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The Adventure of the Dancing Men

The Adventure of the Dancing Men


Written by: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Read by: David Ian Davies

Type: Audio Book; Unabridged
Download Format: m4b AudioBook

File Size: 24 Mb
Length: 49 min


The Dancing Men by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle audio book

The sudden appearance of a line of childishly drawn dancing men raises fears in Mr. Hilton Cubitt, of Riding Thorpe Manor, Norfolk, and then in Holmes, that something in his loving wife's unknown past may portend danger. This unabridged and dramatic story, one of Arthur Conan Doyle's personal favorites, is performed by one of entertainment's finest stage and voice actors: Mr. David Ian Davies.


The little dancing men are at the heart of a mystery which seems to be driving his young wife Elsie to distraction. He married her about a year ago, and until recently, everything was well. She is American, and before the wedding, she asked her husband-to-be to promise her never to ask about her past, as she had had some “very disagreeable associations” in her life, although she said that there was nothing that she was personally ashamed of. Mr. Cubitt swore the promise and, being an honourable English gentleman, insists on living by it, which is one of the things causing difficulty at Ridling Thorpe Manor.

The trouble began when Elsie received a letter from the United States, which evidently disturbed her, and she threw the letter on the fire. Then the dancing men appeared, sometimes on a piece of paper left on the sundial overnight, sometimes scrawled in chalk on a wall or door, even a windowsill. Each time, their appearance has an obvious, terrifying effect on Elsie, but she will not tell her husband what is going on.

Holmes tells Cubitt that he wants to see every occurrence of the dancing men. They are to be copied down and brought or sent to him at 221B Baker Street. Cubitt duly does this, and it provides Holmes with the most important clue in the mystery.

The Adventure of the Dancing Men, one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by the British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as The Return of Sherlock Holmes.


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The Dancing Men by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle audio book

The sudden appearance of a line of childishly drawn dancing men raises fears in Mr. Hilton Cubitt, of Riding Thorpe Manor, Norfolk, and then in Holmes, that something in his loving wife's unknown past may portend danger. This unabridged and dramatic story, one of Arthur Conan Doyle's personal favorites, is performed by one of entertainment's finest stage and voice actors: Mr. David Ian Davies.


The little dancing men are at the heart of a mystery which seems to be driving his young wife Elsie to distraction. He married her about a year ago, and until recently, everything was well. She is American, and before the wedding, she asked her husband-to-be to promise her never to ask about her past, as she had had some “very disagreeable associations” in her life, although she said that there was nothing that she was personally ashamed of. Mr. Cubitt swore the promise and, being an honourable English gentleman, insists on living by it, which is one of the things causing difficulty at Ridling Thorpe Manor.

The trouble began when Elsie received a letter from the United States, which evidently disturbed her, and she threw the letter on the fire. Then the dancing men appeared, sometimes on a piece of paper left on the sundial overnight, sometimes scrawled in chalk on a wall or door, even a windowsill. Each time, their appearance has an obvious, terrifying effect on Elsie, but she will not tell her husband what is going on.

Holmes tells Cubitt that he wants to see every occurrence of the dancing men. They are to be copied down and brought or sent to him at 221B Baker Street. Cubitt duly does this, and it provides Holmes with the most important clue in the mystery.

The Adventure of the Dancing Men, one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by the British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as The Return of Sherlock Holmes.


Click here to see more from This Presenter


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