The Adventure of the Speckled Band - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Solve crimes with the great detective in "Sherlock Holmes Short Stories." Featuring classic tales by Arthur Conan Doyle, this podcast brings you the brilliant deductions and thrilling adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Whether you're a longtime fan or new to the world of Holmes, these timeless mysteries will keep you captivated.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Adventure of the Speckled Band. On glancing over my
notes of 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

(00:21):
for the acquirement of wealth. 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 singular features than
that which was associated with the well known Surrey family
of the Roylots of Stoke, Moran. The events in question

(00:45):
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 free during
the month by the untimely death of the lady to
whom the pledge was given. It is perhaps as well

(01:06):
that the facts 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 my bed. He was a

(01:28):
late riser as a rule, and as the clock on
the mantel piece showed me 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 lot this morning.
Missus Hudson has been knocked up, she retorted upon me,

(01:50):
and I on you. What is it then? A fire? No,
her client, 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

(02:12):
which they have to communicate. Should it prove to be
an interesting case, you would, I am sure wish to
follow it from the outset. I've thought at any rate
that I should call you and give you the chance,
My dear fellow, I would not miss it for anything.
I had no keener pleasure than in following Holmes in
his professional investigations, and in admiring the rapid deductions as

(02:33):
swift as intuition, and yet always found it 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 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.

(02:57):
My name is Sherlock Holmes. This is my intimate friend
and associate doctor Watson, before whom you can speak as
freely as before myself. Ah, 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 tivering. It is not cold, which makes

(03:17):
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 raised her veil as she spoke,
and we could see that she was indeed in a
pitiable state of agitation, her face all drawn and gray,
with restless, frightened eyes like those of some hunted animal.

(03:41):
Her features and figure were those of a woman of thirty,
but her hair was shot with premature gray, and her
expression was weary 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. I have no doubt

(04:03):
you have 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 and stared in bewilderment at my companion. There's

(04:25):
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 left hand side of the driver. Whatever your
reasons may be, you are perfectly correct, said she. I

(04:47):
started from home before six, reached Leatherhead 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. I have no one to turn to,
none save only one who cares for me, and he,
poor fellow, can be of little aid. I've heard of you,
mister Holmes. I have heard of you from Missus Farintosh,

(05:09):
whom you helped in the hour of her sore need.
It was from her that I had your address. 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

(05:31):
you shall not find me ungrateful. Holmes turned to his
desk and, unlocking it, drew out a small case book,
which he consulted. Farintosh 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 shall be happy to devote the same care

(05:52):
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 on
the matter. Alas replied our visitor, the very horror of

(06:12):
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
tell him about it as the fancies of a nervous woman.
He does not say so, but I can read it

(06:34):
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. You may advise me how
to walk amid the dangers which encompass me. I am
all attention, madam. My name is Helen Stoner, and I
am living with my stepfather, who is the last survivor

(06:57):
of one of the oldest Saxon families in England, the
Roylots of Stoke, Moran, on the western border of Surrey.
Holmes nodded his head. The name is familiar to me,
said he. The family was at one time the richest
in England, and the estates extended over the borders into
Berkshire in the north and Hampshire in the west. In

(07:18):
the last century, however, four successive heirs were of a
dissolute and wasteful disposition, and the family ruin was eventually
completed by a gambler in the days of the regency.
Nothing was left 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

(07:39):
existence there, living the horrible life of an aristocratic pauper,
but his only son, my stepfather, seeing that he must
adapt himself to the new conditions, obtained an advance from
relative which enabled him to take a medical degree, and
went out to Calcutta, where, by his professional skill and
force of character he established a large practice. In a

(08:03):
fit of anger, however, caused by some robberies which had
been perpetrated in the house, he 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

(08:25):
young widow of Major General 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 sum should be allowed to

(08:47):
each of us in the event of our marriage. Shortly
after our 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,

(09:10):
and 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 Roylot
of Stoke Moran back in the old family seat, he
shut himself up in his house and seldom came out,

