The story's title

Look at the title of this story. In English, the adjective 'speckled'

describes something with spots or small coloured marks.
The word 'band' can have more than one meaning. Look at these
sentences:
Three bands played at the concert last night.
2 She always ties her hair back with an elastic band.
3 Last n ight a band of th i eves stol e from the city's biggest banks.
4 The national football team wore black bands on their arms after the
president's death.

Now read the definitions of the word band (A-D) and match each one
with the sentences above (1- 4) .
A • a piece o f material used for keeping things together
B • a small group of musicians
C • a p i ece of material that goes around something
D • a group of people with a common i nterest

What do you think the speckled band will mean in this story? In small
groups think of two possible interpretations. Then read the story to
find out.

Before you read

fjF) 0 Listen to the first part of Chapter One. Are the following sentences
true (T) or false (F)?
T F
1 The case of the 'speckled band' was very unusual. DD
2 Sherlock Holmes usually got up early in the morning. DD
3 The visitor was a young lady. DD
4 The visitor was dressed in white clothes. DD
5 Sherlock H olmes offered to get her a cup of coffee. DD
6 The woman was ve_ry cold. DD

52
CHAPTER ONE

An early morning visitor

he case of t h e 'speckled band' w a s o n e of m y fi rst ..
i nv e s t igat i o n s w i t h my fri e n d S h e r l o c k H o l m e s ,
a n d i t was a l s o o n e o f t h e most u n u s u a l .
A t t h a t t i m e H o l m e s a n d I w e r e l iv i ng i n Baker
Street. I promised to keep this case a s ecret, but the l ady i s dead
now and i t i s i m portant for people to know the truth .
Early one morn i n g in April 1 883, I woke up a n d saw S he r l o c k
H o l mes stan d i n g by my bed. I was s u rp r i s e d because i t was only
seven o'clock and H o l m es u s u a l ly got u p l ate .
' I ' m very s orry to wake you , Watson,' he s a i d .
'What i s i t ? A fi re?' I asked.
'No, w e have a v i s itor - a y o u n g l a d y . She i s very u n happy
and wants to see m e . When young ladies walk aro u n d London at
t h i s e a r l y h o u r , they u s u a l l y w a n t t o t a l k a b o u t s o m e t h i n g

53
 The Speckled Band

i mportant. If you want to h e l p me with t h i s case , come and l isten

to her story . '
' I ' l l b e ready i m me d iately,' I s a i d .
I was always h appy to h e l p H o l m e s with h i s detective work.
H e l o v e d h i s w o r k a n d w a s n o t i n t e r e s t e d in t h e m o n e y i t
brought h i m . H e o n ly accepted i n t e re s t i n g a n d unl,lsual cases. I
g o t d r e s s e d q u i c k l y a n d f o l l ow e d H o l m e s d o w n to t h e l i v i n g
room.

A woman dressed i n b l ack c l othes was sitting by the window.

S h e got up w h e n we entered the room.
'Good morning, m a d a m . M y n a m e i s Sherlock H o l m es . This i s

I my fri e n d D r Watso n . You c a n say anything y o u want to us and

we'll keep it a s ecret. I see you're shaking, 1 please s i t close to the

I I
fire and I ' l l get you a cup of hot coffe e . '
' I ' m n o t s h a k i n g b e c a u s e I ' m 'c o l d , ' s a i d t h e w o m a n . ' I ' m
frighten e d , M r H o l m e s ! That's why I ' m shaking.' we· could see that •
she was very frightened. She was about thirty years o l d but some
of her hair was. already white and her face was pale z and tired.
' D o n ' t b e frigh t e ne d , ' s a i d H o l m e s , gently tou c h i ng her arm.
'We can h e l p you. I see you came by tra i ri t h i s morning.'
'Yes, but how d i d you know? '
' Because you are h o l d i n g your train t i c ket i n your l eft h a n d .
And I see you came i n a cart e a r l y t h i s m o r n i n g , t o o . '
Aga i n , the l ady was s u r p r i s e d .
' It ' s not a mystery, m a d a m , ' s a i d H o l me s s m i l i n g . ' Y o u r jacket
is d i rty. When you trave l by cart that often h appe n s . '

1. shaking : the way we move when we are very cold or shocked.

2. pale : without colour.

54
 The Speckled Band

'You're right, s i r ! ' she s a i d . ' I left h o m e before s i x and took the
first train to Lon d o n . Oh, I ' l l go m a d i f I don't find help! You once
helped a fri e n d of m i n e , Mr H o l me s . Now pleasi; help me. I can't
pay m u c h now, but i n a month o r two I ' l l have more money.'
' I ' l l do m y best for y o u , m a d a m . P l e as e d o n ' t wo rry a b o u t
paying m e i mm e d i ately, t h e r e ' s n o h u rry. N o w , t e l l u:o about your
p ro b l e m . '
' It ' s d iffi c u l t to t e l l y o u about my p ro b l e m , ' she s a i d , ' because

I don't have many facts . '

