Sherlock Holmes Investigates

 

I could not sleep that night. A vague feeling of impending disaster hung over me. My sister and I, you will remember, were twins, and you know the links which bind two such souls so close together.

It was a wild night. The wind was howling outside, and the rain was beating and splashing against the windows. Suddenly, amid all the noise of the gale, there burst forth the wild scream of a terrified woman. I knew it was my sister's voice. I sprang from my bed, pulled my dressing gown around me, and rushed into the corridor. As I opened my door I seemed to hear a low whistle, such as my sister described, and a few moments later a clanging sound, as if a mass of metal had fallen.

As I ran down the passage, my sister's door was unlocked, and opened slowly on its hinges. I stared at it in horror, not knowing what was about to come from it. By the light of the lamp in the corridor I saw my sister appear at the door, her face white with terror. She was swaying like a drunkard. I ran to her and put my arms around her. Then her knees seemed to give way, and she fell to the ground.

Vocabulary:

Vague: not clear, uncertain.
Impending: about to happen. In the near future.
Bind: connect together.
Howling: making a noise like a wolf.
Amid: in the middle of..
Burst forth: exploded out.
Clanging: the sound metal makes when it is hit.
Hinges: the things a door turns on when it is open.
Drunkard: a person who drinks too much alcohol.
Give way: here, this means to collapse.