(09:30):
save to indulge in ferocious quarrels with whoever might cross
his path. Violence of temper approaching to Mania has been
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 brawls
took place, two of which ended in the police court,

(09:52):
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. In
his anger. 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

(10:16):
had no friends at all save the wandering gypsies, and
he would give these vagabonds leave to encamp upon the
few acres 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

(10:37):
over to him by a correspondent, and he has at
this moment a cheetah and a baboon, which wander freely
over 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

(10:58):
the work of the house. 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, and
it is of her death that I wish to speak
to you. You can understand that living the life which
I have described, we were little likely to see any

(11:20):
one of our own age and position. We had, however,
an aunt, my mother's maiden sister, Miss Honoria 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. My stepfather

(11:41):
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 a cushion,
but he half opened his lids now and glanced across

(12:04):
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, very old,
and only one wing is now inhabited. The bedrooms in
this wing are on the ground floor, the sitting rooms

(12:25):
being in the central block of the buildings. Of these bedrooms,
the first is doctor Roylant's, the second my sister's, and
the third my own. There is no communication between them,
but they all open out into the same corridor. Do
I make myself plain perfectly? So? The windows of the

(12:46):
three rooms open out upon the lawn. That fatal night,
Doctor Roylot 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 o'clock

(13:09):
she rose to leave me, but she paused at the
door and looked back. Tell me, Helen, said she, have
you ever heard any one whistle in the dead of
the night? Never said I. I suppose that you could
not possibly whistle yourself in your sleep, certainly not. But why,

(13:30):
because during the last few nights I have always, about
three in the morning, heard a low, 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'd heard it. No, I have not.
It must be those wretched gypsies in the plantation, very likely.

(13:54):
And yet if it were on the lawn, I wondered
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, was
it your custom always to lock yourselves in at night? Always?

(14:18):
And why? I think that 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

(14:38):
and I you will recollect, were twins. And you know
how subtle are the links which bind two souls which
are so closely allied. 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

(14:58):
terrified woman. I knew that it was my sister's voice.
I sprang from my bed, wrapped a shawl around 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 sister's door was unlocked and

(15:21):
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 a drunkard. I ran to her

(15:42):
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 suddenly shrieked in a voice which I
shall never forget. Oh, my God, Helen, it was the band,

(16:05):
the speckled band. There was something else which she would
fain have said, and she stabbed with her finger in
the air in the direction of the doctor's room. But
a fresh convulsion 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

(16:26):
he poured brandy down her throat and sent for medical
aid from the village, all efforts were in vain, for
she slowly sank and died without having recovered her consciousness.
Such was the 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

(16:48):
the country coroner asked me at the enquiry. It is
my strong impression that I heard it, and yet among
the crash of 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

(17:09):
she had struck a light and looked about her when
the alarm took place. That is important and what conclusions
did the coroner come to? He investigated the case with
great care, for doctor Roylott'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

(17:30):
had been fastened upon the inner side, and the windows
were blocked by old fashioned 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 it is barred up by
four large staples. It is certain, therefore that my sister

(17:53):
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 this unfortunate lady died of? Then? It
is my belief that she died of pure fear and
nervous shock. Though what it was that frightened her I

(18:14):
cannot imagine. Were there gypsies in the plantation at the time, Yes,
there are 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 merely the wild
talk of delirium, Sometimes that it may have referred to
some band of people, perhaps to those very gypsies in

(18:37):
the plantation. I do not know whether the spotted handkerchief
which so many of them wear over their heads, might
have suggested the strange adjective which she used. Hulms shook
his head like a man who is far from being satisfied.
These are very deep waters, said he pray, go on
with your narrative. Two years have passed since then, and

(18:59):
my life 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
ask my hand in marriage. His name is Armitage, Percy Armitage,
the second son of mister Armitage of Cranewater, near Reading.
My stepfather has offered no opposition to the match, and