'Te l l m e everyth i n g y o u k n o w , m a d a m , and t e l l m e about your
fam i ly . '
' My n a m e i s H e l e n Stoner and I l ive w i t h my stepfather, 1 Dr
Roylott. H e c o m e s from the famous o l d Roylott fam i ly of Stoke
M oran in S urrey. '
' I know the n a m e , ' H o l m e s s a i d .
' H i s fam i ly w a s o n c e the r i c h e st i n England. T h e y h a d a lot o f
l a n d and money. But i n the l a s t o n e h u n d re d years "they spent a l l
t h e m o n ey a n d s o l d t h e l a n d . N o w the fam i l y o n l y h a s a s m a l l
p i e c e of l a n d and the o l d h o u s e . M y stepfather i s the o l dest' son.
H e became a doctor and went to I n d i a . H e l ived w e l l there , but
one day a t h i ef came and stole a lot of h.i s thi ngs. M y stepfather
got very angry w i t h h i s servant and k i l l e d h i m . H e was sent to
p r i s o n for a long t i m e , and then h e returned to England. H e was
an angry, u n h appy m a n .
' W h e n D r Royl ott was i n I nd i a h e m a r r i e d my mother. S h e was
a rich w i d ow z with two l ittle g i r l s - my twin s i ster and me. My

1. stepfather : not her·real father; he is the man her mother married.

2. widow : this woman's husband is dead.

56
m o t h e r d i e d e i g h t y e a r s a g o a n d l e ft a l l of h e r m o n ey to D r
Roylott. But before dying she t o l d h i m , "When m y d aughters get
married you m u s t give t h e m s o m e m on e y e a c h y e a r . " She l e ft
enough money fot a l l of u s .
' B ut my ste pfat h e r c h a n g e d for t h e w o r s e . We l e ft L o n d o n
and went to l ive i n the o l d fam i ly h o u s e at S t o k e M or a n . I t ' s a
very big house with m any rooms a n d a l arge , beautiful garden a l l
a r o u n d i t . H e d i d n 't m a k e f r i e n d s w i t h o u r n e i g h b o u r s - h e
argued 1 with everyon e . The people i n t h e vil l age were afrai d o f
h i m . ;; e a l s o kept a n i m a l s from I n d i a a t S t o k e M o r a n . A t t h e
m o m e n t w e h av e a t i g e r a n d a b i g m o n k e y a n d t h e y s c a r e
everyone.
'As you can i magi n e , m y poor s i st e r J u l i a and I d i d n 't have
much fu n i n o u r l ives. Se rvants d i dn't stay w i t h us for l o ng and
we d i d a l l the work i n the house. We were a lways a l o n e without
any fri e n d s . N o one came to v i s i t us - it was a l o n e ly l ife for two
young women. J u l i a was o n ly t h i rty years old b u t s o m e of her
h a i r was already white, just l i ke m i n e . '
'Was? I s your s i ster dead?' asked H o l me s .
'Yes, she d i e d two years a g o , and that i s why I am h e re n o w .
My s i ster and l were stayi ng w i t h a n aunt i n L o n d o n a t C h r i st m a s
t w o years a g o . M y s i ster met a man there and d e c i d e d to m arry
h i m . When we returned to Stoke M oran o u r stepfather s e e m e d
p l e a s e d a b o u t t h e m a r r i ag e . B u t t w o w e e ks l at e r s o m e t h i n g
t e r r i b l e h a p p e n e d a n d t h a t i s why I a m h e re t h i s m o r n i n g , M r
Holmes.'

1. argued : spoke angrily a n d d isagreed with.

57
 A C T I V I T I E S

Go back to the text

0 Compreh ension
For questions 1-6, choose the correct answer (A, B or C) .

1 Sherlock Holmes woke up Dr Watson at 7 o'clock in the morning

because
A D there was a fire in the building.
B D a young lady wanted a cup of coffee.
C D he wanted Watson to l isten to a new case.

2 The young lady was shaking because

A D she was frightened.
B D she was cold.
C D she was ill.

3 Where did Doctor Roylott l ive when he was a young doctor?

A D Surrey.
B D I ndia.
C D London.

4 What must Dr Roylott do when his two stepdaughters get married?

A D Give them the house at Stoke Moran.
• ' B D Give them a small piece of land.

�·
C D Give them money each year.

5 Why were the people in the village afraid of Dr Roylott?

A D Because he killed a man in I ndia. -

B D Because he was from London.

C D Because he argued with everyone.

6 Where did H elen and Julia stq.y at Christmas time two years ago?
A D In London with their aunt.
B D I n London with thei r mother.
C D At Stoke Moran with their stepfather.

60
 A C T I V I T I E S

' His family was once the richest in E ngland '

' Richest' is the superlative form of 'rich'.

To make the superlative of adjectives with one syllable we add -est to
the end of the adjective: rich richest
For adjectives of two syllables ending in 'y', we change the 'y' to 'i' and
add -est: happy happiest
For adjectives with two syllables or more we put most i n front of the
adjective: interestin9 the most interestin9

8 Complete the table below with the superlative forms of the adjectives.
Adjective Superlative form
tall
important
poor
easy
bad
short
strange
mysterious
small
noisy

E) Complete the following sentences using the superlative form of the

adjective in brackets. There is an example at the beginning (0).

