3 The Adventure of the Speckled Band

The Adventure of the Speckled Band I'm sorry to wake you, Watson," whispered Holmes as he stood over me, "but we have a visitor. There is a young woman in the sitting room who wants to see us. I'm sure it's important if she's come at this hour. Would you care to join me?" "My dear Holmes," I replied sleepily, "I wouldn't miss it for the world." With my wife out of town, I was staying with Holmes for the evening. I always

enjoyed helping my colleague in his investigations. It was fascinating to watch him gather clues and use them to solve crimes. So I dressed quickly and joined him in the sitting room. We beheld a woman dressed in black, wearing a veil over her face. "Good morning, madam," began my companion. "My name is Sherlock Holmes. This is my friend and partner, Dr. Watson. How can we be of service to you?" The woman lifted the veil from her face. We could see that she was pale and upset. "I am very frightened, Mr. Holmes," she began. "We will try our best to help you," Holmes said, trying to calm her. "I see that you traveled to London by train this morning. And that you rode to the train station in a horse-drawn wagon." "How do you know that?" she asked with a look of surprise on her face.

"The return ticket is tucked into your glove," Holmes explained. "And the left arm of your jacket is splashed with fresh mud. You could only have gotten splashed that way by sitting on the left-hand side of an open wagon." "You're correct," she replied. "I have traveled all this way because I am going mad, Mr. Holmes. I have no one to turn to. You must help me." "Please, madam. Tell us your problem." Holmes sat back in his chair, closed his eyes, and listened. "My name is Helen Stoner. I live with my stepfather, Dr. Grimes by Roylott. He is the last member of an old family. They were wealthy once. But over the years, the Roylotts lost their fortune. All that remains is the family home, Stoke Moran. "Years ago, my stepfather lived in India

and had a successful medical practice. That is where he met and married my mother. My twin sister Julia and I were only two at the time. "It was in India that my stepfather's troubles began," she said. "In a fit of anger, he got into a fight, killed someone, and spent

many years in prison. When my stepfather was released, we moved back to England, where he returned to being a doctor. But he was a changed man by then. "Shortly after our return, my mother passed away, leaving all her money to my stepfather. My sister and I would receive some money of our own, but only when we got married. With my mother gone, we left London and went to live in Stoke Moran." Miss Stoner grew more upset as she continued her story. "My stepfather became even more troubled after that. His temper grew, and later he was arrested by the police for fighting. People became afraid of him. His only friends were a group of poor travelers who roamed the countryside and sometimes visited Stoke Moran. He would often let them camp in the woods near the house.

"His behavior grew stranger with every passing day," she continued. "He loves wild animals. So he brought a wild cheetah and a baboon from India, letting them run wild in the woods around our home. "My sister Julia and I became very unhappy. No servants would stay with us. So my sister and I took care of that big house by ourselves. It was very hard for us. Julia was thirty when she died, but she looked much older." "Your sister is dead?" asked Holmes. "Yes," our visitor replied. "She died two years ago. And it is her death that I wish to speak to you about. Just before that sad event, Julia became engaged. My stepfather did not object. But just before the wedding, a terrible thing happened." When Holmes heard this, he opened his eyes and looked at our visitor. "Do not leave