(19:20):
we are to be married in the course of the spring.
Two days ago some repairs were started in the west
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

(19:41):
over her terrible fate, I suddenly heard in the silence
of the night the low whistle, which had been the
herald of her own death. I sprang up and lit
the lamp, but nothing's to be seen in the room.
I was too shaken to go to bed again, however,
so I dressed, and as soon as it was daylight,
I slipped down, got a dog our cart at the
Crown Inn, which is opposite, and drove to Leatherhead. From

(20:03):
whence I have come on this morning with the one
object of seeing you and asking your advice. You've done wisely,
said my friend. But have you told me all? Yes, all,
miss Roylott, you have not. You are screening your step father.
Why what do you mean for answer? Holmes pushed back

(20:25):
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 covered over her injured wrist.

(20:45):
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. There are a thousand details which
I should desire to know before I decide upon our

(21:05):
course of action. Yet we have not a moment to lose.
If we were to come to Stoke Moran to day,
would it be 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 would be nothing to
disturb you. We have a housekeeper now, but she is

(21:28):
old and foolish, 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 as to be there in time for

(21:49):
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 in breakfast? No, I must go.
My heart is lightened already since I have confided my
trouble to you. I shall look forward to seeing you
again this afternoon. She dropped her thick black veil over

(22:09):
her face and glided from the room. And what do
you think of it all? Watson asked Sherlock Holmes, leaning
back in his chair. It seems to me to be
a 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

(22:30):
chimney are impassable. Then her sister must undoubtedly have been
alone when she met her mysterious end. What becomes then,
of these nocturnal whistles, and what of 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 are on intimate terms with

(22:51):
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's stoner heard a metallic clang
which might have been caused by one of those metal
bars that secured the shutters falling back into its place.
I think that there is good ground to think that

(23:12):
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, and so do I.
It is for precisely 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.

(23:32):
But what in the name of the devil. The ejaculation
had been drawn from my companion by the fact that
our door had suddenly been dashed open, and that a
huge man had framed himself in the aperture. His costume
was a peculiar mixture of the professional and the agricultural,
having a black top hat, a long frock coat, and
a pair of high gaiters, with a hunting crop swinging

(23:54):
in his hand. So tall was he that his hat
actually brushed the cross bar of the doorway, and his
breadth seemed to span it across from side to side.
A 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 shot eyes and his high, thin, fleshless

(24:16):
nose gave him somewhat the resemblance to a fierce old
bird of prey. Which of you is? Holmes asked this apparition.
My name, sir, But you have the advantage of me,
said my companion quietly. I am Doctor grimesby Roylot of Stoke, Moran. Indeed, doctor,
said Holmes blandly, Pray take a seat. I will do

(24:39):
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 year,
said Holmes. What has she been saying to you? Screamed
the old man furiously. But I have heard that the
crocuses promise well, continued my companion, imperturbably. Ha you put

(24:59):
me off, do you, said our new visitor, taking a
step forward and shaking his hunting crop. I know you,
you scoundrel. I have heard of you before. You are
Holmes the meddler, my friend, smiled Holmes, the busy body.
His smile broadened, Holmes, the Scotland yard jack in office.
Holmes chuckled heartily. Your conversation is most entertaining, said he.

(25:24):
When you go out, close the door, for there is
a decided draft. I will go when I've said my say.
Don't you dare meddle with my affairs. I know that
miss Stoner has been here. I trace 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

(25:45):
keep yourself out of my grip, he snarled, and hurling
the twisted poker into the fireplace, he strode out of
the room. He seems a very amiable person, said Holmes, laughing.
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
picked up the steel poker and with a sudden effort,

(26:06):
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
shall order breakfast, and afterwards I shall walk down to
Doctor's Commons, where I hope to get some dato which

(26:28):
may help us in this matter. It was nearly one
o'clock when Sherlock Holmes returned from his excursion. He held
in his hands a sheet of blue paper scrolled over
with notes and figures. I have seen the will of
the deceased wife, said he to determine its exact meaning.
I have been obliged to work out the present prices
of the investments with which it is concerned. The total income,

