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Chapter 2 After lunch that day, Holmes and I took the

train to the country. Then we hired a coach to Helen Stoner's

house. During the journey, we continued to talk about this new case. We discussed several

theories. Then Holmes said, I am sure that Dr. Roylot wanted Julia to die because she

was getting married. He didn't want to give her 250 pounds of his money every year.

And Helen Stoner is getting married soon. So, perhaps Dr. Roylot wants her to die too.

Helen was standing in the garden and waiting for us when we got off the coach.

She shook our hands and said, Dr. Roylot has gone. Then she took us to her own room.

Holmes looked around Helen's room and at the wall and said, perhaps someone damaged

this wall on purpose. He wanted you to move to your sister's room.

Next, they went into Julia's room. Now I sleep here, you know, said Helen.

The floorboards in Julia's room and the panelboards on the walls were very old, perhaps as old

as the house itself. Holmes examined the room and the iron bars on the window. No one could

break in these two bedrooms through the door, he said, because they were locked from the

inside. And the bars are very strong. No one can break them. Then he suddenly asked, why

is there a rope here? He was pointing to a rope hanging over the bed. It was fastened

to a hook near an air vent. That rope is for calling the housekeeper, answered Helen.

The other end of the rope is attached to the bell in her room. My stepfather made this

system two years ago, but my sister never used it. She didn't need it. Holmes pulled

on the rope. It didn't move. It's a fake bell rope, he said. That's very strange.

I have never noticed that hook before, said Helen, and workers made that air vent two years

ago, at the same time as the bell system. Holmes stood on the bed and looked inside the

air vent. This vent is fake too. It doesn't open outside. It is just a passageway between

this room and Dr. Roylott's room. Now, a fake bell rope and this fake vent, they suggest

something, Holmes murmured, as he thought to himself and scratched his head. Next, we went

into Dr. Roylott's room. It didn't have much furniture. Holmes looked around carefully

and went near a big metal box in the corner. Helen noticed this and said, Dr. Roylott keeps

his important business letters in that box. Are you sure? Maybe he keeps a cat or a snake

in it too, Holmes said. Helen was surprised to hear this, so Holmes pointed to the bowl

of milk on top of the metal box. Then he said, tonight Dr. Watson and I must stay in your

sister's room. First, we will go to the inn across the street and get a room there. When

Roylott goes to bed, we will come here. Then he added, Miss Stoner, you must light a lamp

and put it in Julia's window when your stepfather goes to bed. That will be a sign for us to

come here and leave the window open. We will enter the room through it and we will wait

for the whistle and the cranking metal sound. Helen held Holmes's arm and said, now you have

seen the three bedrooms. How did my sister die, Mr. Holmes? Please tell me something. I

must do more investigation. I can't say much. Watson and I are going to the inn now. Goodbye

Miss Stoner. Don't be scared and do as I told you. On the way to the inn, Holmes told

me his thoughts. Helen's life is in great danger. Dr. Roylott probably used the rope and

the air vent to kill Julia. But only a mouse can go through that small vent, I said. Holmes

didn't say anything. When we went in our room at the inn, Holmes said, I hope you are ready

for some danger, Watson. Tonight, we will catch that man. Helen's stoner must not die. From

our room, we could see the windows of the old house. We sat and waited for Helen's stoner's

signal. Then, at 11 o 'clock, a bright light shone out in front of the middle room's window.

That's our signal. Let's go, Holmes cried out. We quickly left the inn and walked across

the lawn. We climbed in the room through the open window. Then Holmes said, let's take

our pistols out. We may need them. Holmes also had a long cane with him, and he put it on

the bed. And he put a box of matches and a candle on the table. He blew out the lamp. Then, he

struck for about four hours. Suddenly, we saw some light coming through the air vent.

At the same time, the smell of burning oil filled the room. It was coming from the air

vent. Perhaps, Roylot or someone else lit an oil lantern in his room, Holmes whispered.

In a moment, we heard a whistle. Holmes stood up from the bed and struck a match immediately.

Then, he hit the bell rope with his cane very hard. Next, we heard a loud cry of pain.

It was a man's voice.

The danger is finished, Holmes said. Take your pistol and let's go to the next room, to

Roylot's room. When we entered Roylot's room, we were both shocked. Roylot was sitting on a chair

near a table. He didn't move. He was dead.

On the table, there was a lit lantern. The metal box was open, and its lid was on the

floor. Roylot's face was turned upwards. His eyes were fixed on the air vent. Around his

head, there was a yellow band with brown spots on it. Holmes and I looked at each other in

big surprise.

That's the speckled band. It's around Roylot's head, said Holmes.

Now we knew the cause of Julia's death.

Be careful, Holmes whispered. It's a very poisonous kind of snake. Perhaps it came from

India. If it bites us, we will die in ten seconds. He slowly and quietly stood beside

Roylot and tightly held the snake on its neck. He threw it into the metal box. He quickly

picked up the lid from the floor and closed the metal box tightly.

On the train back to London in the morning, Holmes explained all the details. At first,

when Helen Stoner mentioned the speckled band, I thought the gypsies killed Julia, he said.

But when I saw the rope over the bed and the air vent, I had a better theory. And when I

saw the bowl of milk, I realized that there was a snake in the box.

Roylot knew that it is not possible to find the poison of this snake in the person's body.

He put the snake in the air hole every night. It went down the rope onto the bed in Julia's

room. And then Roylot whistled to call the snake back. He used milk to train it to

return to the box each time. Oh, and the clanging sound came out when he put the metal

lid on to close the box every night.

Now I understand, I said. With your cane, you struck the snake on the rope. It was scared

and furious, so it escaped through the air vent and bit Roylot.

Exactly. Well, this is Roylot's end, but the beginning of a new life for Helen Stoner,

said Holmes, as he happily lit his pipe.