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diff --git a/old/2852.txt b/old/2852.txt deleted file mode 100644 index e21a9e8..0000000 --- a/old/2852.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7223 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Hound of the Baskervilles, by A. Conan Doyle - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Hound of the Baskervilles - -Author: A. Conan Doyle - -Posting Date: December 8, 2008 [EBook #2852] -Release Date: October, 2001 - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES *** - - - - -Produced by Shreevatsa R - - - - - -THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES - -By A. Conan Doyle - - - - -Chapter 1. Mr. Sherlock Holmes - - - -Mr. Sherlock Holmes, who was usually very late in the mornings, save -upon those not infrequent occasions when he was up all night, was seated -at the breakfast table. I stood upon the hearth-rug and picked up the -stick which our visitor had left behind him the night before. It was a -fine, thick piece of wood, bulbous-headed, of the sort which is known as -a "Penang lawyer." Just under the head was a broad silver band nearly -an inch across. "To James Mortimer, M.R.C.S., from his friends of the -C.C.H.," was engraved upon it, with the date "1884." It was just such a -stick as the old-fashioned family practitioner used to carry--dignified, -solid, and reassuring. - -"Well, Watson, what do you make of it?" - -Holmes was sitting with his back to me, and I had given him no sign of -my occupation. - -"How did you know what I was doing? I believe you have eyes in the back -of your head." - -"I have, at least, a well-polished, silver-plated coffee-pot in front of -me," said he. "But, tell me, Watson, what do you make of our visitor's -stick? Since we have been so unfortunate as to miss him and have no -notion of his errand, this accidental souvenir becomes of importance. -Let me hear you reconstruct the man by an examination of it." - -"I think," said I, following as far as I could the methods of my -companion, "that Dr. Mortimer is a successful, elderly medical man, -well-esteemed since those who know him give him this mark of their -appreciation." - -"Good!" said Holmes. "Excellent!" - -"I think also that the probability is in favour of his being a country -practitioner who does a great deal of his visiting on foot." - -"Why so?" - -"Because this stick, though originally a very handsome one has been so -knocked about that I can hardly imagine a town practitioner carrying it. -The thick-iron ferrule is worn down, so it is evident that he has done a -great amount of walking with it." - -"Perfectly sound!" said Holmes. - -"And then again, there is the 'friends of the C.C.H.' I should guess -that to be the Something Hunt, the local hunt to whose members he has -possibly given some surgical assistance, and which has made him a small -presentation in return." - -"Really, Watson, you excel yourself," said Holmes, pushing back his -chair and lighting a cigarette. "I am bound to say that in all the -accounts which you have been so good as to give of my own small -achievements you have habitually underrated your own abilities. It may -be that you are not yourself luminous, but you are a conductor of -light. Some people without possessing genius have a remarkable power of -stimulating it. I confess, my dear fellow, that I am very much in your -debt." - -He had never said as much before, and I must admit that his words gave -me keen pleasure, for I had often been piqued by his indifference to my -admiration and to the attempts which I had made to give publicity to -his methods. I was proud, too, to think that I had so far mastered his -system as to apply it in a way which earned his approval. He now took -the stick from my hands and examined it for a few minutes with his naked -eyes. Then with an expression of interest he laid down his cigarette, -and carrying the cane to the window, he looked over it again with a -convex lens. - -"Interesting, though elementary," said he as he returned to his -favourite corner of the settee. "There are certainly one or two -indications upon the stick. It gives us the basis for several -deductions." - -"Has anything escaped me?" I asked with some self-importance. "I trust -that there is nothing of consequence which I have overlooked?" - -"I am afraid, my dear Watson, that most of your conclusions were -erroneous. When I said that you stimulated me I meant, to be frank, that -in noting your fallacies I was occasionally guided towards the truth. -Not that you are entirely wrong in this instance. The man is certainly a -country practitioner. And he walks a good deal." - -"Then I was right." - -"To that extent." - -"But that was all." - -"No, no, my dear Watson, not all--by no means all. I would suggest, for -example, that a presentation to a doctor is more likely to come from a -hospital than from a hunt, and that when the initials 'C.C.' are placed -before that hospital the words 'Charing Cross' very naturally suggest -themselves." - -"You may be right." - -"The probability lies in that direction. And if we take this as a -working hypothesis we have a fresh basis from which to start our -construction of this unknown visitor." - -"Well, then, supposing that 'C.C.H.' does stand for 'Charing Cross -Hospital,' what further inferences may we draw?" - -"Do none suggest themselves? You know my methods. Apply them!" - -"I can only think of the obvious conclusion that the man has practised -in town before going to the country." - -"I think that we might venture a little farther than this. Look at it -in this light. On what occasion would it be most probable that such a -presentation would be made? When would his friends unite to give him -a pledge of their good will? Obviously at the moment when Dr. Mortimer -withdrew from the service of the hospital in order to start a practice -for himself. We know there has been a presentation. We believe there has -been a change from a town hospital to a country practice. Is it, then, -stretching our inference too far to say that the presentation was on the -occasion of the change?" - -"It certainly seems probable." - -"Now, you will observe that he could not have been on the staff of the -hospital, since only a man well-established in a London practice could -hold such a position, and such a one would not drift into the country. -What was he, then? If he was in the hospital and yet not on the staff he -could only have been a house-surgeon or a house-physician--little more -than a senior student. And he left five years ago--the date is on the -stick. So your grave, middle-aged family practitioner vanishes into -thin air, my dear Watson, and there emerges a young fellow under thirty, -amiable, unambitious, absent-minded, and the possessor of a favourite -dog, which I should describe roughly as being larger than a terrier and -smaller than a mastiff." - -I laughed incredulously as Sherlock Holmes leaned back in his settee and -blew little wavering rings of smoke up to the ceiling. - -"As to the latter part, I have no means of checking you," said I, "but -at least it is not difficult to find out a few particulars about the -man's age and professional career." From my small medical shelf I took -down the Medical Directory and turned up the name. There were several -Mortimers, but only one who could be our visitor. I read his record -aloud. - - "Mortimer, James, M.R.C.S., 1882, Grimpen, Dartmoor, Devon. - House-surgeon, from 1882 to 1884, at Charing Cross Hospital. - Winner of the Jackson prize for Comparative Pathology, - with essay entitled 'Is Disease a Reversion?' Corresponding - member of the Swedish Pathological Society. Author of - 'Some Freaks of Atavism' (Lancet 1882). 'Do We Progress?' - (Journal of Psychology, March, 1883). Medical Officer - for the parishes of Grimpen, Thorsley, and High Barrow." - -"No mention of that local hunt, Watson," said Holmes with a mischievous -smile, "but a country doctor, as you very astutely observed. I think -that I am fairly justified in my inferences. As to the adjectives, I -said, if I remember right, amiable, unambitious, and absent-minded. -It is my experience that it is only an amiable man in this world who -receives testimonials, only an unambitious one who abandons a London -career for the country, and only an absent-minded one who leaves his -stick and not his visiting-card after waiting an hour in your room." - -"And the dog?" - -"Has been in the habit of carrying this stick behind his master. Being a -heavy stick the dog has held it tightly by the middle, and the marks of -his teeth are very plainly visible. The dog's jaw, as shown in the space -between these marks, is too broad in my opinion for a terrier and not -broad enough for a mastiff. It may have been--yes, by Jove, it is a -curly-haired spaniel." - -He had risen and paced the room as he spoke. Now he halted in the recess -of the window. There was such a ring of conviction in his voice that I -glanced up in surprise. - -"My dear fellow, how can you possibly be so sure of that?" - -"For the very simple reason that I see the dog himself on our very -door-step, and there is the ring of its owner. Don't move, I beg you, -Watson. He is a professional brother of yours, and your presence may be -of assistance to me. Now is the dramatic moment of fate, Watson, when -you hear a step upon the stair which is walking into your life, and you -know not whether for good or ill. What does Dr. James Mortimer, the man -of science, ask of Sherlock Holmes, the specialist in crime? Come in!" - -The appearance of our visitor was a surprise to me, since I had expected -a typical country practitioner. He was a very tall, thin man, with a -long nose like a beak, which jutted out between two keen, gray eyes, -set closely together and sparkling brightly from behind a pair of -gold-rimmed glasses. He was clad in a professional but rather slovenly -fashion, for his frock-coat was dingy and his trousers frayed. Though -young, his long back was already bowed, and he walked with a forward -thrust of his head and a general air of peering benevolence. As he -entered his eyes fell upon the stick in Holmes's hand, and he ran -towards it with an exclamation of joy. "I am so very glad," said he. -"I was not sure whether I had left it here or in the Shipping Office. I -would not lose that stick for the world." - -"A presentation, I see," said Holmes. - -"Yes, sir." - -"From Charing Cross Hospital?" - -"From one or two friends there on the occasion of my marriage." - -"Dear, dear, that's bad!" said Holmes, shaking his head. - -Dr. Mortimer blinked through his glasses in mild astonishment. "Why was -it bad?" - -"Only that you have disarranged our little deductions. Your marriage, -you say?" - -"Yes, sir. I married, and so left the hospital, and with it all hopes of -a consulting practice. It was necessary to make a home of my own." - -"Come, come, we are not so far wrong, after all," said Holmes. "And now, -Dr. James Mortimer--" - -"Mister, sir, Mister--a humble M.R.C.S." - -"And a man of precise mind, evidently." - -"A dabbler in science, Mr. Holmes, a picker up of shells on the shores -of the great unknown ocean. I presume that it is Mr. Sherlock Holmes -whom I am addressing and not--" - -"No, this is my friend Dr. Watson." - -"Glad to meet you, sir. I have heard your name mentioned in connection -with that of your friend. You interest me very much, Mr. Holmes. I -had hardly expected so dolichocephalic a skull or such well-marked -supra-orbital development. Would you have any objection to my running my -finger along your parietal fissure? A cast of your skull, sir, until -the original is available, would be an ornament to any anthropological -museum. It is not my intention to be fulsome, but I confess that I covet -your skull." - -Sherlock Holmes waved our strange visitor into a chair. "You are an -enthusiast in your line of thought, I perceive, sir, as I am in -mine," said he. "I observe from your forefinger that you make your own -cigarettes. Have no hesitation in lighting one." - -The man drew out paper and tobacco and twirled the one up in the other -with surprising dexterity. He had long, quivering fingers as agile and -restless as the antennae of an insect. - -Holmes was silent, but his little darting glances showed me the interest -which he took in our curious companion. "I presume, sir," said he at -last, "that it was not merely for the purpose of examining my skull that -you have done me the honour to call here last night and again today?" - -"No, sir, no; though I am happy to have had the opportunity of doing -that as well. I came to you, Mr. Holmes, because I recognized that I am -myself an unpractical man and because I am suddenly confronted with a -most serious and extraordinary problem. Recognizing, as I do, that you -are the second highest expert in Europe--" - -"Indeed, sir! May I inquire who has the honour to be the first?" asked -Holmes with some asperity. - -"To the man of precisely scientific mind the work of Monsieur Bertillon -must always appeal strongly." - -"Then had you not better consult him?" - -"I said, sir, to the precisely scientific mind. But as a practical man -of affairs it is acknowledged that you stand alone. I trust, sir, that I -have not inadvertently--" - -"Just a little," said Holmes. "I think, Dr. Mortimer, you would do -wisely if without more ado you would kindly tell me plainly what the -exact nature of the problem is in which you demand my assistance." - - - - -Chapter 2. The Curse of the Baskervilles - - - -"I have in my pocket a manuscript," said Dr. James Mortimer. - -"I observed it as you entered the room," said Holmes. - -"It is an old manuscript." - -"Early eighteenth century, unless it is a forgery." - -"How can you say that, sir?" - -"You have presented an inch or two of it to my examination all the time -that you have been talking. It would be a poor expert who could not give -the date of a document within a decade or so. You may possibly have read -my little monograph upon the subject. I put that at 1730." - -"The exact date is 1742." Dr. Mortimer drew it from his breast-pocket. -"This family paper was committed to my care by Sir Charles Baskerville, -whose sudden and tragic death some three months ago created so much -excitement in Devonshire. I may say that I was his personal friend as -well as his medical attendant. He was a strong-minded man, sir, shrewd, -practical, and as unimaginative as I am myself. Yet he took this -document very seriously, and his mind was prepared for just such an end -as did eventually overtake him." - -Holmes stretched out his hand for the manuscript and flattened it upon -his knee. "You will observe, Watson, the alternative use of the long s -and the short. It is one of several indications which enabled me to fix -the date." - -I looked over his shoulder at the yellow paper and the faded script. At -the head was written: "Baskerville Hall," and below in large, scrawling -figures: "1742." - -"It appears to be a statement of some sort." - -"Yes, it is a statement of a certain legend which runs in the -Baskerville family." - -"But I understand that it is something more modern and practical upon -which you wish to consult me?" - -"Most modern. A most practical, pressing matter, which must be decided -within twenty-four hours. But the manuscript is short and is intimately -connected with the affair. With your permission I will read it to you." - -Holmes leaned back in his chair, placed his finger-tips together, and -closed his eyes, with an air of resignation. Dr. Mortimer turned the -manuscript to the light and read in a high, cracking voice the following -curious, old-world narrative: - - "Of the origin of the Hound of the Baskervilles there - have been many statements, yet as I come in a direct - line from Hugo Baskerville, and as I had the story from - my father, who also had it from his, I have set it down - with all belief that it occurred even as is here set - forth. And I would have you believe, my sons, that the - same Justice which punishes sin may also most graciously - forgive it, and that no ban is so heavy but that by prayer - and repentance it may be removed. Learn then from this - story not to fear the fruits of the past, but rather to - be circumspect in the future, that those foul passions - whereby our family has suffered so grievously may not - again be loosed to our undoing. - - "Know then that in the time of the Great Rebellion (the - history of which by the learned Lord Clarendon I most - earnestly commend to your attention) this Manor of - Baskerville was held by Hugo of that name, nor can it be - gainsaid that he was a most wild, profane, and godless - man. This, in truth, his neighbours might have pardoned, - seeing that saints have never flourished in those parts, - but there was in him a certain wanton and cruel humour - which made his name a by-word through the West. It - chanced that this Hugo came to love (if, indeed, so dark - a passion may be known under so bright a name) the daughter - of a yeoman who held lands near the Baskerville estate. - But the young maiden, being discreet and of good repute, - would ever avoid him, for she feared his evil name. So - it came to pass that one Michaelmas this Hugo, with five - or six of his idle and wicked companions, stole down upon - the farm and carried off the maiden, her father and - brothers being from home, as he well knew. When they had - brought her to the Hall the maiden was placed in an upper - chamber, while Hugo and his friends sat down to a long - carouse, as was their nightly custom. Now, the poor lass - upstairs was like to have her wits turned at the singing - and shouting and terrible oaths which came up to her from - below, for they say that the words used by Hugo Baskerville, - when he was in wine, were such as might blast the man who - said them. At last in the stress of her fear she did that - which might have daunted the bravest or most active man, - for by the aid of the growth of ivy which covered (and - still covers) the south wall she came down from under the - eaves, and so homeward across the moor, there being three - leagues betwixt the Hall and her father's farm. - - "It chanced that some little time later Hugo left his - guests to carry food and drink--with other worse things, - perchance--to his captive, and so found the cage empty - and the bird escaped. Then, as it would seem, he became - as one that hath a devil, for, rushing down the stairs - into the dining-hall, he sprang upon the great table, - flagons and trenchers flying before him, and he cried - aloud before all the company that he would that very - night render his body and soul to the Powers of Evil if - he might but overtake the wench. And while the revellers - stood aghast at the fury of the man, one more wicked or, - it may be, more drunken than the rest, cried out that - they should put the hounds upon her. Whereat Hugo ran - from the house, crying to his grooms that they should - saddle his mare and unkennel the pack, and giving the - hounds a kerchief of the maid's, he swung them to the - line, and so off full cry in the moonlight over the moor. - - "Now, for some space the revellers stood agape, unable - to understand all that had been done in such haste. But - anon their bemused wits awoke to the nature of the deed - which was like to be done upon the moorlands. Everything - was now in an uproar, some calling for their pistols, - some for their horses, and some for another flask of - wine. But at length some sense came back to their crazed - minds, and the whole of them, thirteen in number, took - horse and started in pursuit. The moon shone clear above - them, and they rode swiftly abreast, taking that course - which the maid must needs have taken if she were to reach - her own home. - - "They had gone a mile or two when they passed one of the - night shepherds upon the moorlands, and they cried to - him to know if he had seen the hunt. And the man, as - the story goes, was so crazed with fear that he could - scarce speak, but at last he said that he had indeed seen - the unhappy maiden, with the hounds upon her track. 'But - I have seen more than that,' said he, 'for Hugo Baskerville - passed me upon his black mare, and there ran mute behind - him such a hound of hell as God forbid should ever be at - my heels.' So the drunken squires cursed the shepherd - and rode onward. But soon their skins turned cold, for - there came a galloping across the moor, and the black - mare, dabbled with white froth, went past with trailing - bridle and empty saddle. Then the revellers rode close - together, for a great fear was on them, but they still - followed over the moor, though each, had he been alone, - would have been right glad to have turned his horse's - head. Riding slowly in this fashion they came at last - upon the hounds. These, though known for their valour - and their breed, were whimpering in a cluster at the - head of a deep dip or goyal, as we call it, upon the - moor, some slinking away and some, with starting hackles - and staring eyes, gazing down the narrow valley before them. - - "The company had come to a halt, more sober men, as you - may guess, than when they started. The most of them - would by no means advance, but three of them, the boldest, - or it may be the most drunken, rode forward down the goyal. - Now, it opened into a broad space in which stood two of - those great stones, still to be seen there, which were - set by certain forgotten peoples in the days of old. - The moon was shining bright upon the clearing, and there - in the centre lay the unhappy maid where she had fallen, - dead of fear and of fatigue. But it was not the sight - of her body, nor yet was it that of the body of Hugo - Baskerville lying near her, which raised the hair upon - the heads of these three dare-devil roysterers, but it - was that, standing over Hugo, and plucking at his throat, - there stood a foul thing, a great, black beast, shaped - like a hound, yet larger than any hound that ever mortal - eye has rested upon. And even as they looked the thing - tore the throat out of Hugo Baskerville, on which, as it - turned its blazing eyes and dripping jaws upon them, the - three shrieked with fear and rode for dear life, still - screaming, across the moor. One, it is said, died that - very night of what he had seen, and the other twain were - but broken men for the rest of their days. - - "Such is the tale, my sons, of the coming of the hound - which is said to have plagued the family so sorely ever - since. If I have set it down it is because that which - is clearly known hath less terror than that which is but - hinted at and guessed. Nor can it be denied that many - of the family have been unhappy in their deaths, which - have been sudden, bloody, and mysterious. Yet may we - shelter ourselves in the infinite goodness of Providence, - which would not forever punish the innocent beyond that - third or fourth generation which is threatened in Holy - Writ. To that Providence, my sons, I hereby commend - you, and I counsel you by way of caution to forbear from - crossing the moor in those dark hours when the powers of - evil are exalted. - - "[This from Hugo Baskerville to his sons Rodger and John, - with instructions that they say nothing thereof to their - sister Elizabeth.]" - -When Dr. Mortimer had finished reading this singular narrative he pushed -his spectacles up on his forehead and stared across at Mr. Sherlock -Holmes. The latter yawned and tossed the end of his cigarette into the -fire. - -"Well?" said he. - -"Do you not find it interesting?" - -"To a collector of fairy tales." - -Dr. Mortimer drew a folded newspaper out of his pocket. - -"Now, Mr. Holmes, we will give you something a little more recent. This -is the Devon County Chronicle of May 14th of this year. It is a short -account of the facts elicited at the death of Sir Charles Baskerville -which occurred a few days before that date." - -My friend leaned a little forward and his expression became intent. Our -visitor readjusted his glasses and began: - - "The recent sudden death of Sir Charles Baskerville, whose - name has been mentioned as the probable Liberal candidate - for Mid-Devon at the next election, has cast a gloom over - the county. Though Sir Charles had resided at Baskerville - Hall for a comparatively short period his amiability of - character and extreme generosity had won the affection - and respect of all who had been brought into contact with - him. In these days of nouveaux riches it is refreshing - to find a case where the scion of an old county family - which has fallen upon evil days is able to make his own - fortune and to bring it back with him to restore the - fallen grandeur of his line. Sir Charles, as is well known, - made large sums of money in South African speculation. - More wise than those who go on until the wheel turns - against them, he realized his gains and returned to England - with them. It is only two years since he took up his - residence at Baskerville Hall, and it is common talk how - large were those schemes of reconstruction and improvement - which have been interrupted