0 Dr Roylott was the !?!0� �� . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. (old) son in the family.

1 Helen Stoner was the . . .. . . .. ... . . . . .. . . . ... (pretty) young woman at
. .

Stoke Moran.
2 'sherlock Hplmes is the ... . .. . .... . . . ..... .. . (.good) detective in our city,'
. . .

said Dr Watson.
3 Dr Roylott came from the . .. . .. . . . .. (rich) family in Surrey. . . . . . .. . . . . .. .

4 'J ulia was the .... . .. . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . (fri.ghtened) woman I have ever seen!'
said Helen.
5 It was the ..... . .. .. . .. . . . (dan9erous) snake in I ndia.
. . .. . . .. .

61
 A C T I V I T I E S

0 Vocabulary
Circle the word that is different and explain why.

1 daughter, sister, uncle, neighbour

2 detective, doctor, teacher, thief

3 jacket, hair, coat, hat

4 trai n , ticket, cart, boat

5 coffee, orange juice, milk, water

6 unhappy, unusual, strange, fear

e Pictures
Look at the picture on pages 58-59.

1 Describe the man in the picture. What is he holding in his hands?

2 Circle the adjectives below that you think describe the picture's
atmosphere:
warm dark welcoming dangerous
mysterious happy cold light sad

e Are you a good detective? What do you think Helen Stoner's problem
is? Read the following possibilities (A-C) and then write one o"f your
own (D). Now put them in order of probability from 1-4; 1 is the most
probable and 4 is the least probable.

A D Someone kil led Helen Stoner's mother in I ndia and she wants
to find out why.
B D Helen Stoner thinks someone wants to kill her and she needs
Holmes's help.
c D Helen Stoner wants her stepfather's money and she needs
Holmes's help.
o D

62
 A C T I V I T I E S

ilM' G Tigers
Doctor Roylott keeps a tiger at Stoke Morari. How much do you know
about tigers? Listen to the recording and complete the notes in the
table below.

1 Where do tigers l ive? In parts of ............................. . . . . . .......... .

2 Which country has the

greatest number of tigers?
3 H ow big are they? Around .................. metres long.
. Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... kilograms or more .
4 When do they hunt?

'
5 What do they like doi ng?

6 How many cubs does a

female tiger have?
7 How many tigers are there
in the world today?
8 How many kinds of tigers
are now extinct?

INTERNET PROJ ECT

Save the Tigers!
Connect to the Internet and go to www blackcat-cjdeb com or
ww w.cideb.i1 . Insert the title or part of the title of the book into o u r
search engine. Open t h e page for Sherlock Holmes Stories. C l ick on
the I nternet project link. G o dow n the page u ntil you find the title of this
book and click on the relevant link for this project.
Work in small groups. Write a brief report on tigers and present it to
the class. In your report, answer the fol l o w i ng questions:
� Why are tigers i n trouble?
� What can w e do to save them?
If your class has a bulletin board, put up you r reports.

63
 I V I T I E S

Before you read

!fil!i' 0 Listento the first part of Chapter Two and answer the following
questions. For each question there are three pictures. Choose the
correct picture and put a tick (,/) in the box below it.

1 Where was Sherlock Holmes sitting?

2 H ow many bedrooms were there on the ground floor?

3 What can you see from the bedroom windows?

4 What was Dr Roylott smoking?

64
 I
CHAPTER TWO

A my sterious death
herlock Holmes was sitting in h i s chair with h i s _,­
eyes c l o s e d , but now he opened t h e m .
' Please t e l l me everything that happened that day.'
'That's easy because I re m e m b e r every event of
that terri ble day very c l early. Let m e e x p l a i n the house to you.
The bedrooms are on the ground floor. D r Roylott's b e d room is
fi rst, my s i ster's i s second and m i n e i s t h i rd . They all open out
into the same corridor. The wi ndows of these t h ree rooms open
o u t into the g a rd e n . O n the t e r r i b l e n i g h t m y s i s t e r d i e d D r
Roylott went t o h i s room early. Later t h at n i ght J u l i a and I went
to our room s , but my sister came to my room and talked to m e .
"' I c a n ' t s l e e p , " s h e s a i d , " b e c a u s e h e ' s s m o k i n g a n I n d i a n
c igar and I can s m e l l it i n my roo m . " We t a l ke d u n t i l a b o u t e l even �­
o'clock and then s h e got up to go. S h e stopped at the d o o r of my
roo m for a m o m e nt.

