How
was your sister
dressed?'
asked Holmes.
'She
was wearing her nightdress. In one hand, she was holding
a box of matches and, in the other, a burnt
match.'
'So
she had lit a match to see around
her,'
said Holmes.
'That
could be important. Was the cause of her death ever
discovered?'
'No,'
replied Miss Stoner.
'Nobody
could find out how she
died. Her body was not marked in any way. The doors and
windows of Julia's room were locked. The chimney was built so
that no one could climb down into the fireplace from the roof.
Nobody could get in or out of her room. So Julia must have been
alone in her
bedroom.'
'But
what about her strange words - "The speckled band?" '
asked Holmes.
'What
do you think she
meant?'
'I
don't
know,'
said Miss Stoner.
'But
perhaps she meant a
band of people. Gypsies were camping near the house. Many
of these gypsies wear
handkerchiefs
12
on their heads. These
handkerchiefs have a design of spots or speckles. So perhaps
Julia was trying to describe the band of
gypsies.