THE ADVENTURE OF THE EMPTY HOUSE

A Sherlock Holmes Story by Arthur Conan Doyle

Simplified to CEFR A2 Level

Part 1: A Man Is Murdered

This story happens in London in the spring of 1894.

A young man named Ronald Adair was murdered. The murder was very strange. Nobody could understand how it happened.

Ronald Adair was from a rich and important family. His father was the Earl of Maynooth. (An 'earl' is a person with a high position in British society. There are different levels — like duke, earl, and baron — and they are passed down from father to son.) His father worked as a governor of part of Australia. At that time, Australia was part of the British Empire, and Britain sent senior officials called 'governors' to manage different parts of it.

Ronald lived in London with his mother and sister. They lived in a big house at 427 Park Lane. Park Lane is a street in a very rich area of London.

Ronald was a quiet and friendly young man. He had no enemies. He liked playing card games. He was a member of several gentlemen's clubs in London. (A 'gentlemen's club' was a private place where rich men met to eat, drink, and play cards. Women were not allowed.)

On the night of 30th March 1894, Ronald came home at ten o'clock. His mother and sister were out for the evening. He went into the sitting room on the second floor.

When his mother came home at eleven-twenty, she went to say goodnight to Ronald. But the door was locked from the inside. Nobody answered when she knocked. She was worried. She got help and they broke down the door.

Ronald was dead. He had been shot in the head. But there was no gun in the room. The window was open, but it was a long way down to the street — about six metres. There were flowers below the window, but they were not disturbed. Nobody in the street had heard a shot.

On the table there was some money and a piece of paper. On the paper were the names of friends and some numbers. It seemed Ronald was working out how much money he had won or lost at cards.

The police could not explain what had happened. How did the killer get in? How did the killer get out? Why was Ronald killed? It was a great mystery.

Part 2: Dr. Watson Investigates

The person telling this story is Dr. Watson. He is a medical doctor. He was the best friend of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes.

But there is a problem. Sherlock Holmes had died three years before — or so Watson believed.

Watson missed Holmes very much. He often tried to solve crimes in the way Holmes had taught him. But he was not very good at it.

Watson was very interested in the mystery of Ronald Adair's death. One evening, he walked to Park Lane to look at the house where Ronald had been killed.

A small group of people were standing outside the house, looking up at the window. Watson listened to them, but their ideas seemed wrong. He walked away.

As he turned, he bumped into an old man and knocked the man's books onto the ground. Watson said sorry and helped pick up the books. He saw one book was called 'The Origin of Tree Worship.' The old man seemed very angry about his books. He gave Watson an unfriendly look and walked away into the crowd.

The old man was bent over. He had white hair on the sides of his face (called 'side-whiskers'). He was carrying many books.

Watson looked at the house carefully but could not solve the mystery. He walked home to his house in Kensington. (Kensington is another area of London.)

A few minutes after Watson arrived home, his servant said a visitor had come. Watson was very surprised. It was the same old man — the book-seller!

"You are surprised to see me, sir," the old man said in a rough, strange voice.

"Yes," said Watson.

"Well, I have a bookshop on Church Street," the man said. "I wanted to say sorry for being rude earlier. And I wanted to thank you for picking up my books. Perhaps you would like to buy some? I have some very good ones here."

The old man pointed to a shelf of books behind Watson. Watson turned to look.

When Watson turned back — Sherlock Holmes was standing there, smiling at him.

Part 3: Holmes Is Alive!

Watson was so shocked that he fainted. (To 'faint' means to lose consciousness for a short time because of a strong emotion or shock.) When he woke up, Holmes was beside him with some brandy — a strong alcoholic drink used at that time to help people recover from a shock.

"My dear Watson," said Holmes's familiar voice. "I am very sorry. I did not know you would be so shocked."

Watson grabbed Holmes by the arms. "Holmes! Is it really you? Are you truly alive?"

Holmes sat down. He looked thinner than before, and his face was very pale. But he was calm. He lit a cigarette.

The old man's disguise — the white hair, the bent posture, the rough voice — was all fake. Holmes had been disguised as an old book-seller!

Holmes explained that he had a dangerous night's work ahead. But Watson wanted to hear the explanation first.