by his death. Being himself - childless, it was his openly expressed desire that the - whole countryside should, within his own lifetime, profit - by his good fortune, and many will have personal reasons - for bewailing his untimely end. His generous donations - to local and county charities have been frequently - chronicled in these columns. - - "The circumstances connected with the death of Sir Charles - cannot be said to have been entirely cleared up by the - inquest, but at least enough has been done to dispose of - those rumours to which local superstition has given rise. - There is no reason whatever to suspect foul play, or to - imagine that death could be from any but natural causes. - Sir Charles was a widower, and a man who may be said to - have been in some ways of an eccentric habit of mind. - In spite of his considerable wealth he was simple in his - personal tastes, and his indoor servants at Baskerville - Hall consisted of a married couple named Barrymore, the - husband acting as butler and the wife as housekeeper. - Their evidence, corroborated by that of several friends, - tends to show that Sir Charles's health has for some time - been impaired, and points especially to some affection - of the heart, manifesting itself in changes of colour, - breathlessness, and acute attacks of nervous depression. - Dr. James Mortimer, the friend and medical attendant of - the deceased, has given evidence to the same effect. - - "The facts of the case are simple. Sir Charles Baskerville - was in the habit every night before going to bed of walking - down the famous yew alley of Baskerville Hall. The evidence - of the Barrymores shows that this had been his custom. - On the fourth of May Sir Charles had declared his intention - of starting next day for London, and had ordered Barrymore - to prepare his luggage. That night he went out as usual - for his nocturnal walk, in the course of which he was in - the habit of smoking a cigar. He never returned. At - twelve o'clock Barrymore, finding the hall door still open, - became alarmed, and, lighting a lantern, went in search - of his master. The day had been wet, and Sir Charles's - footmarks were easily traced down the alley. Halfway down - this walk there is a gate which leads out on to the moor. - There were indications that Sir Charles had stood for some - little time here. He then proceeded down the alley, and - it was at the far end of it that his body was discovered. - One fact which has not been explained is the statement - of Barrymore that his master's footprints altered their - character from the time that he passed the moor-gate, and - that he appeared from thence onward to have been walking - upon his toes. One Murphy, a gipsy horse-dealer, was on - the moor at no great distance at the time, but he appears - by his own confession to have been the worse for drink. - He declares that he heard cries but is unable to state - from what direction they came. No signs of violence were - to be discovered upon Sir Charles's person, and though - the doctor's evidence pointed to an almost incredible - facial distortion--so great that Dr. Mortimer refused at - first to believe that it was indeed his friend and patient - who lay before him--it was explained that that is a symptom - which is not unusual in cases of dyspnoea and death from - cardiac exhaustion. This explanation was borne out by - the post-mortem examination, which showed long-standing - organic disease, and the coroner's jury returned a - verdict in accordance with the medical evidence. It is - well that this is so, for it is obviously of the utmost - importance that Sir Charles's heir should settle at the - Hall and continue the good work which has been so sadly - interrupted. Had the prosaic finding of the coroner not - finally put an end to the romantic stories which have been - whispered in connection with the affair, it might have been - difficult to find a tenant for Baskerville Hall. It is - understood that the next of kin is Mr. Henry Baskerville, - if he be still alive, the son of Sir Charles Baskerville's - younger brother. The young man when last heard of was - in America, and inquiries are being instituted with a - view to informing him of his good fortune." - -Dr. Mortimer refolded his paper and replaced it in his pocket. "Those -are the public facts, Mr. Holmes, in connection with the death of Sir -Charles Baskerville." - -"I must thank you," said Sherlock Holmes, "for calling my attention to a -case which certainly presents some features of interest. I had observed -some newspaper comment at the time, but I was exceedingly preoccupied -by that little affair of the Vatican cameos, and in my anxiety to oblige -the Pope I lost touch with several interesting English cases. This -article, you say, contains all the public facts?" - -"It does." - -"Then let me have the private ones." He leaned back, put his finger-tips -together, and assumed his most impassive and judicial expression. - -"In doing so," said Dr. Mortimer, who had begun to show signs of some -strong emotion, "I am telling that which I have not confided to anyone. -My motive for withholding it from the coroner's inquiry is that a man of -science shrinks from placing himself in the public position of seeming -to indorse a popular superstition. I had the further motive that -Baskerville Hall, as the paper says, would certainly remain untenanted -if anything were done to increase its already rather grim reputation. -For both these reasons I thought that I was justified in telling rather -less than I knew, since no practical good could result from it, but with -you there is no reason why I should not be perfectly frank. - -"The moor is very sparsely inhabited, and those who live near each other -are thrown very much together. For this reason I saw a good deal of -Sir Charles Baskerville. With the exception of Mr. Frankland, of Lafter -Hall, and Mr. Stapleton, the naturalist, there are no other men of -education within many miles. Sir Charles was a retiring man, but the -chance of his illness brought us together, and a community of interests -in science kept us so. He had brought back much scientific information -from South Africa, and many a charming evening we have spent together -discussing the comparative anatomy of the Bushman and the Hottentot. - -"Within the last few months it became increasingly plain to me that -Sir Charles's nervous system was strained to the breaking point. He had -taken this legend which I have read you exceedingly to heart--so much -so that, although he would walk in his own grounds, nothing would induce -him to go out upon the moor at night. Incredible as it may appear to -you, Mr. Holmes, he was honestly convinced that a dreadful fate overhung -his family, and certainly the records which he was able to give of -his ancestors were not encouraging. The idea of some ghastly presence -constantly haunted him, and on more than one occasion he has asked me -whether I had on my medical journeys at night ever seen any strange -creature or heard the baying of a hound. The latter question he put -to me several times, and always with a voice which vibrated with -excitement. - -"I can well remember driving up to his house in the evening some three -weeks before the fatal event. He chanced to be at his hall door. I had -descended from my gig and was standing in front of him, when I saw -his eyes fix themselves over my shoulder and stare past me with an -expression of the most dreadful horror. I whisked round and had just -time to catch a glimpse of something which I took to be a large black -calf passing at the head of the drive. So excited and alarmed was he -that I was compelled to go down to the spot where the animal had been -and look around for it. It was gone, however, and the incident appeared -to make the worst impression upon his mind. I stayed with him all the -evening, and it was on that occasion, to explain the emotion which he -had shown, that he confided to my keeping that narrative which I read to -you when first I came. I mention this small episode because it assumes -some importance in view of the tragedy which followed, but I was -convinced at the time that the matter was entirely trivial and that his -excitement had no justification. - -"It was at my advice that Sir Charles was about to go to London. His -heart was, I knew, affected, and the constant anxiety in which he lived, -however chimerical the cause of it might be, was evidently having a -serious effect upon his health. I thought that a few months among the -distractions of town would send him back a new man. Mr. Stapleton, a -mutual friend who was much concerned at his state of health, was of the -same opinion. At the last instant came this terrible catastrophe. - -"On the night of Sir Charles's death Barrymore the butler, who made -the discovery, sent Perkins the groom on horseback to me, and as I was -sitting up late I was able to reach Baskerville Hall within an hour of -the event. I checked and corroborated all the facts which were mentioned -at the inquest. I followed the footsteps down the yew alley, I saw the -spot at the moor-gate where he seemed to have waited, I remarked the -change in the shape of the prints after that point, I noted that there -were no other footsteps save those of Barrymore on the soft gravel, and -finally I carefully examined the body, which had not been touched until -my arrival. Sir Charles lay on his face, his arms out, his fingers dug -into the ground, and his features convulsed with some strong emotion to -such an extent that I could hardly have sworn to his identity. There was -certainly no physical injury of any kind. But one false statement was -made by Barrymore at the inquest. He said that there were no traces -upon the ground round the body. He did not observe any. But I did--some -little distance off, but fresh and clear." - -"Footprints?" - -"Footprints." - -"A man's or a woman's?" - -Dr. Mortimer looked strangely at us for an instant, and his voice sank -almost to a whisper as he answered. - -"Mr. Holmes, they were the footprints of a gigantic hound!" - - - - -Chapter 3. The Problem - - - -I confess at these words a shudder passed through me. There was a thrill -in the doctor's voice which showed that he was himself deeply moved by -that which he told us. Holmes leaned forward in his excitement and his -eyes had the hard, dry glitter which shot from them when he was keenly -interested. - -"You saw this?" - -"As clearly as I see you." - -"And you said nothing?" - -"What was the use?" - -"How was it that no one else saw it?" - -"The marks were some twenty yards from the body and no one gave them -a thought. I don't suppose I should have done so had I not known this -legend." - -"There are many sheep-dogs on the moor?" - -"No doubt, but this was no sheep-dog." - -"You say it was large?" - -"Enormous." - -"But it had not approached the body?" - -"No." - -"What sort of night was it?' - -"Damp and raw." - -"But not actually raining?" - -"No." - -"What is the alley like?" - -"There are two lines of old yew hedge, twelve feet high and -impenetrable. The walk in the centre is about eight feet across." - -"Is there anything between the hedges and the walk?" - -"Yes, there is a strip of grass about six feet broad on either side." - -"I understand that the yew hedge is penetrated at one point by a gate?" - -"Yes, the wicket-gate which leads on to the moor." - -"Is there any other opening?" - -"None." - -"So that to reach the yew alley one either has to come down it from the -house or else to enter it by the moor-gate?" - -"There is an exit through a summer-house at the far end." - -"Had Sir Charles reached this?" - -"No; he lay about fifty yards from it." - -"Now, tell me, Dr. Mortimer--and this is important--the marks which you -saw were on the path and not on the grass?" - -"No marks could show on the grass." - -"Were they on the same side of the path as the moor-gate?" - -"Yes; they were on the edge of the path on the same side as the -moor-gate." - -"You interest me exceedingly. Another point. Was the wicket-gate -closed?" - -"Closed and padlocked." - -"How high was it?" - -"About four feet high." - -"Then anyone could have got over it?" - -"Yes." - -"And what marks did you see by the wicket-gate?" - -"None in particular." - -"Good heaven! Did no one examine?" - -"Yes, I examined, myself." - -"And found nothing?" - -"It was all very confused. Sir Charles had evidently stood there for -five or ten minutes." - -"How do you know that?" - -"Because the ash had twice dropped from his cigar." - -"Excellent! This is a colleague, Watson, after our own heart. But the -marks?" - -"He had left his own marks all over that small patch of gravel. I could -discern no others." - -Sherlock Holmes struck his hand against his knee with an impatient -gesture. - -"If I had only been there!" he cried. "It is evidently a case of -extraordinary interest, and one which presented immense opportunities to -the scientific expert. That gravel page upon which I might have read so -much has been long ere this smudged by the rain and defaced by the clogs -of curious peasants. Oh, Dr. Mortimer, Dr. Mortimer, to think that you -should not have called me in! You have indeed much to answer for." - -"I could not call you in, Mr. Holmes, without disclosing these facts to -the world, and I have already given my reasons for not wishing to do so. -Besides, besides--" - -"Why do you hesitate?" - -"There is a realm in which the most acute and most experienced of -detectives is helpless." - -"You mean that the thing is supernatural?" - -"I did not positively say so." - -"No, but you evidently think it." - -"Since the tragedy, Mr. Holmes, there have come to my ears several -incidents which are hard to reconcile with the settled order of Nature." - -"For example?" - -"I find that before the terrible event occurred several people had seen -a creature upon the moor which corresponds with this Baskerville demon, -and which could not possibly be any animal known to science. They all -agreed that it was a huge creature, luminous, ghastly, and spectral. I -have cross-examined these men, one of them a hard-headed countryman, -one a farrier, and one a moorland farmer, who all tell the same story of -this dreadful apparition, exactly corresponding to the hell-hound of the -legend. I assure you that there is a reign of terror in the district, -and that it is a hardy man who will cross the moor at night." - -"And you, a trained man of science, believe it to be supernatural?" - -"I do not know what to believe." - -Holmes shrugged his shoulders. "I have hitherto confined my -investigations to this world," said he. "In a modest way I have combated -evil, but to take on the Father of Evil himself would, perhaps, be too -ambitious a task. Yet you must admit that the footmark is material." - -"The original hound was material enough to tug a man's throat out, and -yet he was diabolical as well." - -"I see that you have quite gone over to the supernaturalists. But now, -Dr. Mortimer, tell me this. If you hold these views, why have you come -to consult me at all? You tell me in the same breath that it is useless -to investigate Sir Charles's death, and that you desire me to do it." - -"I did not say that I desired you to do it." - -"Then, how can I assist you?" - -"By advising me as to what I should do with Sir Henry Baskerville, who -arrives at Waterloo Station"--Dr. Mortimer looked at his watch--"in -exactly one hour and a quarter." - -"He being the heir?" - -"Yes. On the death of Sir Charles we inquired for this young gentleman -and found that he had been farming in Canada. From the accounts which -have reached us he is an excellent fellow in every way. I speak now not -as a medical man but as a trustee and executor of Sir Charles's will." - -"There is no other claimant, I presume?" - -"None. The only other kinsman whom we have been able to trace was Rodger -Baskerville, the youngest of three brothers of whom poor Sir Charles was -the elder. The second brother, who died young, is the father of this lad -Henry. The third, Rodger, was the black sheep of the family. He came of -the old masterful Baskerville strain and was the very image, they tell -me, of the family picture of old Hugo. He made England too hot to hold -him, fled to Central America, and died there in 1876 of yellow fever. -Henry is the last of the Baskervilles. In one hour and five minutes -I meet him at Waterloo Station. I have had a wire that he arrived at -Southampton this morning. Now, Mr. Holmes, what would you advise me to -do with him?" - -"Why should he not go to the home of his fathers?" - -"It seems natural, does it not? And yet, consider that every Baskerville -who goes there meets with an evil fate. I feel sure that if Sir Charles -could have spoken with me before his death he would have warned me -against bringing this, the last of the old race, and the heir to great -wealth, to that deadly place. And yet it cannot be denied that the -prosperity of the whole poor, bleak countryside depends upon his -presence. All the good work which has been done by Sir Charles will -crash to the ground if there is no tenant of the Hall. I fear lest I -should be swayed too much by my own obvious interest in the matter, and -that is why I bring the case before you and ask for your advice." - -Holmes considered for a little time. - -"Put into plain words, the matter is this," said he. "In your opinion -there is a diabolical agency which makes Dartmoor an unsafe abode for a -Baskerville--that is your opinion?" - -"At least I might go the length of saying that there is some evidence -that this may be so." - -"Exactly. But surely, if your supernatural theory be correct, it could -work the young man evil in London as easily as in Devonshire. A devil -with merely local powers like a parish vestry would be too inconceivable -a thing." - -"You put the matter more flippantly, Mr. Holmes, than you would probably -do if you were brought into personal contact with these things. Your -advice, then, as I understand it, is that the young man will be as safe -in Devonshire as in London. He comes in fifty minutes. What would you -recommend?" - -"I recommend, sir, that you take a cab, call off your spaniel who is -scratching at my front door, and proceed to Waterloo to meet Sir Henry -Baskerville." - -"And then?" - -"And then you will say nothing to him at all until I have made up my -mind about the matter." - -"How long will it take you to make up your mind?" - -"Twenty-four hours. At ten o'clock tomorrow, Dr. Mortimer, I will be -much obliged to you if you will call upon me here, and it will be -of help to me in my plans for the future if you will bring Sir Henry -Baskerville with you." - -"I will do so, Mr. Holmes." He scribbled the appointment on his -shirt-cuff and hurried off in his strange, peering, absent-minded -fashion. Holmes stopped him at the head of the stair. - -"Only one more question, Dr. Mortimer. You say that before Sir Charles -Baskerville's death several people saw this apparition upon the moor?" - -"Three people did." - -"Did any see it after?" - -"I have not heard of any." - -"Thank you. Good-morning." - -Holmes returned to his seat with that quiet look of inward satisfaction -which meant that he had a congenial task before him. - -"Going out, Watson?" - -"Unless I can help you." - -"No, my dear fellow, it is at the hour of action that I turn to you for -aid. But this is splendid, really unique from some points of view. -When you pass Bradley's, would you ask him to send up a pound of the -strongest shag tobacco? Thank you. It would be as well if you could make -it convenient not to return before evening. Then I should be very glad -to compare impressions as to this most interesting problem which has -been submitted to us this morning." - -I knew that seclusion and solitude were very necessary for my friend -in those hours of intense mental concentration during which he weighed -every particle of evidence, constructed alternative theories, balanced -one against the other, and made up his mind as to which points were -essential and which immaterial. I therefore spent the day at my club and -did not return to Baker Street until evening. It was nearly nine o'clock -when I found myself in the sitting-room once more. - -My first impression as I opened the door was that a fire had broken out, -for the room was so filled with smoke that the light of the lamp upon -the table was blurred by it. As I entered, however, my fears were set at -rest, for it was the acrid fumes of strong coarse tobacco which took me -by the throat and set me coughing. Through the haze I had a vague vision -of Holmes in his dressing-gown coiled up in an armchair with his black -clay pipe between his lips. Several rolls of paper lay around him. - -"Caught cold, Watson?" said he. - -"No, it's this poisonous atmosphere." - -"I suppose it is pretty thick, now that you mention it." - -"Thick! It is intolerable." - -"Open the window, then! You have been at your club all day, I perceive." - -"My dear Holmes!" - -"Am I right?" - -"Certainly, but how?" - -He laughed at my bewildered expression. "There is a delightful freshness -about you, Watson, which makes it a pleasure to exercise any small -powers which I possess at your expense. A gentleman goes forth on a -showery and miry day. He returns immaculate in the evening with the -gloss still on his hat and his boots. He has been a fixture therefore -all day. He is not a man with intimate friends. Where, then, could he -have been? Is it not obvious?" - -"Well, it is rather obvious." - -"The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever -observes. Where do you think that I have been?" - -"A fixture also." - -"On the contrary, I have been to Devonshire." - -"In spirit?" - -"Exactly. My body has remained in this armchair and has, I regret -to observe, consumed in my absence two large pots of coffee and an -incredible amount of tobacco. After you left I sent down to Stamford's -for the Ordnance map of this portion of the moor, and my spirit has -hovered over it all day. I flatter myself that I could find my way -about." - -"A large-scale map, I presume?" - -"Very large." - -He unrolled one section and held it over his knee. "Here you have the -particular district which concerns us. That is Baskerville Hall in the -middle." - -"With a wood round it?" - -"Exactly. I fancy the yew alley, though not marked under that name, must -stretch along this line, with the moor, as you perceive, upon the right -of it. This small clump of buildings here is the hamlet of Grimpen, -where our friend Dr. Mortimer has his headquarters. Within a radius of -five miles there are, as you see, only a very few scattered dwellings. -Here is Lafter Hall, which was mentioned in the narrative. There is -a house indicated here which may be the residence of the -naturalist--Stapleton, if I remember right, was his name. Here are two -moorland farmhouses, High Tor and Foulmire. Then fourteen miles away the -great convict prison of Princetown. Between and around these scattered -points extends the desolate, lifeless moor. This, then, is the stage -upon which tragedy has been played, and upon which we may help to play -it again." - -"It must be a wild place." - -"Yes, the setting is a worthy one. If the devil did desire to have a -hand in the affairs of men--" - -"Then you are yourself inclining to the supernatural explanation." - -"The devil's agents may be of flesh and blood, may they not? There are -two questions waiting for us at the outset. The one is whether any crime -has been committed at all; the second is, what is the crime and how was -it committed? Of course, if Dr. Mortimer's surmise should be correct, -and we are dealing with forces outside the ordinary laws of Nature, -there is an end of our investigation. But we are bound to exhaust all -other hypotheses before falling back upon this one. I think we'll shut -that window again, if you don't mind. It is a singular thing, but I find -that a concentrated atmosphere helps a concentration of thought. I have -not pushed it to the length of getting into a box to think, but that is -the logical outcome of my convictions. Have you turned the case over in -your mind?" - -"Yes, I have thought a good deal of it in the course of the day." - -"What do you make of it?" - -"It is very bewildering." - -"It has certainly a character of its own. There are points of -distinction about it. That change in the footprints, for example. What -do you make of that?" - -"Mortimer said that the man had walked on tiptoe down that portion of -the alley." - -"He only repeated what some fool had said at the inquest. Why should a -man walk on tiptoe down the alley?" - -"What then?" - -"He was running, Watson--running desperately, running for his life, -running until he burst his heart--and fell dead upon his face." - -"Running from what?" - -"There lies our problem. There are indications that the man was crazed -with fear before ever he began to run." - -"How can you say that?" - -"I am presuming that the cause of his fears came to him across the moor. -If that were so, and it seems most probable, only a man who had lost his -wits would