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<center><font face="Verdana"><font size=-2><a href="../dancingwav/d1.wav">THE
STRAND MAGAZINE</a></font></font>
<br><font face="Verdana"><font size=-2><a href="../dancingwav/d2.wav">Vol.
26 DECEMBER, 1903</a></font></font>
<br><font face="Verdana"><font size=+1><a href="../dancingwav/d3.wav">THE
RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES</a></font></font>
<p><font face="Verdana"><font size=+1><a href="../dancingwav/d4.wav">By
ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE</a></font></font>
<p><font face="Verdana"><font size=+1><a href="../dancingwav/d5.wav">II.
-- The Adventure of the Dancing Men</a></font></font></center>

<blockquote>
<a href="../dancingwav/1ldance.wav"><img SRC="../tingsmbl.gif" BORDER=0 ></a><font face="Verdana"><font color="#0000CC"><font size=+1><a href="../dancingwav/1ldance.wav">Section I</a></font></font></font>
<ul>
<font face="Verdana"><font color="#0000CC">
<li>malodorous</li>
<ul> smelly, bad smelling (the prefix mal- means bad
or evil, odor = smell)</ul>
<li>plumage</li>
<ul> feathers</ul>
<li>top-knot</li>
<ul> a pile of hair on top of the head</ul>
<li>South African securities</li>
<ul>papers for investment in South Africa -- considered risky investments at that time</ul>
<li>faculties</li>
<ul>mental abilities</ul>
<li>intrusion</li>
<ul>come into a place where one does not belong, unwelcome
or uncomfortable feeling</ul>
<li>taken aback</li>
<ul> surprised, shocked</ul>
<li>absurdly simple</li>
<ul> means that it looked complicated but that it isn't</ul>
<li>inference</li>
<ul> conclusion based on facts</ul>
<li>meretricious</li>
<ul> it looks very good on the outside but is empty or
false on the inside</ul>
<li>capital</li>
<ul> savings intended to bring in interest or profit
of some sort -- in this case probably to help support the person during
old age</ul>
<li>billiards</li>
<ul> a game played with balls on a table, sticks called
"cues" are used to hit the balls -- billiards only has three balls -- variations
include "pool" in which the balls are hit into holes on the side called
"pockets"</ul>
<li>option</li>
<ul> an agreement between buyer and seller giving the
buyer the right to buy something within a certain amount of time for a
certain price.&nbsp; It allows the buyer time to investigate the investment
or to raise funds.</ul>
<li>hieroglyphics</li>
<ul> a form of writing which uses pictures for words
-- ancient Egyptian writing used such symbols
</ul>
<li>Riding Thorpe Manor, Norfolk</li>
<ul> a private house in the county of Norfolk</ul>
<li>conundrum</li>
<ul> puzzle, problem, riddle, something that is difficult
to solve</ul>
<li>post</li>
<ul> delivery of mail, in England there were two mail
deliveries per day in most places until recently</ul>
<li>florid</li>
<ul> well colored, tan and reddened from being outside</ul>
<li>Baker Street</li>
<ul> the street where Sherlock Holmes lived in London.&nbsp;
London at that time was famous for its fog caused in large part by pollution
from burning coal</ul>
<li>grotesque</li>
<ul> distorted in some strange way</ul>
<li>sift the matter to the bottom</li>
<ul> to solve the problem, to find the answer -- refers
to using a sifter or sieve to separate the grain from the chaff (unwanted
parts)</ul></font>
<center><a href="#Top" onMouseOver="img14top.src='arrowin.jpg'" onMouseOut="img14top.src='arrowout.jpg'"><img SRC="arrowout.jpg" NAME="img14top" BORDER=0 ></a></center>

</ul><a href="../dancingwav/2dance.wav"><img SRC="../tingsmbl.gif" BORDER=0 ></a><font face="Verdana"><font color="#0000CC"><font size=+1><a href="../dancingwav/2dance.wav">Section II</a></font></font></font>
<ul>
<font face="Verdana"><font color="#0000CC">

