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1"The family was at one time among the richest in England, and the estates extended over the borders into Berkshire in
2the north, and Hampshire in the west. In the last century, however, four successive heirs were of a dissolute and
3wasteful disposition, and the family ruin was eventually completed by a gambler in the days of the Regency. Nothing was
4left save a few acres of ground, and the two-hundred-year-old house, which is itself crushed under a heavy mortgage. The
5last squire dragged out his existence there, living the horrible life of an aristocratic pauper; but his only son, my
6stepfather, seeing that he must adapt himself to the new conditions, obtained an advance from a relative, which enabled
7him to take a medical degree and went out to Calcutta, where, by his professional skill and his force of character, he
8established a large practice. In a fit of anger, however, caused by some robberies which had been perpetrated in the
9house, he beat his native butler to death and narrowly escaped a capital sentence. As it was, he suffered a long term of
10imprisonment and afterwards returned to England a morose and disappointed man. "When Dr. Roylott was in India he married
11my mother, Mrs. Stoner, the young widow of Major-General Stoner, of the Bengal Artillery. My sister Julia and I were
12twins, and we were only two years old at the time of my mother's re-marriage. She had a considerable sum of money--not
13less than £ 1000 a year--and this she bequeathed to Dr. Roylott entirely while we resided with him, with a provision
14that a certain annual sum should be allowed to each of us in the event of our marriage. Shortly after our return to
15England my mother died--she was killed eight years ago in a railway accident near Crewe. Dr. Roylott then abandoned his
16attempts to establish himself in practice in London and took us to live with him in the old ancestral house at Stoke
17Moran. The money which my mother had left was enough for all our wants, and there seemed to be no obstacle to our
18happiness. "But a terrible change came over our stepfather about this time. Instead of making friends and exchanging
19visits with our neighbours, who had at first been overjoyed to see a Roylott of Stoke Moran back in the old family seat,
20he shut himself up in his house and seldom came out save to indulge in ferocious quarrels with whoever might cross his
21path. Violence of temper approaching to mania has been hereditary in the men of the family, and in my stepfather's case
22it had, I believe, been intensified by his long residence in the tropics. A series of disgraceful brawls took place, two
23of which ended in the police-court, until at last he became the terror of the village, and the folks would fly at his
24approach, for he is a man of immense strength, and absolutely uncontrollable in his anger. "Last week he hurled the
25local blacksmith over a parapet into a stream, and it was only by paying over all the money which I could gather
26together that I was able to avert another public exposure. He had no friends at all save the wandering gipsies, and he
27would give these vagabonds leave to encamp upon the few acres of bramble-covered land which represent the family estate,
28and would accept in return the hospitality of their tents, wandering away with them sometimes for weeks on end. He has a
29passion also for Indian animals, which are sent over to him by a correspondent, and he has at this moment a cheetah and
30a baboon, which wander freely over his grounds and are feared by the villagers almost as much as their master. "You can
31imagine from what I say that my poor sister Julia and I had no great pleasure in our lives. No servant would stay with
32us, and for a long time we did all the work of the house. She was but thirty at the time of her death, and yet her hair
33had already begun to whiten, even as mine has." "Your sister is dead, then?" "She died just two years ago, and it is of
34her death that I wish to speak to you. You can understand that, living the life which I have described, we were little
35likely to see anyone of our own age and position. We had, however, an aunt, my mother's maiden sister, Miss Honoria
36Westphail, who lives near Harrow, and we were occasionally allowed to pay short visits at this lady's house. Julia went
37there at Christmas two years ago, and met there a half-pay major of marines, to whom she became engaged. My stepfather
38learned of the engagement when my sister returned and offered no objection to the marriage; but within a fortnight of
39the day which had been fixed for the wedding, the terrible event occurred which has deprived me of my only companion."
40Sherlock Holmes had been leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed and his head sunk in a cushion, but he half
41opened his lids now and glanced across at his visitor. "Pray be precise as to details," said he. "It is easy for me to
42be so, for every event of that dreadful time is seared into my memory. The manor-house is, as I have already said, very
43old, and only one wing is now inhabited. The bedrooms in this wing are on the ground floor, the sitting-rooms being in
44the central block of the buildings. Of these bedrooms the first is Dr. Roylott's, the second my sister's, and the third
45my own. There is no communication between them, but they all open out into the same corridor. Do I make myself plain?"
46"Perfectly so." "The windows of the three rooms open out upon the lawn. That fatal night Dr. Roylott had gone to his
47room early, though we knew that he had not retired to rest, for my sister was troubled by the smell of the strong Indian
48cigars which it was his custom to smoke. She left her room, therefore, and came into mine, where she sat for some time,
49chatting about her approaching wedding. At eleven o'clock she rose to leave me, but she paused at the door and looked
50back. "'Tell me, Helen,' said she, 'have you ever heard anyone whistle in the dead of the night?' "'Never,' said I. "'I
51suppose that you could not possibly whistle, yourself, in your sleep?' "'Certainly not. But why?' "'Because during the
52last few nights I have always, about three in the morning, heard a low, clear whistle. I am a light sleeper, and it has
53awakened me. I cannot tell where it came from--perhaps from the next room, perhaps from the lawn. I thought that I would
54just ask you whether you had heard it.' "'No, I have not. It must be those wretched gipsies in the plantation.' "'Very
55likely. And yet if it were on the lawn, I wonder that you did not hear it also.' "'Ah, but I sleep more heavily than
56you.' "'Well, it is of no great consequence, at any rate.' She smiled back at me, closed my door, and a few moments
57later I heard her key turn in the lock." "Indeed," said Holmes. "Was it your custom always to lock yourselves in at
58night?" "Always." "And why?" "I think that I mentioned to you that the Doctor kept a cheetah and a baboon. We had no
59feeling of security unless our doors were locked." "Quite so. Pray proceed with your statement."
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