paid our fare,
and the trap rattled back on its way to Leatherhead.
I thought it as well, said Holmes, as we climbed
(34:22):
the stile, that this fellow should think we had come
here as architects or on some definite business. It may
stop his gossip. Good afternoon, miss Stoner. You see that
we have been as good as our word, our client
of the morning had hurried forward to meet us with
a face which spoke her joy.
Speaker 2 (34:42):
I have been waiting so eagerly for you.
Speaker 1 (34:45):
She cried, shaking hands with us warmly. All has turned
out splendidly. Doctor Roylett has gone to town, and it
is unlikely that he will be back before evening.
Speaker 2 (34:56):
We have had the pleasure of making the doctor's.
Speaker 1 (34:59):
Acquaint tents, said Holmes, and in a few words he
sketched out what had occurred. Miss Stoner turned white to
the lips as she listened. Good Heavens, she cried, he
has followed me, then, so it appears he is so
cunning that I never know when I am safe from him.
(35:20):
What will he say when he returns? He must guard himself,
or he may find that there is someone more cunning
than himself upon his track. You must lock yourself up
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 kindly
(35:40):
take us at once to the rooms which we are
to examine. The building was of gray like in blotchstone,
with a high central portion and two curving wings, like
the claws of a crab thrown out on each side.
In one of these wings, the windows were broken and
blocked with wooden boards. The roof was partly caved in
(36:02):
a picture of ruin. The central portion was a little
better repair, but the right hand block was comparatively modern,
and the blinds and the windows, with the blue smoke
curling up from the chimneys, showed that this was where
the family resided. Some scaffolding had been erected against the
end wall, and the stone work had been broken into,
(36:23):
but there were no signs of any workmen At the
moment of our visit. Holmes walked slowly up and down
the ill trimmed lawn and examined with deep attention the
outsides of the windows. This, I take it belongs to
the room in which you used to sleep, the center
one to your sisters, and the one next to the
main building to doctor Roylet's chamber.
Speaker 2 (36:46):
Exactly so.
Speaker 1 (36:47):
But I am now sleeping in the middle one, pending
the alterations. As I understand by the way, there does
not seem to be any very pressing need for repairs
at that end wall. There were none. I believe that
it was an excuse to move me from my room. Ah,
that is suggestive. Now on the other side of this
(37:10):
narrow wing runs the corridor from which these three rooms open.
There are windows in it, of course, yes, but very
small ones, too narrow for any one to pass through.
As you both locked your doors at night, your rooms
were unapproachable from that side. Now, would you have the
(37:31):
kindness to go into your room and bar your shutters?
Miss Stoner did so, and Holmes, after a careful examination
through the open window, endeavored in every way to force
the shutter open, but without success. There was no slit
through which a knife could be passed to raise the bar. Then,
with his lens he tested the hinges, but they were
(37:53):
of solid iron, built firmly into the massive masonry. Hum said,
he scratching his chin in some perplexity. My theory certainly
presents some difficulties. No one could pass these shutters if
they were bolted. Well, we shall see if the inside
throws any light upon the matter. A small side door
(38:16):
led into the whitewashed corridor from which the three bedrooms opened.
Holmes refused to examine the third chamber, so he passed
at once to the second, that in which Miss Stoner
was now sleeping. And in which her sister had met
with her fate. It was a homely little room, with
a low ceiling and a gaping fireplace, after the fashion
(38:37):
of old country houses. A brown chest of drawers stood
in one corner, a narrow white counterpane bed at another,
and a dressing table on the left hand side of
the window. These articles, with two small wicker work chairs,
made up all the furniture in the room ex save
for a square of wilton carpet in the center. The
(38:58):
boards round and the paneling of the walls were a brown,
worm eaten oak, so old and discolored that it may
have dated from the original building of the house. Holmes
drew one of the chairs into a corner and sat
silent while his eyes traveled round and round and up
and down, taking in every detail of the apartment. Where
(39:21):
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. It goes to
the housekeeper's room. It looks newer than the other things. Yes,
it was only put there a couple of years ago.
Speaker 2 (39:41):
Your sister asked for it.
Speaker 1 (39:43):
I suppose no, I never heard of her using it.
We used always to get what we wanted for ourselves. Indeed,
it seemed unnecessary to put so nice a bell pull there.
You will excuse me for a few minutes while I
satisfied myself as to this floor. He threw himself down
(40:04):
upon his face, with his lens in his hand, and
crawled swiftly backward and forward, examining minutely the cracks between
the boards. Then he did the same with the woodwork
with which the chamber was paneled. Finally, he walked over
to the bed and spent some time in staring at it,
and in running his eye up and down the wall. Finally,
(40:25):
he took the bell rope in his hand and gave
it a brisk tug. Why it's a dummy, said he
won't it ring. No, it is not even attached to
a wire. This is very interesting. You can see now
that it is fastened to.
Speaker 2 (40:42):
A hook just above where the little opening for.
Speaker 1 (40:45):
The ventilator is. How very absurd I never noticed that before,
very strange, muttered Holmes, pulling at the rope. There are
one or two very singular points 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
(41:08):
might have communicated with the outside air. That is also
quite modern, said the lady, done about the same time
as the bell rope, remarked Holmes. Yes, there were several
little changes carried out about that time. They seem to
have been of a most interesting character. Dummy bell ropes
(41:30):
and ventilators which do not ventilate. With your permission, Miss Stoner,
we shall now carry our researches into the inner apartment.
Doctor Grimesby Roylet's chamber was larger than that of his
step daughter, but was as plainly furnished. A camp bed,
a small wooden shelf full of books, mostly of a
(41:50):
technical character, an arm chair beside the bed, a plain
wooden chair against the wall, a round table, and a
large iron safe were the principal things which met the eye.
Holmes walked slowly round and examined each and all of
them with the keenest interest. What's in here, he asked,
(42:11):
tapping the safe. My stepfather's business papers. Oh you have
seen inside then only once, some years ago. I remember
that it was full of papers. There isn't a cat
in it, for example, Ah No, what a strange idea.
Speaker 2 (42:32):
Well, look at this.
Speaker 1 (42:35):
He took up a small saucer of milk, which stood
on the.
Speaker 2 (42:38):
Top of it.
Speaker 1 (42:39):
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 does not go very far in satisfying its wants.
I dare say there is one point which I should
wish to determine. He squatted down in front of the
(43:01):
wooden chair and examined the seat of it with the
greatest attention. Thank you, that is quite settled, said he,
rising and putting his lens in his pocket. Hello, here
is something interesting. The object which had caught his eye
was a small dog lash hung on one corner of
the bed. The lash, however, was curled upon itself and
(43:25):
tied so as to make a loop of whipcord. What
do you make of that, Watson. It's a common enough lash,
but I don't know why it should be tied. That
is not quite so common, is it, ah me. It's
a wicked world, and when a clever man turns his
brains to crime, it is the worst of all. I
(43:47):
think that I have seen enough now, Miss Stoner, and
with your permission, we shall walk out upon the lawn.
I had never seen my friend's face so grim or
his brows so dark as it was when we turned
from the scene of this investigation. We had walked several
times up and down the lawn, neither Miss Stoner nor
myself liking to break in upon his thoughts before he
(44:10):
roused himself from his reverie. It is very essential, Misstner,
said he that you should absolutely follow my advice in
every respect. I shall most certainly do so. The matter
is too serious for any hesitation. Your life may depend
(44:30):
upon your compliance. I assure you that I am in
your hands in the first place. Both my friend and
I must spend the night in your room. Both Miss
Stoner and I gazed at him in astonishment. Yes, it
must be so. Let me explain. I believe that that
(44:52):
is the village inn over there. Yes, that is the crown.
Very good, your windows would be visible from there. Certainly
you must confine yourself to your room on pretense of
a headache when your stepfather comes back. Then, when you
hear him retire for the night, you must open the shutters.
Speaker 2 (45:13):
Of your window.
Speaker 1 (45:14):
Undo the hasp, put your lamp there as a signal
to us, and then withdraw quietly with everything which you
are likely to want into the room which you used
to occupy. I have no doubt that, in spite of
the repairs, you could manage there for one night. Oh yes, easily.
The rest you will leave in our hands. But what
(45:37):
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, mister Holmes, that you have
already made up your mind, said Miss Stoner, laying her
hand upon my companion's sleeve. Perhaps I have, then, for
(45:58):
pity's sake, tell me what was the cause of my
sister's death. I should prefer to have clearer proofs.
Speaker 2 (46:06):
Before I speak.