65
 The Speckled Band

"'Te l l me, H e l e n , h ave you ever heard someone w h i s t l i n g 1 late

at n i ght?"
"' N o , " I s ai d , " why?"
"'We l l , at about t h ree o'clock in the morn i ng I can hear a low
wh i s t l e and i t wakes m e up. I d o n 't know where it comes fro m . "
Then s h e left my r o o m and I heard h e r lock her door. ' .
' D i d you a l ways l o c k your doors at n ight?' asked H o l m e s .
'Always, b e c a u s e my stepfather k e e p s dangerous a n i m a l s that
run about at n i gh t . '
' I u n d e rstan d , ' s a i d H o l m e s . ' Please conti n u e . '
'I c o u l d n ' t s l e e p t h a t n i ght b e c a u s e I had a s t r a n g e fe e l i ng ,
and t h e re was a b i g s t o r m outside. S u d d e n ly, I heard a woman's
terrified scream; it was my s ister. I j u mped out of bed and ran to
the corri dor. I h ea rd a low whistle and then the sound of metal.
T h e n I saw my sister. H e r face was white and she was shaki ng.
'! ran to her and put my arms around her, but she fe l l to the

grou n d . " o h , H e l e n ! It was the b a n d ! The s p e c k l e·d b a n d . " Our

stepfather ran out of h i s room and we tried to s ave h e r l ife , but
s h e d i e d i m m e d iate ly.'
' O n e moment,' s a i d H o l m e s . 'Are you s u re about the w h i stle
a n d the s o u n d of m etal? '
' ! t h i n k I h e a rd i t , b u t t h e storm w a s m a k i n g a l ot of n o i s e

too.'
'Was your s i ster dressed?'
' N o , s h e had h e r n ightdress o n and s h e had a match 2 and a
m atch box in her left h a n d . '

1. whistl ing : 2. match :

66
 The Speckled Band

'That s h ow s s h e was l o o k i n g for s o m e t h i n g that n i g h t , ' s a i d

H o l m e s . 'What d i d the pol ice say? '
' N o o n e c o u l d f i n d a reason for her death. S h e was alone i n
h e r room because t h e d o o r w a s locked.'
'Was there any p o i s o n ? ' 1

' S h e was examined but no p o i s o n was fo u n d . '

'Why d i d she d i e t h e n ? ' a s k e d H o l mes
'I think she d i e d because she was frightened of something.'

'What did she m e a n by a "speckled band"?'

' I don't k n o w . P e r h a p s s h e m e a n t t h e gyp s i e s . 2 A group of
gyp s i e s l iv e n e a r Stoke M oran and s o m e of t h e m wear scarves
with spots o n them o n t h e i r h e a d s . '
H o l m e s was s i l en t for a m o m e n t and then s a i d , ' I ' m n o t sure . . .
Please c o n t i n u e your story . '
' M y l ife i s very l o n e ly, M r H ol mes. A m o n t h a g o a dear fri e n d ,
P e t e r Arm itage, a s k e d m e to marry h i m . M y stepfather seemed
p l ea s e d about our m a rr i ag e . T h e n , two d ays ago h e s a i d , "You
must s l eep i n your s i ster's roo m . Your room needs some work . "
But l a s t n ight I w a s i n bed i n my s i ster's r o o m and I heard a l o w
w h i s t l e - I w a s so frighten e d ! I j u mped u p and lit the lamp but I
saw n o t h ing. I was too frighten e d to go t.o sleep aga i n . Early t h i s
m o r n i n g I d e c i d e d to c o m e to London and see you.'
'You did the right th i n g , but h ave you t o l d m e everything?'
'Ye s , I h ave . '
' M i s s S t o n e r , I d o n ' t t h i n k you h ave. You a n � protecti n g your
stepfather for some rea s o n . '

1. poison : a substance that hurts or ki l l s people and/or animals.

2. gypsies :

68
 'Why, what do you mean?'
I nstead of answering, Holmes p i cked u p H e le n ' s hand. T h e re
were the red m arks of fo u r fi ngers on h e r white s k i n .
'Yo u r stepfat h e r i s u n k i n d to y o u , ' s a i d H olmes.
Helen S t o n e r ' s face b e c a m e r e d and she c o v e r e d her h a n d .
S h e d i d not know w h at to say. T h e n s h e looked a t H o l me s a n d
s a i d , ' M y stepfather's a d iffic u l t m a n a n d h e doesn't know h ow
strol)g he i s . '
T h e re w a s a l o n g s i lence a n d H o lmes looke d a t the f i r e . T h e n
h e spoke.
'Th i s i s a very serious case. I need to know much more b efore
I can do any� h i ng. Can we come to Stoke M o ran today and see
these bedroo ms? O r is your stepfathe r t h e re?'
' H e ' s coming to London today so he'll b e away all d ay. You can
come at any t i m e . '
' Excellent! W i l l you c o m e w i t h m e , Watson?'
'Ye s , of c o u rse I w i l l . '
'What a r e y o u r p l a n s M is s Stoner?' a s k e d H o l m e s .
' I ' m g o i n g b a c k to Stoke M oran t h i s m o r n i n g a n d I ' l l m e e t y o u
there . T h a n k you for s e e i n g m e . I f e e l m u c h bette r n o w . I ' m s u re
you can h e l p m e . ' S h e got up a n d l eft t h e room.

69
 A C T I V I T I E S

Go back to the text

0 Comprehension
Are these sentences 'Right' (A) or 'Wrong' (B)? If there is not enough
information to answer 'Right' (A) or 'Wrong' (B) , choose 'Doesn't say'
(C). There is an example at the beginning (0).

