"Wait a moment" said Holmes, "are you sure that you heard a whistle and of the sound of something metal? Are you quite sure that you heard these sounds?"

"That was what the police asked me afterward. I really think that I heard it, but there was the noise of the storm and the sounds of the house. I may be wrong."

"Was your sister dressed?"

"No, she was in her night dress. In her right hand she held a used match, and in her left hand she had a matchbox."

"So she had light from the match. She was frightened by something, and lit the match to look around. That is important. And what did the police decide?"