have run from the house instead of towards it. If the -gipsy's evidence may be taken as true, he ran with cries for help in the -direction where help was least likely to be. Then, again, whom was he -waiting for that night, and why was he waiting for him in the yew alley -rather than in his own house?" - -"You think that he was waiting for someone?" - -"The man was elderly and infirm. We can understand his taking an evening -stroll, but the ground was damp and the night inclement. Is it natural -that he should stand for five or ten minutes, as Dr. Mortimer, with more -practical sense than I should have given him credit for, deduced from -the cigar ash?" - -"But he went out every evening." - -"I think it unlikely that he waited at the moor-gate every evening. On -the contrary, the evidence is that he avoided the moor. That night he -waited there. It was the night before he made his departure for London. -The thing takes shape, Watson. It becomes coherent. Might I ask you to -hand me my violin, and we will postpone all further thought upon this -business until we have had the advantage of meeting Dr. Mortimer and Sir -Henry Baskerville in the morning." - - - - -Chapter 4. Sir Henry Baskerville - - - -Our breakfast table was cleared early, and Holmes waited in his -dressing-gown for the promised interview. Our clients were punctual to -their appointment, for the clock had just struck ten when Dr. Mortimer -was shown up, followed by the young baronet. The latter was a small, -alert, dark-eyed man about thirty years of age, very sturdily built, -with thick black eyebrows and a strong, pugnacious face. He wore a -ruddy-tinted tweed suit and had the weather-beaten appearance of one who -has spent most of his time in the open air, and yet there was something -in his steady eye and the quiet assurance of his bearing which indicated -the gentleman. - -"This is Sir Henry Baskerville," said Dr. Mortimer. - -"Why, yes," said he, "and the strange thing is, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, -that if my friend here had not proposed coming round to you this morning -I should have come on my own account. I understand that you think out -little puzzles, and I've had one this morning which wants more thinking -out than I am able to give it." - -"Pray take a seat, Sir Henry. Do I understand you to say that you have -yourself had some remarkable experience since you arrived in London?" - -"Nothing of much importance, Mr. Holmes. Only a joke, as like as not. -It was this letter, if you can call it a letter, which reached me this -morning." - -He laid an envelope upon the table, and we all bent over it. It was of -common quality, grayish in colour. The address, "Sir Henry Baskerville, -Northumberland Hotel," was printed in rough characters; the post-mark -"Charing Cross," and the date of posting the preceding evening. - -"Who knew that you were going to the Northumberland Hotel?" asked -Holmes, glancing keenly across at our visitor. - -"No one could have known. We only decided after I met Dr. Mortimer." - -"But Dr. Mortimer was no doubt already stopping there?" - -"No, I had been staying with a friend," said the doctor. - -"There was no possible indication that we intended to go to this hotel." - -"Hum! Someone seems to be very deeply interested in your movements." Out -of the envelope he took a half-sheet of foolscap paper folded into four. -This he opened and spread flat upon the table. Across the middle of it -a single sentence had been formed by the expedient of pasting printed -words upon it. It ran: - - As you value your life or your reason keep away from the moor. - -The word "moor" only was printed in ink. - -"Now," said Sir Henry Baskerville, "perhaps you will tell me, Mr. -Holmes, what in thunder is the meaning of that, and who it is that takes -so much interest in my affairs?" - -"What do you make of it, Dr. Mortimer? You must allow that there is -nothing supernatural about this, at any rate?" - -"No, sir, but it might very well come from someone who was convinced -that the business is supernatural." - -"What business?" asked Sir Henry sharply. "It seems to me that all you -gentlemen know a great deal more than I do about my own affairs." - -"You shall share our knowledge before you leave this room, Sir Henry. I -promise you that," said Sherlock Holmes. "We will confine ourselves -for the present with your permission to this very interesting document, -which must have been put together and posted yesterday evening. Have you -yesterday's Times, Watson?" - -"It is here in the corner." - -"Might I trouble you for it--the inside page, please, with the leading -articles?" He glanced swiftly over it, running his eyes up and down the -columns. "Capital article this on free trade. Permit me to give you an -extract from it. - - 'You may be cajoled into imagining that your own special - trade or your own industry will be encouraged by a - protective tariff, but it stands to reason that such - legislation must in the long run keep away wealth from the - country, diminish the value of our imports, and lower the - general conditions of life in this island.' - -"What do you think of that, Watson?" cried Holmes in high glee, rubbing -his hands together with satisfaction. "Don't you think that is an -admirable sentiment?" - -Dr. Mortimer looked at Holmes with an air of professional interest, and -Sir Henry Baskerville turned a pair of puzzled dark eyes upon me. - -"I don't know much about the tariff and things of that kind," said he, -"but it seems to me we've got a bit off the trail so far as that note is -concerned." - -"On the contrary, I think we are particularly hot upon the trail, Sir -Henry. Watson here knows more about my methods than you do, but I fear -that even he has not quite grasped the significance of this sentence." - -"No, I confess that I see no connection." - -"And yet, my dear Watson, there is so very close a connection that -the one is extracted out of the other. 'You,' 'your,' 'your,' 'life,' -'reason,' 'value,' 'keep away,' 'from the.' Don't you see now whence -these words have been taken?" - -"By thunder, you're right! Well, if that isn't smart!" cried Sir Henry. - -"If any possible doubt remained it is settled by the fact that 'keep -away' and 'from the' are cut out in one piece." - -"Well, now--so it is!" - -"Really, Mr. Holmes, this exceeds anything which I could have imagined," -said Dr. Mortimer, gazing at my friend in amazement. "I could understand -anyone saying that the words were from a newspaper; but that you should -name which, and add that it came from the leading article, is really one -of the most remarkable things which I have ever known. How did you do -it?" - -"I presume, Doctor, that you could tell the skull of a negro from that -of an Esquimau?" - -"Most certainly." - -"But how?" - -"Because that is my special hobby. The differences are obvious. The -supra-orbital crest, the facial angle, the maxillary curve, the--" - -"But this is my special hobby, and the differences are equally obvious. -There is as much difference to my eyes between the leaded bourgeois type -of a Times article and the slovenly print of an evening half-penny paper -as there could be between your negro and your Esquimau. The detection of -types is one of the most elementary branches of knowledge to the special -expert in crime, though I confess that once when I was very young I -confused the Leeds Mercury with the Western Morning News. But a Times -leader is entirely distinctive, and these words could have been taken -from nothing else. As it was done yesterday the strong probability was -that we should find the words in yesterday's issue." - -"So far as I can follow you, then, Mr. Holmes," said Sir Henry -Baskerville, "someone cut out this message with a scissors--" - -"Nail-scissors," said Holmes. "You can see that it was a very -short-bladed scissors, since the cutter had to take two snips over 'keep -away.'" - -"That is so. Someone, then, cut out the message with a pair of -short-bladed scissors, pasted it with paste--" - -"Gum," said Holmes. - -"With gum on to the paper. But I want to know why the word 'moor' should -have been written?" - -"Because he could not find it in print. The other words were all simple -and might be found in any issue, but 'moor' would be less common." - -"Why, of course, that would explain it. Have you read anything else in -this message, Mr. Holmes?" - -"There are one or two indications, and yet the utmost pains have been -taken to remove all clues. The address, you observe is printed in rough -characters. But the Times is a paper which is seldom found in any hands -but those of the highly educated. We may take it, therefore, that -the letter was composed by an educated man who wished to pose as an -uneducated one, and his effort to conceal his own writing suggests that -that writing might be known, or come to be known, by you. Again, you -will observe that the words are not gummed on in an accurate line, but -that some are much higher than others. 'Life,' for example is quite out -of its proper place. That may point to carelessness or it may point to -agitation and hurry upon the part of the cutter. On the whole I incline -to the latter view, since the matter was evidently important, and it -is unlikely that the composer of such a letter would be careless. If he -were in a hurry it opens up the interesting question why he should be -in a hurry, since any letter posted up to early morning would reach -Sir Henry before he would leave his hotel. Did the composer fear an -interruption--and from whom?" - -"We are coming now rather into the region of guesswork," said Dr. -Mortimer. - -"Say, rather, into the region where we balance probabilities and choose -the most likely. It is the scientific use of the imagination, but we -have always some material basis on which to start our speculation. Now, -you would call it a guess, no doubt, but I am almost certain that this -address has been written in a hotel." - -"How in the world can you say that?" - -"If you examine it carefully you will see that both the pen and the ink -have given the writer trouble. The pen has spluttered twice in a single -word and has run dry three times in a short address, showing that there -was very little ink in the bottle. Now, a private pen or ink-bottle is -seldom allowed to be in such a state, and the combination of the two -must be quite rare. But you know the hotel ink and the hotel pen, where -it is rare to get anything else. Yes, I have very little hesitation -in saying that could we examine the waste-paper baskets of the hotels -around Charing Cross until we found the remains of the mutilated Times -leader we could lay our hands straight upon the person who sent this -singular message. Halloa! Halloa! What's this?" - -He was carefully examining the foolscap, upon which the words were -pasted, holding it only an inch or two from his eyes. - -"Well?" - -"Nothing," said he, throwing it down. "It is a blank half-sheet of -paper, without even a water-mark upon it. I think we have drawn as much -as we can from this curious letter; and now, Sir Henry, has anything -else of interest happened to you since you have been in London?" - -"Why, no, Mr. Holmes. I think not." - -"You have not observed anyone follow or watch you?" - -"I seem to have walked right into the thick of a dime novel," said our -visitor. "Why in thunder should anyone follow or watch me?" - -"We are coming to that. You have nothing else to report to us before we -go into this matter?" - -"Well, it depends upon what you think worth reporting." - -"I think anything out of the ordinary routine of life well worth -reporting." - -Sir Henry smiled. "I don't know much of British life yet, for I have -spent nearly all my time in the States and in Canada. But I hope that to -lose one of your boots is not part of the ordinary routine of life over -here." - -"You have lost one of your boots?" - -"My dear sir," cried Dr. Mortimer, "it is only mislaid. You will find -it when you return to the hotel. What is the use of troubling Mr. Holmes -with trifles of this kind?" - -"Well, he asked me for anything outside the ordinary routine." - -"Exactly," said Holmes, "however foolish the incident may seem. You have -lost one of your boots, you say?" - -"Well, mislaid it, anyhow. I put them both outside my door last night, -and there was only one in the morning. I could get no sense out of the -chap who cleans them. The worst of it is that I only bought the pair -last night in the Strand, and I have never had them on." - -"If you have never worn them, why did you put them out to be cleaned?" - -"They were tan boots and had never been varnished. That was why I put -them out." - -"Then I understand that on your arrival in London yesterday you went out -at once and bought a pair of boots?" - -"I did a good deal of shopping. Dr. Mortimer here went round with me. -You see, if I am to be squire down there I must dress the part, and -it may be that I have got a little careless in my ways out West. Among -other things I bought these brown boots--gave six dollars for them--and -had one stolen before ever I had them on my feet." - -"It seems a singularly useless thing to steal," said Sherlock Holmes. -"I confess that I share Dr. Mortimer's belief that it will not be long -before the missing boot is found." - -"And, now, gentlemen," said the baronet with decision, "it seems to me -that I have spoken quite enough about the little that I know. It is time -that you kept your promise and gave me a full account of what we are all -driving at." - -"Your request is a very reasonable one," Holmes answered. "Dr. Mortimer, -I think you could not do better than to tell your story as you told it -to us." - -Thus encouraged, our scientific friend drew his papers from his pocket -and presented the whole case as he had done upon the morning before. -Sir Henry Baskerville listened with the deepest attention and with an -occasional exclamation of surprise. - -"Well, I seem to have come into an inheritance with a vengeance," said -he when the long narrative was finished. "Of course, I've heard of the -hound ever since I was in the nursery. It's the pet story of the family, -though I never thought of taking it seriously before. But as to my -uncle's death--well, it all seems boiling up in my head, and I can't -get it clear yet. You don't seem quite to have made up your mind whether -it's a case for a policeman or a clergyman." - -"Precisely." - -"And now there's this affair of the letter to me at the hotel. I suppose -that fits into its place." - -"It seems to show that someone knows more than we do about what goes on -upon the moor," said Dr. Mortimer. - -"And also," said Holmes, "that someone is not ill-disposed towards you, -since they warn you of danger." - -"Or it may be that they wish, for their own purposes, to scare me away." - -"Well, of course, that is possible also. I am very much indebted to you, -Dr. Mortimer, for introducing me to a problem which presents several -interesting alternatives. But the practical point which we now have to -decide, Sir Henry, is whether it is or is not advisable for you to go to -Baskerville Hall." - -"Why should I not go?" - -"There seems to be danger." - -"Do you mean danger from this family fiend or do you mean danger from -human beings?" - -"Well, that is what we have to find out." - -"Whichever it is, my answer is fixed. There is no devil in hell, Mr. -Holmes, and there is no man upon earth who can prevent me from going to -the home of my own people, and you may take that to be my final answer." -His dark brows knitted and his face flushed to a dusky red as he spoke. -It was evident that the fiery temper of the Baskervilles was not extinct -in this their last representative. "Meanwhile," said he, "I have hardly -had time to think over all that you have told me. It's a big thing for a -man to have to understand and to decide at one sitting. I should like -to have a quiet hour by myself to make up my mind. Now, look here, Mr. -Holmes, it's half-past eleven now and I am going back right away to my -hotel. Suppose you and your friend, Dr. Watson, come round and lunch -with us at two. I'll be able to tell you more clearly then how this -thing strikes me." - -"Is that convenient to you, Watson?" - -"Perfectly." - -"Then you may expect us. Shall I have a cab called?" - -"I'd prefer to walk, for this affair has flurried me rather." - -"I'll join you in a walk, with pleasure," said his companion. - -"Then we meet again at two o'clock. Au revoir, and good-morning!" - -We heard the steps of our visitors descend the stair and the bang of the -front door. In an instant Holmes had changed from the languid dreamer to -the man of action. - -"Your hat and boots, Watson, quick! Not a moment to lose!" He rushed -into his room in his dressing-gown and was back again in a few seconds -in a frock-coat. We hurried together down the stairs and into the -street. Dr. Mortimer and Baskerville were still visible about two -hundred yards ahead of us in the direction of Oxford Street. - -"Shall I run on and stop them?" - -"Not for the world, my dear Watson. I am perfectly satisfied with your -company if you will tolerate mine. Our friends are wise, for it is -certainly a very fine morning for a walk." - -He quickened his pace until we had decreased the distance which divided -us by about half. Then, still keeping a hundred yards behind, we -followed into Oxford Street and so down Regent Street. Once our friends -stopped and stared into a shop window, upon which Holmes did the -same. An instant afterwards he gave a little cry of satisfaction, and, -following the direction of his eager eyes, I saw that a hansom cab with -a man inside which had halted on the other side of the street was now -proceeding slowly onward again. - - -"There's our man, Watson! Come along! We'll have a good look at him, if -we can do no more." - -At that instant I was aware of a bushy black beard and a pair of -piercing eyes turned upon us through the side window of the cab. -Instantly the trapdoor at the top flew up, something was screamed to -the driver, and the cab flew madly off down Regent Street. Holmes looked -eagerly round for another, but no empty one was in sight. Then he dashed -in wild pursuit amid the stream of the traffic, but the start was too -great, and already the cab was out of sight. - -"There now!" said Holmes bitterly as he emerged panting and white with -vexation from the tide of vehicles. "Was ever such bad luck and such -bad management, too? Watson, Watson, if you are an honest man you will -record this also and set it against my successes!" - -"Who was the man?" - -"I have not an idea." - -"A spy?" - -"Well, it was evident from what we have heard that Baskerville has been -very closely shadowed by someone since he has been in town. How else -could it be known so quickly that it was the Northumberland Hotel which -he had chosen? If they had followed him the first day I argued that they -would follow him also the second. You may have observed that I twice -strolled over to the window while Dr. Mortimer was reading his legend." - -"Yes, I remember." - -"I was looking out for loiterers in the street, but I saw none. We -are dealing with a clever man, Watson. This matter cuts very deep, and -though I have not finally made up my mind whether it is a benevolent or -a malevolent agency which is in touch with us, I am conscious always of -power and design. When our friends left I at once followed them in the -hopes of marking down their invisible attendant. So wily was he that he -had not trusted himself upon foot, but he had availed himself of a cab -so that he could loiter behind or dash past them and so escape their -notice. His method had the additional advantage that if they were to -take a cab he was all ready to follow them. It has, however, one obvious -disadvantage." - -"It puts him in the power of the cabman." - -"Exactly." - -"What a pity we did not get the number!" - -"My dear Watson, clumsy as I have been, you surely do not seriously -imagine that I neglected to get the number? No. 2704 is our man. But -that is no use to us for the moment." - -"I fail to see how you could have done more." - -"On observing the cab I should have instantly turned and walked in the -other direction. I should then at my leisure have hired a second cab -and followed the first at a respectful distance, or, better still, have -driven to the Northumberland Hotel and waited there. When our unknown -had followed Baskerville home we should have had the opportunity of -playing his own game upon himself and seeing where he made for. As -it is, by an indiscreet eagerness, which was taken advantage of with -extraordinary quickness and energy by our opponent, we have betrayed -ourselves and lost our man." - -We had been sauntering slowly down Regent Street during this -conversation, and Dr. Mortimer, with his companion, had long vanished in -front of us. - -"There is no object in our following them," said Holmes. "The shadow has -departed and will not return. We must see what further cards we have -in our hands and play them with decision. Could you swear to that man's -face within the cab?" - -"I could swear only to the beard." - -"And so could I--from which I gather that in all probability it was -a false one. A clever man upon so delicate an errand has no use for a -beard save to conceal his features. Come in here, Watson!" - -He turned into one of the district messenger offices, where he was -warmly greeted by the manager. - -"Ah, Wilson, I see you have not forgotten the little case in which I had -the good fortune to help you?" - -"No, sir, indeed I have not. You saved my good name, and perhaps my -life." - -"My dear fellow, you exaggerate. I have some recollection, Wilson, that -you had among your boys a lad named Cartwright, who showed some ability -during the investigation." - -"Yes, sir, he is still with us." - -"Could you ring him up?--thank you! And I should be glad to have change -of this five-pound note." - -A lad of fourteen, with a bright, keen face, had obeyed the summons -of the manager. He stood now gazing with great reverence at the famous -detective. - -"Let me have the Hotel Directory," said Holmes. "Thank you! Now, -Cartwright, there are the names of twenty-three hotels here, all in the -immediate neighbourhood of Charing Cross. Do you see?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"You will visit each of these in turn." - -"Yes, sir." - -"You will begin in each case by giving the outside porter one shilling. -Here are twenty-three shillings." - -"Yes, sir." - -"You will tell him that you want to see the waste-paper of yesterday. -You will say that an important telegram has miscarried and that you are -looking for it. You understand?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"But what you are really looking for is the centre page of the Times -with some holes cut in it with scissors. Here is a copy of the Times. It -is this page. You could easily recognize it, could you not?