(26:51):
which at the time of the wife's death was little
short of eleven hundred pounds, is now, through the fall
in agricultural prices, not more than seven hundred and fifty pounds.
Each daughter can claim an income of two hundred and
fifty pounds in case of marriage. It is evident therefore,
that if both girls had married, this beauty would have
had a mere pittance, while even one of them would
cripple him to a very serious extent. My morning's work

(27:14):
has not been wasted, since it has proved that he
has the very strongest motives for standing in the way
of anything of that sort. And now, Watson, this is
too serious for dawdling, 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. An Ely's

(27:37):
number two is an excellent argument with gentlemen who can
twist steel pokers into knots. That and a tooth brush
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. It
was a perfect day, with a bright sun and a

(27:58):
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 of the spring and this
sinister quest upon which we were engaged. My companion sat
in front of the trap, his arms folded, his hat

(28:20):
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 stretched up
in a gentle slope, thickening into a grove. At the
highest point from amid the branches, there jutted out the

(28:40):
gray gables and high roof tree of a very old mansion.
Stoke Moran said he, yes, sir, that be the house
of doctor grimesby Roylet, remarked the driver. There is some
building going on there, said Holmes. That is where we
are going. There's the village, said the driver, pointing to
a cluster of roofs some distance to the left. But

(29:02):
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 fields there it is where the
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 affair,
and the trap rattled back on its way to Leatherhead.

(29:24):
I thought it is well, said Holmes, as we climbed
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. I have been waiting
so eagerly for you, she cried, shaking hands with us warmly.

(29:48):
All has turned out splendidly. Doctor Roylett has gone to
town and it is unlikely that he will be back
before evening. We have had the pleasure of making the
doctor's acquaintance, 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

(30:08):
has followed me. Then, so it appears he is so
cunning that I never know when I am safe from him?
What will he say when he returns? He must guard himself,
for he may find that there is some one 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

(30:30):
we must make the best use of our time, so
kindly take us at once to the rooms which we
are to examine. The building was of gray like in
blotched stone, with a high central portion and two curving wings,
like the claws of a crab thrown out on each side.
In one of those wings, the windows were broken and
blocked with wooden boards, while the roof was partly caved

(30:51):
in a picture of ruin. The central portion was in
little better repair, but the right hand block was comparatively modern,
and the blind in 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,

(31:11):
but there were no signs of any workmen. At the
moment of our visit. Holmes walked slowly up and down
the ill trim 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 Roylett's chamber. Exactly so. But I

(31:34):
am now sleeping in the middle room, pending the alterations.
As I understand by the way, there does not seem
to be any very pressing need for repairs at that
end of the 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
narrow wing runs the corridor from which these three rooms open.

(31:57):
There are windows in it, of course, yes, but 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 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 a

(32:19):
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
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

(32:39):
they were bolted. Well, we shall see if the inside
throws any light upon the matter. A small side door
led into the whitewashed corridor from which the three bedrooms opened.
Holmes refused to examine the third chamber, so we passed
at once to the second, that in which miss Stoner
was now sleeping, and in which her sister had met

(33:00):
with her fate. It was a homely little room, with
a low ceiling and a gaping fireplace, after the fashion
of old country houses. A brown chest of drawers stood
in one corner. A narrow white counterpaned bed in another,
and a dressing table on the left hand side of
the window. These articles, with two small wicker work chairs,

(33:20):
made up all the furniture in the room save for
a square of wilton carpet in the center. The boards
round and the paneling of the walls were of 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

(33:41):
and down, taking in every detail of the apartment. Where
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 looked newer than the other things. Yes,
it was only put there a couple of years ago.