Speaker 1 (46:08):
You can at least tell me whether my own thought
is correct, and if she died from some sudden fright. No,
I do not think so. I think that there was
probably some more tangible cause. And now, Miss Stoner, we
must leave you, for if doctor Roylett returned and saw us,
our journey would be in vain. Goodbye, and be brave,
(46:32):
for if you will do what I have told you.
You may rest assured that we shall soon drive away
the dangers that threaten you. Sherlock Holmes and I had
no difficulty in engaging a bedroom and sitting room at
the Crown Inn. They were on the upper floor, and
from our window we could command a view of the
avenue gate and of the inhabited wing of Stoke Moran
(46:53):
Manor House. At dusk, we saw Doctor Grindsby Roylet drive past,
his huge looming up beside the little figure of the
lad who drove him. The boy had some slight difficulty
in undoing the heavy iron gates, and we heard the
hoarse roar of the doctor's voice and saw the fury
with which he shook his clinched fists at him. The
(47:16):
trap drove on, and a few minutes later we saw
a sudden light spring up among 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 have really some scruples as to
taking you tonight. There was a distinct element of danger.
(47:38):
Can I be of assistance? Your presence might be invaluable?
Then I shall certainly come It is very kind of
you you speak of danger. You have evidently seen more
in these rooms than was visible to me. No, but
I fancy that I may have deduced a little more.
(47:58):
I imagine that you saw all that I did. I
saw nothing remarkable save the bell rope. And what purpose
that could answer, I confess, is more than I can imagine.
You saw the ventilator too, Yes, but I do not
think that it is such a very unusual thing to
have a small opening between two rooms. It was so
(48:21):
small that a rat could hardly pass through. I knew
that we should find a ventilator before ever we came
to Stoke Moran, My dear Holmes. Oh, yes, I did
you remember in her statement she said that her sister
could smell doctor Roylett's cigar. Now, of course that suggested
(48:41):
at once that there must be a communication between the
two rooms. It could only be a small one, or
it would have been remarked upon at the corner's inquiry.
I deduced a ventilator. But what harm can there be
in that?
Speaker 2 (48:57):
Well?
Speaker 1 (48:57):
There is at least a curious coincidence of day, a
ventilator is made, a cord is hung, and a lady
who sleeps in the bed dies. Does that not strike you?
I cannot as yet see any connection. Did you observe
anything very peculiar about that bed? No? It was clamped
(49:20):
to the floor. Did you ever see a bed fastened
like that before? I cannot say that I have. The
lady could not move her bed. It must always be
in the same relative position to the ventilator and to
the rope, or so we may call it, since it
was clearly never meant for a bell pull, Holmes, I cried,
(49:42):
I seem to see dimly what you are hinting at.
We are only just in time to prevent some subtle
and horrible crime. Subtle enough and horrible enough. When a
doctor does go wrong, he is the first of criminals.
He has nerve, and he has knowledge. Palmer and Pritchard
were among the heads of their profession. This man strikes
(50:04):
even deeper. But I think, Watson, that we shall be
able to strike deeper still. Yet we shall have horrors
enough before the night is over. For goodness sake, let
us have a quiet pipe and turn our minds for
a few hours to something more cheerful. About nine o'clock
the light among the trees was extinguished, and all was
(50:27):
dark in the direction of the manor house. Two hours
passed slowly away, and then suddenly, just at the stroke
of eleven, a single bright light shone out right in
front of us. That is our signal, said Holmes, springing
to his feet. It comes from the middle window. As
we passed out, he exchanged a few words with the landlord,
(50:49):
explaining that we were going on a late visit to
an acquaintance, and that it was possible that we might
spend the night there. A moment later we were out
on the dark road, a chill wind blowing in our faces,
and one yellow light twinkling in front of us through
the gloom to guide us on our somber errand there
was little difficulty in entering the grounds, for unrepaired breeches
(51:13):
gaped in the old park wall. Making our way among
the trees, we reached the lawn, crossed it, and were
about to enter through the window, when out from a
clump of laurel bushes there darted what seemed to be
a hideous and distorted child, who threw itself upon the
grass with writhing limbs, and then ran swiftly across the
(51:33):
lawn into the darkness. My God, I whispered, did you
see it? Holmes was, for the moment as startled as I.
His hand closed like a vice upon my wrist in
his agitation. Then he broke into a low laugh and
put his lips to my ear. It is a nice household,
(51:55):
he murmured. That is the baboon. I had forgotten the
strain pets which the doctor affected. There was a cheetah too,
Perhaps we might find it upon our shoulders at any moment.
I confess that I felt easier in my mind when,
after following Holmes's example and slipping off my shoes, I
(52:15):
found myself inside the bedroom. My companion noiselessly closed the shutters,
moved the lamp onto the table, and cast his eyes
round the room. All was as we had seen it
in the daytime. Then, creeping up to me and making
a trumpet of his hand, he whispered into my ear again,
so gently that it was all that I could do
(52:37):
to distinguish the words. The least sound would be fatal
to our plans. I nodded to show that I had heard.
We must sit without light. He would see it through
the ventilator. I nodded again, do not go asleep. Your
very life may depend upon it. Have your pistol ready
(52:59):
in case we should need it. I will sit on
the side of the bed, and you in that chair.
I took out my revolver and laid it on the
corner of the table. Holmes had brought up a long,
thin cane, and this he placed upon the bed Beside him.
By it he laid the box of matches and the
stump of a candle. Then he turned down the lamp,
(53:22):
and we were left in darkness. How shall I ever
forget that dreadful vigil. I could not hear a sound,
not even the drawing of a breath, and yet I
knew that my companion sat open eyed, within a few
feet of me, in the same state of nervous tension
in which I was myself. The shutters cut off the
(53:44):
least ray of light, and we waited in absolute darkness.
From outside came the occasional cry of a night bird,
and once at our very window, a long drawn catlike wine,
which told us that the cheetah was indeed at liberty.
Far away we could hear the deep tones of the
parish clock, which boomed out every quarter of an hour.
(54:07):
How long they seemed those quarters twelve struck and one
and two and three, and still we sat, waiting silently
for whatever might befall. Suddenly there was the momentary gleam
of a light up in the direction of the ventilator,
which vanished immediately, but was succeeded by a strong smell
(54:29):
of burning oil and heated metal. Someone in the next
room had lit a dark lantern. I heard a gentle
sound of movement, and that all was silent once more,
though the smell grew stronger. For half an hour I
sat with straining ears. Then suddenly another sound became audible,
a very gentle, soothing sound, like that of a small
(54:52):
jet of steam escaping continually from a kettle. The instant
that we heard it, Holmes sprang from the bed, struck
a match, and lashed furiously with his cane at the
bell pool. You see it, Watson, he yelled, you see it,
But I saw nothing. At the moment when Holmes struck
the light, I heard a low, clear whistle, but the
(55:15):
sudden glare flashing into my weary eyes made it impossible
for me to tell what it was at which my
friend lashed so savagely. I could, however, see that his
face was deadly pale, and filled with horror and loathing.
He had ceased to strike and was gazing up at
the ventilator, when suddenly there broke from the silence of
(55:35):
the night the most horrible cry to which I have
ever listened. It swelled up, louder and louder, a hoarse
yell of pain and fear and anger, all mingled in
the one dreadful shriek.
Speaker 2 (55:48):
They say that.
Speaker 1 (55:49):
Away down in the village, and even in the distant parsonage,
that cry raised the sleepers from their beds. It struck
cold to our hearts. And I stood gazing at Holmes
and he at me, until the last echoes of it
had died away into the silence from which it rose.
What can it mean, I gasped. It means that it
(56:13):
is all over, Holmes answered, and perhaps after all it
is for the best. Take your pistol and we will
enter doctor Roylett's room. With a grave face, he lit
the lamp and led the way down the corridor twice.
He struck at the chamber door without any reply from within.
Then he turned the handle and entered. I at his
(56:35):
heels with a cocked pistol in my hand. It was
a singular sight which met our eyes. On the table
stood a dark lantern with a shutter half open, throwing
a brilliant beam of light upon the iron safe, the
door of which was ajar. Beside this table, on the
wooden chair sat Doctor grimesby Roylet, clad in a long
(56:57):
gray dressing gown, his bare ankles protruding beneath, and his
feet thrust into red heelss turkish slippers. Across his lap
lay the short stock with the long lash, which we
had noticed during the day. His chin was cocked upward,
and his eyes were fixed in a dreadful, rigid stare.