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"In each case the outside porter will send for the hall porter, to whom -also you will give a shilling. Here are twenty-three shillings. You will -then learn in possibly twenty cases out of the twenty-three that the -waste of the day before has been burned or removed. In the three other -cases you will be shown a heap of paper and you will look for this page -of the Times among it. The odds are enormously against your finding -it. There are ten shillings over in case of emergencies. Let me have a -report by wire at Baker Street before evening. And now, Watson, it only -remains for us to find out by wire the identity of the cabman, No. 2704, -and then we will drop into one of the Bond Street picture galleries and -fill in the time until we are due at the hotel." - - - - -Chapter 5. Three Broken Threads - - - -Sherlock Holmes had, in a very remarkable degree, the power of detaching -his mind at will. For two hours the strange business in which we had -been involved appeared to be forgotten, and he was entirely absorbed in -the pictures of the modern Belgian masters. He would talk of nothing -but art, of which he had the crudest ideas, from our leaving the gallery -until we found ourselves at the Northumberland Hotel. - -"Sir Henry Baskerville is upstairs expecting you," said the clerk. "He -asked me to show you up at once when you came." - -"Have you any objection to my looking at your register?" said Holmes. - -"Not in the least." - -The book showed that two names had been added after that of Baskerville. -One was Theophilus Johnson and family, of Newcastle; the other Mrs. -Oldmore and maid, of High Lodge, Alton. - -"Surely that must be the same Johnson whom I used to know," said Holmes -to the porter. "A lawyer, is he not, gray-headed, and walks with a -limp?" - -"No, sir, this is Mr. Johnson, the coal-owner, a very active gentleman, -not older than yourself." - -"Surely you are mistaken about his trade?" - -"No, sir! he has used this hotel for many years, and he is very well -known to us." - -"Ah, that settles it. Mrs. Oldmore, too; I seem to remember the name. -Excuse my curiosity, but often in calling upon one friend one finds -another." - -"She is an invalid lady, sir. Her husband was once mayor of Gloucester. -She always comes to us when she is in town." - -"Thank you; I am afraid I cannot claim her acquaintance. We have -established a most important fact by these questions, Watson," he -continued in a low voice as we went upstairs together. "We know now that -the people who are so interested in our friend have not settled down -in his own hotel. That means that while they are, as we have seen, very -anxious to watch him, they are equally anxious that he should not see -them. Now, this is a most suggestive fact." - -"What does it suggest?" - -"It suggests--halloa, my dear fellow, what on earth is the matter?" - -As we came round the top of the stairs we had run up against Sir Henry -Baskerville himself. His face was flushed with anger, and he held an old -and dusty boot in one of his hands. So furious was he that he was hardly -articulate, and when he did speak it was in a much broader and more -Western dialect than any which we had heard from him in the morning. - -"Seems to me they are playing me for a sucker in this hotel," he cried. -"They'll find they've started in to monkey with the wrong man unless -they are careful. By thunder, if that chap can't find my missing boot -there will be trouble. I can take a joke with the best, Mr. Holmes, but -they've got a bit over the mark this time." - -"Still looking for your boot?" - -"Yes, sir, and mean to find it." - -"But, surely, you said that it was a new brown boot?" - -"So it was, sir. And now it's an old black one." - -"What! you don't mean to say--?" - -"That's just what I do mean to say. I only had three pairs in the -world--the new brown, the old black, and the patent leathers, which I am -wearing. Last night they took one of my brown ones, and today they have -sneaked one of the black. Well, have you got it? Speak out, man, and -don't stand staring!" - -An agitated German waiter had appeared upon the scene. - -"No, sir; I have made inquiry all over the hotel, but I can hear no word -of it." - -"Well, either that boot comes back before sundown or I'll see the -manager and tell him that I go right straight out of this hotel." - -"It shall be found, sir--I promise you that if you will have a little -patience it will be found." - -"Mind it is, for it's the last thing of mine that I'll lose in this den -of thieves. Well, well, Mr. Holmes, you'll excuse my troubling you about -such a trifle--" - -"I think it's well worth troubling about." - -"Why, you look very serious over it." - -"How do you explain it?" - -"I just don't attempt to explain it. It seems the very maddest, queerest -thing that ever happened to me." - -"The queerest perhaps--" said Holmes thoughtfully. - -"What do you make of it yourself?" - -"Well, I don't profess to understand it yet. This case of yours is very -complex, Sir Henry. When taken in conjunction with your uncle's death -I am not sure that of all the five hundred cases of capital importance -which I have handled there is one which cuts so deep. But we hold -several threads in our hands, and the odds are that one or other of them -guides us to the truth. We may waste time in following the wrong one, -but sooner or later we must come upon the right." - -We had a pleasant luncheon in which little was said of the business -which had brought us together. It was in the private sitting-room to -which we afterwards repaired that Holmes asked Baskerville what were his -intentions. - -"To go to Baskerville Hall." - -"And when?" - -"At the end of the week." - -"On the whole," said Holmes, "I think that your decision is a wise one. -I have ample evidence that you are being dogged in London, and amid the -millions of this great city it is difficult to discover who these people -are or what their object can be. If their intentions are evil they might -do you a mischief, and we should be powerless to prevent it. You did not -know, Dr. Mortimer, that you were followed this morning from my house?" - -Dr. Mortimer started violently. "Followed! By whom?" - -"That, unfortunately, is what I cannot tell you. Have you among your -neighbours or acquaintances on Dartmoor any man with a black, full -beard?" - -"No--or, let me see--why, yes. Barrymore, Sir Charles's butler, is a man -with a full, black beard." - -"Ha! Where is Barrymore?" - -"He is in charge of the Hall." - -"We had best ascertain if he is really there, or if by any possibility -he might be in London." - -"How can you do that?" - -"Give me a telegraph form. 'Is all ready for Sir Henry?' That will -do. Address to Mr. Barrymore, Baskerville Hall. What is the nearest -telegraph-office? Grimpen. Very good, we will send a second wire to the -postmaster, Grimpen: 'Telegram to Mr. Barrymore to be delivered into -his own hand. If absent, please return wire to Sir Henry Baskerville, -Northumberland Hotel.' That should let us know before evening whether -Barrymore is at his post in Devonshire or not." - -"That's so," said Baskerville. "By the way, Dr. Mortimer, who is this -Barrymore, anyhow?" - -"He is the son of the old caretaker, who is dead. They have looked after -the Hall for four generations now. So far as I know, he and his wife are -as respectable a couple as any in the county." - -"At the same time," said Baskerville, "it's clear enough that so long as -there are none of the family at the Hall these people have a mighty fine -home and nothing to do." - -"That is true." - -"Did Barrymore profit at all by Sir Charles's will?" asked Holmes. - -"He and his wife had five hundred pounds each." - -"Ha! Did they know that they would receive this?" - -"Yes; Sir Charles was very fond of talking about the provisions of his -will." - -"That is very interesting." - -"I hope," said Dr. Mortimer, "that you do not look with suspicious eyes -upon everyone who received a legacy from Sir Charles, for I also had a -thousand pounds left to me." - -"Indeed! And anyone else?" - -"There were many insignificant sums to individuals, and a large number -of public charities. The residue all went to Sir Henry." - -"And how much was the residue?" - -"Seven hundred and forty thousand pounds." - -Holmes raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I had no idea that so gigantic -a sum was involved," said he. - -"Sir Charles had the reputation of being rich, but we did not know how -very rich he was until we came to examine his securities. The total -value of the estate was close on to a million." - -"Dear me! It is a stake for which a man might well play a desperate -game. And one more question, Dr. Mortimer. Supposing that anything -happened to our young friend here--you will forgive the unpleasant -hypothesis!--who would inherit the estate?" - -"Since Rodger Baskerville, Sir Charles's younger brother died unmarried, -the estate would descend to the Desmonds, who are distant cousins. James -Desmond is an elderly clergyman in Westmoreland." - -"Thank you. These details are all of great interest. Have you met Mr. -James Desmond?" - -"Yes; he once came down to visit Sir Charles. He is a man of venerable -appearance and of saintly life. I remember that he refused to accept any -settlement from Sir Charles, though he pressed it upon him." - -"And this man of simple tastes would be the heir to Sir Charles's -thousands." - -"He would be the heir to the estate because that is entailed. He would -also be the heir to the money unless it were willed otherwise by the -present owner, who can, of course, do what he likes with it." - -"And have you made your will, Sir Henry?" - -"No, Mr. Holmes, I have not. I've had no time, for it was only yesterday -that I learned how matters stood. But in any case I feel that the money -should go with the title and estate. That was my poor uncle's idea. How -is the owner going to restore the glories of the Baskervilles if he has -not money enough to keep up the property? House, land, and dollars must -go together." - -"Quite so. Well, Sir Henry, I am of one mind with you as to the -advisability of your going down to Devonshire without delay. There is -only one provision which I must make. You certainly must not go alone." - -"Dr. Mortimer returns with me." - -"But Dr. Mortimer has his practice to attend to, and his house is miles -away from yours. With all the goodwill in the world he may be unable to -help you. No, Sir Henry, you must take with you someone, a trusty man, -who will be always by your side." - -"Is it possible that you could come yourself, Mr. Holmes?" - -"If matters came to a crisis I should endeavour to be present in person; -but you can understand that, with my extensive consulting practice -and with the constant appeals which reach me from many quarters, it is -impossible for me to be absent from London for an indefinite time. At -the present instant one of the most revered names in England is being -besmirched by a blackmailer, and only I can stop a disastrous scandal. -You will see how impossible it is for me to go to Dartmoor." - -"Whom would you recommend, then?" - -Holmes laid his hand upon my arm. "If my friend would undertake it there -is no man who is better worth having at your side when you are in a -tight place. No one can say so more confidently than I." - -The proposition took me completely by surprise, but before I had time to -answer, Baskerville seized me by the hand and wrung it heartily. - -"Well, now, that is real kind of you, Dr. Watson," said he. "You see how -it is with me, and you know just as much about the matter as I do. If -you will come down to Baskerville Hall and see me through I'll never -forget it." - -The promise of adventure had always a fascination for me, and I was -complimented by the words of Holmes and by the eagerness with which the -baronet hailed me as a companion. - -"I will come, with pleasure," said I. "I do not know how I could employ -my time better." - -"And you will report very carefully to me," said Holmes. "When a crisis -comes, as it will do, I will direct how you shall act. I suppose that by -Saturday all might be ready?" - -"Would that suit Dr. Watson?" - -"Perfectly." - -"Then on Saturday, unless you hear to the contrary, we shall meet at the -ten-thirty train from Paddington." - -We had risen to depart when Baskerville gave a cry, of triumph, and -diving into one of the corners of the room he drew a brown boot from -under a cabinet. - -"My missing boot!" he cried. - -"May all our difficulties vanish as easily!" said Sherlock Holmes. - -"But it is a very singular thing," Dr. Mortimer remarked. "I searched -this room carefully before lunch." - -"And so did I," said Baskerville. "Every inch of it." - -"There was certainly no boot in it then." - -"In that case the waiter must have placed it there while we were -lunching." - -The German was sent for but professed to know nothing of the matter, -nor could any inquiry clear it up. Another item had been added to that -constant and apparently purposeless series of small mysteries which had -succeeded each other so rapidly. Setting aside the whole grim story of -Sir Charles's death, we had a line of inexplicable incidents all within -the limits of two days, which included the receipt of the printed -letter, the black-bearded spy in the hansom, the loss of the new brown -boot, the loss of the old black boot, and now the return of the new -brown boot. Holmes sat in silence in the cab as we drove back to Baker -Street, and I knew from his drawn brows and keen face that his mind, -like my own, was busy in endeavouring to frame some scheme into which -all these strange and apparently disconnected episodes could be fitted. -All afternoon and late into the evening he sat lost in tobacco and -thought. - -Just before dinner two telegrams were handed in. The first ran: - -Have just heard that Barrymore is at the Hall. BASKERVILLE. - -The second: - -Visited twenty-three hotels as directed, but sorry, to report unable to -trace cut sheet of Times. CARTWRIGHT. - -"There go two of my threads, Watson. There is nothing more stimulating -than a case where everything goes against you. We must cast round for -another scent." - -"We have still the cabman who drove the spy." - -"Exactly. I have wired to get his name and address from the Official -Registry. I should not be surprised if this were an answer to my -question." - -The ring at the bell proved to be something even more satisfactory -than an answer, however, for the door opened and a rough-looking fellow -entered who was evidently the man himself. - -"I got a message from the head office that a gent at this address had -been inquiring for No. 2704," said he. "I've driven my cab this seven -years and never a word of complaint. I came here straight from the Yard -to ask you to your face what you had against me." - -"I have nothing in the world against you, my good man," said Holmes. -"On the contrary, I have half a sovereign for you if you will give me a -clear answer to my questions." - -"Well, I've had a good day and no mistake," said the cabman with a grin. -"What was it you wanted to ask, sir?" - -"First of all your name and address, in case I want you again." - -"John Clayton, 3 Turpey Street, the Borough. My cab is out of Shipley's -Yard, near Waterloo Station." - -Sherlock Holmes made a note of it. - -"Now, Clayton, tell me all about the fare who came and watched this -house at ten o'clock this morning and afterwards followed the two -gentlemen down Regent Street." - -The man looked surprised and a little embarrassed. "Why, there's no good -my telling you things, for you seem to know as much as I do already," -said he. "The truth is that the gentleman told me that he was a -detective and that I was to say nothing about him to anyone." - -"My good fellow; this is a very serious business, and you may find -yourself in a pretty bad position if you try to hide anything from me. -You say that your fare told you that he was a detective?" - -"Yes, he did." - -"When did he say this?" - -"When he left me." - -"Did he say anything more?" - -"He mentioned his name." - -Holmes cast a swift glance of triumph at me. "Oh, he mentioned his name, -did he? That was imprudent. What was the name that he mentioned?" - -"His name," said the cabman, "was Mr. Sherlock Holmes." - -Never have I seen my friend more completely taken aback than by the -cabman's reply. For an instant he sat in silent amazement. Then he burst -into a hearty laugh. - -"A touch, Watson--an undeniable touch!" said he. "I feel a foil as quick -and supple as my own. He got home upon me very prettily that time. So -his name was Sherlock Holmes, was it?" - -"Yes, sir, that was the gentleman's name." - -"Excellent! Tell me where you picked him up and all that occurred." - -"He hailed me at half-past nine in Trafalgar Square. He said that he was -a detective, and he offered me two guineas if I would do exactly what he -wanted all day and ask no questions. I was glad enough to agree. First -we drove down to the Northumberland Hotel and waited there until two -gentlemen came out and took a cab from the rank. We followed their cab -until it pulled up somewhere near here." - -"This very door," said Holmes. - -"Well, I couldn't be sure of that, but I dare say my fare knew all about -it. We pulled up halfway down the street and waited an hour and a half. -Then the two gentlemen passed us, walking, and we followed down Baker -Street and along--" - -"I know," said Holmes. - -"Until we got three-quarters down Regent Street. Then my gentleman threw -up the trap, and he cried that I should drive right away to Waterloo -Station as hard as I could go. I whipped up the mare and we were there -under the ten minutes. Then he paid up his two guineas, like a good one, -and away he went into the station. Only just as he was leaving he turned -round and he said: 'It might interest you to know that you have been -driving Mr. Sherlock Holmes.' That's how I come to know the name." - -"I see. And you saw no more of him?" - -"Not after he went into the station." - -"And how would you describe Mr. Sherlock Holmes?" - -The cabman scratched his head. "Well, he wasn't altogether such an easy -gentleman to describe. I'd put him at forty years of age, and he was -of a middle height, two or three inches shorter than you, sir. He was -dressed like a toff, and he had a black beard, cut square at the end, -and a pale face. I don't know as I could say more than that." - -"Colour of his eyes?" - -"No, I can't say that." - -"Nothing more that you can remember?" - -"No, sir; nothing." - -"Well, then, here is your half-sovereign. There's another one waiting -for you if you can bring any more information. Good-night!" - -"Good-night, sir, and thank you!" - -John Clayton departed chuckling, and Holmes turned to me with a shrug of -his shoulders and a rueful smile. - -"Snap goes our third thread, and we end where we began," said he. "The -cunning rascal! He knew our number, knew that Sir Henry Baskerville had -consulted me, spotted who I was in Regent Street, conjectured that I had -got the number of the cab and would lay my hands on the driver, and so -sent back this audacious message. I tell you, Watson, this time we have -got a foeman who is worthy of our steel. I've been checkmated in London. -I can only wish you better luck in Devonshire. But I'm not easy in my -mind about it." - -"About what?" - -"About sending you. It's an ugly business, Watson, an ugly dangerous -business, and the more I see of it the less I like it. Yes, my dear -fellow, you may laugh, but I give you my word that I shall be very glad -to have you back safe and sound in Baker Street once more." - - - - -Chapter 6. Baskerville Hall - - - -Sir Henry Baskerville and Dr. Mortimer were ready upon the appointed -day, and we started as arranged for Devonshire. Mr. Sherlock Holmes -drove with me to the station and gave me his last parting injunctions -and advice. - -"I will not bias your mind by suggesting theories or suspicions, -Watson," said he; "I wish you simply to report facts in the fullest -possible manner to me, and you can leave me to do the theorizing." - -"What sort of facts?" I asked. - -"Anything which may seem to have a bearing however indirect upon the -case, and especially the relations between young Baskerville and his -neighbours or any fresh particulars concerning the death of Sir Charles. -I have made some inquiries myself in the last few days, but the results -have, I fear, been negative. One thing only appears to be certain, and -that is that Mr. James Desmond, who is the next heir, is an elderly -gentleman of a very amiable disposition, so that this persecution does -not arise from him. I really think that we may eliminate him entirely -from our calculations. There remain the people who will actually -surround Sir Henry Baskerville upon the moor." - -"Would it not be well in the first place to get rid of this Barrymore -couple?" - -"By no means. You could not make a greater mistake. If they are innocent -it would be a cruel injustice, and if they are guilty we should be -giving up all chance of bringing it home to them. No, no, we will -preserve them upon our list of suspects. Then there is a groom at the -Hall, if I remember right. There are two moorland farmers. There is our -friend Dr. Mortimer, whom I believe to be entirely honest, and there is -his wife, of whom we know nothing. There is this naturalist, Stapleton, -and there is his sister, who is said to be a young lady of attractions. -There is Mr. Frankland, of Lafter Hall, who is also an unknown factor, -and there are one or two other neighbours. These are the folk who must -be your very special study." - -"I will do my best." - -"You have arms, I suppose?" - -"Yes, I thought it as well to take them." - -"Most certainly. Keep your revolver near you night and day, and never -relax your precautions." - -Our friends had already secured a first-class carriage and were waiting -for us upon the platform. - -"No, we have no news of any kind," said Dr. Mortimer in answer to my -friend's questions. "I can swear to one thing, and that is that we -have not been shadowed during the last two days. We have never gone -out without keeping a sharp watch, and no one could have escaped our -notice." - -"You have always kept together, I presume?" - -"Except yesterday afternoon. I usually give up one day to pure amusement -when I come to town, so I spent it at the Museum of the College of -Surgeons." - -"And I went to look at the folk in the park," said Baskerville. - -"But we had no trouble of any kind." - -"It was imprudent, all the same," said Holmes, shaking his head and -looking very grave. "I beg, Sir Henry, that you will not go about alone. -Some great misfortune will befall you if you do. Did you get your other -boot?" - -"No, sir, it is gone forever." - -"Indeed. That is very interesting. Well, good-bye," he added as the -train began to glide down the platform. "Bear in mind, Sir Henry, one of -the phrases in that queer old legend which Dr. Mortimer has read to us, -and avoid the moor in those hours of darkness when the powers of evil -are exalted." - -I looked back at the platform when we had left it far behind and saw the -tall, austere figure of Holmes standing motionless and gazing after us. - -The journey was a swift and pleasant one, and I spent it in making the -more intimate acquaintance of my two companions and in playing with -Dr. Mortimer's spaniel. In a very few hours the brown earth had -become ruddy, the brick had changed to granite, and red cows grazed in -well-hedged fields where the lush grasses and more luxuriant vegetation -spoke of a richer, if a damper, climate. Young Baskerville stared -eagerly out of the window and cried aloud with delight as he recognized -the familiar features of the Devon scenery. - -"I've been over a good part of the world since I left it, Dr. Watson," -said he; "but I have never seen a place to compare with it." - -"I never saw a Devonshire man who did not swear by his county," I -remarked. - -"It depends upon the breed of men quite as much as on the county," said -Dr. Mortimer. "A glance at our friend here reveals the rounded head of -the Celt, which carries inside it the Celtic enthusiasm and power -of attachment. Poor Sir Charles's head was of a very rare type, half -Gaelic, half Ivernian in its characteristics. But you were very young -when you last saw Baskerville Hall, were you not?" - -"I was a boy in my teens at the time of my father's death and had never -seen the Hall, for he lived in a little cottage on the South Coast. -Thence I went straight to a friend in America. I tell you it is all as -new to me as it is to Dr. Watson, and I'm as keen as possible to see the -moor." - -"Are you? Then your wish is easily granted, for there is your first -sight of the moor," said Dr. Mortimer, pointing out of the carriage -window. - -Over the green squares of the fields and the low curve of a wood there -rose in the distance a gray, melancholy hill, with a strange jagged -summit, dim and vague in the distance, like some fantastic landscape in -a dream. Baskerville sat for a long time, his eyes fixed upon it, and I -read upon his eager face how much it meant to him, this first sight of -that strange spot where the men of his blood had held sway so long -and left their mark so deep. There he sat, with his tweed suit and his -American accent, in the corner of a prosaic railway-carriage, and yet as -I looked at his dark and expressive face I felt more than ever how -true a descendant he was of that long line of high-blooded, fiery, -and masterful men. There were pride, valour, and strength in his thick -brows, his sensitive nostrils, and his large hazel eyes. If on that -forbidding moor a difficult and dangerous quest should lie before us, -this was at least a comrade for whom one might venture to take a risk -with the certainty that he would bravely share it. - -The train pulled up at a small wayside station and we all descended. -Outside, beyond the low, white fence, a wagonette with a pair of cobs -was waiting. Our coming was evidently a great event, for station-master -and porters clustered round us to carry out our luggage. It was a sweet, -simple country spot, but I was surprised to observe that by the gate -there stood two soldierly men in dark uniforms who leaned upon their -short rifles and glanced keenly at us as we passed. The coachman, a -hard-faced, gnarled little fellow, saluted Sir Henry Baskerville, and in -a few minutes we were flying swiftly down the broad, white road. Rolling -pasture lands curved upward on either side of us, and old gabled houses -peeped out from amid the thick green foliage, but behind the peaceful -and sunlit countryside there rose ever, dark against the evening sky, -the long, gloomy curve of the moor, broken by the jagged and sinister -hills. - -The wagonette swung round into a side road, and we curved upward through -deep lanes worn by centuries of wheels, high banks on either side, heavy -with dripping moss and fleshy hart's-tongue ferns. Bronzing bracken and -mottled bramble gleamed in the light of the sinking sun. Still steadily -rising, we passed over a narrow granite bridge and skirted a noisy -stream which gushed swiftly down, foaming and