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ElapticAI-512

Dataset card Data Studio Files
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and the panelling of the walls were of brown, worm-eaten oak, so old
and discoloured that it may have dated from the original building of
the house. Holmes drew one of the chairs into a corner and sat silent,
while his eyes travelled round and round and up and down, taking in
every detail of the apartment.
“Where does that bell communicate with? he asked at last pointing to a
thick bell-rope which hung down beside the bed, the tassel actually
lying upon the pillow.
“It goes to the housekeeper’s room.
“It looks newer than the other things?
“Yes, it was only put there a couple of years ago.
“Your sister asked for it, I suppose?
“No, I never heard of her using it. We used always to get what we
wanted for ourselves.
“Indeed, it seemed unnecessary to put so nice a bell-pull there. You
will excuse me for a few minutes while I satisfy myself as to this
floor. He threw himself down upon his face with his lens in his hand
and crawled swiftly backward and forward, examining minutely the cracks
between the boards. Then he did the same with the wood-work with which
the chamber was panelled. Finally he walked over to the bed and spent
some time in staring at it and in running his eye up and down the wall.
Finally he took the bell-rope in his hand and gave it a brisk tug.
“Why, it’s a dummy, said he.
“Won’t it ring?
“No, it is not even attached to a wire. This is very interesting. You
can see now that it is fastened to a hook just above where the little
opening for the ventilator is.
“How very absurd! I never noticed that before.
“Very strange! muttered Holmes, pulling at the rope. “There are one or
two very singular points about this room. For example, what a fool a
builder must be to open a ventilator into another room, when, with the
same trouble, he might have communicated with the outside air!
“That is also quite modern, said the lady.
“Done about the same time as the bell-rope? remarked Holmes.
“Yes, there were several little changes carried out about that time.
“They seem to have been of a most interesting character—dummy
bell-ropes, and ventilators which do not ventilate. With your
permission, Miss Stoner, we shall now carry our researches into the
inner apartment.
Dr. Grimesby Roylott’s chamber was larger than that of his
step-daughter, but was as plainly furnished. A camp-bed, a small wooden
shelf full of books, mostly of a technical character, an armchair
beside the bed, a plain wooden chair against the wall, a round table,
and a large iron safe were the principal things which met the eye.
Holmes walked slowly round and examined each and all of them with the
keenest interest.
“What’s in here? he asked, tapping the safe.
“My stepfather’s business papers.
“Oh! you have seen inside, then?
“Only once, some years ago. I remember that it was full of papers.
“There isn’t a cat in it, for example?
“No. What a strange idea!
“Well, look at this! He took up a small saucer of milk which stood on
the top of it.
“No; we don’t keep a cat. But there is a cheetah and a baboon.
“Ah, yes, of course! Well, a cheetah is just a big cat, and yet a
saucer of milk does not go very far in satisfying its wants, I daresay.
There is one point which I should wish to determine. He squatted down
in front of the wooden chair and examined the seat of it with the
greatest attention.
“Thank you. That is quite settled, said he, rising and putting his
lens in his pocket. “Hullo! Here is something interesting!
The object which had caught his eye was a small dog lash hung on one
corner of the bed. The lash, however, was curled upon itself and tied
so as to make a loop of whipcord.
“What do you make of that, Watson?
“It’s a common enough lash. But I don’t know why it should be tied.
“That is not quite so common, is it? Ah, me! it’s a wicked world, and
when a clever man turns his brains to crime it is the worst of all. I