At the corner of the ceiling. Round his brow, he
(57:19):
had a peculiar yellow band with brownish speckles, which seemed
to be bound tightly round his head. As we entered,
he made neither sound nor motion. The band, the speckled band,
whispered Holmes. I took a step forward. In an instant,
his strange headgear began to move, and there reared itself
(57:41):
from among his hair, the squat, diamond shaped head and
puffed neck of a loathsome serpent. It is a swamp adder,
cried Holmes. The dead beest snake in India. He has
died within ten seconds of being bitten. Violence does, in
truth recoil upon the violent, and the schemer falls into
the pit which he digs for another. Let us thrust
(58:03):
this creature back into its den, and we can then
remove miss Stoner to some place of shelter and let
the county police know what has happened. As he spoke,
he drew the dog whip swiftly from the dead man's lap, and,
throwing the noose round the reptile's neck, he drew it
from its horrid perch, and, carrying it at arm's length,
threw it into the iron safe, which he closed upon it.
(58:27):
Such are the true facts of the death of doctor
grimesby Roylett of Stoke, Moran. It is not necessary that
I should prolong a narrative which has already run to
too great a length by telling how we broke the
sad news to the terrified girl, how we conveyed her
by the morning train to the care of her good
aunt at Harrow, of how the slow process of official
(58:49):
inquiry came to the conclusion that the doctor met his
fate while indiscreetly playing with a dangerous pet. The little
which I had yet to learn of the case was
told me by Sherlock Holmes as we traveled back next day.
I had said, he come to an entirely erroneous conclusion,
which shows, my dear Watson, how dangerous it always is
(59:12):
to reason from insufficient data. The presence of the gypsies
and the use of the word band, which was used
by the poor girl, no doubt, to explain the appearance
which she had caught a hurried glimpse of by the
light of her match, were sufficient to put me upon
an entirely wrong scent. I can only claim the merit
that I instantly reconsidered my position, when, however, it became
(59:36):
clear to me that whatever danger threatened and occupant of
the room could not come either from the window or
the door. My attention was speedily drawn, as I have
already remarked to you, to this ventilator and to the
bell rope which hung down to the bed. The discovery
that this was a dummy, and that the bed was
clamped to the floor instantly gave rise to the suspicion
(59:59):
that the the rope was there as a bridge for
something passing through the hole and coming to the bed.
The idea of a snake instantly occurred to me, and
when I coupled it with my knowledge that the doctor
was furnished with a supply of creatures from India, I
felt that I was probably on the right track. The
idea of using a form of poison which could not
(01:00:21):
possibly be discovered by any chemical test was just such
a one as would occur to a clever and ruthless
man who had had an Eastern training. The rapidity with
which such a poison would take effect would also, from
his point of view, be an advantage. It would be
a sharp eyed corner, indeed, who could distinguish the two
(01:00:42):
little dark punctures which would show where the poison fangs
had done their work. Then I thought of the whistle.
Of course, he must recall the snake before the morning
light revealed it to the victim. He had trained it,
probably by the use of the milk which we saw
to return to him when in summoned. He would put
it through this ventilator at the hour that he thought best,
(01:01:05):
with a certainty that it would crawl down the rope
and land on the bed. It might or might not
bite the occupant. Perhaps she might escape every night for
a week, but sooner or later she must fall a victim.
I had come to these conclusions before ever I had
entered his room. An inspection of his chair showed me
(01:01:26):
that he had been in the habit of standing on it,
which of course would be necessary in order that he
should reach the ventilator. The sight of the safe, the
saucer of milk, and the loop of whipcord were enough
to finally dispel any doubts which may have remained. The
metallic clang heard by miss Stoner was obviously caused by
her stepfather hastily closing the door of his safe upon
(01:01:50):
its terrible occupant. Having once made up my mind, you
know the steps which I took in order to put
the matter to the proof. I heard the creature hiss,
as I have no doubt that you did also, and
I instantly lit the light and attacked it, with the
result of driving it through the ventilator, and also with
(01:02:10):
the result of causing it to turn upon its master.
Speaker 2 (01:02:13):
At the other side.
Speaker 1 (01:02:15):
Some of the blows of my cane came home and
roused its snakish temper, so that it flew upon the
first person it saw. In this way, I am no
doubt indirectly responsible for Doctor Grindsby Roylett's death, and I
cannot say that it is likely to weigh very heavily
upon my conscience. End of Adventure eight
Adventure eight of the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. This LibriVox
recording is in the public domain and is read by
Mark Smith of Simpsonville, South Carolina. The Adventures of Sherlock
Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Adventure eight The Adventure
of the Speckled Band. On glancing over my notes of
(00:26):
the seventy odd cases in which I have, during the
last eight years studied the methods of my friend Sherlock Holmes,
I find many tragic, some comic, a large number merely strange,
but none commonplace for working as he did rather for
the love of his art than for the acquirement of wealth.
(00:46):
He refused to associate himself with any investigation which did
not tend towards the unusual and even the fantastic. Of
all these varied cases, however, I cannot recall any which
presented more singing features than that which was associated with
the well known Surrey family of the Roilets of Stoke, Moran.
(01:08):
The events in question occurred in the early days of
my association with Holmes, when we were sharing rooms as
bachelors in Baker Street. It is possible that I might
have placed them upon record before, but a promise of
secrecy was made at the time, from which I have
only been freed during the last month by the untimely
death of the lady to whom the pledge was given.
(01:31):
It is perhaps as well that the fact should now
come to light, for I have reasons to know that
there are widespread rumors as to the death of doctor
grimesby Roylet, which tend to make the matter even more
terrible than the truth. It was early in April in
the year eighty three, that I woke one morning to
find Sherlock Holmes standing fully dressed by the side of
(01:54):
my bed. He was a late riser as a rule,
and as the clock on the mantelpiece that it was
only a quarter past seven, I blinked up at him
in some surprise, and perhaps just a little resentment, for
I was myself regular in my habits. Very sorry to
knock you up, Watson said he, but it's the common
(02:16):
lot this morning. Missus Hudson has been knocked up, she
retorted upon me, and I on you.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
What is it then?
Speaker 1 (02:24):
A fire?
Speaker 2 (02:25):
No, a client.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
It seems that a young lady has arrived in a
considerable state of excitement, who insists upon seeing me. She
is waiting now in the sitting room. Now, when young
ladies wander about the metropolis at this hour of the
morning and knock sleepy people up out of their beds,
I presume that it is something very pressing which they
have to communicate. Should it prove to be an interesting case,
(02:51):
you would, I am sure, wish to follow it from
the outset. I thought, at any rate that I should
call you and give you the chance, My dear fellow, I.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Would not miss it for anything.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
I had no keener pleasure than in following Holmes in
his professional investigations, and in admiring the rapid deductions, as
swift as intuitions, and yet always founded on a logical
basis with which he unraveled the problems which were submitted
to him. I rapidly threw on my clothes and was
ready in a few minutes to accompany my friend down
(03:26):
to the sitting room. A lady dressed in black and
heavily veiled, who had been sitting in the window, rose
as we entered. Good morning, madam, said Holmes cheerily. My
name is Sherlock Holmes. This is my intimate friend and
associate Doctor Watson, before whom you can speak as freely
(03:47):
as before myself.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Ah.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
I am glad to see that missus Hudson has had
the good sense to light the fire. Pray, draw up
to it, and I shall order you a cup of
hot coffee, for I observe that you are shivering. It
is not cold, which makes me shiver, said the woman,
in a low voice, changing her seat, as requested. What
then it is fear, mister Holmes, it is terror. She
(04:15):
raised her veil as she spoke, and we could see
that she was indeed in a pitiable state of agitation,
her face all drawn in gray, with restless, frightened eyes
like those of some hunted animal. Her features and figure
were those of a woman of thirty, but her hair
was shot with premature gray, and her expression was weary
(04:37):
and haggard. Sherlock Holmes ran her over with one of
his quick, all comprehensive glances. You must not fear, said
he soothingly, bending forward and patting her forearm. We shall
soon set matters right.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
I have no doubt you have.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Come in by train this morning. I see you know
me then, no, But I observed the second half of
a return ticket in the palm of your left glove.
