The Adventure of the Speckled Band that of Dr Roylott. Holmes and Watson arrange to spend the night in Helen's room. In darkness they wait; suddenly, a slight metallic noise and a dim light through the ventilator prompt Holmes to action. Quickly lighting a candle, he discovers on the bell cord the "speckled band"—a venomous snake. He strikes the snake with a stick, driving it back through the ventilator. Agitated, it attacks Roylott, who had been waiting for it to return after killing Helen. Holmes identifies the snake as a "swamp adder" and reveals to Watson the motive: the late wife's will had provided an annual
The End of the Party (short story) The End of the Party (short story) "The End of the Party" is a short story by the English writer Graham Greene (1904–1991). It was first published in 1929, and has been reprinted many times in anthologies. It is viewed as a classical expression of the English tradition of horror fiction, as it elicits a well-founded and increasingly intense sense of impending doom without inserting any scenes of physical violence. The two principal protagonists of "The End of the Party" are nine-year-olds, Peter Morton and Francis Morton. The story makes clear that although they are identical twins, they possess profound