"You must not fear...we shall soon set matters right."
As Sherlock Holmes says this, it may cast a doubt over the reader's mind - if a character issues a statement proclaiming that things will turn out well, there is a concept that the opposite may happen instead. All this further adds to the need to read more, as the reader will now want to see if Holmes is indeed correct.
"The very horror of my situation lies in the fact that my fears are so vague, and my decisions depend entirely upon small points."
Miss Stoner declares this when asked about her problem, and her reply only enhances the mystery. The fact that she has no proof, nor any idea of what is actually going on means that anything could happen in the story.
"In a fit of anger...[Dr. Roylott] beat his native butler to death."
The character of Dr. Grimesby Roylott is introduced, and he is described as an angry, violent man - creating a significant element of danger about the situation. The idea that Sherlock Holmes may have met his match produces an unpredictability about the story, again making the reader want to continue and find out what happens.
"Your sister is dead, then?"
As the story now tells the reader that it contains death, it immediately adds interest - the person reading it can now identify the murder mystery the story is based on.
"...he was unable to find any satisfactory cause of death."
The fact that there is an unknown cause of death adds to the tension - it means that there is foul play involved in the story...and even more enigmatic, the idea that the cause of death has been unidentifiable.
"But what then, did the gipsies do?" "I cannot imagine."
Sherlock Holmes admitting he does not yet know the answer increases the suspense and mystery in the story, as the reader is expecting Holmes to know straight away.
"Lamb To The Slaughter" is written about a much shorter time span, and as such goes into a lot more detail about certains events - this builds the realism, which in turn increases the atmosphere and tension felt by the reader.
"...two lamps alight - hers and the one by the empty chair opposite."
The sentence uses no anaphoric reference - the reader, at his point, has no idea to whom "her" refers, and this immediately gives the scene a sense of mystery, building the atmosphere.
"...as he spoke, he did an unusual thing."
The idea that a character is performing differently to the way they normally do lets the reader know straight away that something is not right in the situation.
Both stories contain twists in them, which helps build the overall atmosphere and sense of mystery - they suggest that you may not know as much as you think.
In "The Speckled Band", the means of death is a snakebite. This is unexpected as no-one would randomly expect this to be used as a murder weapon. The author uses the situation well though - using the murderer's own weapon against him brings the story to a successful climax.
Thw twist in "Lamb To The Slaughter" also involves the murder weapon - in this case, the disposal of it. The author here also manages to end the story in a fitting manner, by having the investigating officers eat the murder weapon. The atmosphere and overall tone changes at the climax - from a serious murder story to a black comedy, using the line:
"Personally, I think it's right here on the premises." "Probably right here under our very noses."
The irony is that the men are being unknowingly correct - they are actually eating the leg of lamb used to kill one of their colleagues.
The two stories also differ in the way they use sympathy. In "The Speckled Band", the audience is supposed to express sympathy towards the victim, Helen Stoner, and is expected to be against the killer, Dr. Roylott. In "Lamb To The Slaughter", it is written so that it appears the killer is actually the true victim - that she was driven to killing her husband by the man himself.