The murder victim in this story, Julia Stoner was the twin sister of Helen Stoner. She was killed in the middle of the night in her bedroom at the Stoke Moran Manor by a poisonous swamp adder snake. The snake was trained by her stepfather, Dr. Roylott, who lived in the neighboring bedroom. At the time of her death, Julia was engaged to be married to a major of the marines, and her marriage would have meant that she would receive a portion of the recurring annual inheritance that was set up to go to Roylott before her mother’s death. Her final words—“It was the band! The speckled band!”—are what give the story both its title and its central mystery.
Julia Stoner Quotes in The Adventure of the Speckled Band
The The Adventure of the Speckled Band quotes below are all either spoken by Julia Stoner or refer to Julia Stoner. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Dover Trade Editions edition of The Adventure of the Speckled Band published in 1986.
The Adventure of the Speckled Band
Quotes
“Tell me, Helen,” said she, “have you ever heard anyone whistle in the dead of the night?”
Related Characters:
Julia Stoner (speaker), Helen Stoner
Related Symbols:
Swamp Adder
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
At first I thought that she had not recognised me, but as I bent over her she suddenly shrieked out in a voice which I shall never forget, “Oh, my God! Helen! It was the band! The speckled band!”
Related Characters:
Helen Stoner (speaker), Julia Stoner
Related Symbols:
Swamp Adder
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Speckled Band LitChart as a printable PDF.
Julia Stoner Character Timeline in The Adventure of the Speckled Band
The timeline below shows where the character Julia Stoner appears in The Adventure of the Speckled Band. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
The Adventure of the Speckled Band
...a sizable inheritance to Roylott, with a stipulation that should Helen or her twin sister Julia get married, they would receive an annual income from it.
(full context)
...in London but gave up after some time and moved back, along with Helen and Julia, to the decaying Stoke Moran Manor.
(full context)
...Holmes and Watson, her sister got engaged. Roylott had no objection to the marriage, but Julia died under mysterious circumstances shortly before her set wedding date.
(full context)
Helen then tells the detectives about the incidents leading up to Julia’s strange death. She describes the layout of the building: Roylott, Julia, and Helen all lived...
(full context)
One night, disturbed by the smell of Roylott’s Indian cigar smoke in her room, Julia went to Helen’s room to chat about her approaching wedding. As she left, Julia asked...
(full context)
Helen and Julia always locked themselves in at night, and the sisters’ bedroom windows, which open to the...
(full context)
One night shortly before Julia’s wedding, Helen heard a scream coming from her sister’s bedroom. As she entered the corridor,...
(full context)
...markings on her body, and the fact that the windows and door were locked up, Julia’s death is a mystery to Helen. She tells Holmes that she assumed the “speckled band”...
(full context)
Not long after switching rooms, Helen began to hear the same low whistling sound that Julia had described. Thoroughly disturbed, she decided to make the long trek to London to see...
(full context)
...outside and determine that the shutters are essentially impenetrable. Inside the manor, they go to Julia’s former room, where Holmes examines every surface and notices that the bed is bolted to...
(full context)
...front of them. Once the animal passes by, they slip off their shoes, secretly enter Julia’s former bedroom and close the windows.
(full context)