You must have started early, and yet you had a
good drive and a dog cart along heavy roads before
you reached the station. The lady gave a violent start
(05:14):
and stared in bewilderment at my companion. There is no mystery,
my dear madam, said he smiling. The left arm of
your jacket is spattered with mud in no less than
seven places. The marks are perfectly fresh. There is no
vehicle save a dog cart, which throws up mud in
that way, and then only when you sit on the
(05:35):
left hand side of the driver. Whatever your reasons may be,
you are perfectly correct, said she. I started from home
before six, reached Leatherwood at twenty past, and came in
by the first train to Waterloo. Sir, I can stand
this strain no longer. I shall go mad if it continues.
(05:58):
I have no one to turn two, none save only
one who cares for me, and he, poor fellow, can
be of little aid. I have heard of you, mister Holmes.
I have heard of you from Missus Ferintosh, whom you
helped in the hour.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
Of her sore need. It was from her that I
had your address.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Oh, sir, do you not think that you could help
me too, and at least throw a little light through
the dense darkness which surrounds me. At present, it is
out of my power to reward you for your services.
But in a month or six weeks I shall be married,
with the control of my own income, and then at
least you shall not find me ungrateful. Holmes turned to
(06:41):
his desk, and, unlocking it, drew out a small case book,
which he consulted. Ferentosh said, he ah, yes, I recall
the case. It was concerned with an opal tiera. I
think it was before your time, Watson. I can only say, madam,
that I I shall be happy to devote the same
(07:01):
care to your case as I did to that of
your friend. As to reward, my profession is its own reward.
But you are at liberty to defray whatever expenses I
may be put to at the time which suits you best.
And now I beg that you will lay before us
everything that may help us in forming an opinion upon
(07:21):
the matter. Alas, replied our visitor, the very horror of
my situation lies in the fact that my fears are
so vague, and my suspicions depend so entirely upon small
points which might seem trivial to another, that even he
to whom of all others, I have a right to
look for help and advice, looks upon all that I
(07:44):
tell him about it as the fancies of a nervous woman.
He does not say so, but I can read it
from his soothing answers and averted eyes. But I have heard,
mister Holmes, that you can see deeply into the manifold
wickedness of the human heart. Art you may advise me
how to walk amid the dangers which encompass me. I
(08:06):
am all attention, madam. My name is Helen Stoner, and
I am living with my stepfather, who is the last
survivor of one of the oldest Saxon families in England,
the Roylets of Stoke, Moran on the western border of Surrey.
Holmes nodded his head. The name is familiar to me,
(08:27):
said he. The family was at one time among the
richest in England, and the estates extended over the borders
into Berkshire in the north and Hampshire in the west.
In the last century, however, four successive heirs were of
a dissolute and wasteful disposition, and the family ruin was
eventually completed by a gambler, and the days of the
(08:50):
regency nothing was left to save a few acres of
ground and the two hundred year old house, which is
itself crushed under a heavy mortgage. The last squire dragged
out his existence there, living the horrible life of an
aristocratic pauper. But his only son, my stepfather, seeing that
(09:10):
he must adapt himself to the new conditions, obtained in
advance from a relative which enabled him to take a
medical degree, and went out to Calcutta, where, by his
professional skill and his force of character, he established a
large practice. In a fit of anger, however, caused by
some robberies which had been perpetrated in the house, he
(09:32):
beat his native butler to death and narrowly escaped a
capital sentence. As it was, he suffered a long term
of imprisonment, and afterwards returned to England a morose and
disappointed man. When doctor Roylett was in India, he married
my mother, Missus Stoner, the young widow of Major General
(09:54):
Stoner of the Bengal Artillery. My sister Julia and I
were twins, and we were only two years old at
the time of my mother's remarriage. She had a considerable
sum of money, not less than one thousand pounds a year,
and this she bequeathed to doctor Roylett entirely while we
resided with him, with a provision that a certain annual
(10:16):
sum should be allowed to each of us in the
event of our marriage.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Shortly after our.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
Return to England, my mother died. She was killed eight
years ago in a railway accident near Crewe. Doctor Roylett
then abandoned his attempts to establish himself in practice in
London and took us to live with him in the
old ancestral house at Stoke, Moran. The money which my
mother had left was enough for all our wants, and
(10:44):
there seemed to be no obstacle to our happiness. But
a terrible change came over our stepfather about this time.
Instead of making friends and exchanging visits with our neighbors,
who had at first been overjoyed to see a roilet
of Stoke Marine back in the old family seat, he
shut himself up in his house and seldom came out,
(11:06):
save to indulge in ferocious quarrels with whoever might cross
his path. Violence of temper approaching to mania has been
a hereditary in the men of the family, and in
my stepfather's case it had, I believe, been intensified by
his long residence in the tropics. A series of disgraceful
(11:26):
brawls took place, two of which ended in the police court,
until at last he became the terror of the village,
and the folks would fly at his approach, for he
is a man of immense strength and absolutely uncontrollable.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
In his anger.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
Last week he hurled the local blacksmith over a parapet
into a stream. And it was only by paying over
all the money which I could gather together, that I
was able to avert another public exposure. He had no
friends at all save the wandering gypsies, and he would
give these vagabonds leave to encamp upon the few acres
(12:03):
of bramble covered land which represent the family estate, and
would accept in return the hospitality of their tents, wandering
away with them, sometimes for weeks on end. He has
a passion also for Indian animals, which are sent over
to him by a correspondent, and he has at this
moment a cheetah and a baboon, which wander freely over
(12:26):
his grounds and are feared by the villagers almost as
much as their master. You can imagine from what I
say that my poor sister Julia and I had no
great pleasure in our lives. No servant would stay with us,
and for a long time we did all the.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
Work of the house.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
She was but thirty at the time of her death,
and yet her hair had already begun to whiten, even
as mine has. Your sister is dead, then she died
just two years ago. Is of her death that I
wished to speak to you. You can understand that living
the life which I have described, we were little likely
(13:08):
to see any one of our own age and position.
We had, however, an aunt, my mother's maiden sister, Miss
Honorio Westvale, who lives near Harrow, and we were occasionally
allowed to pay short visits at this lady's house. Julia
went there at Christmas two years ago and met there
a half pay major of Marines, to whom she became engaged.
(13:32):
My stepfather learned of the engagement when my sister returned,
and offered no objection to the marriage. But within a
fortnight of the day which had been fixed for the wedding,
the terrible event occurred which has deprived me of my
only companion. Sherlock Holmes had been leaning back in his
chair with his eyes closed and his head sunk in
(13:52):
a cushion. But he half opened his lids now and
glanced across at his visitor. Pray be precise as to details,
said he. It is easy for me to be so,
for every event of that dreadful time is seared into
my memory. The manor house is, as I have already said,
(14:14):
very old, and only one wing is now inhabited. The
bedrooms in this wing are on the ground floor, the
sitting rooms being in the central block of the buildings.
Of these bedrooms, the first is doctor Roylet's, the second
my sisters, and the third my own. There is no
communication between them, but they all open out into the
(14:36):
same corridor. Do I make myself plain perfectly? So? The
windows of the three rooms opened out upon the lawn.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
That fatal night.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
Doctor Roylett had gone to his room early, though we
knew that he had not retired to rest, for my
sister was troubled by the smell of the strong Indian
cigars which it was his custom to smoke. She left
her room therefore, and came into mine, where she sat
for some time, chatting about her approaching wedding. At eleven
(15:09):
o'clock she rose to leave me, but she paused at
the door and looked back.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Tell me.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
Helen, said she, have you ever heard any one whistle
in the dead of the night, never, said I. I
suppose that you cannot possibly whistle yourself in your sleep?
Certainly not. But why, because during the last few nights
I have always, about three in the morning, heard a low,
(15:37):
clear whistle. I am a light sleeper, and it has
awakened me. I cannot tell where it came from, perhaps
from the next room, perhaps from the lawn. I thought
that I would just ask you whether you had heard it. No,
I have not. It must be those wretched gypsies in
the plantation, very likely. And yet if it were on
(16:01):
the lawn, I wonder that you did not hear it also, Ah,
but I sleep more heavily than you. Well, it is
of no great consequence at any rate. She smiled back
at me, closed my door, and a few moments later
I heard her key turn in the lock. Indeed, said Holmes,
(16:23):
was it your custom always to lock yourselves in at night?
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Always? And why? I think that?
Speaker 1 (16:32):
I mentioned to you that the doctor kept a cheetah
and a baboon. We had no feeling of security unless
our doors were locked. Quite so, pray proceed with your statement.
I could not sleep that night. A vague feeling of
impending misfortune impressed me. My sister and I, you will recollect,
(16:53):
were twins, and you know how subtle are the links
which bind two souls which are so closely alive. It
was a wild night. The wind was howling outside, and
the rain was beating and splashing against the windows. Suddenly,
amid all the hubbub of the gale, there burst forth
the wild scream of a terrified woman. I knew that
(17:16):
it was my sister's voice. I sprang from my bed,
wrapped a shawl round me, and rushed into the corridor.