roaring amid the gray -boulders. Both road and stream wound up through a valley dense with -scrub oak and fir. At every turn Baskerville gave an exclamation of -delight, looking eagerly about him and asking countless questions. To -his eyes all seemed beautiful, but to me a tinge of melancholy lay upon -the countryside, which bore so clearly the mark of the waning year. -Yellow leaves carpeted the lanes and fluttered down upon us as we -passed. The rattle of our wheels died away as we drove through drifts of -rotting vegetation--sad gifts, as it seemed to me, for Nature to throw -before the carriage of the returning heir of the Baskervilles. - -"Halloa!" cried Dr. Mortimer, "what is this?" - -A steep curve of heath-clad land, an outlying spur of the moor, lay in -front of us. On the summit, hard and clear like an equestrian statue -upon its pedestal, was a mounted soldier, dark and stern, his rifle -poised ready over his forearm. He was watching the road along which we -travelled. - -"What is this, Perkins?" asked Dr. Mortimer. - -Our driver half turned in his seat. "There's a convict escaped from -Princetown, sir. He's been out three days now, and the warders watch -every road and every station, but they've had no sight of him yet. The -farmers about here don't like it, sir, and that's a fact." - -"Well, I understand that they get five pounds if they can give -information." - -"Yes, sir, but the chance of five pounds is but a poor thing compared -to the chance of having your throat cut. You see, it isn't like any -ordinary convict. This is a man that would stick at nothing." - -"Who is he, then?" - -"It is Selden, the Notting Hill murderer." - -I remembered the case well, for it was one in which Holmes had taken an -interest on account of the peculiar ferocity of the crime and the -wanton brutality which had marked all the actions of the assassin. The -commutation of his death sentence had been due to some doubts as to his -complete sanity, so atrocious was his conduct. Our wagonette had topped -a rise and in front of us rose the huge expanse of the moor, mottled -with gnarled and craggy cairns and tors. A cold wind swept down from -it and set us shivering. Somewhere there, on that desolate plain, was -lurking this fiendish man, hiding in a burrow like a wild beast, his -heart full of malignancy against the whole race which had cast him out. -It needed but this to complete the grim suggestiveness of the barren -waste, the chilling wind, and the darkling sky. Even Baskerville fell -silent and pulled his overcoat more closely around him. - -We had left the fertile country behind and beneath us. We looked back on -it now, the slanting rays of a low sun turning the streams to threads of -gold and glowing on the red earth new turned by the plough and the broad -tangle of the woodlands. The road in front of us grew bleaker and wilder -over huge russet and olive slopes, sprinkled with giant boulders. Now -and then we passed a moorland cottage, walled and roofed with stone, -with no creeper to break its harsh outline. Suddenly we looked down into -a cuplike depression, patched with stunted oaks and firs which had been -twisted and bent by the fury of years of storm. Two high, narrow towers -rose over the trees. The driver pointed with his whip. - -"Baskerville Hall," said he. - -Its master had risen and was staring with flushed cheeks and shining -eyes. A few minutes later we had reached the lodge-gates, a maze of -fantastic tracery in wrought iron, with weather-bitten pillars on either -side, blotched with lichens, and surmounted by the boars' heads of the -Baskervilles. The lodge was a ruin of black granite and bared ribs of -rafters, but facing it was a new building, half constructed, the first -fruit of Sir Charles's South African gold. - -Through the gateway we passed into the avenue, where the wheels were -again hushed amid the leaves, and the old trees shot their branches in a -sombre tunnel over our heads. Baskerville shuddered as he looked up -the long, dark drive to where the house glimmered like a ghost at the -farther end. - -"Was it here?" he asked in a low voice. - -"No, no, the yew alley is on the other side." - -The young heir glanced round with a gloomy face. - -"It's no wonder my uncle felt as if trouble were coming on him in such a -place as this," said he. "It's enough to scare any man. I'll have a row -of electric lamps up here inside of six months, and you won't know it -again, with a thousand candle-power Swan and Edison right here in front -of the hall door." - -The avenue opened into a broad expanse of turf, and the house lay before -us. In the fading light I could see that the centre was a heavy block -of building from which a porch projected. The whole front was draped in -ivy, with a patch clipped bare here and there where a window or a coat -of arms broke through the dark veil. From this central block rose the -twin towers, ancient, crenelated, and pierced with many loopholes. To -right and left of the turrets were more modern wings of black granite. -A dull light shone through heavy mullioned windows, and from the high -chimneys which rose from the steep, high-angled roof there sprang a -single black column of smoke. - -"Welcome, Sir Henry! Welcome to Baskerville Hall!" - -A tall man had stepped from the shadow of the porch to open the door of -the wagonette. The figure of a woman was silhouetted against the yellow -light of the hall. She came out and helped the man to hand down our -bags. - -"You don't mind my driving straight home, Sir Henry?" said Dr. Mortimer. -"My wife is expecting me." - -"Surely you will stay and have some dinner?" - -"No, I must go. I shall probably find some work awaiting me. I would -stay to show you over the house, but Barrymore will be a better guide -than I. Good-bye, and never hesitate night or day to send for me if I -can be of service." - -The wheels died away down the drive while Sir Henry and I turned -into the hall, and the door clanged heavily behind us. It was a fine -apartment in which we found ourselves, large, lofty, and heavily -raftered with huge baulks of age-blackened oak. In the great -old-fashioned fireplace behind the high iron dogs a log-fire crackled -and snapped. Sir Henry and I held out our hands to it, for we were numb -from our long drive. Then we gazed round us at the high, thin window -of old stained glass, the oak panelling, the stags' heads, the coats -of arms upon the walls, all dim and sombre in the subdued light of the -central lamp. - -"It's just as I imagined it," said Sir Henry. "Is it not the very -picture of an old family home? To think that this should be the same -hall in which for five hundred years my people have lived. It strikes me -solemn to think of it." - -I saw his dark face lit up with a boyish enthusiasm as he gazed about -him. The light beat upon him where he stood, but long shadows trailed -down the walls and hung like a black canopy above him. Barrymore had -returned from taking our luggage to our rooms. He stood in front of -us now with the subdued manner of a well-trained servant. He was a -remarkable-looking man, tall, handsome, with a square black beard and -pale, distinguished features. - -"Would you wish dinner to be served at once, sir?" - -"Is it ready?" - -"In a very few minutes, sir. You will find hot water in your rooms. My -wife and I will be happy, Sir Henry, to stay with you until you have -made your fresh arrangements, but you will understand that under the new -conditions this house will require a considerable staff." - -"What new conditions?" - -"I only meant, sir, that Sir Charles led a very retired life, and we -were able to look after his wants. You would, naturally, wish to have -more company, and so you will need changes in your household." - -"Do you mean that your wife and you wish to leave?" - -"Only when it is quite convenient to you, sir." - -"But your family have been with us for several generations, have they -not? I should be sorry to begin my life here by breaking an old family -connection." - -I seemed to discern some signs of emotion upon the butler's white face. - -"I feel that also, sir, and so does my wife. But to tell the truth, sir, -we were both very much attached to Sir Charles, and his death gave us -a shock and made these surroundings very painful to us. I fear that we -shall never again be easy in our minds at Baskerville Hall." - -"But what do you intend to do?" - -"I have no doubt, sir, that we shall succeed in establishing ourselves -in some business. Sir Charles's generosity has given us the means to do -so. And now, sir, perhaps I had best show you to your rooms." - -A square balustraded gallery ran round the top of the old hall, -approached by a double stair. From this central point two long corridors -extended the whole length of the building, from which all the bedrooms -opened. My own was in the same wing as Baskerville's and almost next -door to it. These rooms appeared to be much more modern than the -central part of the house, and the bright paper and numerous candles -did something to remove the sombre impression which our arrival had left -upon my mind. - -But the dining-room which opened out of the hall was a place of shadow -and gloom. It was a long chamber with a step separating the dais where -the family sat from the lower portion reserved for their dependents. -At one end a minstrel's gallery overlooked it. Black beams shot across -above our heads, with a smoke-darkened ceiling beyond them. With rows of -flaring torches to light it up, and the colour and rude hilarity of -an old-time banquet, it might have softened; but now, when two -black-clothed gentlemen sat in the little circle of light thrown by a -shaded lamp, one's voice became hushed and one's spirit subdued. A -dim line of ancestors, in every variety of dress, from the Elizabethan -knight to the buck of the Regency, stared down upon us and daunted us by -their silent company. We talked little, and I for one was glad when the -meal was over and we were able to retire into the modern billiard-room -and smoke a cigarette. - -"My word, it isn't a very cheerful place," said Sir Henry. "I suppose -one can tone down to it, but I feel a bit out of the picture at present. -I don't wonder that my uncle got a little jumpy if he lived all alone -in such a house as this. However, if it suits you, we will retire early -tonight, and perhaps things may seem more cheerful in the morning." - -I drew aside my curtains before I went to bed and looked out from my -window. It opened upon the grassy space which lay in front of the hall -door. Beyond, two copses of trees moaned and swung in a rising wind. A -half moon broke through the rifts of racing clouds. In its cold light I -saw beyond the trees a broken fringe of rocks, and the long, low curve -of the melancholy moor. I closed the curtain, feeling that my last -impression was in keeping with the rest. - -And yet it was not quite the last. I found myself weary and yet wakeful, -tossing restlessly from side to side, seeking for the sleep which would -not come. Far away a chiming clock struck out the quarters of the -hours, but otherwise a deathly silence lay upon the old house. And then -suddenly, in the very dead of the night, there came a sound to my -ears, clear, resonant, and unmistakable. It was the sob of a woman, the -muffled, strangling gasp of one who is torn by an uncontrollable sorrow. -I sat up in bed and listened intently. The noise could not have been -far away and was certainly in the house. For half an hour I waited with -every nerve on the alert, but there came no other sound save the chiming -clock and the rustle of the ivy on the wall. - - - - -Chapter 7. The Stapletons of Merripit House - - - -The fresh beauty of the following morning did something to efface from -our minds the grim and gray impression which had been left upon both of -us by our first experience of Baskerville Hall. As Sir Henry and I sat -at breakfast the sunlight flooded in through the high mullioned windows, -throwing watery patches of colour from the coats of arms which covered -them. The dark panelling glowed like bronze in the golden rays, and it -was hard to realize that this was indeed the chamber which had struck -such a gloom into our souls upon the evening before. - -"I guess it is ourselves and not the house that we have to blame!" said -the baronet. "We were tired with our journey and chilled by our drive, -so we took a gray view of the place. Now we are fresh and well, so it is -all cheerful once more." - -"And yet it was not entirely a question of imagination," I answered. -"Did you, for example, happen to hear someone, a woman I think, sobbing -in the night?" - -"That is curious, for I did when I was half asleep fancy that I heard -something of the sort. I waited quite a time, but there was no more of -it, so I concluded that it was all a dream." - -"I heard it distinctly, and I am sure that it was really the sob of a -woman." - -"We must ask about this right away." He rang the bell and asked -Barrymore whether he could account for our experience. It seemed to me -that the pallid features of the butler turned a shade paler still as he -listened to his master's question. - -"There are only two women in the house, Sir Henry," he answered. "One is -the scullery-maid, who sleeps in the other wing. The other is my wife, -and I can answer for it that the sound could not have come from her." - -And yet he lied as he said it, for it chanced that after breakfast I met -Mrs. Barrymore in the long corridor with the sun full upon her face. She -was a large, impassive, heavy-featured woman with a stern set expression -of mouth. But her telltale eyes were red and glanced at me from between -swollen lids. It was she, then, who wept in the night, and if she did so -her husband must know it. Yet he had taken the obvious risk of discovery -in declaring that it was not so. Why had he done this? And why did she -weep so bitterly? Already round this pale-faced, handsome, black-bearded -man there was gathering an atmosphere of mystery and of gloom. It was he -who had been the first to discover the body of Sir Charles, and we had -only his word for all the circumstances which led up to the old man's -death. Was it possible that it was Barrymore, after all, whom we had -seen in the cab in Regent Street? The beard might well have been the -same. The cabman had described a somewhat shorter man, but such an -impression might easily have been erroneous. How could I settle the -point forever? Obviously the first thing to do was to see the Grimpen -postmaster and find whether the test telegram had really been placed in -Barrymore's own hands. Be the answer what it might, I should at least -have something to report to Sherlock Holmes. - -Sir Henry had numerous papers to examine after breakfast, so that the -time was propitious for my excursion. It was a pleasant walk of four -miles along the edge of the moor, leading me at last to a small gray -hamlet, in which two larger buildings, which proved to be the inn and -the house of Dr. Mortimer, stood high above the rest. The postmaster, -who was also the village grocer, had a clear recollection of the -telegram. - -"Certainly, sir," said he, "I had the telegram delivered to Mr. -Barrymore exactly as directed." - -"Who delivered it?" - -"My boy here. James, you delivered that telegram to Mr. Barrymore at the -Hall last week, did you not?" - -"Yes, father, I delivered it." - -"Into his own hands?" I asked. - -"Well, he was up in the loft at the time, so that I could not put it -into his own hands, but I gave it into Mrs. Barrymore's hands, and she -promised to deliver it at once." - -"Did you see Mr. Barrymore?" - -"No, sir; I tell you he was in the loft." - -"If you didn't see him, how do you know he was in the loft?" - -"Well, surely his own wife ought to know where he is," said the -postmaster testily. "Didn't he get the telegram? If there is any mistake -it is for Mr. Barrymore himself to complain." - -It seemed hopeless to pursue the inquiry any farther, but it was clear -that in spite of Holmes's ruse we had no proof that Barrymore had not -been in London all the time. Suppose that it were so--suppose that the -same man had been the last who had seen Sir Charles alive, and the first -to dog the new heir when he returned to England. What then? Was he the -agent of others or had he some sinister design of his own? What interest -could he have in persecuting the Baskerville family? I thought of the -strange warning clipped out of the leading article of the Times. Was -that his work or was it possibly the doing of someone who was bent upon -counteracting his schemes? The only conceivable motive was that which -had been suggested by Sir Henry, that if the family could be scared away -a comfortable and permanent home would be secured for the Barrymores. -But surely such an explanation as that would be quite inadequate to -account for the deep and subtle scheming which seemed to be weaving an -invisible net round the young baronet. Holmes himself had said that -no more complex case had come to him in all the long series of his -sensational investigations. I prayed, as I walked back along the gray, -lonely road, that my friend might soon be freed from his preoccupations -and able to come down to take this heavy burden of responsibility from -my shoulders. - -Suddenly my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of running feet -behind me and by a voice which called me by name. I turned, expecting to -see Dr. Mortimer, but to my surprise it was a stranger who was pursuing -me. He was a small, slim, clean-shaven, prim-faced man, flaxen-haired -and leanjawed, between thirty and forty years of age, dressed in a gray -suit and wearing a straw hat. A tin box for botanical specimens hung -over his shoulder and he carried a green butterfly-net in one of his -hands. - -"You will, I am sure, excuse my presumption, Dr. Watson," said he as he -came panting up to where I stood. "Here on the moor we are homely folk -and do not wait for formal introductions. You may possibly have heard -my name from our mutual friend, Mortimer. I am Stapleton, of Merripit -House." - -"Your net and box would have told me as much," said I, "for I knew that -Mr. Stapleton was a naturalist. But how did you know me?" - -"I have been calling on Mortimer, and he pointed you out to me from -the window of his surgery as you passed. As our road lay the same way I -thought that I would overtake you and introduce myself. I trust that Sir -Henry is none the worse for his journey?" - -"He is very well, thank you." - -"We were all rather afraid that after the sad death of Sir Charles the -new baronet might refuse to live here. It is asking much of a wealthy -man to come down and bury himself in a place of this kind, but I need -not tell you that it means a very great deal to the countryside. Sir -Henry has, I suppose, no superstitious fears in the matter?" - -"I do not think that it is likely." - -"Of course you know the legend of the fiend dog which haunts the -family?" - -"I have heard it." - -"It is extraordinary how credulous the peasants are about here! Any -number of them are ready to swear that they have seen such a creature -upon the moor." He spoke with a smile, but I seemed to read in his eyes -that he took the matter more seriously. "The story took a great hold -upon the imagination of Sir Charles, and I have no doubt that it led to -his tragic end." - -"But how?" - -"His nerves were so worked up that the appearance of any dog might have -had a fatal effect upon his diseased heart. I fancy that he really -did see something of the kind upon that last night in the yew alley. I -feared that some disaster might occur, for I was very fond of the old -man, and I knew that his heart was weak." - -"How did you know that?" - -"My friend Mortimer told me." - -"You think, then, that some dog pursued Sir Charles, and that he died of -fright in consequence?" - -"Have you any better explanation?" - -"I have not come to any conclusion." - -"Has Mr. Sherlock Holmes?" - -The words took away my breath for an instant but a glance at the placid -face and steadfast eyes of my companion showed that no surprise was -intended. - -"It is useless for us to pretend that we do not know you, Dr. Watson," -said he. "The records of your detective have reached us here, and you -could not celebrate him without being known yourself. When Mortimer told -me your name he could not deny your identity. If you are here, then it -follows that Mr. Sherlock Holmes is interesting himself in the matter, -and I am naturally curious to know what view he may take." - -"I am afraid that I cannot answer that question." - -"May I ask if he is going to honour us with a visit himself?" - -"He cannot leave town at present. He has other cases which engage his -attention." - -"What a pity! He might throw some light on that which is so dark to us. -But as to your own researches, if there is any possible way in which I -can be of service to you I trust that you will command me. If I had -any indication of the nature of your suspicions or how you propose to -investigate the case, I might perhaps even now give you some aid or -advice." - -"I assure you that I am simply here upon a visit to my friend, Sir -Henry, and that I need no help of any kind." - -"Excellent!" said Stapleton. "You are perfectly right to be wary and -discreet. I am justly reproved for what I feel was an unjustifiable -intrusion, and I promise you that I will not mention the matter again." - -We had come to a point where a narrow grassy path struck off from the -road and wound away across the moor. A steep, boulder-sprinkled hill lay -upon the right which had in bygone days been cut into a granite quarry. -The face which was turned towards us formed a dark cliff, with ferns and -brambles growing in its niches. From over a distant rise there floated a -gray plume of smoke. - -"A moderate walk along this moor-path brings us to Merripit House," -said he. "Perhaps you will spare an hour that I may have the pleasure of -introducing you to my sister." - -My first thought was that I should be by Sir Henry's side. But then I -remembered the pile of papers and bills with which his study table was -littered. It was certain that I could not help with those. And Holmes -had expressly said that I should study the neighbours upon the moor. I -accepted Stapleton's invitation, and we turned together down the path. - -"It is a wonderful place, the moor," said he, looking round over the -undulating downs, long green rollers, with crests of jagged granite -foaming up into fantastic surges. "You never tire of the moor. You -cannot think the wonderful secrets which it contains. It is so vast, and -so barren, and so mysterious." - -"You know it well, then?" - -"I have only been here two years. The residents would call me a -newcomer. We came shortly after Sir Charles settled. But my tastes led -me to explore every part of the country round, and I should think that -there are few men who know it better than I do." - -"Is it hard to know?" - -"Very hard. You see, for example, this great plain to the north here -with the queer hills breaking out of it. Do you observe anything -remarkable about that?" - -"It would be a rare place for a gallop." - -"You would naturally think so and the thought has cost several their -lives before now. You notice those bright green spots scattered thickly -over it?" - -"Yes, they seem more fertile than the rest." - -Stapleton laughed. "That is the great Grimpen Mire," said he. "A false -step yonder means death to man or beast. Only yesterday I saw one of the -moor ponies wander into it. He never came out. I saw his head for quite -a long time craning out of the bog-hole, but it sucked him down at last. -Even in dry seasons it is a danger to cross it, but after these autumn -rains it is an awful place. And yet I can find my way to the very heart -of it and return alive. By George, there is another of those miserable -ponies!" - -Something brown was rolling and tossing among the green sedges. Then a -long, agonized, writhing neck shot upward and a dreadful cry echoed -over the moor. It turned me cold with horror, but my companion's nerves -seemed to be stronger than mine. - -"It's gone!" said he. "The mire has him. Two in two days, and many more, -perhaps, for they get in the way of going there in the dry weather and -never know the difference until the mire has them in its clutches. It's -a bad place, the great Grimpen Mire." - -"And you say you can penetrate it?" - -"Yes, there are one or two paths which a very active man can take. I -have found them out." - -"But why should you wish to go into so horrible a place?" - -"Well, you see the hills beyond? They are really islands cut off on all -sides by the impassable mire, which has crawled round them in the course -of years. That is where the rare plants and the butterflies are, if you -have the wit to reach them." - -"I shall try my luck some day." - -He looked at me with a surprised face. "For God's sake put such an idea -out of your mind," said he. "Your blood would be upon my head. I assure -you that there would not be the least chance of your