"Well, Doctor, it seems that I shall have the honour of providing you with more material with which you may exaggerate and glorify my most elementary deductions. What do you make of this?" Holmes hands you a piece of paper.

>READ THE PAPER
"A thorny problem, a maiden's name,
A cheeky colour, 'tis all the same.
In Lavenshire he's heard of sheep.
A stone's throw away fore'er you'll sleep."

Holmes hands you your hat and coat and ushers you outside. "Let us go to Lavenshire at once. Here's the train schedule," he says, pressing it into your hand. "Lead the way, Watson, so that I may reflect upon the riddle." Holmes furrows his brow and half closes his eyes in concentration.

221B Baker Street
You are standing outside Holmes's residence on Baker Street. The door to the house is to the west. The street continues north and south. Holmes stands nearby, deep in thought.

>INVENTORY
You are carrying a whistle, a train schedule, a riddle, a pound note, a shilling, and your hat and coat.

The cool damp air makes your bones shiver.

>LOOK AT THE TRAIN SCHEDULE

MORNING DEPARTURES FROM VICTORIA STATION

Leaving
Victoria
Station Arriving (Place & Time)

6:40 Wellfleet 7:20, Muttontown 7:40, Simpson 9:00, Leominster 9:20,
Pallis 9:45, Everett 10:15

9:55 Herringdale 10:25, Elmsford 10:40, Lavenshire 11:00,
Farmington 11:20, Great Meadows 11:45, Cotsworth 12:10

11:20 South Torrington 11:40, North Torrington 11:55, Bateshire 12:20,
Gladtree 12:45, The Firs 1:05

Save sixpence - Buy your ticket in advance from the Stationmaster. Schedule subject to change without notice.

The cool damp air makes your bones shiver again.

>TIME
It is 9:45 a.m. [In "The Riddle of the Crown Jewels", the date and the time of day in the story are always displayed at the top of your screen, so you don't actually need to type TIME when you play.]

Your teeth are beginning to chatter from the cold.

>PUT ON THE COAT
You put on the coat and immediately feel a little more comfortable.

>BLOW THE WHISTLE
Tweeeeee!

>WEAR HAT
You don your hat and immediately feel much more comfortable.

A growler cab pulls up beside you.

>GET IN THE CAB

You get into the cab. Holmes climbs in next to you.

"Where to, guv'nor?" asks the cabbie.

>VICTORIA STATION
"Victoria Station it is, guv'nor." The cab deftly maneuvres through the narrow twisty streets. After awhile, the cab stops in front of Victoria Station.

>GET OUT OF THE CAB
You get out of the cab, and Holmes follows you. The cab drives away and disappears.

Outside Victoria Station
The entrance to Victoria Station is to the east. Streets lead off to the north, south, and southwest.

>GO EAST
Victoria Station
This large train station is usually a hubbub of activity. At the moment, however, the platform is deserted, and the tracks are empty.

>TIME
It is 10:00.

Holmes snaps out of his trance-like concentration and looks around. He sighs, smiles wanly, and says kindly, "My dear Watson, it seems we have missed the train to Lavenshire. No train, no case; and no case, no story for you. The next time you use your whistle, blow it twice, and a hansom cab shall arrive. Hansom cabs are vastly more reliable than growlers, and they are hardly any less comfortable."

>I
You are carrying a whistle, a train schedule, a riddle, a pound note, and a shilling. You are wearing your hat and coat.

>TURN OVER THE TRAIN SCHEDULE. READ IT
You turn over the train schedule.

MORNING DEPARTURES FROM KING'S CROSS STATION

Leaving
King's Cross
Station Arriving (Place & Time)

7:15 Hartley 7:35, Reeve 7:50, Cushing 8:10, Upper Tadworth 8:30,
Tadworth 8:45, Selfridge 9:10

10:40 Bellingdon 11:05, Westwood 11:20, Lavenshire 11:40,
Farmington 11:55, Great Meadows 12:25, Cotsworth 1:10

11:40 Galley Hill 12:00, Richmond 12:15, Sutton Green 12:35,
Plainview 12:55, Elk's Way 1:20, Upton 1:40

Save sixpence - Buy your ticket in advance from the Stationmaster. Schedule subject to change without notice.

>W
Outside Victoria Station
Holmes ambles along behind you, shaking his head.

>BLOW THE WHISTLE
Tweeeeee!

>AGAIN
Tweeeeee!

Holmes looks at you expectantly.

>LOOK AT HOLMES
Holmes is wearing his cape and deerstalker cap. He is watching you carefully, as if he expects you to surprise him.

A hansom cab pulls up beside you.

>GET IN HANSOM CAB
You get into the cab. Holmes seats himself next to you.

"Where to, guv'nor?" asks the driver.

>KING'S CROSS STATION
"King's Cross Station it is, then," says the driver. You are thrown to the back of your seat as the cab races through the streets, and moments later, you find yourself outside King's Cross Station.

Holmes is clearly pleased. "Good show, Watson! We'll get to Lavenshire yet." He immediately furrows his brow again and thinks of the case that lies ahead, meditating with such concentration that he appears to be in a near-hypnotic state.

>GET OUT OF THE CAB
You get out of the cab, and Holmes follows. The cab drives away and disappears.

Outside King's Cross Station
Streets head off to the east and west, and the entrance to King's Cross Station lies to the north. Across the street to the south, an old woman with a pushcart sells flowers.