0 H elen Stoner could not remember what happened on the day her
sister died.
A Right @ Wrong C Doesn't: say
1 Each bedroom on the ground floor had two big windows.
A Right B Wrong C Doesn't say
2 Julia couldn't sleep because she smelt Dr Roylott's I ndian cigar.
A Right B Wrong C Doesn't say
3 The police examined Julia and found some poison in her body.
A Right B Wrong C Doesn't say
4 Peter Armitage was a young doctor who wanted to marry Helen.
A Right B Wrong C Doesn't say
5 H elen was very frightened because she was sleeping i n her sister's
room when she heard a low whistle.
A Right B Wrong C Doesn't say

& writing
When H elen returned to Stoke Moran she wrote about her meeting
with Sherlock H olmes in her diary. Complete her diary with the past
/
simple tense of the verbs in brackets.

22 April 1883 - Today I final ly (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (meet) Sherlock Holmes

and his friend Dr Watson. Last n ight I (2) . . . . . �. . . . . .. . . . . . ... . (have) a te �rible
night and (3) .. . . . . . ............... (cannot) sleep. So I (4) ................ . ..... (get) up,
(5) ............. . ... . .... (leave) home early and (6) ...................... (catch) the
first train to London . Then I (7) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (take) a cab to Baker
Street. I (8) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... (arrive) at seven in the morning and
(9) .............. . ....... (wake) everyone up!
M r H olmes and Dr Watson (to) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (be) very kind to me and
(11) .. . ..... . .. . .. . .. .. ... (give) me a cup of hot coffee. They both
(12) ................. . .... (listen) carefully to everything I (13) . . . . . . ...... ......... .
(say). M r Holmes (14) : ·· ··················· (ask) me lots of questions. I
(15) . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .... (tell) him about my stepfather and about Julia's
mysterious and horrible death.

70
 A C T I V I T I E S

I am pleased that Mr Holmes and Dr Watson are coming to Stoke

Moran today. I feel safer already!

0 Vocabulary
Read the descriptions below and then write the correct word. The
first letter is already there. There is one space for each other letter in
the word.

1 You use it to l ight a fire. m

2 Julia Stoner slept in this. n _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

3 This woman's husband is dead. .

w
4 A person who steals. t _ _ _ _

5 A substance that can hurt or kill you. P-----

I

fJiiM 0 Listening
Helen Stoi:ier is at Waterloo Station in London. She wants to take a
train to Stoke Moran in Surrey. Listen to the information she hears at
the train station and compfete the sentences below.

TRAI N
To: Leatherhead , Su rrey
Day of jou rney : (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Date of journey: (2)
Train leaves at: (3)
Train leaves from platform : (4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Food on train: (5) .....................................................

T: GRADE �

e Topic - Jobs
Sherlock Holmes is a detective and Watson is a doctor. What job
interests you? Tell the class about it and use the questions below to
help you.

1 What kind of job do you want to do?

2 What do you like about this job?
3 What school subjects do you need to study to do this job?

71
 A C T I V I T I E S

Before you read

0 Label the words in the picture:

A ventilator B bell rope C metal chest D fireplace
E chest-of-drawers F rug G ceiling H floor

f) Now match four of the words from esercise 1 to these descriptions:

1 D You keep clothes here.
2 D You pull this to ring a bell and call a servant.
3 D You heat the room by making a fire here.
4 D You lock this and keep things safe.
5 D This bri ngs fresh air into the room.

72
CHAPTER THREE

D r R oylott and
S tok e Moran
h at d o y o u t h i n k o f t h i s c a s e , Wat s o n ? ' a s k e d f"E11
Sherlock H o l mes.
' I t s e e m s to be v e r y m y s t e r i o u s , ' I s a i d .

'Gypsi e s , w h i st l e s i n the n i gh t , and the s o u n d of

metal . . . Perhaps D r Royl ott d o e s n ' t want h i s s t e p d aughters to
marry beca G se he doesn't want to give them the money . '
' Perhaps you ' re right, Watso n , and t h at's w h y I w a n t to go to
sJ
Stoke M o ran to ay. But what's t h i s ! ' c r i e d H o l m e s as the d o o r
suddenly opened and a big man appeared. He w a s t a l l and had a n
angry face.
'Who i s H o l m es?' asked the man angrily.
'That i s my name, sir,' s a i d H o l m e s , 'and who are you? '

73
 The Speckled Band

' I am Dr G r i m esby Royl ott of Stoke M o ran . '

' Pl e as e s i t d o w n , ' s a i d H o l m e s c a l m ly.
'No, I will not. My stepdaughter was here. What pid she tell you?'
' I t's a bit c o l d fo r Apr i l . . .' s a i d H o l m e s .
'What d i d s h e t e l l y o u ? ' screamed the o l d man angrily.
' ... But I hear that the flowers are grow i n g , ' continu.ed H o l m e s ,
c a l m ly.
' H a ! I know you. You t h i n k you're a great detective - but you
o n ly m ake tro u b l e ! '
Holmes smiled and then laughed. 'Thank you for your visit.
When y o u go o u t , p l e a s e c l ose t h e d o o r because it's getting c o l d
i n t h i s room . '
' I know M iss Stoner was here . Leave m e alone. I ' m a dangerous
man. Stay away from m e ! ' he said, and he left the room quickly.
' F r i e n d l y m a n , ' s a i d H o l m es l au g h i n g . 'I o n l y h o p e h e w o n ' t
h urt M i s s S t o n e r . A n d n o w , Wat s o n , I ' m g o i n g to t h e R e c o r d s
Office 1 to g e t some h e l p w i t h t h i s c a s e . '
H o l m e s came back at t w o o ' c l ock. H e was h o l d i n g a p i ece o f
paper ful l of notes and n u mbers. f

