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The adventures of Sherlock Holmes 1. In simple English by D.Education

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

sir Arthur Conan Doyle The adventures of Sherlock Holmes 1

Introduction  

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Conan Doyle, born in 1859, was a doctor of medicine. He had a very keen mind, rather like that of his most famous character, Sherlock Holmes. Doyle’s first story about Holmes, A Study in Scarlet, appeared in a magazine in 1887.

After 1890, Conan Doyle stopped practising medicine and became a full-time writer. More and more Sherlock Holmes stories appeared in magazines and were collected in books like The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1894).

Sherlock Holmes was also the subject of four full-length novels. The best-known of these is probably The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902), which has been made into films and television stories several times. Perhaps the character, Sherlock Holmes, developed over the years, but from the beginning the detective had unusual powers of reasoning and deduction.

There are examples in this book. In The Speckled Band Holmes deduces that danger will come through a ventilator and down a bell rope. In The Five Orange Pips he deduces that the murderers are on a sailing ship, and he finds the actual ship by reasoning from sailing dates. In The Crown of Diamonds, Holmes’s powers of deduction lead him to the man who has the missing diamonds, and to an under­standing of the behaviour of the innocent son. Holmes’s friend, Doctor Watson, is not a fool (though some films have made him seem foolish), but he is an ordinary man without Holmes’s special powers of mind.

He is a brave man, and is often able to help the detective in moments of danger. We find ourselves seeing the action through Watson’s eyes, and indeed in very many of Holmes’s cases – two in this book- Watson tells the story, and so we receive the explanations that Watson himself needs. In a number of his cases – but not in the three stories in this book – Holmes’s great enemy was the master criminal Moriarty.

When Conan Doyle decided that he had written enough Sherlock Holmes stories, he wrote one in which, in finally defeating the evil Moriarty, the great detective lost his own life. There was a public outcry. Doyle’s readers were quite angry, and he had to write a story in which Holmes appeared again. He hadn’t died after all! When Conan Doyle tried to kill Sherlock Holmes, it was because he wanted to spend his time on his more “serious” writing. This included some historical novels, for example,

The White Company (1890), Rodney Stone (1896), and Sir Nigel (1906). But it is for Sherlock Holmes that Conan Doyle is remembered, and not for his historical novels or his works arising from his belief in spiritualism (messages to living people from dead people). Modern detective stories usually deal with murder. Although there are murders in two of the stories in this book, Sherlock Holmes’s cases do not necessarily include murder. In some cases there is not even a crime, because Sherlock Holmes has prevented the crime. Many modern writers seem to consider that the most important thing about a detective story is a detective. Conan Doyle knew that much greater importance must be given to the story, and that the reader must feel that he or she is present as the story unfolds.  

The three stories The Speckled Band, The Five Orange Pips and The Crown of Diamonds were all written at about the same time, between 1890 and 1905. We can learn from them about the way of life in England at that time. People travelled by steamships and steam trains, and steamships are important in the story of The Five Orange Pips. There was a good service of steam trains to such places as Horsham and Streatham, mentioned in these stories.

The underground railways of London began with steam trains in 1863; the electric trains of the “Two penny tube” (two pence to any station) ran in tunnels from 1900, but one doesn’t read much about them in Conan Doyle’s stories. The telephone was invented in 1876, but tele­phones were not common; Holmes uses the very good postal and telegraph services. The bell rope in The Speckled Band ought to have worked a set of wires passing over pulley wheels to ring a bell in the kitchen mechani­cally, but it was false. The lamps in that story are oil lamps.    

 

1. The Speckled Band   Chapter 1

The problem of the speckled band was one of the first in which I, Dr Watson, was able to help my friend Sherlock Holmes. It was a long time ago, when Holmes and I were sharing rooms in Baker Street. At the time, I promised to keep everything a secret. But the lady is now dead, and perhaps it is right for people to know the truth.