(34:02):
Your sister asked for it, 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 satisfy myself as
to this floor. He threw himself down upon his face
with his lens in his hand, and crawled swiftly backward

(34:25):
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, he
took the bell rope in his hand and gave it
a brisk tug. Why it's a dummy, said he won't

(34:47):
it ring. No, it is not even attached to a wire.
This is very interesting. You can see now that it
is fastened to a hook just above where the little
opening for the ventilator is. How very obs I never
noticed that before, very strange, muttered Holmes, pulling at the rope.
There are one or two singular points about this room.

(35:10):
For example, what a fool a builder must be to
open a ventilator into another room when with the same
trouble he 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

(35:31):
seem to have been of a most interesting character. Dummy
bell ropes 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

(35:53):
of a 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
meant the eye. Holmes walked slowly round and examined each
and all of them with the keenest interest. What's in here,
he asked, tapping the safe. My stepfather's business papers. Oh

(36:15):
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, No, what a strange idea. Well,
look at this. He took up a small saucer of milk,
which stood on the top of it. No, we don't
keep a cat, but there is a cheetah and a

(36:36):
baboon ah. Yes, of course, Well, a cheetah is just
a big cat, And yet a saucer of milk does
not go very far and satisfying its wants. I dare
say there is one point which I should wish to determine.
He squatted down in front of the wooden chair and
examined the seat of it with the greatest attention. Thank you,
that is quite settled, said he, rising and putting his

(36:58):
lens in his pocket. Hullo, 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 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

(37:18):
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 think that I have seen
enough now, miss Stoner, and with your permission, we shall
walk out upon the lawn. I have never seen my
friend's face so grim or his brow so dark as
it was when we turned from the scene of this investigation.

(37:41):
We had walked several times up and down the lawn,
neither Miss Stoner nor myself liking to break in upon
his thoughts before he roused himself from his reverie. It
is very essential, miss Stoner, said he that you should
absolutely follow my advice in every respect. I shall most
certainly do so. Is too serious for any hesitation. Your

(38:02):
life may depend 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 is the village in over there. Yes, that is

(38:23):
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 of your window, 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

(38:45):
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 will you do.
We shall spend the night in your room, and we
shall investigate the cause of the noise which has disturbed you.
I believe, mister Holmes, that you have already made up

(39:07):
your mind, said Miss Stoner, laying her hand upon my
companion's sleeve. Perhaps I have, then, for pity's sake, tell
me what was the cause of my sister's death. I
should prefer to have clearer proofs before I speak. You
can at least tell me whether my own thought is correct,
and if she died from some sudden fright. No, I

(39:28):
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 Roylot returned and saw us,
our journey would be in vain. Good Bye, and be brave,
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

(39:49):
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 Manor House.
At dusk, we saw Doctor grimesby roylot drive past, his
huge form looming up beside the little figure of the
lad who drove him. The boy had some slight difficulty

(40:11):
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
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

(40:32):
the gathering darkness. I have really some scruples as to
taking you to night. There is a distinct element of danger.
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

(40:55):
I fancy that I may have deduced a little more.
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 it is such a very unusual thing to have
a small opening between two rooms. It was so small

(41:17):
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 Roylott's cigar. Now, of course that suggested at
once that there must be a communication between the two rooms.

(41:37):
It could only be a small one, or it would
have been remarked upon at the coroner's inquiry. I deduced
a ventilator. But what harm can there be in that? Well?
There is at least a curious coincidence of dates. A
ventilator is made, a cord is hung, and a lady
who sleeps in the bed dies. Does not that strike you?
I cannot as yet see any connection. Did you observe

(42:01):
anything very peculiar about that bed? No, it was clamped
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

(42:21):
was clearly never meant for a bell pole, Holmes, I cried,
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 goes 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 even deeper.

(42:44):
But I think, Watson, that we shall be able to
strike deeper still. But 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 dark in
the direction of the manor house. Two hours passed slowly away,

(43:06):
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, explaining that
we were going on a late visit to an acquaintance,
and that it was possible that we might spend the

(43:27):
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 gaped
in the old park wall. Making our way among the trees,
we reached the lawn, crossed it, and were about to

(43:49):
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 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.