As I opened my door, I seemed to hear a
low whistle such as my sister described, and a few
moments later a clanging sound, as if a mass of
metal had fallen. As I ran down the passage, my
(17:37):
sister's door was unlocked and revolved slowly upon its hinges.
I stared at it, horror stricken, not knowing what was
about to issue from it. By the light of the
corridor lamp. I saw my sister appear at the opening,
her face blanched with terror, her hands groping for help,
her whole figure swaying to and fro like that of
(17:59):
a drunkard. I ran to her and threw my arms
round her, but at that moment her knees seemed to
give way, and she fell to the ground. She writhed
as one who is in terrible pain, and her limbs
were dreadfully convulsed. At first I thought that she had
not recognized me, but as I bent over her, she
(18:20):
suddenly shrieked out in a voice which I shall never forget. Oh,
my God, Helen, it was the bad the speckled band.
There was something else which she would fain have said,
and she stabbed with her finger into the air in
the direction of the doctor's room. But a fresh convulsion
(18:40):
seized her and choked her words. I rushed out, calling
loudly for my stepfather, and I met him hastening from
his room in his dressing gown. When he reached my
sister's side, she was unconscious, and though he poured branding
down her throat and sent for medical aid from the village,
all efforts were in vain, for she slowly sank and
(19:03):
died without having recovered her consciousness.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
Such was the.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
Dreadful end of my beloved sister. One moment said Holmes,
are you sure about this whistle and metallic sound? Could
you swear to it? That was what the county coroner
asked me at the inquiry. It is my strong impression
that I heard it, And yet among the crash of
(19:28):
the gale and the creaking of an old house, I
may possibly have been deceived. Was your sister dressed? No,
she was in her night dress. In her right hand
was found the charred stump of a match and in
her left a match box, showing that she had struck
a light and looked about her when the alarm took place.
(19:51):
That is important and what conclusions did the coroner come to.
He investigated the case with great care, for doctor Roylett's
conduct had long been notorious in the county, but he
was unable to find any satisfactory cause of death. My
evidence showed that the door had been fastened upon the
inner side, and the windows were blocked by old fashioned
(20:15):
shutters with broad iron bars, which were secured every night.
The walls were carefully sounded and were shown to be
quite solid all round. And the flooring was also thoroughly
examined with the same result. The chimney is wide, but
is barred up by four large staples. It is certain, therefore,
(20:35):
that my sister was quite alone when she met her end. Besides,
there were no marks of any violence upon her. How
about poison? The doctors examined her for it, but without success.
What do you think that this unfortunate lady died of? Then?
It is my belief that she died of pure fear
(20:57):
and nervous shock. Though what it was that frightened her
I cannot imagine. Were there gypsies in the plantation at
the time, Yes, there were nearly always some there. Ah,
And what did you gather from this allusion to a band,
a speckled band? Sometimes I have thought that it was
(21:20):
merely the wild talk of delirium. Sometimes that it may
have referred to some band of people, perhaps to these
very gypsies in the plantation. I do not know whether
the spotted handkerchiefs which so many of them wear over
their heads might have suggested the strange adjective which he used.
Holmes shook his head like a man who is far
(21:41):
from being satisfied. These are very deep waters, said he pray,
go on with your narrative. Two years have passed since then,
and my life has been until lately lonelier than ever.
A month ago, however, a dear friend whom I have
known for many years has done me the honor to
(22:04):
ask my hand in marriage. His name is Armitage, Percy Armitage,
the second son of mister Armitage of Crane Water, near Redding.
My stepfather has offered no opposition to the match, and
we are to be married in the course of the spring.
Two days ago, some repairs were started in the west
(22:25):
wing of the building, and my bedroom wall has been pierced,
so that I have had to move into the chamber
in which my sister died, and to sleep in the
very bed in which she slept. Imagine then, my thrill
of terror when last night, as I lay awake, thinking
over her terrible fate, I suddenly heard in the silence
(22:47):
of the night the low whistle, which had been the
herald of her own death. I sprang up and lit
the lamp, but nothing was to be seen in the room.
I was too shaken to go to bed again.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
However, so I.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
And as soon as it was daylight, I slipped down,
got a dog cart at the Crown Inn, which is opposite,
and drove to leatherhead from whence I have come on
this morning with the one object of seeing you and
asking your advice. You have done wisely, said my friend.
But have you told me all? Yes, all, miss Roylet
(23:24):
you have not you are screening your stepfather.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
Why what do you.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
Mean for answer? Holmes pushed back the frill of black
lace which fringed the hand that lay upon our visitor's knee.
Five little livid spots, the marks of four fingers and
a thumb were printed upon the white wrist. You have
been cruelly used, said Holmes. The lady colored deeply and
(23:50):
covered over her injured wrist. He is a hard man,
she said, and perhaps he hardly knows his own strength.
There was a long silence, during which Holmes leaned his
chin upon his hands and stared into the crackling fire.
This is a very deep business, he said, at last,
(24:14):
There are a thousand details which I should desire to
know before I decide upon our course of action. Yet
we have not a moment to lose if we were
to come to Stoke Moran to day.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
Would it be.
Speaker 1 (24:25):
Possible for us to see over these rooms without the
knowledge of your stepfather? As it happens, he spoke of
coming into town to day upon some most important business.
It is probable that he will be away all day,
and that there will be nothing to disturb you. We
have a housekeeper now, but she is old and foolish,
(24:47):
and I could easily get her out of the way. Excellent,
you are not averse to this trip, Watson? By no means,
then we shall both come. What are you going to
do yourself? I have one or two things which I
would wish to do now that I am in town.
But I shall return by the twelve o'clock train, so
(25:08):
as to be there in time for your coming, and
you may expect us early in the afternoon. I have
myself some small business matters to attend to. Will you
not wait and breakfast?
Speaker 2 (25:20):
No, I must go.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
My heart is lightened already since I have confided by
trouble to you. I shall look forward to seeing you
again this afternoon. She dropped her thick black veil over
her face, and gliding from the room. And what do
you think of it all?
Speaker 2 (25:39):
Watson?
Speaker 1 (25:40):
Asked Sherlock Holmes, leaning back in his chair. It seems
to me to be a most dark and sinister business.
Dark enough and sinister enough. Yet, if the lady is
correct in saying that the flooring and walls are sound,
and that the door, window and chimney are impassive, then
(26:01):
her sister must have been undoubtedly alone when she met
her mysterious end. What becomes then, of these nocturnal whistles,
and what are the very peculiar words of the dying woman?
I cannot think when you combine the ideas of whistles
at night, the presence of a band of gypsies who
(26:21):
are on intimate terms with this old doctor, the fact
that we have every reason to believe that the doctor
has an interest in preventing his stepdaughter's marriage, the dying
allusion to a band, and finally, the fact that miss
Helen Stoner heard a metallic clang which might have been
caused by one of those metal bars that secured the
(26:42):
shutters falling back into its place. I think that there
is good ground to think that the mystery may be
cleared along those lines. But what then did the gypsies do?
I cannot imagine. I see many objections to any such theory.
Speaker 2 (27:01):
And so do I.
Speaker 1 (27:03):
It is precisely for that reason that we are going
to Stoke Moran this day. I want to see whether
the objections are fatal, or if they may be explained away.
But what in the name of the devil? The ejaculation
had been drawn from my companion by the fact that
our door had been suddenly dashed open, and that a
huge man had framed himself in the aperture. His costume
(27:26):
was a peculiar mixture of the professional and of the agricultural,
having a black top hat, a long frock coat, and
a pair of high gaiters, with a hunting crop swinging
in his hand. So tall was he that his hat
actually brushed the cross bar of the doorway, and his
breath seemed dispand it across from side to side. A
(27:48):
large face seared with a thousand wrinkles, burned yellow with
the sun, and marked with every evil passion, was turned
from one to the other of us, while his deep set,
bile's shot eyes and his high, thin, fleshless nose gave
him somewhat the resemblance to a fierce old bird of prey, which,
(28:10):
if you is Holmes asked this apparition. My name, sir,
But you have the advantage of me, said my companion quietly.
I am doctor grimesby Roylet of Stoked, Moran. Indeed, doctor,
said Holmes, blandly. Pray take a seat. I will do
(28:31):
nothing of the kind. My stepdaughter has been here. I
have traced her. What has she been saying to you?