It was early in April of 1883 that I was suddenly awakened to find Sherlock Holmes standing by my bed. I looked at him in surprise. It was only seven o’clock. “Very sorry to wake you, Watson,” he said. “What is it, then? A fire?” “No. A young lady has arrived. She seems very unhappy, and wants to see me. Now, if young ladies wander about London at this early hour, I imagine that they want to talk about something very important. I thought that you might like to help me in this case, so you should come now to hear what she has to say. “My dear fellow, I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

My greatest pleasure was to help Holmes in his detec­tive work, and during the last eight years I have watched him in more than seventy cases. Working, as he always did, for the love of his art, and not for wealth, he only accepted cases that interested him. I dressed quickly, and was ready in a few minutes, and followed Holmes down to the sitting room.    

Chapter 2 

 A lady dressed in black, wearing a thick veil, was the window. She stood up as we came into the room. “Good morning, madam,” said Holmes. “My name is Sherlock Holmes. This is my friend Dr Watson. You may say anything you wish to us, and know that we shall keep all we hear quite secret. I see that you are shaking. Please sit close to the fire and I shall order you a cup of coffee.” “It isn’t the cold that makes me shake,” said the woman quietly. “It’s fear, Mr Holmes. It’s terror!” She raised her veil then, and we saw that it was quite true.

Her face was pale, her eyes were frightened, like those of some animal. She looked about thirty years old, but her hair was already nearly white. “You mustn’t be afraid,” said Holmes gently. He leaned forward to pat her arm. “We shall soon put matters right, I have no doubt.” “Sir, I shall go mad unless I can get help. I have heard of you; you helped a friend of mine when she badly needed it. Oh sir, do you think that you could help me too, and at least throw a little light through the darkness which is all round me? I can’t pay you very much just now, but in a month or two I shall be married, and shall have my own money, if you will wait until then.”   “I shall be happy to do my best for you, madam. As for paying, you may do that when it pleases you.

Now you must tell me what is troubling you so much.’ “Oh dear!” our visitor replied. “It’s difficult to tell you anything that will be of any help to you. All the facts I have collected are so small and so unimportant, you might think it is all the imagination of a frightened woman.” “Tell me all you know, madam, and tell me about your family.”    

 

Chapter 3 

“My name is Helen Stoner. I live with my stepfather, who is the last of a very famous family in England: the Roylotts of Stoke Moran in Surrey.” Holmes said, “Yes. I have heard the name.” “The family was once the richest in England with very large amounts of land extending into Berkshire in the north and Hampshire in the west. “In the last hundred years the eldest sons have wasted the fortunes of the family until now nothing is left but a small piece of land and the old house, two hundred years old. A great deal of money was owed.

The present eldest son, knowing that he had to make a living, became a doctor, and went to India. He was successful there until a great misfortune came to him. A thief broke into his house and stole many things, and in a fit of anger he blamed his servant and beat him so hard that the poor man died. “Dr Roylott was sent to prison for many years for this terrible act, and after this he returned to England, a very disappointed and angry man. “When Dr Roylott was in India, he married my mother, whose husband, my father, had died. My sister and I were twins and we were only two years old when my mother married again. She died eight years ago. She left Dr Roylott, our stepfather, all her money, but she ordered that when we got married he should provide us each with a certain amount of money every year. “The money she left was enough for all our needs; there was every reason for us to live happily.

“But a terrible change came over our stepfather. He would not make friends with our neighbours. At first they had been glad to see the house at Stoke Moran once more occupied. But he shut himself in the house, and when he did appear, quarrelled with everyone he saw. He became the terror of the village and people kept out of his way. They were afraid of his anger, because he was a strong man, and they knew what he had done to his servant in India. He also keeps snakes and other animals which he brought from India with him. He allows these creatures to go anywhere in the house and garden, frightening every­body.”  

 

Chapter 4

 Helen Stoner went on with her story. “You can imagine from all I say that my poor sister Julia and I did not have much pleasure in our lives. “No servant ever stayed for long, and we did all the work in the house. She was only thirty years old when she died, and yet her hair was turning white, just as mine has done.” Holmes said, “Your sister is dead?” “She died two years ago. That is why I have come to you. “We were staying with a relation in London at Christ­mas time two years ago.

There my sister met a man who asked her to marry him. “When we returned to Stoke Moran, our stepfather seemed quite glad about the marriage. But two weeks before the wedding day a terrible thing happened.” Holmes was leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed, but at these words, he opened his eyes. “Please tell me everything that happened that day.” “I can do that easily because every event of that terrible day is for ever in my memory. “First I must explain to you the plan of the house.

