The Adventure of the Empty House (A2 Level)

My name is Dr. Watson. This story happened in London in 1894.

A young man named Ronald Adair died in a strange way. He was rich and kind. He liked to play cards, but he was not a bad man.

One night, Ronald came home at ten o’clock. His mother and sister were not at home. Later, when they returned, they tried to open his door. It was locked. They broke the door open.

Ronald was dead. He was shot in the head.
But there was no gun in the room.

The window was open, but no one climbed in or out. The money in the room was still there. The police did not understand how he died.

I thought a lot about this case. I wished my friend Sherlock Holmes was alive. Everyone believed he was dead.

One day, an old man came to my house with many books. Then something amazing happened.
The old man was Sherlock Holmes!

Holmes told me the truth. He was not dead. He only pretended to die. He did this to hide from his enemies. Only his brother knew the truth.

Holmes said one enemy was still in London. This man was very dangerous.

Holmes made a plan. He put a wax model of himself in his old room. From the street, it looked like Holmes was inside.

Holmes and I hid in an empty house across the street. We waited at night.

A man came into the empty house. He had a special gun. He aimed at the window and shot.

At that moment, Holmes jumped on him. I helped Holmes. The police came and arrested the man.

The man was Colonel Moran. He was a criminal.

Holmes explained everything. Moran killed Ronald Adair. He used an air gun, so no one heard the shot. He shot through the open window.

Holmes believed Ronald found out that Moran was cheating at cards. Moran was afraid, so he killed him.

Now Moran was in prison. Holmes was safe again.

Sherlock Holmes was back.

￼Rectangle Rectangle

Helpful Notes for A2 Learners

Wax model: a fake person made of wax

Air gun: a quiet gun that uses air, not fire

Colonel: a high rank in the army

Police arrested him: the police caught him and took him away