coming back alive. -It is only by remembering certain complex landmarks that I am able to do -it." - -"Halloa!" I cried. "What is that?" - -A long, low moan, indescribably sad, swept over the moor. It filled the -whole air, and yet it was impossible to say whence it came. From a -dull murmur it swelled into a deep roar, and then sank back into a -melancholy, throbbing murmur once again. Stapleton looked at me with a -curious expression in his face. - -"Queer place, the moor!" said he. - -"But what is it?" - -"The peasants say it is the Hound of the Baskervilles calling for its -prey. I've heard it once or twice before, but never quite so loud." - -I looked round, with a chill of fear in my heart, at the huge swelling -plain, mottled with the green patches of rushes. Nothing stirred over -the vast expanse save a pair of ravens, which croaked loudly from a tor -behind us. - -"You are an educated man. You don't believe such nonsense as that?" said -I. "What do you think is the cause of so strange a sound?" - -"Bogs make queer noises sometimes. It's the mud settling, or the water -rising, or something." - -"No, no, that was a living voice." - -"Well, perhaps it was. Did you ever hear a bittern booming?" - -"No, I never did." - -"It's a very rare bird--practically extinct--in England now, but all -things are possible upon the moor. Yes, I should not be surprised to -learn that what we have heard is the cry of the last of the bitterns." - -"It's the weirdest, strangest thing that ever I heard in my life." - -"Yes, it's rather an uncanny place altogether. Look at the hillside -yonder. What do you make of those?" - -The whole steep slope was covered with gray circular rings of stone, a -score of them at least. - -"What are they? Sheep-pens?" - -"No, they are the homes of our worthy ancestors. Prehistoric man lived -thickly on the moor, and as no one in particular has lived there since, -we find all his little arrangements exactly as he left them. These are -his wigwams with the roofs off. You can even see his hearth and his -couch if you have the curiosity to go inside. - -"But it is quite a town. When was it inhabited?" - -"Neolithic man--no date." - -"What did he do?" - -"He grazed his cattle on these slopes, and he learned to dig for tin -when the bronze sword began to supersede the stone axe. Look at the -great trench in the opposite hill. That is his mark. Yes, you will find -some very singular points about the moor, Dr. Watson. Oh, excuse me an -instant! It is surely Cyclopides." - -A small fly or moth had fluttered across our path, and in an instant -Stapleton was rushing with extraordinary energy and speed in pursuit of -it. To my dismay the creature flew straight for the great mire, and my -acquaintance never paused for an instant, bounding from tuft to tuft -behind it, his green net waving in the air. His gray clothes and jerky, -zigzag, irregular progress made him not unlike some huge moth himself. -I was standing watching his pursuit with a mixture of admiration for his -extraordinary activity and fear lest he should lose his footing in the -treacherous mire, when I heard the sound of steps and, turning round, -found a woman near me upon the path. She had come from the direction in -which the plume of smoke indicated the position of Merripit House, but -the dip of the moor had hid her until she was quite close. - -I could not doubt that this was the Miss Stapleton of whom I had -been told, since ladies of any sort must be few upon the moor, and I -remembered that I had heard someone describe her as being a beauty. The -woman who approached me was certainly that, and of a most uncommon type. -There could not have been a greater contrast between brother and sister, -for Stapleton was neutral tinted, with light hair and gray eyes, while -she was darker than any brunette whom I have seen in England--slim, -elegant, and tall. She had a proud, finely cut face, so regular that it -might have seemed impassive were it not for the sensitive mouth and the -beautiful dark, eager eyes. With her perfect figure and elegant dress -she was, indeed, a strange apparition upon a lonely moorland path. Her -eyes were on her brother as I turned, and then she quickened her pace -towards me. I had raised my hat and was about to make some explanatory -remark when her own words turned all my thoughts into a new channel. - -"Go back!" she said. "Go straight back to London, instantly." - -I could only stare at her in stupid surprise. Her eyes blazed at me, and -she tapped the ground impatiently with her foot. - -"Why should I go back?" I asked. - -"I cannot explain." She spoke in a low, eager voice, with a curious lisp -in her utterance. "But for God's sake do what I ask you. Go back and -never set foot upon the moor again." - -"But I have only just come." - -"Man, man!" she cried. "Can you not tell when a warning is for your own -good? Go back to London! Start tonight! Get away from this place at all -costs! Hush, my brother is coming! Not a word of what I have said. Would -you mind getting that orchid for me among the mare's-tails yonder? We -are very rich in orchids on the moor, though, of course, you are rather -late to see the beauties of the place." - -Stapleton had abandoned the chase and came back to us breathing hard and -flushed with his exertions. - -"Halloa, Beryl!" said he, and it seemed to me that the tone of his -greeting was not altogether a cordial one. - -"Well, Jack, you are very hot." - -"Yes, I was chasing a Cyclopides. He is very rare and seldom found in -the late autumn. What a pity that I should have missed him!" He spoke -unconcernedly, but his small light eyes glanced incessantly from the -girl to me. - -"You have introduced yourselves, I can see." - -"Yes. I was telling Sir Henry that it was rather late for him to see the -true beauties of the moor." - -"Why, who do you think this is?" - -"I imagine that it must be Sir Henry Baskerville." - -"No, no," said I. "Only a humble commoner, but his friend. My name is -Dr. Watson." - -A flush of vexation passed over her expressive face. "We have been -talking at cross purposes," said she. - -"Why, you had not very much time for talk," her brother remarked with -the same questioning eyes. - -"I talked as if Dr. Watson were a resident instead of being merely a -visitor," said she. "It cannot much matter to him whether it is early -or late for the orchids. But you will come on, will you not, and see -Merripit House?" - -A short walk brought us to it, a bleak moorland house, once the farm -of some grazier in the old prosperous days, but now put into repair and -turned into a modern dwelling. An orchard surrounded it, but the trees, -as is usual upon the moor, were stunted and nipped, and the effect of -the whole place was mean and melancholy. We were admitted by a strange, -wizened, rusty-coated old manservant, who seemed in keeping with -the house. Inside, however, there were large rooms furnished with an -elegance in which I seemed to recognize the taste of the lady. As I -looked from their windows at the interminable granite-flecked moor -rolling unbroken to the farthest horizon I could not but marvel at what -could have brought this highly educated man and this beautiful woman to -live in such a place. - -"Queer spot to choose, is it not?" said he as if in answer to my -thought. "And yet we manage to make ourselves fairly happy, do we not, -Beryl?" - -"Quite happy," said she, but there was no ring of conviction in her -words. - -"I had a school," said Stapleton. "It was in the north country. The work -to a man of my temperament was mechanical and uninteresting, but the -privilege of living with youth, of helping to mould those young minds, -and of impressing them with one's own character and ideals was very dear -to me. However, the fates were against us. A serious epidemic broke out -in the school and three of the boys died. It never recovered from the -blow, and much of my capital was irretrievably swallowed up. And yet, -if it were not for the loss of the charming companionship of the boys, -I could rejoice over my own misfortune, for, with my strong tastes -for botany and zoology, I find an unlimited field of work here, and my -sister is as devoted to Nature as I am. All this, Dr. Watson, has been -brought upon your head by your expression as you surveyed the moor out -of our window." - -"It certainly did cross my mind that it might be a little dull--less for -you, perhaps, than for your sister." - -"No, no, I am never dull," said she quickly. - -"We have books, we have our studies, and we have interesting neighbours. -Dr. Mortimer is a most learned man in his own line. Poor Sir Charles was -also an admirable companion. We knew him well and miss him more than -I can tell. Do you think that I should intrude if I were to call this -afternoon and make the acquaintance of Sir Henry?" - -"I am sure that he would be delighted." - -"Then perhaps you would mention that I propose to do so. We may in -our humble way do something to make things more easy for him until he -becomes accustomed to his new surroundings. Will you come upstairs, Dr. -Watson, and inspect my collection of Lepidoptera? I think it is the most -complete one in the south-west of England. By the time that you have -looked through them lunch will be almost ready." - -But I was eager to get back to my charge. The melancholy of the moor, -the death of the unfortunate pony, the weird sound which had been -associated with the grim legend of the Baskervilles, all these things -tinged my thoughts with sadness. Then on the top of these more or less -vague impressions there had come the definite and distinct warning of -Miss Stapleton, delivered with such intense earnestness that I could -not doubt that some grave and deep reason lay behind it. I resisted -all pressure to stay for lunch, and I set off at once upon my return -journey, taking the grass-grown path by which we had come. - -It seems, however, that there must have been some short cut for those -who knew it, for before I had reached the road I was astounded to see -Miss Stapleton sitting upon a rock by the side of the track. Her face -was beautifully flushed with her exertions and she held her hand to her -side. - -"I have run all the way in order to cut you off, Dr. Watson," said she. -"I had not even time to put on my hat. I must not stop, or my brother -may miss me. I wanted to say to you how sorry I am about the stupid -mistake I made in thinking that you were Sir Henry. Please forget the -words I said, which have no application whatever to you." - -"But I can't forget them, Miss Stapleton," said I. "I am Sir Henry's -friend, and his welfare is a very close concern of mine. Tell me why it -was that you were so eager that Sir Henry should return to London." - -"A woman's whim, Dr. Watson. When you know me better you will understand -that I cannot always give reasons for what I say or do." - -"No, no. I remember the thrill in your voice. I remember the look in -your eyes. Please, please, be frank with me, Miss Stapleton, for ever -since I have been here I have been conscious of shadows all round me. -Life has become like that great Grimpen Mire, with little green patches -everywhere into which one may sink and with no guide to point the track. -Tell me then what it was that you meant, and I will promise to convey -your warning to Sir Henry." - -An expression of irresolution passed for an instant over her face, but -her eyes had hardened again when she answered me. - -"You make too much of it, Dr. Watson," said she. "My brother and I -were very much shocked by the death of Sir Charles. We knew him very -intimately, for his favourite walk was over the moor to our house. He -was deeply impressed with the curse which hung over the family, and when -this tragedy came I naturally felt that there must be some grounds -for the fears which he had expressed. I was distressed therefore when -another member of the family came down to live here, and I felt that he -should be warned of the danger which he will run. That was all which I -intended to convey. - -"But what is the danger?" - -"You know the story of the hound?" - -"I do not believe in such nonsense." - -"But I do. If you have any influence with Sir Henry, take him away from -a place which has always been fatal to his family. The world is wide. -Why should he wish to live at the place of danger?" - -"Because it is the place of danger. That is Sir Henry's nature. I fear -that unless you can give me some more definite information than this it -would be impossible to get him to move." - -"I cannot say anything definite, for I do not know anything definite." - -"I would ask you one more question, Miss Stapleton. If you meant no -more than this when you first spoke to me, why should you not wish your -brother to overhear what you said? There is nothing to which he, or -anyone else, could object." - -"My brother is very anxious to have the Hall inhabited, for he thinks it -is for the good of the poor folk upon the moor. He would be very angry -if he knew that I have said anything which might induce Sir Henry to -go away. But I have done my duty now and I will say no more. I must go -back, or he will miss me and suspect that I have seen you. Good-bye!" -She turned and had disappeared in a few minutes among the scattered -boulders, while I, with my soul full of vague fears, pursued my way to -Baskerville Hall. - - - - -Chapter 8. First Report of Dr. Watson - - - -From this point onward I will follow the course of events by -transcribing my own letters to Mr. Sherlock Holmes which lie before me -on the table. One page is missing, but otherwise they are exactly -as written and show my feelings and suspicions of the moment more -accurately than my memory, clear as it is upon these tragic events, can -possibly do. - - -Baskerville Hall, October 13th. MY DEAR HOLMES: My previous letters -and telegrams have kept you pretty well up to date as to all that has -occurred in this most God-forsaken corner of the world. The longer one -stays here the more does the spirit of the moor sink into one's soul, -its vastness, and also its grim charm. When you are once out upon its -bosom you have left all traces of modern England behind you, but, on the -other hand, you are conscious everywhere of the homes and the work of -the prehistoric people. On all sides of you as you walk are the houses -of these forgotten folk, with their graves and the huge monoliths which -are supposed to have marked their temples. As you look at their gray -stone huts against the scarred hillsides you leave your own age behind -you, and if you were to see a skin-clad, hairy man crawl out from the -low door fitting a flint-tipped arrow on to the string of his bow, you -would feel that his presence there was more natural than your own. The -strange thing is that they should have lived so thickly on what must -always have been most unfruitful soil. I am no antiquarian, but I could -imagine that they were some unwarlike and harried race who were forced -to accept that which none other would occupy. - -All this, however, is foreign to the mission on which you sent me and -will probably be very uninteresting to your severely practical mind. -I can still remember your complete indifference as to whether the sun -moved round the earth or the earth round the sun. Let me, therefore, -return to the facts concerning Sir Henry Baskerville. - -If you have not had any report within the last few days it is because -up to today there was nothing of importance to relate. Then a very -surprising circumstance occurred, which I shall tell you in due course. -But, first of all, I must keep you in touch with some of the other -factors in the situation. - -One of these, concerning which I have said little, is the escaped -convict upon the moor. There is strong reason now to believe that he -has got right away, which is a considerable relief to the lonely -householders of this district. A fortnight has passed since his flight, -during which he has not been seen and nothing has been heard of him. It -is surely inconceivable that he could have held out upon the moor during -all that time. Of course, so far as his concealment goes there is -no difficulty at all. Any one of these stone huts would give him a -hiding-place. But there is nothing to eat unless he were to catch and -slaughter one of the moor sheep. We think, therefore, that he has gone, -and the outlying farmers sleep the better in consequence. - -We are four able-bodied men in this household, so that we could take -good care of ourselves, but I confess that I have had uneasy moments -when I have thought of the Stapletons. They live miles from any help. -There are one maid, an old manservant, the sister, and the brother, the -latter not a very strong man. They would be helpless in the hands of a -desperate fellow like this Notting Hill criminal if he could once effect -an entrance. Both Sir Henry and I were concerned at their situation, and -it was suggested that Perkins the groom should go over to sleep there, -but Stapleton would not hear of it. - -The fact is that our friend, the baronet, begins to display a -considerable interest in our fair neighbour. It is not to be wondered -at, for time hangs heavily in this lonely spot to an active man like -him, and she is a very fascinating and beautiful woman. There is -something tropical and exotic about her which forms a singular contrast -to her cool and unemotional brother. Yet he also gives the idea of -hidden fires. He has certainly a very marked influence over her, for -I have seen her continually glance at him as she talked as if seeking -approbation for what she said. I trust that he is kind to her. There is -a dry glitter in his eyes and a firm set of his thin lips, which goes -with a positive and possibly a harsh nature. You would find him an -interesting study. - -He came over to call upon Baskerville on that first day, and the very -next morning he took us both to show us the spot where the legend of the -wicked Hugo is supposed to have had its origin. It was an excursion of -some miles across the moor to a place which is so dismal that it might -have suggested the story. We found a short valley between rugged tors -which led to an open, grassy space flecked over with the white cotton -grass. In the middle of it rose two great stones, worn and sharpened at -the upper end until they looked like the huge corroding fangs of some -monstrous beast. In every way it corresponded with the scene of the old -tragedy. Sir Henry was much interested and asked Stapleton more -than once whether he did really believe in the possibility of the -interference of the supernatural in the affairs of men. He spoke -lightly, but it was evident that he was very much in earnest. Stapleton -was guarded in his replies, but it was easy to see that he said less -than he might, and that he would not express his whole opinion out of -consideration for the feelings of the baronet. He told us of similar -cases, where families had suffered from some evil influence, and he left -us with the impression that he shared the popular view upon the matter. - -On our way back we stayed for lunch at Merripit House, and it was there -that Sir Henry made the acquaintance of Miss Stapleton. From the first -moment that he saw her he appeared to be strongly attracted by her, and -I am much mistaken if the feeling was not mutual. He referred to her -again and again on our walk home, and since then hardly a day has passed -that we have not seen something of the brother and sister. They dine -here tonight, and there is some talk of our going to them next week. One -would imagine that such a match would be very welcome to Stapleton, and -yet I have more than once caught a look of the strongest disapprobation -in his face when Sir Henry has been paying some attention to his sister. -He is much attached to her, no doubt, and would lead a lonely life -without her, but it would seem the height of selfishness if he were to -stand in the way of her making so brilliant a marriage. Yet I am certain -that he does not wish their intimacy to ripen into love, and I have -several times observed that he has taken pains to prevent them from -being tete-a-tete. By the way, your instructions to me never to allow -Sir Henry to go out alone will become very much more onerous if a love -affair were to be added to our other difficulties. My popularity would -soon suffer if I were to carry out your orders to the letter. - -The other day--Thursday, to be more exact--Dr. Mortimer lunched with us. -He has been excavating a barrow at Long Down and has got a prehistoric -skull which fills him with great joy. Never was there such a -single-minded enthusiast as he! The Stapletons came in afterwards, and -the good doctor took us all to the yew alley at Sir Henry's request to -show us exactly how everything occurred upon that fatal night. It is -a long, dismal walk, the yew alley, between two high walls of clipped -hedge, with a narrow band of grass upon either side. At the far end is -an old tumble-down summer-house. Halfway down is the moor-gate, where -the old gentleman left his cigar-ash. It is a white wooden gate with -a latch. Beyond it lies the wide moor. I remembered your theory of the -affair and tried to picture all that had occurred. As the old man stood -there he saw something coming across the moor, something which terrified -him so that he lost his wits and ran and ran until he died of sheer -horror and exhaustion. There was the long, gloomy tunnel down which -he fled. And from what? A sheep-dog of the moor? Or a spectral hound, -black, silent, and monstrous? Was there a human agency in the matter? -Did the pale, watchful Barrymore know more than he cared to say? It was -all dim and vague, but always there is the dark shadow of crime behind -it. - -One other neighbour I have met since I wrote last. This is Mr. -Frankland, of Lafter Hall, who lives some four miles to the south of us. -He is an elderly man, red-faced, white-haired, and choleric. His passion -is for the British law, and he has spent a large fortune in litigation. -He fights for the mere pleasure of fighting and is equally ready to take -up either side of a question, so that it is no wonder that he has found -it a costly amusement. Sometimes he will shut up a right of way and defy -the parish to make him open it. At others he will with his own hands -tear down some other man's gate and declare that a path has existed -there from time immemorial, defying the owner to prosecute him for -trespass. He is learned in old manorial and communal rights, and he -applies his knowledge sometimes in favour of the villagers of Fernworthy -and sometimes against them, so that he is periodically either carried in -triumph down the village street or else burned in effigy, according to -his latest exploit. He is said to have about seven lawsuits upon his -hands at present, which will probably swallow up the remainder of his -fortune and so draw his sting and leave him harmless for the future. -Apart from the law he seems a kindly, good-natured person, and I -only mention him because you were particular that I should send some -description of the people who surround us. He is curiously employed -at present, for, being an amateur astronomer, he has an excellent -telescope, with which he lies upon the roof of his own house and sweeps -the moor all day in the hope of catching a glimpse of the escaped -convict. If he would confine his energies to this all would be well, but -there are rumours that he intends to prosecute Dr. Mortimer for opening -a grave without the consent of the next of kin because he dug up the -Neolithic skull in the barrow on Long Down. He helps to keep our lives -from being monotonous and gives a little comic relief where it is badly -needed. - -And now, having brought you up to date in the escaped convict, the -Stapletons, Dr. Mortimer, and Frankland, of Lafter Hall, let me end on -that which is most important and tell you more about the Barrymores, and -especially about the surprising development of last night. - -First of all about the test telegram, which you sent from London in -order to make sure that Barrymore was really here. I have already -explained that the testimony of the postmaster shows that the test was -worthless and that we have no proof one way or the other. I told Sir -Henry how the matter stood, and he at once, in his downright fashion, -had Barrymore up and asked him whether he had received the telegram -himself. Barrymore said that he had. - -"Did the boy deliver it into your own hands?" asked Sir Henry. - -Barrymore looked surprised, and considered for a little time. - -"No," said he, "I was in the box-room at the time, and my wife brought -it up to me." - -"Did you answer it yourself?" - -"No; I told my wife what to answer and she went down to write it." - -In the evening he recurred to the subject of his own accord. - -"I could not quite understand the object of your questions this morning, -Sir Henry," said he. "I trust that they do not mean that I have done -anything to forfeit your confidence?" - -Sir Henry had to assure him that it was not so and pacify him by giving -him a considerable