Sherlock Holmes Investigates

 

"One moment" said Holmes, "are you sure about this whistle and metallic sound? Could you swear to it?"

"That was what the county coroner asked me at the inquiry. It is my strong impression that I heard it, and yet, among the noise of the storm and the creaking of an old house, I may possibly have been deceived."

"Was your sister dressed?"

"No, she was in her night dress. In her right hand she was holding a burnt match, and in her left a matchbox."

"Showing that she had struck a light and looked about her when the alarm took place. That is important. And what conclusions did the coroner come to?"

Vocabulary:

swear: here this means say it as a witness in a court of law.
coroner: a type of lawyer whose job it is to investigate deaths
creaking: the noise that a door makes when you open it if there is no oil
struck a light: lit a match