<li>Jubilee</li>
<ul> the celebration of Queen Victoria's fifieth year</ul>
<li>vicar of our parish</li>
<ul> the priest or minister of a local area called a
parish</ul>
<li>registry</li>
<ul> government office, as opposed to a church wedding
which would have taken longer and been more elaborate
</ul>
<li>allude</li>
<ul> to refer, to mention</ul>
<li>allusion</li>
<ul> reference, she did not mention it</ul>
<li>squire</li>
<ul> a country landowner, farmer -- who probably has
people working for him</ul>
<li>stain</li>
<ul> disgrace, shame</ul></font>
<center><a href="#Top" onMouseOver="img13top.src='arrowin.jpg'" onMouseOut="img13top.src='arrowout.jpg'"><img SRC="arrowout.jpg" NAME="img13top" BORDER=0 ></a></center>

</ul><a href="../dancingwav/3ldance.wav"><img SRC="../tingsmbl.gif" BORDER=0 ></a><font face="Verdana"><font color="#0000CC"><font size=+1><a href="../dancingwav/3ldance.wav">Section III</a></font></font></font>
<ul>
<font face="Verdana"><font color="#0000CC">

<li>copper</li>
<ul> a very cheap metal which is used to make pennies
and pence -- used as a nickname for pence in England (note that policemen
were also called coppers because their helmets were made of copper) --
to spend your last copper means to spend everything, even your pennies</ul>
<li>watering-place</li>
<ul> a term for a vacation spot with water -- on the
coast or on a lake</ul>
<li>lodgers</li>
<ul> homeowners rent out extra rooms in their houses
to short-term guests to earn extra money, the guests are called lodgers
</ul>
<li>pressing</li>
<ul> urgent</ul>
<li>inscribed</li>
<ul> written</ul>
<li>fortnight</li>
<ul> two weeks</ul>
<li>hansom</li>
<ul> a horse drawn cab or taxi -- with an enclosed cab</ul>
<li>design</li>
<ul> in this case a plan or purpose to do something bad
to a person -- "design upon you" -- the preposition "upon" impies you are
unwilling -- "design for you" would mean something positive and you would
probably be consulted</ul></font>
<center><a href="#Top" onMouseOver="img12top.src='arrowin.jpg'" onMouseOut="img12top.src='arrowout.jpg'"><img SRC="arrowout.jpg" NAME="img12top" BORDER=0 ></a></center>

</ul><a href="../dancingwav/4ldance.wav"><img SRC="../tingsmbl.gif" BORDER=0 ></a><font face="Verdana"><font color="#0000CC"><font size=+1><a href="../dancingwav/4ldance.wav">Section IV</a></font></font></font>
<ul>
<font face="Verdana"><font color="#0000CC">

<li>rubbed</li>
<ul> two ways of using it here -- "rubbed out" means
to erase -- "rubbed hands" means to place the palms of the hands together
and move them back and forth -- a gesture of anticipation
</ul>
<li>chuckled</li>
<ul> a small laugh</ul>
<li>scrawled</li>
<ul> written sloppily, fast writing
</ul>
<li>pebble</li>
<ul> small stone</ul>
<li>frankly</li>
<ul> direct, not trying to make something gentle, honest
even if it hurts</ul>
<li>practical joke</li>
<ul> "practical" because someone takes some action to
change the environment or life of another for fun or humor -- for instance,
you put salt in the sugar bowl -- funny to the person who plays the joke,
not to the one who eats the salt</ul>
<li>nuisance</li>
<ul> something that causes inconvenience, usually something
of no great importance -- she uses the word to make the problem seem smaller
that she really thinks it is
</ul>
<li>squatted</li>
<ul> bent his knees and sat upon his heels with only
his feet touching the ground -- as opposed to knelt when one or two knees
would be on the ground, or stood when the feet are on the ground but the
knees aren't bent -- a picture would be so much easier!
</ul>
<li>convulsive</li>
<ul> sudden and violent -- implies that emotion gave
her unusual strength</ul></font>
<center><a href="#Top" onMouseOver="img11top.src='arrowin.jpg'" onMouseOut="img11top.src='arrowout.jpg'"><img SRC="arrowout.jpg" NAME="img11top" BORDER=0 ></a></center>