' I saw the w i l l 2 of Dr Roylott's wife and stud i e d it carefu l ly. I f

the s i sters m a rry, t h e y rec e i ve m o s t of -the doctor' s money! He
cert a i n ly has a good reason to want to stop them m arrying! And
now, Wats o n , we m ust l eave for Stoke M oran i mm e d i ate ly. Bring
your gun and your toothbru s h . '
W e caught t h e train for Leatherhead 3 and t h e n took a carriage
to Stoke M oran. M i s s Stoner was waiting fo r u s .

1. Records Office : official documents are kept i n t h i s public office.

2. will : an offi cial document saying who you want to give your money to
'
after you d i e .
3. Leatherhead : a vil lage in Surrey near Stoke Moran.

74
 The Speckled Band

' I ' m very h appy to see y o u , ' she s a i d warmly. ' D r Royl ott went
to Lon d o n and won't be back u n t i l l ate t h i s eve n i ng.'
'We a l ready met the doctor t h i s morning,' s a i d Holmes. ' H e's a
very angry m a n . ' M i ss Stoner's face became white.
'Goodness! H e fo l l owed m e to your h o u s e ! '
'Ye s , b u t w e s a i d noth i n g of y o u r v i s i t , ' s a i d H o l m e 5 .
' I ' m afrai d of h i m . W h a t w i l l he s a y w h e n h e returns home?'
'To n i ght you m u st lock yourself i n y o u r room,' said H ol m es.
' N ow , p l ease take m e to see the bedrooms . '
H o l m e s l o o ke d at t h e outside of the o l d h o u s e a n d examined
the w i ndows carefu l ly . Then he looked at the t h ree bed room s .
' I s t h i s your ro o m , M i ss Stoner?'
'Ye s , it i s . '
' I t l o o ks f i n e . I d o n ' t t h i n k i t n e e d s a n y work.'
' N o , but for some reason my stepfather said " From now on,
you m u s t sleep i n your s i ster's room . " '
' H m m m , ' s a i d H o l m e s . 'The d o o r and w i ndow of y o u r rooms
are l oc ke d at n i ght, aren't they?'
'Always ! ' s a i d H e l e n Stoner.
We went i nto J u l i a' s small b e d ro o m and H ol m e s sat down in
the corner of the room and l o o ke d all arot m d .
'Who answers t h at b e l l? ' he asked, p o i n t i n g to a b e l l rope. The
rope h u n g down near the b e d .
' I t goes to the servant's roo m . '
' I t s e e m s newer t h a n the o t h e r t h i ngs here . '
' Y e s , it was put there t w o years ago.'
' D id your s i ster want it?'
' N o , because t h e re isn't u s u a l ly a servant in the house.'
'Then she d i d n ' t need a bell,' s a i d H o l m e s and p u l l e d the bell
rope.

76
 'Why, t h i s i sn't a real b e l l ! ' he exc l a i m e d . ' I t doesn't ring. I t ' s
fixed to the w a l l j u s t a bove the ventilator.'
' I never saw that befo re ! ' said M i ss Stoner.
'Th i s i s very strange , ' said H o l m e s .
' T h e b e l l r o p e a n d t h e ven t i l at o r w e re p u t i n at a b o u t t h e
s a m e t i m e , ' s a i d M i s s Stoner.
We w e n t t o t h e d oc t o r ' s room. T h e re w a s a r o u n d t a b l e , a
chair, and a big metal 'thest against the w a l l . H o l m e s looked at
everyt h i ng carefu l ly.
''yVhat's i n here?' he aske d , p o i n t i n g to the chest.
' My stepfathe r's papers.'
' I s there a. cat here?'
' N o , why?'
'There's a s m a l l bowl of m i l k on top of the chest,' said H o l m e s ,
w i t h a worri e d , angry face. ' N ow, l e t ' s return to the gard e n . '

77
 A C T I V I T I E S

Go back to the text

0 Comprehension
Are these sentences true (T) or false (F)?
T F
1 Dr Roylott suddenly appeared before Holmes an d Watson. D D
2 Dr Roylott spoke very quietly. D D
3 Dr Watson went to the Records Office. D D
4 Helen Stoner's mother left a will before she died. D D
5 When Helen marries Dr Roy Iott must give her some
land in Surrey. DD
6 I n J ul ia's bedroom there was a bell rope that did not work. DD
7 Dr Roy Iott kept an I ndian cat in the big metal chest. DD

f) Characters
Match the descriptions 1-12 with the characters A-G. Some names can
be used more than once.