"Will you come with me tonight?" asked Holmes.

"Yes — whenever and wherever you like," said Watson.

"Good — just like the old days! Now, let me explain what really happened at the Reichenbach Falls."

The Reichenbach Falls is a very big and powerful waterfall in Switzerland. Three years before, Holmes had met his great enemy Professor Moriarty there. Moriarty was the leader of a criminal organisation — a large group of criminals working together. Moriarty was very clever and very dangerous.

Moriarty had attacked Holmes on the narrow path beside the waterfall. But Holmes knew a Japanese style of wrestling. He used this skill to escape from Moriarty's grip. Moriarty lost his balance and fell into the waterfall. He died.

After Moriarty fell, Holmes had an important idea. Moriarty was dead, but Moriarty's gang was still alive. Several gang members wanted to kill Holmes. Holmes decided to let the world believe he was dead. If his enemies thought he was dead, they would stop being careful. Then Holmes could catch them.

Holmes climbed up the rocky cliff beside the waterfall and hid on a narrow ledge. It was a very dangerous climb. He watched from above as Watson and the others searched below and decided Holmes was dead.

Then something unexpected happened. A large rock fell past Holmes. Someone was throwing rocks at him from above. It was a member of Moriarty's gang. Holmes quickly climbed back down — an even more dangerous climb — and ran away in the dark.

That night, Holmes ran about sixteen kilometres over the mountains. A week later, he was safely in Florence, Italy.

"I told only one person my secret — my brother Mycroft," said Holmes. Mycroft Holmes worked for the British government in an important and secret job. He gave Holmes the money he needed to stay hidden.

For three years, Holmes travelled the world with a false name. He visited Tibet (a region in Asia, near China), the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, and Sudan in Africa. He also did some scientific work in France.

"I am sorry I did not contact you, Watson," said Holmes. "But I was afraid you might say something that would give away my secret. I could not risk that."

When Holmes finally came back to London, he first visited his old home — 221B Baker Street. His landlady, Mrs. Hudson, was so shocked to see him that she became very upset. (A 'landlady' is a woman who owns a house and rents rooms to people.) Holmes's brother Mycroft had kept his rooms exactly as they were before.

Part 4: The Empty House

After hearing Holmes's story, Watson was full of questions. But Holmes said they had work to do.

At half past nine that evening, they got into a horse-drawn taxi. In those days, people in London used taxis pulled by horses. These taxis were called 'hansoms.' Watson put his gun (a revolver) in his pocket. Holmes was serious and quiet.

Watson thought they were going to Baker Street. But Holmes stopped the taxi in a different place. They got out and walked through many small, dark back streets. Holmes wanted to make sure nobody was following them.

Finally, they came to an old, dark, empty house. Holmes opened the back door with a key. They went inside. The house was completely dark. The floors made noise under their feet. The old wallpaper was falling off the walls.

Holmes held Watson's wrist and led him through the dark to a large empty room. Some light came in from the street outside.

Holmes whispered: "Do you know where we are?"

Watson looked through the window. "That is Baker Street," he said.

"Yes. This house is called Camden House. It is directly opposite our old rooms at 221B."

"But why are we here?"

"Look carefully at our old window — but do not let anyone outside see you," whispered Holmes.

Watson looked. He was amazed. The curtain was down and a bright light was on in the room. On the curtain, he could see a dark shadow — the shape of a man sitting in a chair. The shape of the head, the shoulders, the face — it looked exactly like Sherlock Holmes.

Watson turned around in shock. Holmes was standing right next to him, smiling quietly.

"It is a wax model," Holmes explained. "A French artist made it. It looks exactly like me. I put it in the window this afternoon. I needed certain people to think I was in my room — but I am actually here."

Holmes explained that dangerous men — members of Moriarty's old gang — had been watching his rooms. They knew Holmes was still alive. They were waiting for him to come back. That morning, they had seen him arrive.

"One very dangerous man is after me tonight," said Holmes. "But he does not know that we are after him."

Watson began to understand the plan. They were watching the people who were watching Holmes. The shadow in the window was bait — like food used to attract an animal into a trap. They were the trap.