(44:13):
Then he broke into a low laugh and put his
lips to my ear. It is a nice household, he murmured,
that is the baboon. I had forgotten the strange 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

(44:36):
found myself inside the bedroom. My companion noiselessly closed the shutters,
moved the lamp on to 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 to distinguish the words. The least sound would

(44:59):
be fatal to our pla lands. 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 in case we should need it.
I will sit on the side of the bed, and

(45:19):
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, and we were left in darkness.

(45:41):
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 least ray of light, and we wait
in absolute darkness. From outside came the occasional cry of

(46:04):
a night bird, and once at our very window, a long, drawn,
catlike whine, 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. How long they seemed those quarters twelve struck
and one and two and three, And still we sat,

(46:25):
waiting silently for whatever might befall. Suddenly there was a
momentary gleam of a light up in the direction of
the ventilator, which vanished immediately, but was succeeded by a
strong smell of burning oil and heated metal. Someone in
the next room had lit a dark lantern. I heard
a gentle sound of movement, and then all was silent

(46:46):
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 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

(47:08):
the bell pole. Do you see it, Watson, he yelled,
do you see it? But I saw nothing. At the
moment when Holmes struck the light, I heard a low,
clear whistle, but the 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

(47:30):
horror and loathing. He had ceased to strike and was
gazing up at the ventilator when suddenly there broke from
the silence of 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 one dreadful shriek. They say that away down
in the village, and even in the distant parsonage, that

(47:53):
cry raised the sleepers from their beds, struck cold to
our hearts. And I stood gazing at Holmes, 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 is all over, Holmes answered,
and perhaps after all it is for the best. Take

(48:15):
your pistol and we will enter Doctor Roylot'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 heels with the cocked
pistol in my hand. It was a singular sight which

(48:36):
met our eyes. On the table stood a dark lantern
with the shutter half open, throwing a brilliant beam of
light upon the iron safe, the door of which was ajar.
Beside this table, on the wooden chair sat doctor grimesby Roylot,
clad in a long gray dressing gown, his bare ankles
protruding beneath, and his feet thrust into red heel less

(48:58):
Turkish slippers. Across his lap lay the short stalk 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 had a peculiar yellow band with
brownish speckles, which seemed to be bound tightly round his head.

(49:19):
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 from among his hair, the squat, diamond
shaped head and puffed neck of a loathsome serpent. It

(49:41):
is a swamp adder, cried Holmes, the deadliest 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 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,

(50:05):
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.
Such are the true facts of the death of doctor
grimesby Roylot of Stoke, Moran. It is not necessary that
I should prolong a narrative which has already run too

(50:26):
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 enquiry
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 the next day.

(50:49):
I had said, he come to an entirely erroneous conclusion,
which shows my dear Watson, how dangerous it always is
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

(51:12):
that I instantly reconsidered my position, when, however, it became
clear to me that whatever danger threatened an 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

(51:33):
clamped to the floor instantly gave rise to the suspicion
that 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 possibly

(51:55):
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 coroner, indeed, who could distinguish the two little
dark punctures which would show where the poison fangs had
done their work. Then I thought of the whistle. Of course,

(52:18):
he must recall the snake before the morning light revealed
it to the victim. He had trained it, probably by
use of the milk which we saw to return to
him when summoned. He would put it through this ventilator
at the hour that he thought best, with the 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

(52:40):
sooner or later she must fall a victim. I had
come to these conclusions before I had ever entered his room.
An inspection of his chair showed me that he had
been in the habit of standing on it, which of
course would be necessary 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 fight dispel
any doubts which may have remained. The metallic clang heard

(53:04):
by Miss Stoner was obviously caused by her stepfather hastily
closing the door of his safe upon 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 the result of

(53:26):
causing it to turn upon its master. At the other side.
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 grimesby Broylett's death, and I
cannot say it is likely to weigh very heavily upon
my conscience. End of the Adventure of the Speckled Band