Sherlock Holmes Investigates

Holmes said "Certainly. I must just take one look around." He examined the carpet and the window. "The fellow had either very long legs or was a very active man," he said. "With that space underneath, it was very difficult to reach the window-ledge and open that window. Getting out again was comparatively simple. Are you coming with us to see what is left of your bust, Mr. Harker?"

The journalist was sitting at a writing-table. He looked sad and upset

"I must try and make something of it," he said, "though I have no doubt that the first editions of the evening papers are out already with full details. It's just my luck! You remember when the stand fell at Doncaster? Well, I was the only journalist who was actually in the stand, and my newspaper was the only one that did not have the story, because I was too shaken to write it. And now I'll be too late with a murder that happened on my own doorstep."

As we left the room, we heard his pen squeaking over the writing paper.

The place where the fragments of the bust had been found was only a few hundred yards away. For the first time we saw the portrayal of the great emperor. So this was the bust which seemed to cause such destructive hatred in the mind of the unknown killer. The bust lay scattered upon the grass, in splintered shards. Holmes picked up several shards and examined them carefully. He was concentrating, but moving in a very purposeful way. I was sure that at last he had found a clue.

"Well?" asked Lestrade.

Vocabulary:

Fellow: Man
Comparatively: When compared to something else (here getting into the house)
First editions: The first copies of something that is printed
Stand: Here it means where people stand to watch a sporting event
Shaken: Disturbed and upset
Portrayal: A way of showing an image of someone
Destructive: Causing harm or damage
Shards: Sharp broken pieces
Purposeful: Knowing what you want to do