All our bedrooms are on the ground floor. First is Dr Roylott’s, the second was my sister’s and the third is mine. They all open out into the same passage. “The windows of these three rooms open out on the garden. The night of my sister’s death, Dr Roylott had gone to his room early. Later we went to our bedrooms, but my sister came into my room. “‘I can’t sleep,’ she said.’ He’s smoking, and the smell of those cigarettes is coming through to my room.’ “So we sat and talked until about eleven o’clock. “When she got up to go, Julia paused at the door of my room. ‘Tell me, Helen,’ she said, ‘have you ever heard anyone whistling late at night?’ “‘Never,’ I said. ‘I suppose it is not you whistling in your sleep?’ “‘No, certainly not, but why?’ “‘Well, for the last few nights at about three in the morning I have heard a low, clear whistle. It always wakes me. I can’t tell where it comes from, perhaps from the next room, perhaps from the garden. But I am surprised you don’t hear it.’ “‘I think I sleep more heavily than you do.’ “‘Well, it doesn’t matter,’ she said, and she smiled at me and left the room, and a few minutes later I heard her lock her door.” “Indeed,” said Holmes.” Was it your custom always to lock yourselves in at night?” “Always” “And why?” “I think I told you that the doctor kept wild animals and a monkey that ran about at night. We did not feel safe unless our doors were locked.” “I understand. Please go on.”  

 

Chapter 5

Helen went on with her story. “I couldn’t sleep that night. There was a storm. The wind was howling outside and the rain was beating against the windows. “Suddenly I heard the wild scream of a terrified woman. I knew it was my sister’s voice. I sprang from my bed and rushed into the passage. As I opened my door, I seemed to hear a low whistle, such as my sister described, and a second later a noise of metal falling. “As I ran down the passage my sister’s door was unlocked and I saw her appear, her face pale with terror, her hands stretched out for help. Her whole body was moving to and fro as if she was drunk. “I ran to her and threw my arms round her, but her knees gave way and she fell to the ground. She seemed in terrible pain. “‘Oh, my God! Helen,’ she whispered. ‘It was the band! The speckled band!’ She pointed in the direction of the doctor’s room, but could say no more.

“By this time the doctor was coming out of his room. Both of us tried hard to save her life, but it was too late, and she died almost at once.” “One moment,” said Holmes. “Are you sure about this whistle, and the noise of the metal falling? Are you quite certain about it?” “I thought I heard it. The noise of the storm might have made me imagine it.” “Was your sister dressed?” “No. She was in her nightclothes. In her right hand there was a burnt match and she had a match box in her left hand.” “Showing that she had struck a light and looked about her when first alarmed. That is important,” said Holmes.  

Helen Stoner hears her sister’s screams   “The case was looked into with great care by the police. (Dr Roylott was not liked by most people because of his past.) But no one found any cause of the death. No one could have got into her room, so it is certain that my sister was quite alone when she met her death.” “There was no poison?” “She was examined, but nothing was found.” “What do you think this unfortunate lady died of, then?” Holmes asked. “I believe that she died of fear and great terror, though I cannot imagine what frightened her.” “Ah! And what did you think she meant by a band – a speckled band?” “Perhaps some band of people, perhaps she was talking about gypsies – many of them wear handkerchiefs with spots on them, over their heads.”

Holmes shook his head and looked very doubtful. “I don’t know. I don’t know. It is all very puzzling. But please go on with your story.” “Two years have passed since then. I am very much alone. However, last month, a dear friend whom I have known for many years asked me to marry him. His name is Percy Armitage. My stepfather has agreed to our marriage. “Two days ago, my stepfather asked me to move into my sister’s bedroom while some repairs are done to my room. So I had to sleep in her bed. “Imagine, then, my terror when last night, as I lay awake, I suddenly heard the low whistle which she heard on the night she died. I sprang up and lit the lamp, but I could see nothing. I was too frightened to go to sleep again, so as soon as daylight came, I ran to the Crown Inn, which is quite near, and got a carriage to take me to the railway station, and so to you to ask your advice.”  

