A Scandal in Bohemia: Chapter 1, part 6

aɪ ˈkʊdn̩ ˈhelp ˈlɑːfɪŋ | ət ði ˈiːz wɪð ˈwɪʧ i ɪkˈspleɪnd | ɪz ˈprəʊses əv dɪˈdʌkʃn̩ || ˈwen aɪ ˈhɪə ju ˈɡɪv jɔː ˈriːzn̩z aɪ rɪˈmɑːkt | ðə ˈθɪŋ ˈɔːwɪz əˈpɪəz tə mi | tə bi ˈsəʊ rɪˈdɪkjələsli ˈsɪmpl̩ | ðət aɪ kəd ˈiːzɪli ˈduː ɪp maɪˈself | ðəʊ ət ˈiːʧ səkˈsesɪv ˈɪnstəns əv jɔː ˈriːznɪŋ | aɪm ˈbæfl̩d ənˈtɪl ju ɪkˈspleɪn jɔː ˈprəʊses || ən ˈjet aɪ bɪˈliːv | ðəp ˈmaɪ ˈaɪz | ər əz ˈɡʊd əz ˈjɔːz

ˈkwaɪt ˈsəʊ i ˈɑːnsəd | ˈlaɪtɪŋ ə ˈsɪɡəˈret | ən ˈθrəʊɪŋ ɪmself ˈdaʊn ɪntu ən ˈɑːmʧeə || ju ˈsiː | bəʧu du ˈnɒt əbˈzɜːv || ðə dɪˈstɪŋʃn̩z ˈkliə || fər ɪɡˈzɑːmpl̩ | juv ˈfriːkwəntli ˈsiːn ðə ˈsteps | wɪʧ ˈliːd ˈʌp frəm ðə ˈhɔːl | tə ðɪs ˈruːm

ˈfriːkwəntli

ˈhaʊ ˈɒfn̩

ˈwel ˈsʌm ˈhʌndrədz ə ˈtaɪmz

ðen ˈhaʊ ˈmeni ˈɑː ˈðeə

ˈhaʊ ˈmeni || aɪ də ˈnəʊ

ˈkwaɪt ˈsəʊ || juv ˈnɒt əbˈzɜːvd || ən ˈjeʧuv ˈsiːn || ˈðæts ˈʤʌs maɪ ˈpɔɪnt || naʊ ˈaɪ ˈnəʊ | ðət ðər ə ˈsevenˈtiːn ˈsteps | bəˈkəz aɪv ˈbəʊθ ˈsiːn | ˈænd əbˈzɜːvd || ˈbaɪ ðə ˈweɪ | ˈsɪns jɔːr ˈɪntrəstɪd ɪn ˈðiːz ˈlɪtl̩ ˈprɒbləmz | ən ˈsɪns jɔː ˈɡʊd ɪˈnʌf | tə ˈkrɒnəkl̩ ˈwʌn ə ˈtuː ə maɪ ˈtraɪflɪŋ ɪkˈspɪəriənsɪz | ju ˈmeɪ bi ˈɪntrəstɪd ɪn ˈðɪs || hi ˈθruː ˈəʊvər | ə ˈʃiːt əv ˈθɪk ˈpɪŋk ˈtɪntɪd ˈnəʊp ˈpeɪpə | wɪʧ əb biːn ˈlaɪɪŋ ˈəʊpən | əˈpɒn ðə ˈteɪbl̩ || ɪk ˈkeɪm baɪ ðə ˈlɑːs ˈpəʊs ˈsed ˈhiː || ˈriːd ɪt əˈlaʊd

I could not help laughing at the ease with which he explained his process of deduction. “When I hear you give your reasons,” I remarked, “the thing always appears to me to be so ridiculously simple that I could easily do it myself, though at each successive instance of your reasoning I am baffled until you explain your process. And yet I believe that my eyes are as good as yours.”

“Quite so,” he answered, lighting a cigarette, and throwing himself down into an armchair. “You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is clear. For example, you have frequently seen the steps which lead up from the hall to this room.”

“Frequently.”

“How often?”

“Well, some hundreds of times.”

“Then how many are there?”

“How many? I don't know.”

“Quite so! You have not observed. And yet you have seen. That is just my point. Now, I know that there are seventeen steps, because I have both seen and observed. By-the-way, since you are interested in these little problems, and since you are good enough to chronicle one or two of my trifling experiences, you may be interested in this.” He threw over a sheet of thick, pink-tinted note-paper which had been lying open upon the table. “It came by the last post,” said he. “Read it aloud.”