</ul><a href="../dancingwav/5ldance.wav"><img SRC="../tingsmbl.gif" BORDER=0 ></a><font face="Verdana"><font color="#0000CC"><font size=+1><a href="../dancingwav/5ldance.wav">Section V</a></font></font></font>
<ul>
<font face="Verdana"><font color="#0000CC">
<li>mere</li>
<ul> small</ul>
<li>panel</li>
<ul> a section or part of the door, in China there are
often paintings on the panels</ul>
<li>skulking</li>
<ul> sneaking, watching secretly</ul>
<li>rascal</li>
<ul> a person engaged in undesirable behavior, we also
call children rascals when they misbehave, but when used in reference to
a child it implies that the child has no evil intent.&nbsp; In reference
to an adult it is assumed that the adult intends the bad behavior.</ul>
<li>shrubbery</li>
<ul> lines of bushes that surround houses</ul>
<li>preserved</li>
<ul> kept</ul>
<li>intricate</li>
<ul> detailed</ul>
<li>absorbed in</li>
<ul> concentrated on, focused on</ul>
<li>furrowed brow</li>
<ul> deep lines between the eye brows -- signal of thinking</ul>
<li>collection</li>
<ul> refers to the fact that Watson collects the stories
of Holmes' mysteries and publishes them</ul>
<li>pedestal</li>
<ul> the base or support on which the sun-dial stands,
most likely a column</ul>
<li>frieze</li>
<ul> a horizontal band of sculpted or painted decoration
-- refers to the line of dancing men</ul>
<li>sprang</li>
<ul> past tense of "to spring" -- to jump up</ul>
<li>haggard</li>
<ul> unattractively tired, showing signs of lots of work
and a lack of sleep/food</ul>
<li>web</li>
<ul> where the spider lives and traps food</ul></font>
<center><a href="#Top" onMouseOver="img10top.src='arrowin.jpg'" onMouseOut="img10top.src='arrowout.jpg'"><img SRC="arrowout.jpg" NAME="img10top" BORDER=0 ></a></center>

</ul><a href="../dancingwav/6ldance.wav"><img SRC="../tingsmbl.gif" BORDER=0 ></a><font face="Verdana"><font color="#0000CC"><font size=+1><a href="../dancingwav/6ldance.wav">Section VI</a></font></font></font>
<ul>
<font face="Verdana"><font color="#0000CC">

<li>bizarre</li>
<ul> strange, unusual</ul>
<li>alighted</li>
<ul> got off the train</ul>
<li>the gallows</li>
<ul> used to hang a person by a rope around their neck
-- usually for the crime of murder</ul>
<li>despondent</li>
<ul> lacking hope, in a state of despair</ul>
<li>melancholy</li>
<ul> deep sadness</ul>
<li>German Ocean</li>
<ul> Norfolk is on the east side of Britain -- the "German
Ocean" refers to the North Sea</ul>
<li>timber gables</li>
<ul> gables refers to the tips or peaks of a house, timber
gables means that the house was made of
<br>wood -- indicating that the owner was comfortable but not wealthy
</ul>
<li>porticoed</li>
<ul> having a small roof which comes out from the house
to cover the entry</ul>
<li>waxed moustache</li>
<ul> an old-fashioned method of wearing a moustache --
wax is combed into it to stiffen it so you can shape it -- often with curls
at the end of the points.&nbsp; A moustache refers to facial hair above
the lips.</ul>
<li>associate me in your investigation</li>
<ul> work with me as a partner</ul>
<li>pistol, revolver</li>
<ul> two words for hand gun</ul></font>
<center><a href="#Top" onMouseOver="img9top.src='arrowin.jpg'" onMouseOut="img9top.src='arrowout.jpg'"><img SRC="arrowout.jpg" NAME="img9top" BORDER=0 ></a></center>

