The Adventure of the Speckled Band

The Bomber mentioned in passing the other day that they are studying the Sherlock Holmes story "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" in school. I was delighted as it contains perhaps my favourite exchange in the oeuvre.

"I will go when I have said my say. Don't you dare to meddle with my affairs. I know that Miss Stoner has been here. I traced her! I am a dangerous man to fall foul of! See here." He stepped swiftly forward, seized the poker, and bent it into a curve with his huge brown hands.

"See that you keep yourself out of my grip," he snarled, and hurling the twisted poker into the fireplace he strode out of the room.

"He seems a very amiable person," said Holmes, laughing. "I am not quite so bulky, but if he had remained I might have shown him that my grip was not much more feeble than his own." As he spoke he picked up the steel poker and, with a sudden effort, straightened it out again.

I bought the Jeremy Brett telly version on iTunes for £1.98 and we watched it on Thursday night. It also made me realize that as I have the collection from which it comes on Kindle. The story is, to all intents and purposes with me all the time as it is on my iPhone and iPad as well as the Kindle hardware.

All very revolutionary I suppose, though one still actually has to read it. It doesn't just leach through the skin by osmosis.