It is a little cold for the time of the year,
said Holmes. What has she been saying to you? Cried
the old man furiously. But I have heard that the
(28:51):
crocuses promised well, continued my companion, imperturbably. Ha you put
me off, do you? Our new visitor, taking a step
forward and shaking his hunting crop. I knew you, you scoundrel.
I have heard of you before. You are Holmes the meddler,
my friend, smiled Holmes, the busybody. His smile broadened, Holmes
(29:18):
the Scotland yard jack in office. Holmes chuckled heartily. Your
conversation is most entertaining, said he. When you go out,
close the door, for there is a decided draft. I
will go when I have said my say. Don't you
dare to meddle with my affairs? I know that miss
(29:39):
Stoner has been here, I traced her. I am a
dangerous man to fall foul of. See here, he stepped
swiftly forward, seized the poker, and bent it into a
curve with his huge brown hands. See that you keep
yourself out of my grip, he snarled, and her the
(30:00):
twisted poker into the fireplace. He strode out of the room.
He seems a very amiable person, said Holmes, laughing, ha ha,
I am not quite so bulky. But if he had remained,
I might have shown him that my grip was not
much more feeble than his own. As he spoke, he
(30:21):
picked up the steel poker and with a sudden effort,
straightened it out again. Fancy his having the insolence to
confound me with the official detective force. This incident gives
zest to our investigation, however, and I only trust that
our little friend will not suffer from her imprudence in
allowing this brute to trace her. And Now, Watson, we
(30:44):
shall order breakfast, and afterwards I shall walk down to
Doctor's Commons, where I hope to get some data which
may help us in this matter. It was nearly one
o'clock when Sherlock Holmes returned from his excursion. He held
in his hand a sheet of blue paper scrawled over
with notes and figures. I have seen the will of
(31:06):
the deceased wife, said he to determine its exact meaning.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
I have been.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
Obliged to work out the present prices of the investments
with which it is concerned. The total income, which at
the time of the wife's death was little short of
eleven hundred pounds, is now, through the falling agricultural prices,
not more than seven hundred fifty pounds. Each daughter can
claim an income of two hundred fifty pounds in case
(31:33):
of marriage. It is evident therefore, that if both girls
had married, this beauty would have been a mere pittance,
while even one of them would cripple him to a
very serious extent. My morning's work has not been wasted,
since it has proved that he has the very strongest
motives for standing in the way of anything of the sort.
(31:54):
And now, Watson, this is too serious for Dardling, especially
as the old man is aware that we are interesting
ourselves in his affairs. So if you are ready, we
shall call a cab and drive to Waterloo. I should
be very much obliged if you would slip your revolver
into your pocket. And Ely's number two is an excellent
(32:14):
argument with gentlemen who can twist deal pokers into knots.
That and a toothbrush are I think all that we need.
At Waterloo, we were fortunate in catching a train for Leatherhead,
where we hired a trap at the station inn and
drove for four or five miles through the lovely Surrey lanes.
Speaker 2 (32:33):
It was a perfect day, with a.
Speaker 1 (32:35):
Bright sun and a few fleecy clouds in the heavens.
The trees and wayside hedges were just throwing out their
first green shoots, and the air was full of the
pleasant smell of the moist earth. To me, at least,
there was a strange contrast between the sweet promise and
the spring and this sinister quest upon which we were engaged.
(32:57):
My companion sat in the front of the trap, his
arms folded, his hat pulled down over his eyes, and
his chin sunk upon his breast, buried in the deepest thought. Suddenly, however,
he started, tapped me on the shoulder and pointed over
the meadows. Look there, said he A heavily timbered park
(33:19):
stretched up in a gentle slope thickening into a grove.
At the highest point from amid the branches, there jutted
out the gray gables and high roof tree of a
very old mansion. Stoke Moran said he, yes, Sarah, that
be the house of doctor grimesby Roylett, remarked the driver.
(33:40):
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 cluster 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 stile, and so
by the footpath over the there it is where the
(34:02):
lady is walking. And the lady I fancy is miss Stoner,
observed Holmes, shading his eyes. Yes, I think we had
better do as you suggest. We got off, paid our fare,
and the trap rattled back on its way to Leatherhead.
I thought it as well, said Holmes, as we climbed
(34:22):
the stile, that this fellow should think we had come
here as architects or on some definite business. It may
stop his gossip. Good afternoon, miss Stoner. You see that
we have been as good as our word, our client
of the morning had hurried forward to meet us with
a face which spoke her joy.
Speaker 2 (34:42):
I have been waiting so eagerly for you.
Speaker 1 (34:45):
She cried, shaking hands with us warmly. All has turned
out splendidly. Doctor Roylett has gone to town, and it
is unlikely that he will be back before evening.
Speaker 2 (34:56):
We have had the pleasure of making the doctor's.
Speaker 1 (34:59):
Acquaint tents, said Holmes, and in a few words he
sketched out what had occurred. Miss Stoner turned white to
the lips as she listened. Good Heavens, she cried, he
has followed me, then, so it appears he is so
cunning that I never know when I am safe from him.
(35:20):
What will he say when he returns? He must guard himself,
or he may find that there is someone more cunning
than himself upon his track. You must lock yourself up
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 kindly
(35:40):
take us at once to the rooms which we are
to examine. The building was of gray like in blotchstone,
with a high central portion and two curving wings, like
the claws of a crab thrown out on each side.
In one of these wings, the windows were broken and
blocked with wooden boards. The roof was partly caved in
(36:02):
a picture of ruin. The central portion was a little
better repair, but the right hand block was comparatively modern,
and the blinds and the windows, with the blue smoke
curling up from the chimneys, showed that this was where
the family resided. Some scaffolding had been erected against the
end wall, and the stone work had been broken into,
(36:23):
but there were no signs of any workmen At the
moment of our visit. Holmes walked slowly up and down
the ill trimmed lawn and examined with deep attention the
outsides of the windows. This, I take it belongs to
the room in which you used to sleep, the center
one to your sisters, and the one next to the
main building to doctor Roylet's chamber.
Speaker 2 (36:46):
Exactly so.
Speaker 1 (36:47):
But I am now sleeping in the middle one, pending
the alterations. As I understand by the way, there does
not seem to be any very pressing need for repairs
at that end wall. There were none. I believe that
it was an excuse to move me from my room. Ah,
that is suggestive. Now on the other side of this
(37:10):
narrow wing runs the corridor from which these three rooms open.
There are windows in it, of course, yes, but very
small ones, too narrow for any one to pass through.
As you both locked your doors at night, your rooms
were unapproachable from that side. Now, would you have the
(37:31):
kindness to go into your room and bar your shutters?
Miss Stoner did so, and Holmes, after a careful examination
through the open window, endeavored in every way to force
the shutter open, but without success. There was no slit
through which a knife could be passed to raise the bar. Then,
with his lens he tested the hinges, but they were
(37:53):
of solid iron, built firmly into the massive masonry. Hum said,
he scratching his chin in some perplexity. My theory certainly
presents some difficulties. No one could pass these shutters if
they were bolted. Well, we shall see if the inside
throws any light upon the matter. A small side door
(38:16):
led into the whitewashed corridor from which the three bedrooms opened.
Holmes refused to examine the third chamber, so he passed
at once to the second, that in which Miss Stoner
was now sleeping. And in which her sister had met
with her fate. It was a homely little room, with
a low ceiling and a gaping fireplace, after the fashion
(38:37):
of old country houses. A brown chest of drawers stood
in one corner, a narrow white counterpane bed at another,
and a dressing table on the left hand side of
the window. These articles, with two small wicker work chairs,
made up all the furniture in the room ex save
for a square of wilton carpet in the center. The
(38:58):
boards round and the paneling of the walls were a brown,
worm eaten oak, so old and discolored that it may
have dated from the original building of the house. Holmes
drew one of the chairs into a corner and sat
silent while his eyes traveled round and round and up
and down, taking in every detail of the apartment. Where
(39:21):
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. It goes to
the housekeeper's room. It looks newer than the other things. Yes,
it was only put there a couple of years ago.
Speaker 2 (39:41):
Your sister asked for it.
Speaker 1 (39:43):
I suppose no, I never heard of her using it.
We used always to get what we wanted for ourselves. Indeed,
it seemed unnecessary to put so nice a bell pull there.
