"He is so cunning that I never know when I am safe from him. Whatwill he say when he returns?"
"He must guard himself, for he may find that there is someonemore cunning than himself upon his track. You must lock yourselfup from him to-night. If he is violent, we shall take you away toyour aunt's at Harrow. Now, we must make the best use of ourtime, so kindly take us at once to the rooms which we are toexamine."
The building was of grey, lichen-blotched stone, with a highcentral portion and two curving wings, like the claws of a crab,thrown out on each side. In one of these wings the windows werebroken and blocked with wooden boards, while the roof was partlycaved in, a picture of ruin. The central portion was in littlebetter repair, but the right-hand block was comparatively modern,and the blinds in the windows, with the blue smoke curling upfrom the chimneys, showed that this was where the family resided.Some scaffolding had been erected against the end wall, and thestone-work had been broken into, but there were no signs of anyworkmen at the moment of our visit. Holmes walked slowly up anddown the ill-trimmed lawn and examined with deep attention theoutsides of the windows.
"This, I take it, belongs to the room in which you used to sleep,the centre one to your sister's, and the one next to the mainbuilding to Dr. Roylott's chamber?"
"Exactly so. But I am now sleeping in the middle one."
"Pending the alterations, as I understand. By the way, there doesnot seem to be any very pressing need for repairs at that endwall."
"There were none. I believe that it was an excuse to move me frommy room."
"Ah! that is suggestive. Now, on the other side of this narrowwing runs the corridor from which these three rooms open. Thereare windows in it, of course?"
"Yes, but very small ones. Too narrow for anyone to passthrough."
"As you both locked your doors at night, your rooms wereunapproachable from that side. Now, would you have the kindnessto go into your room and bar your shutters?"
Miss Stoner did so, and Holmes, after a careful examinationthrough the open window, endeavoured in every way to force theshutter open, but without success. There was no slit throughwhich a knife could be passed to raise the bar. Then with hislens he tested the hinges, but they were of solid iron, builtfirmly into the massive masonry. "Hum!" said he, scratching hischin in some perplexity, "my theory certainly presents somedifficulties. No one could pass these shutters if they werebolted. Well, we shall see if the inside throws any light uponthe matter."
A small side door led into the whitewashed corridor from whichthe three bedrooms opened. Holmes refused to examine the thirdchamber, so we passed at once to the second, that in which MissStoner was now sleeping, and in which her sister had met with herfate. It was a homely little room, with a low ceiling and agaping fireplace, after the fashion of old country-houses. Abrown chest of drawers stood in one corner, a narrowwhite-counterpaned bed in another, and a dressing-table on theleft-hand side of the window. These articles, with two smallwicker-work chairs, made up all the furniture in the room savefor a square of Wilton carpet in the centre. The boards round andthe panelling of the walls were of brown, worm-eaten oak, so oldand discoloured that it may have dated from the original buildingof the house. Holmes drew one of the chairs into a corner and satsilent, 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 lastpointing to a thick bell-rope which hung down beside the bed, thetassel 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 wewanted 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 tothis floor." He threw himself down upon his face with his lens inhis hand and cr
awled swiftly backward and forward, examiningminutely the cracks between the boards. Then he did the same withthe wood-work with which the chamber was panelled. Finally hewalked over to the bed and spent some time in staring at it andin running his eye up and down the wall. Finally he took thebell-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 wherethe little opening for the ventilator is."
"How very absurd! I never noticed that before."
"Very strange!" muttered Holmes, pulling at the rope. "There areone or two very singular points about this room. For example,what a fool a builder must be to open a ventilator into anotherroom, when, with the same trouble, he might have communicatedwith 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 thattime."
"They seem to have been of a most interesting character--dummybell-ropes, and ventilators which do not ventilate. With yourpermission, Miss Stoner, we shall now carry our researches intothe inner apartment."
Dr. Grimesby Roylott's chamber was larger than that of hisstep-daughter, but was as plainly furnished. A camp-bed, a smallwooden shelf full of books, mostly of a technical character, anarmchair beside the bed, a plain wooden chair against the wall, around table, and a large iron safe were the principal thingswhich met the eye. Holmes walked slowly round and examined eachand all of them with the keenest interest.