1 D He lived in I ndia and then returned to London.

2 D She wore black clothes and was frightened.
3 D H e liked helping his friend with his detective work
4 D He only accepted strange and unusual cases.
5 D She wore a dirty jacket.
6 D She was a widow with two small chi ldren.
7 D He killed a man in I ndia and went to prison.
8 D He wanted to marry Helen Stoner.
9 D She couldn't sleep because she smelt an I ndian cigar.
10 D He usually got up late.
11 D She had four red marks on her hand.
12 D He argued with all of his n·e ighbours.

A Helen Stoner B Julia Stoner

C Dr Roylott D Sherlock Hol mes
E Dr Watson F Peter Armitage
-

G Helen Stoner's mother

78
 A C T I V I T I E S

e Vocabulary
Circle the adjectives in the box below that'describe Dr Roylott.

polite friendly kind huge dangerous short tall helpful

calm rude angry happy funny old young good-looking

1 Which adjectives in the above l ist are opposites? For the adjectives
that do not have an opposite in the list, write one yourself .
. Y.?.���!?.!9- ......................... . . .......... ........ .................................. ................... .

2 Look back at Chapters 1 -3 and find some adjectives that describe

Helen Stoner.

0 Complete the conversation below. What does Dr Watson say to Sherlock

Holmes? For questions 1-5, put the correct letter A-H in the space.

Holmes: Are you free this afternoon?

Watson: (0) . . �.....
Holmes: D o you want t o come t o Stoke Moran with me?
Watson: (1) . . . . . . .. . .

Holmes: What time is the next train?

Watson: (2) ......... .

Holmes: Where is your gun?

Watson: (3) . . . . . . . . . .

Holmes: Can you go and get it quickly?

Watson � (4) . . . . . . . . . .

Holmes: Good! I'll meet you at Waterloo Station. Don't be late!

Watson: (5) . . ........

A Don't worry, I won't be. 8 Very well.

c Of course I do. D I n my desk at home.
E Later. F At half past two.
G Yes, I am. H I'll try to be quick.

79
 A C T I V I T I E S

Before you read

0 Pictures
Look at the picture on pages 84-85.

1 Describe the scene you see in this picture.

2 Describe the expression on Dr Roylott's face.
3 What does he have around his head?

- e Listen to the first part of Chapter Four. For questions 1 -5, tick (.1) A, B
or e.

1 What does Sherlock Holmes want to do?

A D He wants to save Helen's life.
B D He wants to talk to Dr Roylott.
C D He wants to have dinner at the Crown I n n .

2 What can H olmes and Watson see from the Crown I nn?
A D The vil lage.
B D The house at Stoke Moran.
C D The sea.

3 When must Helen Stoner put a lamp in the window?

A D When Dr Roylott gees to bed .
./
B D When she goes to bed.
C D When she hears a low whistle.

4 What is fixed to the floor?

A D The chair.
B D The bed.
c D The metal chest.

5 At what time did Holmes and Watson see the light in the wi ndow?
A D At nine o'clock.
B D At midnight.
C D At eleven o'clock.

80
CHAPTER FOUR

A dangerous night
n the garden Sherlock H o l mes spoke very flm
s e r i o u s ly to M is s Stoner. 'You m u st l i st e n to my
i n struct i o n s carefu l ly. I want to save your l i fe . '
' I ' l l d o everyt h i n g y o u say!'
' F i rst, Watson and I must stay i n your s i ster's room t o n i g ht . '
M i ss Stoner and I were both s u rp r i s e d .
' N ow let m e e x p l a i n . Watson and I w i l l be a t the Crown I n n i n
t h e v i l lage -- we c a n see y o u r w i n dow from there, c a n ' t we?'
'Yes, you can . '
'Very w e l l , ' s a i d H o l m e s . ' Th i s eve n i ng y o u m u st go t o y o u r
s i ster's room e a r l y and n o t see your stepfather. When you h e a r
h i m go to b e d , o p e n t h e w i n d o w a n d p u t a l a m p t h e r e . W h e n
Watson and I see the lamp i n the w i n d o w w e ' l l c o m e . Then y o u
must leave your s i ster's r o o m and go to your own roo m . '
'What w i l l you d o ? ' she a s k e d .