part of his old wardrobe, the London outfit having -now all arrived. - -Mrs. Barrymore is of interest to me. She is a heavy, solid person, very -limited, intensely respectable, and inclined to be puritanical. You -could hardly conceive a less emotional subject. Yet I have told you how, -on the first night here, I heard her sobbing bitterly, and since then -I have more than once observed traces of tears upon her face. Some deep -sorrow gnaws ever at her heart. Sometimes I wonder if she has a guilty -memory which haunts her, and sometimes I suspect Barrymore of being a -domestic tyrant. I have always felt that there was something singular -and questionable in this man's character, but the adventure of last -night brings all my suspicions to a head. - -And yet it may seem a small matter in itself. You are aware that I am -not a very sound sleeper, and since I have been on guard in this house -my slumbers have been lighter than ever. Last night, about two in the -morning, I was aroused by a stealthy step passing my room. I rose, -opened my door, and peeped out. A long black shadow was trailing down -the corridor. It was thrown by a man who walked softly down the passage -with a candle held in his hand. He was in shirt and trousers, with no -covering to his feet. I could merely see the outline, but his height -told me that it was Barrymore. He walked very slowly and circumspectly, -and there was something indescribably guilty and furtive in his whole -appearance. - -I have told you that the corridor is broken by the balcony which runs -round the hall, but that it is resumed upon the farther side. I waited -until he had passed out of sight and then I followed him. When I came -round the balcony he had reached the end of the farther corridor, and -I could see from the glimmer of light through an open door that he -had entered one of the rooms. Now, all these rooms are unfurnished and -unoccupied so that his expedition became more mysterious than ever. The -light shone steadily as if he were standing motionless. I crept down -the passage as noiselessly as I could and peeped round the corner of the -door. - -Barrymore was crouching at the window with the candle held against the -glass. His profile was half turned towards me, and his face seemed to be -rigid with expectation as he stared out into the blackness of the moor. -For some minutes he stood watching intently. Then he gave a deep groan -and with an impatient gesture he put out the light. Instantly I made my -way back to my room, and very shortly came the stealthy steps passing -once more upon their return journey. Long afterwards when I had fallen -into a light sleep I heard a key turn somewhere in a lock, but I could -not tell whence the sound came. What it all means I cannot guess, but -there is some secret business going on in this house of gloom which -sooner or later we shall get to the bottom of. I do not trouble you with -my theories, for you asked me to furnish you only with facts. I have -had a long talk with Sir Henry this morning, and we have made a plan of -campaign founded upon my observations of last night. I will not speak -about it just now, but it should make my next report interesting -reading. - - - - -Chapter 9. The Light upon the Moor [Second Report of Dr. Watson] - - - -Baskerville Hall, Oct. 15th. MY DEAR HOLMES: If I was compelled to -leave you without much news during the early days of my mission you must -acknowledge that I am making up for lost time, and that events are now -crowding thick and fast upon us. In my last report I ended upon my top -note with Barrymore at the window, and now I have quite a budget already -which will, unless I am much mistaken, considerably surprise you. Things -have taken a turn which I could not have anticipated. In some ways they -have within the last forty-eight hours become much clearer and in some -ways they have become more complicated. But I will tell you all and you -shall judge for yourself. - -Before breakfast on the morning following my adventure I went down the -corridor and examined the room in which Barrymore had been on the night -before. The western window through which he had stared so intently has, -I noticed, one peculiarity above all other windows in the house--it -commands the nearest outlook on to the moor. There is an opening between -two trees which enables one from this point of view to look right down -upon it, while from all the other windows it is only a distant glimpse -which can be obtained. It follows, therefore, that Barrymore, since -only this window would serve the purpose, must have been looking out for -something or somebody upon the moor. The night was very dark, so that I -can hardly imagine how he could have hoped to see anyone. It had struck -me that it was possible that some love intrigue was on foot. That would -have accounted for his stealthy movements and also for the uneasiness -of his wife. The man is a striking-looking fellow, very well equipped -to steal the heart of a country girl, so that this theory seemed to -have something to support it. That opening of the door which I had heard -after I had returned to my room might mean that he had gone out to keep -some clandestine appointment. So I reasoned with myself in the morning, -and I tell you the direction of my suspicions, however much the result -may have shown that they were unfounded. - -But whatever the true explanation of Barrymore's movements might be, -I felt that the responsibility of keeping them to myself until I could -explain them was more than I could bear. I had an interview with the -baronet in his study after breakfast, and I told him all that I had -seen. He was less surprised than I had expected. - -"I knew that Barrymore walked about nights, and I had a mind to speak -to him about it," said he. "Two or three times I have heard his steps in -the passage, coming and going, just about the hour you name." - -"Perhaps then he pays a visit every night to that particular window," I -suggested. - -"Perhaps he does. If so, we should be able to shadow him and see what -it is that he is after. I wonder what your friend Holmes would do if he -were here." - -"I believe that he would do exactly what you now suggest," said I. "He -would follow Barrymore and see what he did." - -"Then we shall do it together." - -"But surely he would hear us." - -"The man is rather deaf, and in any case we must take our chance of -that. We'll sit up in my room tonight and wait until he passes." Sir -Henry rubbed his hands with pleasure, and it was evident that he hailed -the adventure as a relief to his somewhat quiet life upon the moor. - -The baronet has been in communication with the architect who prepared -the plans for Sir Charles, and with a contractor from London, so that we -may expect great changes to begin here soon. There have been decorators -and furnishers up from Plymouth, and it is evident that our friend -has large ideas and means to spare no pains or expense to restore the -grandeur of his family. When the house is renovated and refurnished, all -that he will need will be a wife to make it complete. Between ourselves -there are pretty clear signs that this will not be wanting if the lady -is willing, for I have seldom seen a man more infatuated with a woman -than he is with our beautiful neighbour, Miss Stapleton. And yet the -course of true love does not run quite as smoothly as one would under -the circumstances expect. Today, for example, its surface was broken -by a very unexpected ripple, which has caused our friend considerable -perplexity and annoyance. - -After the conversation which I have quoted about Barrymore, Sir Henry -put on his hat and prepared to go out. As a matter of course I did the -same. - -"What, are you coming, Watson?" he asked, looking at me in a curious -way. - -"That depends on whether you are going on the moor," said I. - -"Yes, I am." - -"Well, you know what my instructions are. I am sorry to intrude, but -you heard how earnestly Holmes insisted that I should not leave you, and -especially that you should not go alone upon the moor." - -Sir Henry put his hand upon my shoulder with a pleasant smile. - -"My dear fellow," said he, "Holmes, with all his wisdom, did not foresee -some things which have happened since I have been on the moor. You -understand me? I am sure that you are the last man in the world who -would wish to be a spoil-sport. I must go out alone." - -It put me in a most awkward position. I was at a loss what to say or -what to do, and before I had made up my mind he picked up his cane and -was gone. - -But when I came to think the matter over my conscience reproached me -bitterly for having on any pretext allowed him to go out of my sight. -I imagined what my feelings would be if I had to return to you and to -confess that some misfortune had occurred through my disregard for your -instructions. I assure you my cheeks flushed at the very thought. It -might not even now be too late to overtake him, so I set off at once in -the direction of Merripit House. - -I hurried along the road at the top of my speed without seeing anything -of Sir Henry, until I came to the point where the moor path branches -off. There, fearing that perhaps I had come in the wrong direction after -all, I mounted a hill from which I could command a view--the same hill -which is cut into the dark quarry. Thence I saw him at once. He was on -the moor path about a quarter of a mile off, and a lady was by his side -who could only be Miss Stapleton. It was clear that there was already -an understanding between them and that they had met by appointment. They -were walking slowly along in deep conversation, and I saw her making -quick little movements of her hands as if she were very earnest in what -she was saying, while he listened intently, and once or twice shook his -head in strong dissent. I stood among the rocks watching them, very much -puzzled as to what I should do next. To follow them and break into their -intimate conversation seemed to be an outrage, and yet my clear duty was -never for an instant to let him out of my sight. To act the spy upon a -friend was a hateful task. Still, I could see no better course than to -observe him from the hill, and to clear my conscience by confessing to -him afterwards what I had done. It is true that if any sudden danger had -threatened him I was too far away to be of use, and yet I am sure that -you will agree with me that the position was very difficult, and that -there was nothing more which I could do. - -Our friend, Sir Henry, and the lady had halted on the path and were -standing deeply absorbed in their conversation, when I was suddenly -aware that I was not the only witness of their interview. A wisp of -green floating in the air caught my eye, and another glance showed me -that it was carried on a stick by a man who was moving among the broken -ground. It was Stapleton with his butterfly-net. He was very much closer -to the pair than I was, and he appeared to be moving in their direction. -At this instant Sir Henry suddenly drew Miss Stapleton to his side. His -arm was round her, but it seemed to me that she was straining away from -him with her face averted. He stooped his head to hers, and she raised -one hand as if in protest. Next moment I saw them spring apart and turn -hurriedly round. Stapleton was the cause of the interruption. He was -running wildly towards them, his absurd net dangling behind him. He -gesticulated and almost danced with excitement in front of the lovers. -What the scene meant I could not imagine, but it seemed to me that -Stapleton was abusing Sir Henry, who offered explanations, which became -more angry as the other refused to accept them. The lady stood by in -haughty silence. Finally Stapleton turned upon his heel and beckoned in -a peremptory way to his sister, who, after an irresolute glance at Sir -Henry, walked off by the side of her brother. The naturalist's angry -gestures showed that the lady was included in his displeasure. The -baronet stood for a minute looking after them, and then he walked slowly -back the way that he had come, his head hanging, the very picture of -dejection. - -What all this meant I could not imagine, but I was deeply ashamed to -have witnessed so intimate a scene without my friend's knowledge. I ran -down the hill therefore and met the baronet at the bottom. His face was -flushed with anger and his brows were wrinkled, like one who is at his -wit's ends what to do. - -"Halloa, Watson! Where have you dropped from?" said he. "You don't mean -to say that you came after me in spite of all?" - -I explained everything to him: how I had found it impossible to remain -behind, how I had followed him, and how I had witnessed all that -had occurred. For an instant his eyes blazed at me, but my frankness -disarmed his anger, and he broke at last into a rather rueful laugh. - -"You would have thought the middle of that prairie a fairly safe -place for a man to be private," said he, "but, by thunder, the whole -countryside seems to have been out to see me do my wooing--and a mighty -poor wooing at that! Where had you engaged a seat?" - -"I was on that hill." - -"Quite in the back row, eh? But her brother was well up to the front. -Did you see him come out on us?" - -"Yes, I did." - -"Did he ever strike you as being crazy--this brother of hers?" - -"I can't say that he ever did." - -"I dare say not. I always thought him sane enough until today, but you -can take it from me that either he or I ought to be in a straitjacket. -What's the matter with me, anyhow? You've lived near me for some weeks, -Watson. Tell me straight, now! Is there anything that would prevent me -from making a good husband to a woman that I loved?" - -"I should say not." - -"He can't object to my worldly position, so it must be myself that he -has this down on. What has he against me? I never hurt man or woman in -my life that I know of. And yet he would not so much as let me touch the -tips of her fingers." - -"Did he say so?" - -"That, and a deal more. I tell you, Watson, I've only known her these -few weeks, but from the first I just felt that she was made for me, -and she, too--she was happy when she was with me, and that I'll swear. -There's a light in a woman's eyes that speaks louder than words. But he -has never let us get together and it was only today for the first time -that I saw a chance of having a few words with her alone. She was glad -to meet me, but when she did it was not love that she would talk about, -and she wouldn't have let me talk about it either if she could have -stopped it. She kept coming back to it that this was a place of danger, -and that she would never be happy until I had left it. I told her that -since I had seen her I was in no hurry to leave it, and that if she -really wanted me to go, the only way to work it was for her to arrange -to go with me. With that I offered in as many words to marry her, but -before she could answer, down came this brother of hers, running at us -with a face on him like a madman. He was just white with rage, and those -light eyes of his were blazing with fury. What was I doing with the -lady? How dared I offer her attentions which were distasteful to her? -Did I think that because I was a baronet I could do what I liked? If he -had not been her brother I should have known better how to answer him. -As it was I told him that my feelings towards his sister were such as -I was not ashamed of, and that I hoped that she might honour me by -becoming my wife. That seemed to make the matter no better, so then I -lost my temper too, and I answered him rather more hotly than I should -perhaps, considering that she was standing by. So it ended by his going -off with her, as you saw, and here am I as badly puzzled a man as any -in this county. Just tell me what it all means, Watson, and I'll owe you -more than ever I can hope to pay." - -I tried one or two explanations, but, indeed, I was completely puzzled -myself. Our friend's title, his fortune, his age, his character, and his -appearance are all in his favour, and I know nothing against him unless -it be this dark fate which runs in his family. That his advances should -be rejected so brusquely without any reference to the lady's own wishes -and that the lady should accept the situation without protest is very -amazing. However, our conjectures were set at rest by a visit from -Stapleton himself that very afternoon. He had come to offer apologies -for his rudeness of the morning, and after a long private interview with -Sir Henry in his study the upshot of their conversation was that the -breach is quite healed, and that we are to dine at Merripit House next -Friday as a sign of it. - -"I don't say now that he isn't a crazy man," said Sir Henry; "I can't -forget the look in his eyes when he ran at me this morning, but I must -allow that no man could make a more handsome apology than he has done." - -"Did he give any explanation of his conduct?" - -"His sister is everything in his life, he says. That is natural enough, -and I am glad that he should understand her value. They have always been -together, and according to his account he has been a very lonely man -with only her as a companion, so that the thought of losing her was -really terrible to him. He had not understood, he said, that I was -becoming attached to her, but when he saw with his own eyes that it was -really so, and that she might be taken away from him, it gave him such a -shock that for a time he was not responsible for what he said or did. -He was very sorry for all that had passed, and he recognized how foolish -and how selfish it was that he should imagine that he could hold a -beautiful woman like his sister to himself for her whole life. If she -had to leave him he had rather it was to a neighbour like myself than to -anyone else. But in any case it was a blow to him and it would take him -some time before he could prepare himself to meet it. He would withdraw -all opposition upon his part if I would promise for three months to let -the matter rest and to be content with cultivating the lady's friendship -during that time without claiming her love. This I promised, and so the -matter rests." - -So there is one of our small mysteries cleared up. It is something to -have touched bottom anywhere in this bog in which we are floundering. -We know now why Stapleton looked with disfavour upon his sister's -suitor--even when that suitor was so eligible a one as Sir Henry. And -now I pass on to another thread which I have extricated out of the -tangled skein, the mystery of the sobs in the night, of the tear-stained -face of Mrs. Barrymore, of the secret journey of the butler to the -western lattice window. Congratulate me, my dear Holmes, and tell me -that I have not disappointed you as an agent--that you do not regret -the confidence which you showed in me when you sent me down. All these -things have by one night's work been thoroughly cleared. - -I have said "by one night's work," but, in truth, it was by two nights' -work, for on the first we drew entirely blank. I sat up with Sir Henry -in his rooms until nearly three o'clock in the morning, but no sound of -any sort did we hear except the chiming clock upon the stairs. It was -a most melancholy vigil and ended by each of us falling asleep in our -chairs. Fortunately we were not discouraged, and we determined to try -again. The next night we lowered the lamp and sat smoking cigarettes -without making the least sound. It was incredible how slowly the hours -crawled by, and yet we were helped through it by the same sort of -patient interest which the hunter must feel as he watches the trap into -which he hopes the game may wander. One struck, and two, and we had -almost for the second time given it up in despair when in an instant we -both sat bolt upright in our chairs with all our weary senses keenly on -the alert once more. We had heard the creak of a step in the passage. - -Very stealthily we heard it pass along until it died away in the -distance. Then the baronet gently opened his door and we set out in -pursuit. Already our man had gone round the gallery and the corridor was -all in darkness. Softly we stole along until we had come into the other -wing. We were just in time to catch a glimpse of the tall, black-bearded -figure, his shoulders rounded as he tiptoed down the passage. Then he -passed through the same door as before, and the light of the candle -framed it in the darkness and shot one single yellow beam across the -gloom of the corridor. We shuffled cautiously towards it, trying every -plank before we dared to put our whole weight upon it. We had taken the -precaution of leaving our boots behind us, but, even so, the old boards -snapped and creaked beneath our tread. Sometimes it seemed impossible -that he should fail to hear our approach. However, the man is -fortunately rather deaf, and he was entirely preoccupied in that which -he was doing. When at last we reached the door and peeped through we -found him crouching at the window, candle in hand, his white, intent -face pressed against the pane, exactly as I had seen him two nights -before. - -We had arranged no plan of campaign, but the baronet is a man to whom -the most direct way is always the most natural. He walked into the room, -and as he did so Barrymore sprang up from the window with a sharp hiss -of his breath and stood, livid and trembling, before us. His dark eyes, -glaring out of the white mask of his face, were full of horror and -astonishment as he gazed from Sir Henry to me. - -"What are you doing here, Barrymore?" - -"Nothing, sir." His agitation was so great that he could hardly speak, -and the shadows sprang up and down from the shaking of his candle. "It -was the window, sir. I go round at night to see that they are fastened." - -"On the second floor?" - -"Yes, sir, all the windows." - -"Look here, Barrymore," said Sir Henry sternly, "we have made up our -minds to have the truth out of you, so it will save you trouble to tell -it sooner rather than later. Come, now! No lies! What were you doing at -that window?" - -The fellow looked at us in a helpless way, and he wrung his hands -together like one who is in the last extremity of doubt and misery. - -"I was doing no harm, sir. I was holding a candle to the window." - -"And why were you holding a candle to the window?" - -"Don't ask me, Sir Henry--don't ask me! I give you my word, sir, that it -is not my secret, and that I cannot tell it. If it concerned no one but -myself I would not try to keep it from you." - -A sudden idea occurred to me, and I took the candle from the trembling -hand of the butler. - -"He must have been holding it as a signal," said I. "Let us see if -there is any answer." I held it as he had done, and stared out into the -darkness of the night. Vaguely I could discern the black bank of the -trees and the lighter expanse of the moor, for the moon was behind the -clouds. And then I gave a cry of exultation, for a tiny pinpoint of -yellow light had suddenly transfixed the dark veil, and glowed steadily -in the centre of the black square framed by the window. - -"There it is!" I cried. - -"No, no, sir, it is nothing--nothing at all!" the butler broke in; "I -assure you, sir--" - -"Move your light across the window, Watson!" cried the baronet. "See, -the other moves also! Now, you rascal, do you deny that it is a signal? -Come, speak up! Who is your confederate out yonder, and what is this -conspiracy that is going on?" - -The man's face became openly defiant. "It is my business, and not yours. -I will not tell." - -"Then you leave my employment right away." - -"Very good, sir. If I must I must." - -"And you go in disgrace. By thunder, you may well be ashamed of -yourself. Your family has lived with mine for over a hundred years under -this roof, and here I find you deep in some dark plot against me." - -"No, no, sir; no, not against you!" It was a woman's voice, and Mrs. -Barrymore, paler and more horror-struck than her husband, was standing -at the door. Her bulky figure in a shawl and skirt might have been comic -were it not for the intensity of feeling upon her face. - -"We have to go, Eliza. This is the end of it. You can pack our things," -said the butler. - -"Oh, John, John, have I brought you to this? It is my doing, Sir -Henry--all mine. He has done nothing except for my sake and because I -asked him." - -"Speak out, then! What does it mean?" - -"My unhappy brother is starving on the moor. We cannot let him perish at -our very gates. The light is a signal to him that food is ready for him, -and his light out yonder is to show the spot to which to bring it." - -"Then your brother is--" - -"The escaped convict, sir--Selden, the criminal." - -"That's the truth, sir," said Barrymore. "I said that it was not my -secret and that I could not tell it to you. But now you have heard it, -and you will see that if there was a plot it was not against you." - -This, then, was the explanation of the stealthy expeditions at night -and the light at the window. Sir Henry and I both stared at the woman in -amazement. Was it possible that this stolidly respectable person was of -the same blood as