The Adventure of the Speckled Band by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
"The Adventure of the Speckled Band" is a Sherlock Holmes story written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, featuring the famous detective and his companion, Dr. Watson. The narrative centers around Helen Stoner, a young woman who seeks Holmes's help after fearing for her life due to threats from her stepfather, Sir Grimesby Roylott. Helen's sister died under mysterious circumstances, uttering the cryptic phrase "the speckled band" before her death. This unsettling history coincides with Helen's own engagement and the strange occurrences at Stoke Moran, the estate she shares with her stepfather.
Roylott, a doctor with a questionable background, has been making odd alterations to the house and exhibits unusual behavior, including associations with local Gypsies and the keeping of exotic animals. As Holmes investigates, he uncovers a series of clues, including a ventilator connecting Helen's room to Roylott's. The dramatic climax reveals that the "speckled band" refers to a deadly snake, which Roylott had used in his sinister plot against Helen. The story combines elements of mystery, danger, and the classic battle of wits between Holmes and an intelligent adversary, making it a quintessential piece of detective fiction.
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The Adventure of the Speckled Band by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
First published: 1892
Type of plot: Mystery and detective
Time of work: 1883
Locale: London and Surrey, England
Principal Characters:
Sherlock Holmes , the world-famous English detectiveDr. Watson , his companion and confidant, the narrator of the storyHelen Stoner , a young English lady who fears for her lifeSir Grimesby Roylott , Helen's stepfather and the master of Stoke Moran
The Story
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson rise unusually early one morning to meet Helen Stoner, a young woman who fears that her life is being threatened by her stepfather, Sir Grimesby Roylott, a doctor who practiced in India and who was married to Helen's mother there. Helen's sister has died almost two years earlier, shortly before she was to be married. Helen had heard her sister's dying words, "The speckled band!" but had been unable to understand their meaning. Now Helen, too, is engaged, and she has begun to hear strange noises and to observe strange activities around Stoke Moran, the estate where she and her stepfather live.
Sir Grimesby Roylott does keep strange company at the estate. He befriends a band of Gypsies on the property and keeps as pets a cheetah and a baboon. For some time, he has been making modifications to the house: Before Helen's sister's death, he had modifications made inside the house, and now he is having the outside wall repaired, forcing Helen to move into the room where her sister died.
Holmes listens carefully to Helen's story and agrees to take the case. He plans a visit to the manor later in the day. Before he can leave, however, he is visited by Roylott, who threatens him should he interfere. Undaunted, Holmes proceeds, first to the courthouse, where he examines Helen's mother's will, and then to the countryside.
At Stoke Moran, Holmes inspects the premises carefully inside and out. Among the strange features that he discovers are a bed anchored to the floor, a bell cord that does not work, and a ventilator hole between Helen's room and that of Roylott.
Holmes and Watson arrange to spend the night in Helen's room. In darkness they wait; suddenly, a slight metallic noise and a dim light through the ventilator prompt Holmes to action. Quickly lighting a candle, he discovers on the bell cord the "speckled band"—a poisonous snake. He strikes the snake with a stick, driving it back through the ventilator; agitated, it attacks Roylott, who had been waiting for it to return after killing Helen. Holmes reveals to Watson that Roylott plotted to remove both daughters before they married because he would have lost most of the fortune he controlled when the daughters took with them the money left them by their mother.