</ul><a href="../dancingwav/7ldance.wav"><img SRC="../tingsmbl.gif" BORDER=0 ></a><font face="Verdana"><font color="#0000CC"><font size=+1><a href="../dancingwav/7ldance.wav">Section VII</a></font></font></font>
<ul>
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica"><font color="#0000CC">

<li>inexorable</li>
<ul> impossible to plead with -- means that his eyes
sought the truth and would not accept anything less -- they would not show
pity or be persuaded by a tearful story</ul>
<li>smell of powder</li>
<ul> gun powder has a very distinct and powerful smell</ul>
<li>instantaneous</li>
<ul> immediate</ul>
<li>powder-marking</li>
<ul> when you fire a gun, you get powder-marks on your
hands, when a gun is fired close to an object there are powder-marks close
to the bullet hole;&nbsp; therefore, Mr. Henry Cubitt had been shot from
a distance.
</ul></font>
<center><a href="#Top" onMouseOver="img8top.src='arrowin.jpg'" onMouseOut="img8top.src='arrowout.jpg'"><img SRC="arrowout.jpg" NAME="img8top" BORDER=0 ></a></center>

</ul><a href="../dancingwav/8ldance.wav"><img SRC="../tingsmbl.gif" BORDER=0 ></a><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica"><font color="#0000CC"><font size=+1><a href="../dancingwav/8ldance.wav">Section VIII</a></font></font></font>
<ul>
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica"><font color="#0000CC">

<li>draught (draft)</li>
<ul> breeze inside a room or house</ul>
<li>guttered</li>
<ul> when a candle burns in a draught (draft) the flame
opens a channel on one side and the wax pours down the side of the candle
unevenly</ul>
<li>Capital!</li>
<ul> a slang expression of pleased surprise -- old-fashioned</ul>
<li>splintering</li>
<ul> small, sharp pieces of wood sticking up around the
hole -- the direction and pattern would indicate the path of the bullet
</ul>
<li>trampled</li>
<ul> had been walked on in such a way to break the flowers
to the ground -- the word trample implies that no consideration or care
had been given -- we also use the word in the phrase "trample on someone's
feelings" meaning that one person acted without caring that another would
certainly be hurt
</ul>
<li>retriever</li>
<ul> a type of hunting dog used to find birds in the
weeds and bring them back</ul>
<li>disposition</li>
<ul> tendancy</ul></font>
<center><a href="#Top" onMouseOver="img7top.src='arrowin.jpg'" onMouseOut="img7top.src='arrowout.jpg'"><img SRC="arrowout.jpg" NAME="img7top" BORDER=0 ></a></center>

</ul><a href="../dancingwav/9ldance.wav"><img SRC="../tingsmbl.gif" BORDER=0 ></a><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica"><font color="#0000CC"><font size=+1><a href="../dancingwav/9ldance.wav">Section IX</a></font></font></font>
<ul>
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica"><font color="#0000CC">

<li>dispatched</li>
<ul> sent</ul>
<li>earnestness</li>
<ul> seriousness</ul>
<li>while away the time</li>
<ul> pass the time, wait, implies that there is nothing
to do and nothing to worry about</ul>
<li>antics</li>
<ul> playful behavior</ul>
<li>recapitulated</li>
<ul> summarized, went over, reviewed</ul>
<li>fore-runner</li>
<ul> something that comes before, a predictor</ul>
<li>trifling</li>
<ul> small and unimportant -- he uses it here as understatement
to show modesty</ul>
<li>monograph</li>
<ul> a paper written on a single focused topic (the prefix
mono- means "one", -graph means "write")</ul>
<li>cipher</li>
<ul> a code for communication</ul>
<li>predominate</li>
<ul> to be the strongest element or force</ul>
<li>hypothesis</li>
<ul> idea that needs to be tested</ul></font>
<center><a href="#Top" onMouseOver="img6top.src='arrowin.jpg'" onMouseOut="img6top.src='arrowout.jpg'"><img SRC="arrowout.jpg" NAME="img6top" BORDER=0 ></a></center>

