Class VIII

The Speckled Band II

Section A-
1 a) Sherlock Holmes said these words to Helen.
b) This conversation took place at Helen's house at Stock Moran.
c) Holmes discovered a small saucer of milk on top of her father's business papers. He found it
unusual.

2 a) Sherlock Holmes said these words to Helen Stoner.

b) This conversation took place in the lawn outside Helen's house.
c) Holmes advised Helen to confine herself to her room on pretence for a headache when her
father returns and when he goes to sleep, switch on the lamp as a signal to them.

3 a) Holmes and Watson were in the Crown Inn.

b) The signal was a bright, yellow light from Helen's room. Helen gave the signal.
c) Holmes and Watson were out on the dark road on their serious task towards Helen's room
when she signalled.

Section B-
1) Helen had to shift into her sister's chamber because two days back some repairs had started in
the west wing of the building and her bedroom wall had been pierced.
2) Helen heard in the silence of the night the low whistle which Julia informed her about, and
that caused her death. She was worried that it could be a signal that she would die soon. Hence,
she rushed to meet Sherlock Holmes so early in the morning with the objective of seeking his
advice.
3) In the room where Helen slept, there was a thick bell rope which hung down the bed, the
tassel lying upon the pillow. It was strange as it was a dummy which was fastened to a hook just
above where the little opening for the ventilator was, leading to Helen's stepfather, Mr. Roylotte's
chamber.
4) Dr. Roylott's chamber was larger than that of his step-daughter, but was plainly furnished.
There was a camp-bed, a small wooden shelf full of books, an armchair beside the bed, a plain
wooden chair beside the wall, a round table and a large iron safe in his room.
5) The cause of the light and the smell of burning oil and heated metal coming from the next
room was a dark lantern which has been lot by someone in the next room.
6) When Holmes and Watson entered Dr Roylott's room, they saw him sitting on the wooden
chair in his grey dressing gown, with his chin cocked upward and his eyes fixed in a dreadful,
rigid stare at the corner of the ceiling. Round his brow he had a strange yellow band, with brown
speckles, bound tightly round his head, in actual, the deadliest snake in India, that is, swamp
adder, which moved and reared itself from among his hair.

Section C -
1-As soon as Holmes heard the whistling sound, he sprang from the bed, struck the matchbox
and lashed savagely with his cane at the pull, as he saw the adder on the rope. He wanted to
prevent it from coming down through the rope.
2. This line was said by Sherlock Holmes. He had understood the scheme planned by Doctor
Roylott. The line says that violence thus sprang back upon the violent; Dr Roylott.The schemer
Doctor Roylott himself was stung by the adder using which he killed Julia and planned to kill
Helen.
3. Yes, I think that Holmes had already guessed what they were about to encounter in
Miss.Stone's room at night.
When Helen had described everything that had happened to her sister, he had noticed Dr.
Roylott's passion for Indian animals. Moreover, Julia had uttered 'Speckled Band' and pointed
her hand towards her stepfather' s room, just before her death. This was a good hint he got from
Helen. Afterwards when he checked Dr Roylott’s room, he had noticed a saucer of milk kept on
an iron safe and had the sense to understand that it was not kept for the cheetah or baboon. He
also had checked the rope in Julia's room and connected the whistling sound with it. He had
observed the chair in Dr Roylott's room, carefully with a lens and might have noticed the
presence of scales of the snake on it. His detective brain connected all these hints and at last he
said, he had seen enough and that was settled. All this tell us that Holmes had guessed everything
right.