The Adventure of the Speckled Band

Julia Stoner's life and mysterious death in "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" involve her living with her stepfather, Dr. Grimesby Roylott, in a decaying mansion. She died shortly before her...

The fact that Mary's death was caused by asphyxiation, and not by poison as had been believed, is key to understanding the case. In addition, her body being in the same position as her sister Julia's...

The poisonous swamp adder was in the bed with Julia and/or Helen on three nights in a row before it killed Julia. It also spent an entire night with Helen but did not bite her. We do not know whether...

In "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," Helen and Julia locked their doors because they were scared of Dr. Roylott's cheetah and baboon. He kept a number of dangerous creatures in the house, and his...

The speckled band, a poisonous snake, enters Julia's room through a ventilator connecting her room to her stepfather Dr. Roylott's. He trained the snake to crawl down a dummy bell-rope onto Julia's...

Julia, in her dying moments, attempts to explain the "speckled band" by crying out the phrase and gesturing towards Dr. Roylott's room, but she cannot provide further explanation due to her...

The special bond between Helen and Julia in "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" is significant because it deepens the emotional stakes of the story. Their being twins adds to the plot by emphasizing...