The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Part 32 (1/2)
”'Because during the last few nights I have always, about three in the ht sleeper, and it has awakened me I cannot tell where it came froht that I would just ask you whether you had heard it'
”'No, I have not It ipsies in the plantation'
”'Very likely And yet if it were on the lawn, I wonder that you did not hear it also'
”'Ah, but I sleep reat 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 Holht?”
”Always”
”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 state of i misfortune impressed me My sister and I, you will recollect, were twins, and you kno subtle are the links which bind two souls which are so closely allied It was a wild night The as howling outside, and the rain was beating and splashi+ng against the s Suddenly, aale, there burst forth the wild scream of a terrified wo from my bed, wrapped a shawl round me, and rushed into the corridor As I opened my door I seemed to hear a lohistle, such assound, as if a e, my sister's door was unlocked, and revolved slowly upon its hinges I stared at it horror-stricken, not knoas about to issue froht of the corridor-la, 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 and threw ive way and she fell to the ground
She writhed as one who is in terrible pain, and her liht that she had not recognised me, but as I bent over her she suddenly shrieked out in a voice which I shall never forget, 'Oh, my God! Helen! It was the band! The speckled band!' There was so else which she would fain have said, and she stabbed with her finger into the air in the direction of the doctor's room, but a fresh convulsion seized her and choked her words I rushed out, calling loudly forfroown When he reached h he poured brandy down her throat and sent for e, 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 hat the county coroner askediale 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 stu that she had struck a light and looked about her when the alarm took place That is important And what conclusions did the coroner coreat care, for Dr 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 had been fastened upon the inner side, and the ere blocked by old-fashi+oned 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 sae staples It is certain, therefore, that my sister was quite alone when she met her end
Besides, there were no marks of any violence upon her”
”How about poison?”
”The doctors examined her for it, but without success”
”What do you think that this unfortunate lady died of, then?”
”It is h what it was that frightened her I cannot iipsies in the plantation at the time?”
”Yes, there are nearly always soather from this allusion to a band--a speckled band?”
”Soht that it was merely the wild talk of delirium, sometimes that it may have referred to soipsies in the plantation I do not knohether the spotted handkerchiefs which so ested the strange adjective which she used”
Hol satisfied