You will excuse me for a few minutes while I
satisfied myself as to this floor. He threw himself down
(40:04):
upon his face, with his lens in his hand, and
crawled swiftly backward and forward, examining minutely the cracks between
the boards. Then he did the same with the woodwork
with which the chamber was paneled. Finally, he walked over
to the bed and spent some time in staring at it,
and in running his eye up and down the wall. Finally,
(40:25):
he took the bell rope in his hand and gave
it a brisk tug. Why it's a dummy, said he
won't it ring. No, it is not even attached to
a wire. This is very interesting. You can see now
that it is fastened to.
Speaker 2 (40:42):
A hook just above where the little opening for.
Speaker 1 (40:45):
The ventilator is. How very absurd I never noticed that before,
very strange, muttered Holmes, pulling at the rope. There are
one or two very singular points 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
(41:08):
might have communicated with the outside air. That is also
quite modern, said the lady, done about the same time
as the bell rope, remarked Holmes. Yes, there were several
little changes carried out about that time. They seem to
have been of a most interesting character. Dummy bell ropes
(41:30):
and ventilators which do not ventilate. With your permission, Miss Stoner,
we shall now carry our researches into the inner apartment.
Doctor Grimesby Roylet's chamber was larger than that of his
step daughter, but was as plainly furnished. A camp bed,
a small wooden shelf full of books, mostly of a
(41:50):
technical character, an arm chair beside the bed, a plain
wooden chair against the wall, a round table, and a
large iron safe were the principal things which met the eye.
Holmes walked slowly round and examined each and all of
them with the keenest interest. What's in here, he asked,
(42:11):
tapping the safe. My stepfather's business papers. Oh you have
seen inside then only once, some years ago. I remember
that it was full of papers. There isn't a cat
in it, for example, Ah No, what a strange idea.
Speaker 2 (42:32):
Well, look at this.
Speaker 1 (42:35):
He took up a small saucer of milk, which stood
on the.
Speaker 2 (42:38):
Top of it.
Speaker 1 (42:39):
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 does not go very far in satisfying its wants.
I dare say there is one point which I should
wish to determine. He squatted down in front of the
(43:01):
wooden chair and examined the seat of it with the
greatest attention. Thank you, that is quite settled, said he,
rising and putting his lens in his pocket. Hello, here
is something interesting. The object which had caught his eye
was a small dog lash hung on one corner of
the bed. The lash, however, was curled upon itself and
(43:25):
tied so as to make a loop of whipcord. What
do you make of that, Watson. It's a common enough lash,
but I don't know why it should be tied. That
is not quite so common, is it, ah me. It's
a wicked world, and when a clever man turns his
brains to crime, it is the worst of all. I
(43:47):
think that I have seen enough now, Miss Stoner, and
with your permission, we shall walk out upon the lawn.
I had never seen my friend's face so grim or
his brows so dark as it was when we turned
from the scene of this investigation. We had walked several
times up and down the lawn, neither Miss Stoner nor
myself liking to break in upon his thoughts before he
(44:10):
roused himself from his reverie. It is very essential, Misstner,
said he that you should absolutely follow my advice in
every respect. I shall most certainly do so. The matter
is too serious for any hesitation. Your life may depend
(44:30):
upon your compliance. I assure you that I am in
your hands in the first place. Both my friend and
I must spend the night in your room. Both Miss
Stoner and I gazed at him in astonishment. Yes, it
must be so. Let me explain. I believe that that
(44:52):
is the village inn over there. Yes, that is the crown.
Very good, your windows would be visible from there. Certainly
you must confine yourself to your room on pretense of
a headache when your stepfather comes back. Then, when you
hear him retire for the night, you must open the shutters.
Speaker 2 (45:13):
Of your window.
Speaker 1 (45:14):
Undo the hasp, put your lamp there as a signal
to us, and then withdraw quietly with everything which you
are likely to want into the room which you used
to occupy. I have no doubt that, in spite of
the repairs, you could manage there for one night. Oh yes, easily.
The rest you will leave in our hands. But what
(45:37):
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, mister Holmes, that you have
already made up your mind, said Miss Stoner, laying her
hand upon my companion's sleeve. Perhaps I have, then, for
(45:58):
pity's sake, tell me what was the cause of my
sister's death. I should prefer to have clearer proofs.
Speaker 2 (46:06):
Before I speak.
Speaker 1 (46:08):
You can at least tell me whether my own thought
is correct, and if she died from some sudden fright. No,
I do not think so. I think that there was
probably some more tangible cause. And now, Miss Stoner, we
must leave you, for if doctor Roylett returned and saw us,
our journey would be in vain. Goodbye, and be brave,
(46:32):
for if you will do what I have told you.
You may rest assured that we shall soon drive away
the dangers that threaten you. Sherlock Holmes and I had
no difficulty in engaging a bedroom and sitting room at
the Crown Inn. They were on the upper floor, and
from our window we could command a view of the
avenue gate and of the inhabited wing of Stoke Moran
(46:53):
Manor House. At dusk, we saw Doctor Grindsby Roylet drive past,
his huge looming up beside the little figure of the
lad who drove him. The boy had some slight difficulty
in undoing the heavy iron gates, and we heard the
hoarse roar of the doctor's voice and saw the fury
with which he shook his clinched fists at him. The
(47:16):
trap drove on, and a few minutes later we saw
a sudden light spring up among 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 have really some scruples as to
taking you tonight. There was a distinct element of danger.
(47:38):
Can I be of assistance? Your presence might be invaluable?
Then I shall certainly come It is very kind of
you you speak of danger. You have evidently seen more
in these rooms than was visible to me. No, but
I fancy that I may have deduced a little more.
(47:58):
I imagine that you saw all that I did. I
saw nothing remarkable save the bell rope. And what purpose
that could answer, I confess, is more than I can imagine.
You saw the ventilator too, Yes, but I do not
think that it is such a very unusual thing to
have a small opening between two rooms. It was so
(48:21):
small that a rat could hardly pass through. I knew
that we should find a ventilator before ever we came
to Stoke Moran, My dear Holmes. Oh, yes, I did
you remember in her statement she said that her sister
could smell doctor Roylett's cigar. Now, of course that suggested
(48:41):
at once that there must be a communication between the
two rooms. It could only be a small one, or
it would have been remarked upon at the corner's inquiry.
I deduced a ventilator. But what harm can there be
in that?
Speaker 2 (48:57):
Well?
Speaker 1 (48:57):
There is at least a curious coincidence of day, a
ventilator is made, a cord is hung, and a lady
who sleeps in the bed dies. Does that not strike you?
I cannot as yet see any connection. Did you observe
anything very peculiar about that bed? No? It was clamped
(49:20):
to the floor. Did you ever see a bed fastened
like that before? I cannot say that I have. The
lady could not move her bed. It must always be
in the same relative position to the ventilator and to
the rope, or so we may call it, since it
was clearly never meant for a bell pull, Holmes, I cried,
(49:42):
I seem to see dimly what you are hinting at.
We are only just in time to prevent some subtle
and horrible crime. Subtle enough and horrible enough. When a
doctor does go wrong, he is the first of criminals.
He has nerve, and he has knowledge. Palmer and Pritchard
were among the heads of their profession. This man strikes
(50:04):
even deeper. But I think, Watson, that we shall be
able to strike deeper still. Yet we shall have horrors
enough before the night is over. For goodness sake, let
us have a quiet pipe and turn our minds for
a few hours to something more cheerful. About nine o'clock
the light among the trees was extinguished, and all was
(50:27):
dark in the direction of the manor house. Two hours
passed slowly away, and then suddenly, just at the stroke
of eleven, a single bright light shone out right in
front of us. That is our signal, said Holmes, springing
to his feet. It comes from the middle window. As
we passed out, he exchanged a few words with the landlord,
(50:49):
explaining that we were going on a late visit to
an acquaintance, and that it was possible that we might
spend the night there. A moment later we were out
on the dark road, a chill wind blowing in our faces,
and one yellow light twinkling in front of us through
the gloom to guide us on our somber errand there
was little difficulty in entering the grounds, for unrepaired breeches
(51:13):
gaped in the old park wall. Making our way among
the trees, we reached the lawn, crossed it, and were
about to enter through the window, when out from a
clump of laurel bushes there darted what seemed to be
a hideous and distorted child, who threw itself upon the
grass with writhing limbs, and then ran swiftly across the
(51:33):
lawn into the darkness. My God, I whispered, did you
see it? Holmes was, for the moment as startled as I.
