Learning Paths
“THE
SHERLOCK HOLMES STRATEGY”
HERE
STARTS THE STORY … - STEP 5
THE
BASEMENT ROOM
When
the front door had shut the two of them out and the butler Baines had
turned back into the dark and heavy hall, Philip began to live.
He
stood in front of the nursery door, listening until he heard the engine of
the taxi die out along the street.
His
parents were safely gone for a fortnight’s holiday; he was “between
nurses”, one dismissed and the other not arrived; he was alone in the
great Belgravia house with Baines and Mrs Baines.
He
could go anywhere, even through the green baize door to the pantry or down
the stairs to the basement living-room. He felt a happy stranger in his
home because he could go into any room and all the rooms were empty.
·How
does Philip feel? Why “a happy stranger”?
·Is
his life going to be different now? Why?
·In
what sense are all the rooms “empty”?
·What
sort of story do you think it could be?
·What
could happen? How could the story end?
Now,
if you like, you can read a summary of the whole story and check your
speculations … by clicking
here.