the building was of grey, lichen-blotched stone, with a high central portion and two curving wings, like the claws of a crab, thrown out on each side. in one of these wings the windows were broken and blocked with wooden boards, while the roof was partly caved in, a picture of ruin. the central portion was in little better repair, but the right-hand block was comparatively modern, and the blinds in the windows, with the blue smoke curling up from the chimneys, showed that this was where the family resided. some scaffolding had been erected against the end wall, and the stone-work had been broken into, but there were no signs of any workmen at the moment of our visit. holmes walked slowly up and down the ill-trimmed lawn and examined with deep attention the outsides of the windows.