His hand closed like a vice upon my wrist in
his agitation. Then he broke into a low laugh and
put his lips to my ear. It is a nice household,
(51:55):
he murmured. That is the baboon. I had forgotten the
strain pets which the doctor affected. There was a cheetah too,
Perhaps we might find it upon our shoulders at any moment.
I confess that I felt easier in my mind when,
after following Holmes's example and slipping off my shoes, I
(52:15):
found myself inside the bedroom. My companion noiselessly closed the shutters,
moved the lamp onto the table, and cast his eyes
round the room. All was as we had seen it
in the daytime. Then, creeping up to me and making
a trumpet of his hand, he whispered into my ear again,
so gently that it was all that I could do
(52:37):
to distinguish the words. The least sound would be fatal
to our plans. I nodded to show that I had heard.
We must sit without light. He would see it through
the ventilator. I nodded again, do not go asleep. Your
very life may depend upon it. Have your pistol ready
(52:59):
in case we should need it. I will sit on
the side of the bed, and you in that chair.
I took out my revolver and laid it on the
corner of the table. Holmes had brought up a long,
thin cane, and this he placed upon the bed Beside him.
By it he laid the box of matches and the
stump of a candle. Then he turned down the lamp,
(53:22):
and we were left in darkness. How shall I ever
forget that dreadful vigil. I could not hear a sound,
not even the drawing of a breath, and yet I
knew that my companion sat open eyed, within a few
feet of me, in the same state of nervous tension
in which I was myself. The shutters cut off the
(53:44):
least ray of light, and we waited in absolute darkness.
From outside came the occasional cry of a night bird,
and once at our very window, a long drawn catlike wine,
which told us that the cheetah was indeed at liberty.
Far away we could hear the deep tones of the
parish clock, which boomed out every quarter of an hour.
(54:07):
How long they seemed those quarters twelve struck and one
and two and three, and still we sat, waiting silently
for whatever might befall. Suddenly there was the momentary gleam
of a light up in the direction of the ventilator,
which vanished immediately, but was succeeded by a strong smell
(54:29):
of burning oil and heated metal. Someone in the next
room had lit a dark lantern. I heard a gentle
sound of movement, and that all was silent once more,
though the smell grew stronger. For half an hour I
sat with straining ears. Then suddenly another sound became audible,
a very gentle, soothing sound, like that of a small
(54:52):
jet of steam escaping continually from a kettle. The instant
that we heard it, Holmes sprang from the bed, struck
a match, and lashed furiously with his cane at the
bell pool. You see it, Watson, he yelled, you see it,
But I saw nothing. At the moment when Holmes struck
the light, I heard a low, clear whistle, but the
(55:15):
sudden glare flashing into my weary eyes made it impossible
for me to tell what it was at which my
friend lashed so savagely. I could, however, see that his
face was deadly pale, and filled with horror and loathing.
He had ceased to strike and was gazing up at
the ventilator, when suddenly there broke from the silence of
(55:35):
the night the most horrible cry to which I have
ever listened. It swelled up, louder and louder, a hoarse
yell of pain and fear and anger, all mingled in
the one dreadful shriek.
Speaker 2 (55:48):
They say that.
Speaker 1 (55:49):
Away down in the village, and even in the distant parsonage,
that cry raised the sleepers from their beds. It struck
cold to our hearts. And I stood gazing at Holmes
and he at me, until the last echoes of it
had died away into the silence from which it rose.
What can it mean, I gasped. It means that it
(56:13):
is all over, Holmes answered, and perhaps after all it
is for the best. Take your pistol and we will
enter doctor Roylett's room. With a grave face, he lit
the lamp and led the way down the corridor twice.
He struck at the chamber door without any reply from within.
Then he turned the handle and entered. I at his
(56:35):
heels with a cocked pistol in my hand. It was
a singular sight which met our eyes. On the table
stood a dark lantern with a shutter half open, throwing
a brilliant beam of light upon the iron safe, the
door of which was ajar. Beside this table, on the
wooden chair sat Doctor grimesby Roylet, clad in a long
(56:57):
gray dressing gown, his bare ankles protruding beneath, and his
feet thrust into red heelss turkish slippers. Across his lap
lay the short stock with the long lash, which we
had noticed during the day. His chin was cocked upward,
and his eyes were fixed in a dreadful, rigid stare.
At the corner of the ceiling. Round his brow, he
(57:19):
had a peculiar yellow band with brownish speckles, which seemed
to be bound tightly round his head. As we entered,
he made neither sound nor motion. The band, the speckled band,
whispered Holmes. I took a step forward. In an instant,
his strange headgear began to move, and there reared itself
(57:41):
from among his hair, the squat, diamond shaped head and
puffed neck of a loathsome serpent. It is a swamp adder,
cried Holmes. The dead beest snake in India. He has
died within ten seconds of being bitten. Violence does, in
truth recoil upon the violent, and the schemer falls into
the pit which he digs for another. Let us thrust
(58:03):
this creature back into its den, and we can then
remove miss Stoner to some place of shelter and let
the county police know what has happened. As he spoke,
he drew the dog whip swiftly from the dead man's lap, and,
throwing the noose round the reptile's neck, he drew it
from its horrid perch, and, carrying it at arm's length,
threw it into the iron safe, which he closed upon it.
(58:27):
Such are the true facts of the death of doctor
grimesby Roylett of Stoke, Moran. It is not necessary that
I should prolong a narrative which has already run to
too great a length by telling how we broke the
sad news to the terrified girl, how we conveyed her
by the morning train to the care of her good
aunt at Harrow, of how the slow process of official
(58:49):
inquiry came to the conclusion that the doctor met his
fate while indiscreetly playing with a dangerous pet. The little
which I had yet to learn of the case was
told me by Sherlock Holmes as we traveled back next day.
I had said, he come to an entirely erroneous conclusion,
which shows, my dear Watson, how dangerous it always is
(59:12):
to reason from insufficient data. The presence of the gypsies
and the use of the word band, which was used
by the poor girl, no doubt, to explain the appearance
which she had caught a hurried glimpse of by the
light of her match, were sufficient to put me upon
an entirely wrong scent. I can only claim the merit
that I instantly reconsidered my position, when, however, it became
(59:36):
clear to me that whatever danger threatened and occupant of
the room could not come either from the window or
the door. My attention was speedily drawn, as I have
already remarked to you, to this ventilator and to the
bell rope which hung down to the bed. The discovery
that this was a dummy, and that the bed was
clamped to the floor instantly gave rise to the suspicion
(59:59):
that the the rope was there as a bridge for
something passing through the hole and coming to the bed.
The idea of a snake instantly occurred to me, and
when I coupled it with my knowledge that the doctor
was furnished with a supply of creatures from India, I
felt that I was probably on the right track. The
idea of using a form of poison which could not
(01:00:21):
possibly be discovered by any chemical test was just such
a one as would occur to a clever and ruthless
man who had had an Eastern training. The rapidity with
which such a poison would take effect would also, from
his point of view, be an advantage. It would be
a sharp eyed corner, indeed, who could distinguish the two
(01:00:42):
little dark punctures which would show where the poison fangs
had done their work. Then I thought of the whistle.
Of course, he must recall the snake before the morning
light revealed it to the victim. He had trained it,
probably by the use of the milk which we saw
to return to him when in summoned. He would put
it through this ventilator at the hour that he thought best,
(01:01:05):
with a certainty that it would crawl down the rope
and land on the bed. It might or might not
bite the occupant. Perhaps she might escape every night for
a week, but sooner or later she must fall a victim.
I had come to these conclusions before ever I had
entered his room. An inspection of his chair showed me
(01:01:26):
that he had been in the habit of standing on it,
which of course would be necessary in order that he
should reach the ventilator. The sight of the safe, the
saucer of milk, and the loop of whipcord were enough
to finally dispel any doubts which may have remained. The
metallic clang heard by miss Stoner was obviously caused by
her stepfather hastily closing the door of his safe upon
(01:01:50):
its terrible occupant. Having once made up my mind, you
know the steps which I took in order to put
the matter to the proof. I heard the creature hiss,
as I have no doubt that you did also, and
I instantly lit the light and attacked it, with the
result of driving it through the ventilator, and also with
(01:02:10):
the result of causing it to turn upon its master.
Speaker 2 (01:02:13):
At the other side.
Speaker 1 (01:02:15):
Some of the blows of my cane came home and
roused its snakish temper, so that it flew upon the
first person it saw. In this way, I am no
doubt indirectly responsible for Doctor Grindsby Roylett's death, and I
cannot say that it is likely to weigh very heavily
upon my conscience. End of Adventure eight
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