81
 The Speckled Band

' We ' l l go to your s i ster's room and see what happe n s . '
' D o y o u k n o w how m y s i ster d i ed?' s h e asked.
' Perhaps, but I'm not s u r e . '
' O h , M r H o l m e s , p lease t e l l m e , d i d she d i e of terror?'
' N o , I d o n ' t t h i n k s o . N o w we m u s t g o . Be b r ave 1 a n d do
everyt h i n g I t o l d you. You' l l soon be s afe . '
S h e rl o c k H o l mes and I got our room at t h e Crown I n n . From
there we c o u l d see the house at Stoke M o ran clearly.
'I t h i n k there w i l l be d anger tonight, Wat s o n . '
' D ange r? W h a t d i d you see i n those r o o m s that I d idn't see?'
' I knew there was a venti l ator, because H e l e n Stoner said her
s i ster could s m e l l the s m o ke of D r Roylott's cigar.'
' I s t hat i mportant?'
' I t's strange . j ust t h i n k , a venti lator i s made, a bell rope i s put
there and the lady in the bed d ie s . '
' I d o n ' t u nderstan d . '
' D i d y o u s e e t h a t t h e b e d w a s f i x e d to t h e f l ob r? T h e l ady
could not move her bed. I t had to stay there, near the bell rope,
under the venti l ator.'
' H o l m e s ! ' I cried, ' I ' m beginning to un dersta n d . We must stop
another m u r d e r ! '
' Y e s . T h i s w i l l be a terri ble n i gh t . '
We w a i t e d a t the Crown I n n . S u d d e n l y , a t e l even o ' c l o c k , w e
saw a l a m p i n one of the wi ndows. We left the i n n q u ickly and -
w e n t i n t o t h e g a r d e n at S t o k e M o r a n . We c l i m b e d i n t o t h e
b e d ro o m t h rough the w i n dow. H o l m e s looked around t h e room
and w h i spered, 'We mustn't m ake any n o i s e and we must sit in

1. :
brave adjective to describe a person who i s not frightened.

82
the dark. The doctor can see the l ight through the vent i l ator.'
'Very well,' I w h i spere d .
' D o n ' t s l e e p , Wat s o n , y o u r l i fe i s i n d a n g e r . K e e p y o u r g u n
ready. I ' l l s i t on t h e bed and y o u sit on t h e c h a i r . '
I p u t my gun on the c o r n e r of the t a b l e . H o l m e s h a d a l o n g ,
t h i n stick and a b o x of matc h e s . We were alone i n the s i l ence and
darknes s .
How can I e v e r forg€t those t e r r i b l e hou rs? H o l me s and I s a t
and w a i t e d . W e c o u l d h e a r t h e c h u rch b e l l every h o u r . Twelve
o'cl9ck, one, two and t h ree - and noth i n g h appen e d .
Suddenly w e s a w a l ight through the ventil ator. There w a s a
q u iet sound :--- someth ing was moving! H o l mes j u m p e d up from
the bed, lit a match and hit the b e l l rope with h i s s t i c k.
' D o you see it, Watson?' he c r i e d . ' Do you see it?'
But I saw not h i ng. I could hear a low clear w h i s t l e , and I saw
that H ol m e s ' s face was white with terror.
Then Holmes stopped hitting the b e l l rope and looked at the
ventilator. S u d d e n ly we heard a l o u d , horrible cry. I t was a cry of
terror, p a i n and anger. Then it stopped and there was s i l e n c e .
'What does it m e a n ? ' I w h i spered.
' It means that it's all over,' H o l mes answere d . 'Take your gun
and let's go to D r Roylott's room . '
We w e nt t o t h e doctor's room a n d I h a d my g u n ready i n my
h a n d . There was a l a m p on the t a b l e a n d the m e t a l c h e st w a s
o p e n . D r Roylott was sitting on a c h a i r: h i s e y e s w e r e o p e n . H e
w a s n o t m oving. Aro u n d h i s h e a d there w a s a y e l l ow b a n d w i t h
brown spots.
'The band! The speckled b a n d ! ' w h i spered H o l m es .

83
 The Speckled Band

I stepped forward a n d t h e s p e c k l e d b a n d m oved - it was a

snake.
'This s n a k e , ' c r i e d H o l m e s , 'is t h e m o s t d a n_gerous s n a ke i n
I n d i a ! T h e doctor i s d e a d : h e d i e d t e n seconds after the snake b i t
him.'
W i t h h i s s t i c k H o l m e s t h re w t h e s n a ke i n t o t h e c h e s t a n d
closed i t .
M i ss Stoner heard t h e terri b l e c ry a n d c a m e to the doctor's
room . She was terrifi e d . H o l m e s tried to calm her a n d told her
h is story.
'I knew t h at the d a n g e r w a s i n t h e v e n t i l ator a n d t h e b e l l
rope. N ot h i n g c o u l d enter t h rough t h e locked d o o r or window.'
' D i d y o u know about the s n a ke?' asked M i s s Stoner.
'I knew the doctor kept a n i m a l s from I n d i a . T h at snake has a
p o i s o n t h at c a n ' t be d i scovere d by t h e p o l i c e . H e l earnt about
'
t h i s i n I n d i a . I t was the perfect w a y t o kill someone.
' I t was easy t o p u t the s n a k e t h r o u g h the v e n t i l at o r . The
s n a ke t h e n c l i m b e d d o w n t h e bell rope a n d went onto the bed.
W h e n your s i st e r m o v e d , the s n a ke bit h e r . W h e n the s ii a ke
heard t h e w h istle it returned to t h e d octor. T h e doctor gave the
s n a ke a bowl of m i l k and put it i n t h e metal chest. He then lotked
the metal c h e st - that was the s o u n d of metal you heard, M iss
Stoner.'
'I w i l l never fo rget t h at m etal sound o r the low w h i stle,' she
said nervously.
' I knew the s n a ke w a s c o m i n g t h ro ug h t h e ventilator because

heard a h issing 1 s o u n d . I h i t t h e s n a ke w i t h my s t i c k and it

1. hissing : the sound a snake makes.

86