"i had," said he, "come to an entirely erroneous conclusion which shows, my dear watson, how dangerous it always is to reason from insufficient data. the presence of the gipsies, and the use of the word ‘band,’ which was used by the poor girl, no doubt, to explain the appearance which she had caught a hurried glimpse of by the light of her match, were sufficient to put me upon an entirely wrong scent. i can only claim the merit that i instantly reconsidered my position when, however, it became clear to me that whatever danger threatened an occupant of the room could not come either from the window or the door.