 

Chapter 6  

“You have done wisely,” said Holmes, “but have you told me everything?” “Yes, everything.” “Miss Stoner, you have not. You are protecting your stepfather for some reason.” “Why, what do you mean?” Instead of answering, Holmes picked up Helen Stoner’s hand. On her arm, the marks of four fingers were red on the white skin. “He’s unkind to you,” said Holmes. The lady looked very unhappy. She covered her arm with her coat. “He’s a hard man,” she said. “He doesn’t know how strong he is.” There was a long silence, and Holmes stared into the fire. He spoke at last. “This is a very deep business. There is so much more I want to know before I can act. Yet we mustn’t waste any time. Is it possible for us to come to Stoke Moran today, and see these bedrooms, without the doctor knowing we are there?” “Yes it is, because he is coming to London today. He will be away all day. Nothing will disturb you.” “Excellent. You will come with me, Watson?” “I shall be very pleased to come. “And Miss Stoner – what are your plans?” “I shall return to Stoke Moran this morning, and I shall meet you when you arrive. So now I will go. My heart is lighter already since I have talked to you. I shall look forward to seeing you this afternoon.” She dropped her thick black veil over her face again and left the room.    

 

Chapter 7

“And what do you think of it all, Watson?” asked Sherlock Holmes. “It seems to me to be a very bad sort of case,” I said. “We have the fact that, when the girls marry, Dr Roylott has to give them money. Perhaps that is enough to make a man do murder?” “Perhaps. And that is why I want to go to Stoke Moran today. But what on earth !” Holmes cried suddenly, as the door was thrown open, and a huge man appeared in the room. “Which of you is Holmes?” said this man. “That is my name, sir,” said Holmes, “and will you be so kind as to tell me who you are. “I am Dr Hoylott of Stoke Moran.” “Indeed,” said Holmes quietly. “Please sit down.” “No, I will not. My daughter has been here – what has she been telling you?” “I find the weather a little cold today,” said Holmes. “What has she been saying to you?” shouted the doctor. “But the flowers are starting to grow,” continued Holmes. “Ha! I know you, you trouble maker! I have heard of you before now. You are Holmes, the man who pretends to be a policeman, who goes about making trouble for people.” Holmes laughed quietly. But all he said was, “When you go out, will you close the door, it’s getting cold in here.” “You had better leave me alone. I am a dangerous man. I know that Miss Stoner has been here.” And he left the room quickly. “I do hope he won’t attack Miss Stoner,” I said. “There is certainly no time to waste,” said Holmes. “But before we go to Stoke Moran, I think I must try to find out more about this man. I’ll go to the records office and try to get some help in this matter.”  

 

Chapter 8

It was nearly one o’clock when Sherlock Holmes returned. He held in his hand a piece of paper full of notes and figures. “I have seen the will of the doctor’s wife who died eight years ago. Certainly if the daughters marry, they can ask for nearly all the money that the doctor has. It is easy to see that he would be left with very little to live on.” “So,” I said, “your morning’s work has not been wasted. You have proved that the doctor has every reason to stop the young ladies from ever marrying.” “Yes,” said Holmes. “And now the old man knows we are interested in him, so I think we should go at once to Stoke Moran. I would like you to have your pistol with you, Watson   and a toothbrush, because we may stay the night.” Miss Stoner was waiting for us when we arrived. “Good afternoon, madam. You see we are here as we promised to be.” “I have been waiting so eagerly for you,” she said, shaking hands with us warmly. “And isn’t it splendid, Dr Roylott has gone to London and won’t be back until late this evening. “We have already met the doctor,” said Holmes. “I am afraid he followed you to my house. He was very rude and very angry when I would not tell him why you had come to see me. Miss Stoner turned very white as she listened. “I never know when I am safe from him. What will he say when he returns home?” “You must lock yourself away from him tonight But first, please take me to see the bedrooms.  

