A Scandal in Bohemia, Chapter 2, part 5

aɪ wəz ˈstɪl ˈbælənsɪŋ ðə ˈmætər ɪm maɪ ˈmaɪnd | wen ə ˈhænsm̩ ˈkæb | ˈdrəʊv ˈʌp tə ˈbraɪəni ˈlɒʤ | ən ə ˈʤentl̩mən ˈspræŋ ˈaʊt || hi wəz ə rɪˈmɑːkəbli ˈhænsm̩ ˈmæn | ˈdɑːk | ˈækwəlaɪn | əm məˈstɑːʃt | ˈevədəntli | ðə ˈmæn əv ˈhuːm aɪd ˈhɜːd || hi əˈpɪəd tə ˈbiː | ɪn ə ˈɡreɪt ˈhʌri | ˈʃaʊtɪd ət ðə ˈkæbmən tə ˈweɪt | əm ˈbrʌʃ ˈpɑːs ðə ˈmeɪd u ˈəʊpən ðə ˈdɔː | wɪð ði ˈeər əv ə ˈmæn | u wəz ˈθʌrəli ət ˈhəʊm

hi wəz ˈɪn ðə ˈhaʊs | əbaʊt ˈhɑːf ən ˈaʊə | ən aɪ kəɡ ˈkæʧ ˈɡlɪmpsɪz ˈɒv ɪm | ɪn ðə ˈwɪndəʊz ə ðə ˈsɪtɪŋ ˈruːm | ˈpeɪsɪŋ ˈʌp ən ˈdaʊn | ˈtɔːkɪŋ ɪkˈsaɪtɪdli | ən ˈweɪvɪŋ ɪz ˈɑːmz || əv ˈhɜː | aɪ kəd ˈsiː ˈnʌθɪŋ | ˈprezn̩tli | hi əˈmɜːʤd ˈlʊkɪŋ ˈiːvm̩ ˈmɔː ˈflʌrid | ðəm bəˈfɔː || ˈæz i ˈstept ˈʌp tə ðə ˈkæb | hi ˈpʊld ə ˈɡəʊl ˈwɒʧ frəm ɪz ˈpɒkɪt | ən ˈlʊkt ət ɪt ˈɜːnəsli | ˈdraɪv laɪk ˈhel i ˈʃaʊtɪd | ˈfɜːs tə ˈɡrəʊs ən ˈhæŋkiz | ɪn ˈriːʤənt ˈstriːt | ən ˈðen tə ðə ˈʧɜːʧ ə sm̩p ˈmɒnɪkər | ɪn ði ˈeʤweə ˈrəʊd || ˈhɑːf ə ˈɡɪni | ɪf ju ˈduː ɪt ɪn ˈtweni ˈmɪnɪts

əˈweɪ ðeɪ ˈwent | ən aɪ wəz ˈʤʌs ˈwʌndrɪŋ | ˈweðər aɪ ˈʃʊdn̩ ˈduː ˈwel tə ˈfɒləʊ ðəm | wen ˈʌp ðə ˈleɪŋ | ˈkeɪm ə ˈniːt ˈlɪtl̩ ˈlændɔː | ðə ˈkəʊʧmən wɪð ɪz ˈkəʊt əʊnli ˈhɑːf ˈbʌtn̩d | ən ɪz ˈtaɪ ˈʌndər ɪz ˈɪə | waɪl ˈɔːl ðə ˈtæɡz əv ɪz ˈhɑːnɪs | wə ˈstɪkɪŋ ˈaʊt ə ðə ˈbʌkl̩z || ɪt ˈhæbm̩ ˈpʊld ˈʌp | bəˈfɔː ʃi ˈʃɒt aʊt ə ðə ˈhɔːl ˈdɔːr | ən ˈɪntu ɪt || aɪ ˈəʊnli ˈkɔːt ə ˈɡlɪmps əv ər | ət ðə ˈməʊmənt | bət ʃi wəz ə ˈlʌvli ˈwʊmən | wɪð ə ˈfeɪs ðət ə ˈmæm ˈmaɪt ˈdaɪ ˈfɔː

ðə ˈʧɜːʧ ə sm̩p ˈmɒnɪkə ˈʤɒn ʃi ˈkraɪd | ən ˈhɑːf ə ˈsɒvrɪn | ɪf ju ˈriːʧ ɪt ɪn ˈtwenti ˈmɪnɪts

ˈðɪs wəz ˈkwaɪt ˈtuː ˈɡʊd tə ˈluːz ˈwɒtsn̩ | aɪ wəz ˈʤʌs ˈbælənsɪŋ | ˈweðər aɪ ʃəd ˈrʌn fər ɪt | ɔː ˈweðər aɪ ʃəb ˈpɜːʧ bəˈhaɪnd ɜː ˈlændɔː | wen ə ˈkæb ˈkeɪm θruː ðə ˈstriːt || ðə ˈdraɪvə ˈlʊk ˈtwaɪs | ət ˈsʌʧ ə ˈʃæbi ˈfeə | bət aɪ ˈʤʌmt ˈɪn | bəˈfɔːr i kəd əbˈʤekt || ðə ˈʧɜːʧ ə sm̩p ˈmɒnɪkə ˈsed ˈaɪ | ən ˈhɑːf ə ˈsɒvrɪn | ɪf ju ˈriːʧ ɪt ɪn ˈtweni ˈmɪnɪts || ɪt wəz ˈtweni ˈfaɪv ˈmɪnɪts tə ˈtwelv | ən əv ˈkɔːs ɪt wəz ˈklɪər əˈnʌf | ˈwɒt wəz ˈɪn ðə ˈwɪnd

“I was still balancing the matter in my mind when a hansom cab drove up to Briony Lodge, and a gentleman sprang out. He was a remarkably handsome man, dark, aquiline, and moustached—evidently the man of whom I had heard. He appeared to be in a great hurry, shouted to the cabman to wait, and brushed past the maid who opened the door with the air of a man who was thoroughly at home.

“He was in the house about half an hour, and I could catch glimpses of him in the windows of the sitting-room, pacing up and down, talking excitedly, and waving his arms. Of her I could see nothing. Presently he emerged, looking even more flurried than before. As he stepped up to the cab, he pulled a gold watch from his pocket and looked at it earnestly, ‘Drive like the devil,’ he shouted, ‘first to Gross & Hankey's in Regent Street, and then to the Church of St. Monica in the Edgeware Road. Half a guinea if you do it in twenty minutes!’

“Away they went, and I was just wondering whether I should not do well to follow them when up the lane came a neat little landau, the coachman with his coat only half-buttoned, and his tie under his ear, while all the tags of his harness were sticking out of the buckles. It hadn't pulled up before she shot out of the hall door and into it. I only caught a glimpse of her at the moment, but she was a lovely woman, with a face that a man might die for.

“‘The Church of St. Monica, John,’ she cried, ‘and half a sovereign if you reach it in twenty minutes.’

“This was quite too good to lose, Watson. I was just balancing whether I should run for it, or whether I should perch behind her landau when a cab came through the street. The driver looked twice at such a shabby fare, but I jumped in before he could object. ‘The Church of St. Monica,’ said I, ‘and half a sovereign if you reach it in twenty minutes.’ It was twenty-five minutes to twelve, and of course it was clear enough what was in the wind.