Part 5: The Trap Works

Holmes and Watson stood quietly in the dark room and watched the street. It was a cold and windy night. People walked past quickly.

Time passed slowly. As midnight got closer, the street became empty and quiet. Holmes was becoming nervous — things were not going exactly as he had planned.

Then Watson looked up at the window across the street.

"The shadow has moved!" he whispered.

"Of course it has moved," said Holmes quietly. "Mrs. Hudson — my landlady — has been moving the model every fifteen minutes. She does it on her knees so her own shadow cannot be seen from the street."

Suddenly Holmes became very tense. He pulled Watson into the darkest corner of the room. He put his hand over Watson's mouth — a signal to be completely silent. His hand was shaking. Watson had never seen Holmes so nervous.

Then Watson heard what Holmes had already heard: a very quiet sound. Not from the street in front. From behind them — from inside the house.

A door opened and closed. Slow, careful footsteps came down the hallway.

A dark shape appeared in the doorway. The person did not know Watson and Holmes were there. The person moved quietly to the window. He opened it a little. The light from the street lit up his face.

He was an old man. He had a thin, sharp nose, a bald head, and a large grey moustache. He was wearing very formal clothes — the kind that rich people wore to dinner parties. His face was thin and had deep lines. His eyes were bright and excited.

He put something on the floor — it made a metallic sound. Then he took something from his coat. He put it together carefully. Click. Click. It was a gun — but a very unusual one.

He crouched down. He rested the gun on the window ledge. He looked along the barrel at the shadow in the window across the street — the shadow that looked like Holmes. He was completely still.

Then he fired.

There was a strange hissing sound — not a loud bang — and the sound of breaking glass from across the street.

Holmes jumped onto the man's back. The man fell to the floor. But he was very strong. He stood up quickly and grabbed Holmes by the throat. Watson hit the man on the head with his gun. The man fell again.

Holmes blew a whistle. Immediately, running footsteps came from outside. Two police officers and a detective ran into the room.

"Is that you, Lestrade?" said Holmes.

"Yes, Mr. Holmes," said the detective. His name was Inspector Lestrade. He worked for Scotland Yard — the main police headquarters in London. "It is very good to see you back in London, sir."

Part 6: Who Is the Villain?

The police officers held the prisoner tightly. Holmes lit a candle so everyone could see properly.

The prisoner's face was frightening. His blue eyes were cold and hard. He stared at Holmes with great hatred.

"You fiend!" he kept saying. "You clever, clever fiend!" (A 'fiend' is a very wicked person.)

"Ah, Colonel," said Holmes calmly. "I do not think I have seen you since you tried to kill me above the Reichenbach Falls."

Holmes introduced the man: "This is Colonel Sebastian Moran. He was an officer in the British Army in India. He was also the best big-game hunter in the British Empire." Big-game hunting means hunting large wild animals like tigers and elephants. At that time, some British soldiers and rich people did this in India and Africa.

Moran said nothing. He just stared at Holmes with angry eyes. With his fierce eyes and large moustache, he looked like a tiger himself.

"I am surprised my simple trick could fool such a good hunter," said Holmes. "You know this method well. A hunter ties a small animal to a tree. Then he hides in the tree with his gun. He waits. The small animal attracts a tiger. The hunter shoots the tiger. I did the same thing tonight. The empty house was my tree. The wax model in the window was my small animal. You were my tiger."

Holmes picked up the strange gun from the floor. "This is a very special weapon," he said. "It uses air instead of gunpowder to fire the bullet. That is why there was no loud sound when it fired. It was made for Professor Moriarty by a German engineer named Von Herder. Please keep this gun safe, Lestrade. It is very important evidence."

"What is the charge?" asked Lestrade. (A 'charge' is the official crime that a person is accused of.)

"Not the attempted murder of Sherlock Holmes," said Holmes. "The charge is the murder of Ronald Adair. Colonel Moran shot Ronald Adair through the open window of his room on 30th March. All the credit for this arrest belongs to you, Lestrade."

Part 7: The Full Story

After Moran was taken away, Holmes and Watson returned to 221B Baker Street. Mrs. Hudson had kept everything exactly the same as before. All of Holmes's things were still there — his chemistry equipment, his books, his violin, and even the old slipper where he kept his tobacco.