</ul><a href="../dancingwav/10ldance.wav"><img SRC="../tingsmbl.gif" BORDER=0 ></a><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica"><font color="#0000CC"><font size=+1><a href="../dancingwav/10ldance.wav">Section X</a></font></font></font>
<ul>
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica"><font color="#0000CC">

<li>preponderance</li>
<ul> majority, dominance in frequency</ul>
<li>abreast</li>
<ul> equal in number or frequency</ul>
<li>latter</li>
<ul> the second of two things mentionned</ul>
<li>contraction</li>
<ul> shortening of a name or word</ul>
<li>allusion</li>
<ul> talking about in a vague way</ul>
<li>into her confidence</li>
<ul> to tell him the secret</ul>
<li>crook</li>
<ul> thief, dishonest person, criminal</ul></font>
<center><a href="#Top" onMouseOver="img5top.src='arrowin.jpg'" onMouseOut="img5top.src='arrowout.jpg'"><img SRC="arrowout.jpg" NAME="img5top" BORDER=0 ></a></center>

</ul><a href="../dancingwav/11ldance.wav"><img SRC="../tingsmbl.gif" BORDER=0 ></a><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica"><font color="#0000CC"><font size=+1><a href="../dancingwav/11ldance.wav">Section XI</a></font></font></font>
<ul>
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica"><font color="#0000CC">

<li>to frame a letter</li>
<ul> to structure or plan the wording for a specific
purpose</ul>
<li>bristling black beard</li>
<ul> the beard would cover most of his face and be very
uneven with hair going in every direction</ul>
<li>peal</li>
<ul> to ring (the bell)</ul>
<li>deftly</li>
<ul> quick skillfully, making a complicated movement
look easy
</ul>
<li>manacled</li>
<ul> in handcuffs</ul>
<li>despair</li>
<ul> no hope</ul>
<li>dogged</li>
<ul> refers to dogs being used to track people by scent</ul>

</ul><a href="../dancingwav/12ldance.wav"><img SRC="../tingsmbl.gif" BORDER=0 ></a><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica"><font color="#0000CC"><font size=+1><a href="../dancingwav/12ldance.wav">Section XII</a></font></font></font>
<ul>
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica"><font color="#0000CC">

<li>Joint</li>
<ul> American slang for a long-term prison</ul>
<li>on the cross</li>
<ul> American slang for "dishonest"</ul>
<li>heeled</li>
<ul> American slang for "carrying a gun"</ul>
<li>pulled off almost at the same instant</li>
<ul> American slang for "fired my gun at the same time"</ul>
<li>like a jay</li>
<ul> American slang for a person who comes with no suspicion
or defense -- refers to a bird which
<br>is very easy to catch</ul>
</ul><a href="../dancingwav/13ldance.wav"><img SRC="../tingsmbl.gif" BORDER=0 ></a><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica"><font color="#0000CC"><font size=+1><a href="../dancingwav/13ldance.wav">Section XIII</a></font></font></font>
<ul>
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica"><font color="#0000CC">

<li>epilogue</li>
<ul> conclusion to a story which sums up the story or tells what happened in the future -- in this case, it is used to explain the reasoning behind Holmes' conclusions. </ul>
<li>assizes</li>
<ul> a meeting of a court of law</ul>
<li>mitigating circumstances</li>
<ul> facts which help to explain a criminal act to make
it less serious -- if you steal bread to feed your children it is less
serious, since Slaney had not come with the intent to kill Cubitt it would
be unlikely that he would hang.&nbsp; Normally, since Cubitt had fired
the first shot, Slaney would not be guilty at all -- it would be called
self-defense.&nbsp; But since Cubitt was defending his wife and home, Slaney
could not plead self-defense, he was the initial aggressor.

</ul></ul></font>
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<p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica"><font size=-2>http://hua.umf.maine.edu/Chinese/games/stories/holmes/dancing/sndwrd.html<br>
Last update: September 2001
<br>&copy; Marilyn Shea, 2001</font></font>
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