 

Chapter 9

Holmes looked at the three bedrooms. “This one is yours, Miss Stoner? But I do not see that is necessary for any repairs to be done.” “I think it is just to get me out of my room, and into my sister’s room.” “It sounds very possible,” said Holmes. He looked carefully at the doors. “As you both locked your rooms at night, no one could get in from the passage.” Next we locked the windows, and Holmes went outside into the garden and tried to force his way in, but without success. “Ha!” he said. “No one could get through these windows if they were shut. I think we must look inside the house for the guilty one.” We went back into the bedroom where Miss Stoner’s poor sister, Julia, had died. A table, two chairs, and a bed filled most of the small room. Holmes put one of the chairs in a corner of the room and sat down. His eyes travelled round and round, and up and down, seeing every part of the room. “When that bell rings, who answers it?” he asked. He pointed to a thick bell rope which hung down beside the bed. The end of it was lying on the bed. “It goes to the servant’s room.” “It looks newer than the other things?” “Yes, it was only put there two years ago. “Your sister asked for it, I suppose?” “No, I am sure she never used it. We get what we want for ourselves. There isn’t often a servant in the house.” “Then it doesn’t seem necessary to have a bell.” Holmes walked over to the bed, and spent some time staring at it. Then he took the bell rope in his hand and pulled it. “Why, it isn’t a real bell!” he said. “Won’t it ring?” “No, it isn’t even joined to anything. This is very interesting you can see it is held to the wall by a nail, just above where the little opening of the ventilator is.” “But how silly! I’ve never noticed that before.” “Very strange!” said Holmes quietly. “Also, what a strange thing to put a ventilator that goes into another room, and not to the fresh air outside!” “That is also quite new.” “Done about the same time as the bell rope?” “Yes, there were several little changes made about that time.” We moved on and went into Dr Roylott’s room. It was plainly furnished, but larger than the other rooms. There was a round table and a comfortable chair, and a large iron chest against a wall. Holmes walked slowly around and around, and examined everything with great interest. “What’s in here?” he asked, touching the chest. “My stepfather’s papers.” “Oh! You have seen inside, then?” “Only once. Some years ago. I remember it was full of papers. “There isn’t a cat in it, for example?” “No. What a strange idea!” “Well, look at this!” He pointed to a small bowl of milk which was on top of it. “There are plenty of animals about, but they are too big to use such a small bowl.” “You said there is a snake in the house… I think I have seen enough now, Miss Stoner. With your permission, we’ll walk in the garden again.”  

 

Chapter 10 

We left the doctor’s room. I have seldom seen my friend Holmes’s face so serious or his eyes so angry. We walked for several moments before he spoke to Miss Stoner. “It is very necessary that you should follow my advice exactly. The matter is so serious that your life may depend on your obeying me completely.” “I will do everything you say. “Now.   Firstly, both my friend Watson and I must spend the night in your room.” Miss Stoner and I looked at him astonished. “Yes, we must. Let me explain. I believe there is a village inn quite close?” “Yes, there’s the Crown.” “Good. And your windows can be seen from the Crown?” “Certainly.” “You must go to your room early and not see your stepfather. When you hear him go to bed, you must open your window, and put a lighted lamp at it, as a sign to us. Then you must leave the room, and go to your own room which you used to occupy.” “But what will you do?” “We shall spend the night in your sister’s room, and we shall listen and hope to hear the noise which frightened you so much.” “I believe that you have guessed the answer already.” “Perhaps I have.” “Then, please, please tell me how my sister died.” “I must be sure before I tell you anything.” “Will you tell me, then, if you think she died of fright?” “No, T don’t think so. And now, Miss Stoner, we must go. If Dr Boylott returned here and saw us, it would spoil our plans. Goodbye, and be brave. If you do what I have told you, you may be certain that we shall soon drive away the danger, and that you will be safe for ever. Sherlock Holmes and I got a room at the Crown Inn. It was upstairs on the first floor, and we could see the Stoke Moran house quite easily. “Do you know, Watson, I am afraid there will be some danger.” “You speak of danger,” I said. “You have seen more in those rooms than I was able to do.” “Well, I knew we should find a ventilator before we even came to the house.” “My dear Holmes!” “Oh, yes, I did. Do you remember Helen Stoner saying that her sister could smell the smoke of Dr Roylott’s cigarettes?” “But is that important?” “Don’t you think it’s curious?” Holmes asked me. “Think of the dates. A ventilator is made, a bell rope is hung, and a lady who sleeps in the bed dies.” “I still cannot see clearly.” “Did you notice the bed was nailed to the floor? The lady could not move her bed. It must stay there, near the bell rope, and under the ventilator.” “Holmes,” I cried, “I am beginning to understand! We are only just in time to stop another murder.” “Yes, and we have a terrible night to face first.”  