On a small table stood the wax model of Holmes. A bullet had gone straight through its head. Mrs. Hudson had found the bullet on the floor. She gave it to Holmes.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hudson," said Holmes. "You were excellent tonight."

Holmes and Watson sat down in their old chairs. Holmes was wearing his old grey dressing gown again.

"Did you know Colonel Moran's name before tonight?" Holmes asked.

"No," said Watson.

Holmes took down one of his reference books — a personal collection of notes about criminals. He read the entry for Moran:

Moran, Sebastian, Colonel. Born in London, 1840. Educated at Eton and Oxford. (Eton is one of England's most famous and expensive private schools. Oxford is one of England's most famous universities.) He was a soldier in the British Army in India. He wrote two books about hunting. He is not currently working.

In Holmes's own handwriting, in the margin of the page, were these words: The second most dangerous man in London.

"His life looks good," said Watson.

"It was, at first," said Holmes. "Moran was brave and clever. But something went wrong. He started to behave badly. He had to leave India. He came to London. There, Moriarty found him. Moriarty paid him a lot of money and used him for the most serious and difficult crimes."

"But why did Moran kill Ronald Adair?" asked Watson.

"Here is what I think happened," said Holmes. "Moran was cheating at cards. He had been doing this for a long time. Ronald Adair found out. Adair was an honest young man. He spoke privately to Moran. He said: stop cheating and leave the clubs, or I will tell everyone."

"Adair did not want to cause a big public scandal. He just wanted Moran to stop. But for Moran, leaving the clubs was a disaster. He made his money by cheating at cards. Without the clubs, he had nothing. So he killed Adair to protect himself."

"When Moran killed Adair, Adair was in his room working out how much money he needed to give back to other players — money that he and Moran had won by cheating. He locked the door so his mother and sister would not come in and see the money and the lists of names."

"That makes perfect sense," said Watson.

"We will find out at the trial," said Holmes. "But whatever happens, Colonel Moran will not cause any more trouble. And I, Sherlock Holmes, am free once again to help solve the interesting problems that London has to offer."

Notes to Help You Understand the Story

WHO IS SHERLOCK HOLMES?

Sherlock Holmes is a famous fictional detective. He was created by the writer Arthur Conan Doyle. Holmes is not a police officer. He is a private detective — people come to him with difficult problems and he helps to solve them. He is famous for noticing small details that other people miss, and for thinking in a very logical way.

WHO IS DR. WATSON?

Dr. Watson is Holmes's best friend. He is a doctor. He lives with Holmes (or near him) and helps him with his cases. Watson tells all of the Sherlock Holmes stories. This means everything we know comes from Watson's point of view.

WHERE IS 221B BAKER STREET?

This is Holmes's home in London. He rents rooms there from his landlady, Mrs. Hudson. It is a very famous address in English literature — even though it is a fictional address, tourists visit Baker Street in London today because of these stories.

WHAT HAPPENED AT THE REICHENBACH FALLS?

In an earlier story called 'The Final Problem,' Holmes and his great enemy Professor Moriarty both appeared to die at the Reichenbach Falls — a big waterfall in Switzerland. Everyone — including Watson — believed Holmes was dead. This story ('The Adventure of the Empty House') explains that Holmes was actually alive the whole time.

WHAT IS SCOTLAND YARD?

Scotland Yard is the main headquarters of the London police. It is not in Scotland — it is in London. Inspector Lestrade is a detective who works there. He sometimes works with Holmes on difficult cases.

WHAT IS AN AIR-GUN?

A normal gun uses a small explosion (from gunpowder) to fire a bullet. This makes a very loud noise. An air-gun uses compressed air (air pushed together very tightly) instead. It fires a bullet, but makes almost no noise. In the story, this is very important — because nobody in the street heard a shot when Ronald Adair was killed.

WHAT WERE GENTLEMEN'S CLUBS?

In Victorian England (when Queen Victoria was queen, 1837–1901), wealthy men often belonged to private clubs in London. These clubs had comfortable rooms where men could eat, drink, read, and meet friends. Playing cards for money was very popular. Women were not allowed to be members of these clubs.