DarqueDante/test2 · Datasets at Hugging Face

text stringlengths 0 74
word 'band,' which was used by the poor girl, no doubt, to explain
the appearance which she had caught a hurried glimpse of by the light
of her match, were sufficient to put me upon an entirely wrong scent.
I can only claim the merit that I instantly reconsidered my position
when, however, it became clear to me that whatever danger threatened
an occupant of the room could not come either from the window or the
door. My attention was speedily drawn, as I have already remarked to
you, to this ventilator, and to the bell-rope which hung down to the
bed. The discovery that this was a dummy, and that the bed was
clamped to the floor, instantly gave rise to the suspicion that the
rope was there as a bridge for something passing through the hole and
coming to the bed. The idea of a snake instantly occurred to me, and
when I coupled it with my knowledge that the doctor was furnished
with a supply of creatures from India, I felt that I was probably on
the right track. The idea of using a form of poison which could not
possibly be discovered by any chemical test was just such a one as
would occur to a clever and ruthless man who had had an Eastern
training. The rapidity with which such a poison would take effect
would also, from his point of view, be an advantage. It would be a
sharp-eyed coroner, indeed, who could distinguish the two little dark
punctures which would show where the poison fangs had done their
work. Then I thought of the whistle. Of course he must recall the
snake before the morning light revealed it to the victim. He had
trained it, probably by the use of the milk which we saw, to return
to him when summoned. He would put it through this ventilator at the
hour that he thought best, with the certainty that it would crawl
down the rope and land on the bed. It might or might not bite the
occupant, perhaps she might escape every night for a week, but sooner
or later she must fall a victim.

"I had come to these conclusions before ever I had entered his room.
An inspection of his chair showed me that he had been in the habit of
standing on it, which of course would be necessary in order that he
should reach the ventilator. The sight of the safe, the saucer of
milk, and the loop of whipcord were enough to finally dispel any
doubts which may have remained. The metallic clang heard by Miss
Stoner was obviously caused by her stepfather hastily closing the
door of his safe upon its terrible occupant. Having once made up my
mind, you know the steps which I took in order to put the matter to
the proof. I heard the creature hiss as I have no doubt that you did
also, and I instantly lit the light and attacked it."

"With the result of driving it through the ventilator."

"And also with the result of causing it to turn upon its master at
the other side. Some of the blows of my cane came home and roused its
snakish temper, so that it flew upon the first person it saw. In this
way I am no doubt indirectly responsible for Dr. Grimesby Roylott's
death, and I cannot say that it is likely to weigh very heavily upon
my conscience."






THE ADVENTURE OF THE ENGINEER'S THUMB

Of all the problems which have been submitted to my friend, Mr.
Sherlock Holmes, for solution during the years of our intimacy, there
were only two which I was the means of introducing to his
notice--that of Mr. Hatherley's thumb, and that of Colonel
Warburton's madness. Of these the latter may have afforded a finer
field for an acute and original observer, but the other was so
strange in its inception and so dramatic in its details that it may
be the more worthy of being placed upon record, even if it gave my
friend fewer openings for those deductive methods of reasoning by
which he achieved such remarkable results. The story has, I believe,
been told more than once in the newspapers, but, like all such
narratives, its effect is much less striking when set forth en bloc
in a single half-column of print than when the facts slowly evolve
before your own eyes, and the mystery clears gradually away as each
new discovery furnishes a step which leads on to the complete truth.
At the time the circumstances made a deep impression upon me, and the
lapse of two years has hardly served to weaken the effect.

It was in the summer of '89, not long after my marriage, that the
events occurred which I am now about to summarise. I had returned to
civil practice and had finally abandoned Holmes in his Baker Street
rooms, although I continually visited him and occasionally even
persuaded him to forgo his Bohemian habits so far as to come and
visit us. My practice had steadily increased, and as I happened to
live at no very great distance from Paddington Station, I got a few
patients from among the officials. One of these, whom I had cured of
a painful and lingering disease, was never weary of advertising my
virtues and of endeavouring to send me on every sufferer over whom he
might have any influence.

One morning, at a little before seven o'clock, I was awakened by the
maid tapping at the door to announce that two men had come from
Paddington and were waiting in the consulting-room. I dressed
hurriedly, for I knew by experience that railway cases were seldom
trivial, and hastened downstairs. As I descended, my old ally, the
guard, came out of the room and closed the door tightly behind him.

"I've got him here," he whispered, jerking his thumb over his
shoulder; "he's all right."