 

Chapter 11

All was dark at the house we were watching. The hours passed slowly away, and then suddenly, just as the church clock was striking eleven o’clock, a single bright light shone out right in front of us. “That is our sign,” said Holmes, springing to his feet. “It comes from the right window.” We reached the garden and walked quietly through it, and climbed into the bedroom through the window. When we were inside, we shut the window and moved the lamp on to the table. Holmes looked around the room. It looked just the same as before. He whispered to me, “We must make no noise.” I showed him that I had heard. “We must sit without a light. He would see it through the ventilator.” I showed my agreement again. “Don’t go to sleep; your life is in danger. Have your pistol ready. I will sit on the bed and you on the chair.” I took out my pistol and put it on the corner of the table. Holmes had brought a long thin stick, and he placed it on the bed beside him with a box of matches. Then he put out the light and we were left in darkness.  

 

Chapter 12

How shall I ever forget those terrible hours? I could not hear breathing and yet I knew Holmes sat near, with open eyes, listening and watching, as anxious as I was. It was quite black – not the faintest light shone. From outside we heard the occasional cry of a night bird, and far away the church clock striking every quarter of an hour. How long they seemed, those quarters! Twelve o’clock – one – two and three, and still we sat waiting silently for whatever might happen. Suddenly there was a light showing through the venti­lator. There was a gentle sound of movement, and then a very small sound, like steam escaping from a pot. As soon as he heard it, Holmes sprang from the bed, struck a match, and beat wildly with his stick. “You see it, Watson?” he called. “You see it?” I saw nothing. I heard a low clear whistle. But I could see that Holmes’s face was deadly pale and filled with terror and hate. I reached for the lamp and lit it. Holmes stopped still and looked at the ventilator. Suddenly there was the most terrible cry I have ever heard. It grew louder and louder, pain and fear and anger was in it. It struck cold in our hearts to hear it. At last it died away and there was silence. “What can it mean?” I whispered. “It means that it is all over,” Holmes answered. “And perhaps, after all, it is the best thing that could happen. Take your pistol. We must go into Dr Roylott’s room.”

We took the lamp and entered the doctor’s room. I had my pistol ready to fire. There was a lighted lamp on the table. The iron chest was open. The doctor sat on a chair. His head was up and his eyes were fixed in a terrible stare. Round his head there was a yellow band with brown spots. He did not move as we came in the room. “The band! The speckled band!” whispered Holmes. I took a step forward. At once the band moved, and I saw it was a snake. Holmes cried, “The most dangerous snake in India! The swamp adder! In ten seconds after being bitten, he must have died.” As the snake moved towards us I shot it through the head. I was shaking at the sight of it. The sound of the shot seemed to wake us from a terrible dream.

Holmes beats wildly with his stick at the speckled band  

Chapter 13

The terrified girl heard the noise of the shot and called to us for help. Holmes calmed her, telling her it was all over, and that there was no more danger for her. He told her his story. “I knew that the danger was in the ventilator and the bell rope – something was to come through the ventilator and the rope was there to guide that something down to the bed.” “The snake! You knew about the snake?” “Yes. This kind of poisonous snake has a bite which would not be discovered. This clever and cruel man made use of his Indian knowledge to kill. The snake had learned to obey the whistle you heard, and returned to its master and was given the bowl of milk. “It was easy to put it through the ventilator, at a chosen time. He was sure it would climb down the rope and land on the bed, and it would bite the person there as soon as he or she moved. “He kept the snake in the iron chest. The noise of metal falling that you heard was the chest being shut. “I heard the sound Ssssss as the snake came through the ventilator and knew that I was right. “I attacked it with my stick and drove it back through the ventilator. Beating it made it angry, so it went straight back and bit the doctor. “So I suppose I killed the doctor, but I can’t say that I have any feeling of sorrow in my heart!” said Holmes. Such are the true facts of the death of Dr Roylott and the end of my story.  

THE END  

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