>TIME
It is 10:25.

>S
Holmes follows you across the street.

By the Pushcart
A dirty woman dressed in all grey stands here next to her wooden pushcart, which is full of bright and beautiful flowers. "Buy some flowers, gentlemen? For your wives or lady friends?"

>LOOK AT THE FLOWERS
The pushcart is covered with carnations, roses, tulips, verbena, irises, lobelia, chrysanthemums, and daisies.

>BUY ROSES
"Ah, lovely, lovely. That'll be two shillings for a dozen, then."

Holmes nods at you appreciatively. "'A thorny problem, a maiden's name, a cheeky colour, 'tis all the same.' Roses! Good show, Watson!"

>HAGGLE WITH THE WOMAN
The old woman frowns. "But sir, these roses are good enough for the Queen herself. All right, then, one shilling six."

>AGAIN
"But sir, look at the colour, the rich ruby red. Look at the stems, sir, long, beautiful, tapered stems. The finest roses in all of England, and you, a gentleman, want to steal them from me? Impossible, sir, impossible for me to settle for anything less than a shilling."

>GIVE SHILLING TO WOMAN
The woman takes the coin, shoving it into the folds of her clothing, then hands you a dozen roses. "Anything for you, sir?" she asks Holmes. But Holmes, again lost in thought, does not reply.

>N.N
Holmes follows you across the street.

Outside King's Cross Station

Holmes follows you into the station.

King's Cross Station
Unlike Victoria Station at this hour, King's Cross Station is bustling with activity. To the west, a train on the platform hisses impatiently as porters assist passengers and load baggage. Families give their tearful farewells to loved ones, and children run amid the crowds and columns. Beggars shake their tin cups at top-hatted gentlemen and perfumed ladies. At the northern end of the platform, a uniformed stationmaster watches over all, occasionally checking the watch he holds in his hand. The station may be exited to the south.

>TIME
It is 10:35.

>GO NORTH

Holmes follows you.

End of Platform
The platform is less crowded here. The stationmaster barely glances at you, then looks at his watch and studies the pandemonium behind you.

>BUY TWO TICKETS TO LAVENSHIRE
The stationmaster pulls a large pad from a deep pocket, rips two tickets from it, and with an efficiency acquired from years of practice, punches them to show date, point of departure, destination, and price. He hands you the tickets and says, "One pound, sir."

>GIVE POUND NOTE TO THE STATION MASTER
"Thank you, sir."

>BOARD THE TRAIN
You find an empty compartment toward the front of the train, and you and Holmes settle yourselves. Holmes is still lost deep in thought.

Train Berth
You are sitting in a small but comfortable berth. You may exit the train via the door to the east, or enter the train's corridor to the west. Holmes sits opposite you, his eyes now completely shut in intense concentration.

Outside you hear the stationmaster shout "All aboard!"

>WAIT UNTIL 11:40
Time passes ...

The train pulls out of the station.

A conductor enters the berth, checks your tickets, and leaves.

Time passes ...

The train slows down and pulls into a station. A voice outside shouts "Bellingdon!"
Do you wish to keep waiting? >Y

Outside you hear a voice shout "All aboard!" Moments later, the train pulls out of the station.

Time passes ...

The train slows down and pulls into a station. A voice outside yells "Westwood!"
Do you wish to keep waiting? >Y

Outside you hear a voice shout "All aboard!" Moments later, the train pulls out of the station.

Time passes ...

The train slows down and pulls into a station. A voice outside yells "Lavenshire!"

It is now 11:40.

>WEST
You step out of the train, and Holmes follows you.

Lavenshire Station
The air here, as anywhere in the English countryside, seems remarkably pure compared to London's. A stationmaster, somewhat older and frailer than the one at King's Cross, stands lookout to the north. The train hisses on the western track. The station may be exited to the south.

>S
Holmes follows you outside the station.

Outside Lavenshire Station
You are in the quiet English countryside. The Lavenshire train station lies to the north, and a small road runs east to west. A bearded shepherd stands alone nearby, holding his staff.

Holmes whispers to you, "Odd, is it not, Watson, that the shepherd has no flock? Perhaps 'heard of sheep' is our punster's way of referring to a shepherd. Perhaps this fellow might provide us with some guidance."

>I
You are carrying a whistle, a train schedule, a riddle, a dozen roses, and two train tickets. You are wearing your hat and coat.

>SHOW THE RIDDLE TO THE SHEPHERD
Warily, the shepherd looks at the riddle. As he reads it, his eyes grow wide and his face turns white. Then he notices what you're carrying. "Blood-red roses!" he croaks. He drops his staff, clutches his heart, and cries "Moriarty! He swore he's find me!" Then he falls to the ground.

>LOOK AT THE SHEPHERD
He is quite dead of fright, his face twisted grotesquely. His left hand clutches a small stone.

>TAKE THE SMALL STONE
You pry the stone from the dead man's grip.

>LOOK AT IT
The stone has a small symbol scratched onto its surface.

>GIVE THE STONE TO HOLMES
Holmes studies the stone with his magnifying glass for a few seconds, then stares intensely at the horizon. "Watson, we are in great danger. I have been a fool, and this man is dead because of it. Come! We haven't a moment to lose!" Holmes dashes down the road to the east.