"What is it, then?" I asked, for his manner suggested that it was
some strange creature which he had caged up in my room.

word 'band,' which was used by the poor girl, no doubt, to explain

the appearance which she had caught a hurried glimpse of by the light

of her match, were sufficient to put me upon an entirely wrong scent.

I can only claim the merit that I instantly reconsidered my position

when, however, it became clear to me that whatever danger threatened

an occupant of the room could not come either from the window or the

door. My attention was speedily drawn, as I have already remarked to

you, to this ventilator, and to the bell-rope which hung down to the

bed. The discovery that this was a dummy, and that the bed was

clamped to the floor, instantly gave rise to the suspicion that the

rope was there as a bridge for something passing through the hole and

coming to the bed. The idea of a snake instantly occurred to me, and

when I coupled it with my knowledge that the doctor was furnished

with a supply of creatures from India, I felt that I was probably on

the right track. The idea of using a form of poison which could not

possibly be discovered by any chemical test was just such a one as

would occur to a clever and ruthless man who had had an Eastern

training. The rapidity with which such a poison would take effect

would also, from his point of view, be an advantage. It would be a

sharp-eyed coroner, indeed, who could distinguish the two little dark

punctures which would show where the poison fangs had done their

work. Then I thought of the whistle. Of course he must recall the

snake before the morning light revealed it to the victim. He had

trained it, probably by the use of the milk which we saw, to return

to him when summoned. He would put it through this ventilator at the

hour that he thought best, with the certainty that it would crawl

down the rope and land on the bed. It might or might not bite the

occupant, perhaps she might escape every night for a week, but sooner

or later she must fall a victim.

"I had come to these conclusions before ever I had entered his room.

An inspection of his chair showed me that he had been in the habit of

standing on it, which of course would be necessary in order that he

should reach the ventilator. The sight of the safe, the saucer of

milk, and the loop of whipcord were enough to finally dispel any

doubts which may have remained. The metallic clang heard by Miss

Stoner was obviously caused by her stepfather hastily closing the

door of his safe upon its terrible occupant. Having once made up my

mind, you know the steps which I took in order to put the matter to

the proof. I heard the creature hiss as I have no doubt that you did

also, and I instantly lit the light and attacked it."

"With the result of driving it through the ventilator."

"And also with the result of causing it to turn upon its master at

the other side. Some of the blows of my cane came home and roused its

snakish temper, so that it flew upon the first person it saw. In this

way I am no doubt indirectly responsible for Dr. Grimesby Roylott's

death, and I cannot say that it is likely to weigh very heavily upon

my conscience."

THE ADVENTURE OF THE ENGINEER'S THUMB

Of all the problems which have been submitted to my friend, Mr.

Sherlock Holmes, for solution during the years of our intimacy, there

were only two which I was the means of introducing to his

notice--that of Mr. Hatherley's thumb, and that of Colonel

Warburton's madness. Of these the latter may have afforded a finer

field for an acute and original observer, but the other was so

strange in its inception and so dramatic in its details that it may

be the more worthy of being placed upon record, even if it gave my

friend fewer openings for those deductive methods of reasoning by

which he achieved such remarkable results. The story has, I believe,

been told more than once in the newspapers, but, like all such

narratives, its effect is much less striking when set forth en bloc

in a single half-column of print than when the facts slowly evolve

before your own eyes, and the mystery clears gradually away as each

new discovery furnishes a step which leads on to the complete truth.

At the time the circumstances made a deep impression upon me, and the

lapse of two years has hardly served to weaken the effect.

It was in the summer of '89, not long after my marriage, that the

events occurred which I am now about to summarise. I had returned to

civil practice and had finally abandoned Holmes in his Baker Street

rooms, although I continually visited him and occasionally even

persuaded him to forgo his Bohemian habits so far as to come and

visit us. My practice had steadily increased, and as I happened to

live at no very great distance from Paddington Station, I got a few

patients from among the officials. One of these, whom I had cured of

a painful and lingering disease, was never weary of advertising my

virtues and of endeavouring to send me on every sufferer over whom he

might have any influence.

One morning, at a little before seven o'clock, I was awakened by the

maid tapping at the door to announce that two men had come from

Paddington and were waiting in the consulting-room. I dressed

hurriedly, for I knew by experience that railway cases were seldom

trivial, and hastened downstairs. As I descended, my old ally, the

guard, came out of the room and closed the door tightly behind him.

"I've got him here," he whispered, jerking his thumb over his

shoulder; "he's all right."

"What is it, then?" I asked, for his manner suggested that it was

some strange creature which he had caged up in my room.