one of the most notorious criminals in the country? - -"Yes, sir, my name was Selden, and he is my younger brother. We humoured -him too much when he was a lad and gave him his own way in everything -until he came to think that the world was made for his pleasure, and -that he could do what he liked in it. Then as he grew older he met -wicked companions, and the devil entered into him until he broke my -mother's heart and dragged our name in the dirt. From crime to crime -he sank lower and lower until it is only the mercy of God which has -snatched him from the scaffold; but to me, sir, he was always the little -curly-headed boy that I had nursed and played with as an elder sister -would. That was why he broke prison, sir. He knew that I was here and -that we could not refuse to help him. When he dragged himself here one -night, weary and starving, with the warders hard at his heels, what -could we do? We took him in and fed him and cared for him. Then you -returned, sir, and my brother thought he would be safer on the moor than -anywhere else until the hue and cry was over, so he lay in hiding there. -But every second night we made sure if he was still there by putting a -light in the window, and if there was an answer my husband took out some -bread and meat to him. Every day we hoped that he was gone, but as long -as he was there we could not desert him. That is the whole truth, as I -am an honest Christian woman and you will see that if there is blame in -the matter it does not lie with my husband but with me, for whose sake -he has done all that he has." - -The woman's words came with an intense earnestness which carried -conviction with them. - -"Is this true, Barrymore?" - -"Yes, Sir Henry. Every word of it." - -"Well, I cannot blame you for standing by your own wife. Forget what -I have said. Go to your room, you two, and we shall talk further about -this matter in the morning." - -When they were gone we looked out of the window again. Sir Henry had -flung it open, and the cold night wind beat in upon our faces. Far away -in the black distance there still glowed that one tiny point of yellow -light. - -"I wonder he dares," said Sir Henry. - -"It may be so placed as to be only visible from here." - -"Very likely. How far do you think it is?" - -"Out by the Cleft Tor, I think." - -"Not more than a mile or two off." - -"Hardly that." - -"Well, it cannot be far if Barrymore had to carry out the food to it. -And he is waiting, this villain, beside that candle. By thunder, Watson, -I am going out to take that man!" - -The same thought had crossed my own mind. It was not as if the -Barrymores had taken us into their confidence. Their secret had been -forced from them. The man was a danger to the community, an unmitigated -scoundrel for whom there was neither pity nor excuse. We were only doing -our duty in taking this chance of putting him back where he could do no -harm. With his brutal and violent nature, others would have to pay the -price if we held our hands. Any night, for example, our neighbours the -Stapletons might be attacked by him, and it may have been the thought of -this which made Sir Henry so keen upon the adventure. - -"I will come," said I. - -"Then get your revolver and put on your boots. The sooner we start the -better, as the fellow may put out his light and be off." - -In five minutes we were outside the door, starting upon our expedition. -We hurried through the dark shrubbery, amid the dull moaning of the -autumn wind and the rustle of the falling leaves. The night air was -heavy with the smell of damp and decay. Now and again the moon peeped -out for an instant, but clouds were driving over the face of the sky, -and just as we came out on the moor a thin rain began to fall. The light -still burned steadily in front. - -"Are you armed?" I asked. - -"I have a hunting-crop." - -"We must close in on him rapidly, for he is said to be a desperate -fellow. We shall take him by surprise and have him at our mercy before -he can resist." - -"I say, Watson," said the baronet, "what would Holmes say to this? How -about that hour of darkness in which the power of evil is exalted?" - -As if in answer to his words there rose suddenly out of the vast gloom -of the moor that strange cry which I had already heard upon the borders -of the great Grimpen Mire. It came with the wind through the silence -of the night, a long, deep mutter, then a rising howl, and then the sad -moan in which it died away. Again and again it sounded, the whole air -throbbing with it, strident, wild, and menacing. The baronet caught my -sleeve and his face glimmered white through the darkness. - -"My God, what's that, Watson?" - -"I don't know. It's a sound they have on the moor. I heard it once -before." - -It died away, and an absolute silence closed in upon us. We stood -straining our ears, but nothing came. - -"Watson," said the baronet, "it was the cry of a hound." - -My blood ran cold in my veins, for there was a break in his voice which -told of the sudden horror which had seized him. - -"What do they call this sound?" he asked. - -"Who?" - -"The folk on the countryside." - -"Oh, they are ignorant people. Why should you mind what they call it?" - -"Tell me, Watson. What do they say of it?" - -I hesitated but could not escape the question. - -"They say it is the cry of the Hound of the Baskervilles." - -He groaned and was silent for a few moments. - -"A hound it was," he said at last, "but it seemed to come from miles -away, over yonder, I think." - -"It was hard to say whence it came." - -"It rose and fell with the wind. Isn't that the direction of the great -Grimpen Mire?" - -"Yes, it is." - -"Well, it was up there. Come now, Watson, didn't you think yourself that -it was the cry of a hound? I am not a child. You need not fear to speak -the truth." - -"Stapleton was with me when I heard it last. He said that it might be -the calling of a strange bird." - -"No, no, it was a hound. My God, can there be some truth in all these -stories? Is it possible that I am really in danger from so dark a cause? -You don't believe it, do you, Watson?" - -"No, no." - -"And yet it was one thing to laugh about it in London, and it is another -to stand out here in the darkness of the moor and to hear such a cry as -that. And my uncle! There was the footprint of the hound beside him as -he lay. It all fits together. I don't think that I am a coward, Watson, -but that sound seemed to freeze my very blood. Feel my hand!" - -It was as cold as a block of marble. - -"You'll be all right tomorrow." - -"I don't think I'll get that cry out of my head. What do you advise that -we do now?" - -"Shall we turn back?" - -"No, by thunder; we have come out to get our man, and we will do it. We -after the convict, and a hell-hound, as likely as not, after us. Come -on! We'll see it through if all the fiends of the pit were loose upon -the moor." - -We stumbled slowly along in the darkness, with the black loom of the -craggy hills around us, and the yellow speck of light burning steadily -in front. There is nothing so deceptive as the distance of a light upon -a pitch-dark night, and sometimes the glimmer seemed to be far away upon -the horizon and sometimes it might have been within a few yards of us. -But at last we could see whence it came, and then we knew that we were -indeed very close. A guttering candle was stuck in a crevice of the -rocks which flanked it on each side so as to keep the wind from it -and also to prevent it from being visible, save in the direction of -Baskerville Hall. A boulder of granite concealed our approach, and -crouching behind it we gazed over it at the signal light. It was strange -to see this single candle burning there in the middle of the moor, with -no sign of life near it--just the one straight yellow flame and the -gleam of the rock on each side of it. - -"What shall we do now?" whispered Sir Henry. - -"Wait here. He must be near his light. Let us see if we can get a -glimpse of him." - -The words were hardly out of my mouth when we both saw him. Over the -rocks, in the crevice of which the candle burned, there was thrust out -an evil yellow face, a terrible animal face, all seamed and scored with -vile passions. Foul with mire, with a bristling beard, and hung with -matted hair, it might well have belonged to one of those old savages -who dwelt in the burrows on the hillsides. The light beneath him was -reflected in his small, cunning eyes which peered fiercely to right and -left through the darkness like a crafty and savage animal who has heard -the steps of the hunters. - -Something had evidently aroused his suspicions. It may have been that -Barrymore had some private signal which we had neglected to give, or -the fellow may have had some other reason for thinking that all was not -well, but I could read his fears upon his wicked face. Any instant he -might dash out the light and vanish in the darkness. I sprang forward -therefore, and Sir Henry did the same. At the same moment the convict -screamed out a curse at us and hurled a rock which splintered up against -the boulder which had sheltered us. I caught one glimpse of his short, -squat, strongly built figure as he sprang to his feet and turned to run. -At the same moment by a lucky chance the moon broke through the clouds. -We rushed over the brow of the hill, and there was our man running with -great speed down the other side, springing over the stones in his way -with the activity of a mountain goat. A lucky long shot of my revolver -might have crippled him, but I had brought it only to defend myself if -attacked and not to shoot an unarmed man who was running away. - -We were both swift runners and in fairly good training, but we soon -found that we had no chance of overtaking him. We saw him for a long -time in the moonlight until he was only a small speck moving swiftly -among the boulders upon the side of a distant hill. We ran and ran until -we were completely blown, but the space between us grew ever wider. -Finally we stopped and sat panting on two rocks, while we watched him -disappearing in the distance. - -And it was at this moment that there occurred a most strange and -unexpected thing. We had risen from our rocks and were turning to go -home, having abandoned the hopeless chase. The moon was low upon the -right, and the jagged pinnacle of a granite tor stood up against the -lower curve of its silver disc. There, outlined as black as an ebony -statue on that shining background, I saw the figure of a man upon the -tor. Do not think that it was a delusion, Holmes. I assure you that -I have never in my life seen anything more clearly. As far as I could -judge, the figure was that of a tall, thin man. He stood with his legs -a little separated, his arms folded, his head bowed, as if he were -brooding over that enormous wilderness of peat and granite which lay -before him. He might have been the very spirit of that terrible place. -It was not the convict. This man was far from the place where the -latter had disappeared. Besides, he was a much taller man. With a cry -of surprise I pointed him out to the baronet, but in the instant during -which I had turned to grasp his arm the man was gone. There was the -sharp pinnacle of granite still cutting the lower edge of the moon, but -its peak bore no trace of that silent and motionless figure. - -I wished to go in that direction and to search the tor, but it was some -distance away. The baronet's nerves were still quivering from that cry, -which recalled the dark story of his family, and he was not in the mood -for fresh adventures. He had not seen this lonely man upon the tor and -could not feel the thrill which his strange presence and his commanding -attitude had given to me. "A warder, no doubt," said he. "The moor -has been thick with them since this fellow escaped." Well, perhaps his -explanation may be the right one, but I should like to have some further -proof of it. Today we mean to communicate to the Princetown people where -they should look for their missing man, but it is hard lines that -we have not actually had the triumph of bringing him back as our -own prisoner. Such are the adventures of last night, and you must -acknowledge, my dear Holmes, that I have done you very well in -the matter of a report. Much of what I tell you is no doubt quite -irrelevant, but still I feel that it is best that I should let you have -all the facts and leave you to select for yourself those which will -be of most service to you in helping you to your conclusions. We are -certainly making some progress. So far as the Barrymores go we have -found the motive of their actions, and that has cleared up the situation -very much. But the moor with its mysteries and its strange inhabitants -remains as inscrutable as ever. Perhaps in my next I may be able to -throw some light upon this also. Best of all would it be if you could -come down to us. In any case you will hear from me again in the course -of the next few days. - - - - -Chapter 10. Extract from the Diary of Dr. Watson - - - -So far I have been able to quote from the reports which I have forwarded -during these early days to Sherlock Holmes. Now, however, I have arrived -at a point in my narrative where I am compelled to abandon this method -and to trust once more to my recollections, aided by the diary which -I kept at the time. A few extracts from the latter will carry me on to -those scenes which are indelibly fixed in every detail upon my memory. I -proceed, then, from the morning which followed our abortive chase of the -convict and our other strange experiences upon the moor. - -October 16th. A dull and foggy day with a drizzle of rain. The house -is banked in with rolling clouds, which rise now and then to show the -dreary curves of the moor, with thin, silver veins upon the sides of the -hills, and the distant boulders gleaming where the light strikes upon -their wet faces. It is melancholy outside and in. The baronet is in a -black reaction after the excitements of the night. I am conscious myself -of a weight at my heart and a feeling of impending danger--ever present -danger, which is the more terrible because I am unable to define it. - -And have I not cause for such a feeling? Consider the long sequence of -incidents which have all pointed to some sinister influence which is -at work around us. There is the death of the last occupant of the Hall, -fulfilling so exactly the conditions of the family legend, and there -are the repeated reports from peasants of the appearance of a strange -creature upon the moor. Twice I have with my own ears heard the sound -which resembled the distant baying of a hound. It is incredible, -impossible, that it should really be outside the ordinary laws of -nature. A spectral hound which leaves material footmarks and fills the -air with its howling is surely not to be thought of. Stapleton may -fall in with such a superstition, and Mortimer also, but if I have one -quality upon earth it is common sense, and nothing will persuade me to -believe in such a thing. To do so would be to descend to the level of -these poor peasants, who are not content with a mere fiend dog but must -needs describe him with hell-fire shooting from his mouth and eyes. -Holmes would not listen to such fancies, and I am his agent. But facts -are facts, and I have twice heard this crying upon the moor. Suppose -that there were really some huge hound loose upon it; that would go far -to explain everything. But where could such a hound lie concealed, where -did it get its food, where did it come from, how was it that no one -saw it by day? It must be confessed that the natural explanation offers -almost as many difficulties as the other. And always, apart from the -hound, there is the fact of the human agency in London, the man in the -cab, and the letter which warned Sir Henry against the moor. This at -least was real, but it might have been the work of a protecting friend -as easily as of an enemy. Where is that friend or enemy now? Has he -remained in London, or has he followed us down here? Could he--could he -be the stranger whom I saw upon the tor? - -It is true that I have had only the one glance at him, and yet there are -some things to which I am ready to swear. He is no one whom I have seen -down here, and I have now met all the neighbours. The figure was far -taller than that of Stapleton, far thinner than that of Frankland. -Barrymore it might possibly have been, but we had left him behind us, -and I am certain that he could not have followed us. A stranger then is -still dogging us, just as a stranger dogged us in London. We have never -shaken him off. If I could lay my hands upon that man, then at last we -might find ourselves at the end of all our difficulties. To this one -purpose I must now devote all my energies. - -My first impulse was to tell Sir Henry all my plans. My second and -wisest one is to play my own game and speak as little as possible to -anyone. He is silent and distrait. His nerves have been strangely shaken -by that sound upon the moor. I will say nothing to add to his anxieties, -but I will take my own steps to attain my own end. - -We had a small scene this morning after breakfast. Barrymore asked leave -to speak with Sir Henry, and they were closeted in his study some little -time. Sitting in the billiard-room I more than once heard the sound of -voices raised, and I had a pretty good idea what the point was which was -under discussion. After a time the baronet opened his door and called -for me. "Barrymore considers that he has a grievance," he said. "He -thinks that it was unfair on our part to hunt his brother-in-law down -when he, of his own free will, had told us the secret." - -The butler was standing very pale but very collected before us. - -"I may have spoken too warmly, sir," said he, "and if I have, I am sure -that I beg your pardon. At the same time, I was very much surprised when -I heard you two gentlemen come back this morning and learned that you -had been chasing Selden. The poor fellow has enough to fight against -without my putting more upon his track." - -"If you had told us of your own free will it would have been a different -thing," said the baronet, "you only told us, or rather your wife only -told us, when it was forced from you and you could not help yourself." - -"I didn't think you would have taken advantage of it, Sir Henry--indeed -I didn't." - -"The man is a public danger. There are lonely houses scattered over the -moor, and he is a fellow who would stick at nothing. You only want to -get a glimpse of his face to see that. Look at Mr. Stapleton's house, -for example, with no one but himself to defend it. There's no safety for -anyone until he is under lock and key." - -"He'll break into no house, sir. I give you my solemn word upon that. -But he will never trouble anyone in this country again. I assure you, -Sir Henry, that in a very few days the necessary arrangements will have -been made and he will be on his way to South America. For God's sake, -sir, I beg of you not to let the police know that he is still on the -moor. They have given up the chase there, and he can lie quiet until the -ship is ready for him. You can't tell on him without getting my wife and -me into trouble. I beg you, sir, to say nothing to the police." - -"What do you say, Watson?" - -I shrugged my shoulders. "If he were safely out of the country it would -relieve the tax-payer of a burden." - -"But how about the chance of his holding someone up before he goes?" - -"He would not do anything so mad, sir. We have provided him with all -that he can want. To commit a crime would be to show where he was -hiding." - -"That is true," said Sir Henry. "Well, Barrymore--" - -"God bless you, sir, and thank you from my heart! It would have killed -my poor wife had he been taken again." - -"I guess we are aiding and abetting a felony, Watson? But, after what -we have heard I don't feel as if I could give the man up, so there is an -end of it. All right, Barrymore, you can go." - -With a few broken words of gratitude the man turned, but he hesitated -and then came back. - -"You've been so kind to us, sir, that I should like to do the best I -can for you in return. I know something, Sir Henry, and perhaps I should -have said it before, but it was long after the inquest that I found it -out. I've never breathed a word about it yet to mortal man. It's about -poor Sir Charles's death." - -The baronet and I were both upon our feet. "Do you know how he died?" - -"No, sir, I don't know that." - -"What then?" - -"I know why he was at the gate at that hour. It was to meet a woman." - -"To meet a woman! He?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"And the woman's name?" - -"I can't give you the name, sir, but I can give you the initials. Her -initials were L. L." - -"How do you know this, Barrymore?" - -"Well, Sir Henry, your uncle had a letter that morning. He had usually a -great many letters, for he was a public man and well known for his kind -heart, so that everyone who was in trouble was glad to turn to him. But -that morning, as it chanced, there was only this one letter, so I took -the more notice of it. It was from Coombe Tracey, and it was addressed -in a woman's hand." - -"Well?" - -"Well, sir, I thought no more of the matter, and never would have done -had it not been for my wife. Only a few weeks ago she was cleaning out -Sir Charles's study--it had never been touched since his death--and she -found the ashes of a burned letter in the back of the grate. The greater -part of it was charred to pieces, but one little slip, the end of a -page, hung together, and the writing could still be read, though it was -gray on a black ground. It seemed to us to be a postscript at the end -of the letter and it said: 'Please, please, as you are a gentleman, burn -this letter, and be at the gate by ten o clock. Beneath it were signed -the initials L. L." - -"Have you got that slip?" - -"No, sir, it crumbled all to bits after we moved it." - -"Had Sir Charles received any other letters in the same writing?" - -"Well, sir, I took no particular notice of his letters. I should not -have noticed this one, only it happened to come alone." - -"And you have no idea who L. L. is?" - -"No, sir. No more than you have. But I expect if we could lay our hands -upon that lady we should know more about Sir Charles's death." - -"I cannot understand, Barrymore, how you came to conceal this important -information." - -"Well, sir, it was immediately after that our own trouble came to us. -And then again, sir, we were both of us very fond of Sir Charles, as we -well might be considering all that he has done for us. To rake this -up couldn't help our poor master, and it's well to go carefully when -there's a lady in the case. Even the best of us--" - -"You thought it might injure his reputation?" - -"Well, sir, I thought no good could come of it. But now you have been -kind to us, and I feel as if it would be treating you unfairly not to -tell you all that I know about the matter." - -"Very good, Barrymore; you can go." When the butler had left us Sir -Henry turned to me. "Well, Watson, what do you think of this new light?" - -"It seems to leave the darkness rather blacker than before." - -"So I think. But if we can only trace L. L. it should clear up the whole -business. We have gained that much. We know that there is someone who -has the facts if we can only find her. What do you think we should do?" - -"Let Holmes know all about it at once. It will give him the clue for -which he has been seeking. I am much mistaken if it does not bring him -down." - -I went at once to my room and drew up my report of the morning's -conversation for Holmes. It was evident to me that he had been very busy -of late, for the notes which I had from Baker Street were few and short, -with no comments upon the information which I had supplied and hardly -any reference to my mission. No doubt his blackmailing case is absorbing -all his faculties. And yet this new factor must surely arrest his -attention and renew his interest. I wish that he were here. - -October 17th. All day today the rain poured down, rustling on the ivy -and dripping from the eaves. I thought of the convict out upon the -bleak, cold, shelterless moor. Poor devil! Whatever his crimes, he has -suffered something to atone for them. And then I thought of that other -one--the face in the cab, the figure against the moon. Was he also out -in that deluged--the unseen watcher, the man of darkness? In the evening -I put on my waterproof and I walked far upon the sodden moor, full of -dark imaginings, the rain beating upon my face and the wind whistling -about my ears. God help those who wander into the great mire now, for -even the firm uplands are becoming a morass. I found the black tor upon -which I had seen the solitary watcher, and from its craggy summit I -looked out myself across the melancholy downs. Rain squalls drifted -across their russet face, and the heavy, slate-coloured clouds hung -low over the landscape, trailing in gray wreaths down the sides of the -fantastic hills. In the distant hollow on the left, half hidden by the -mist, the two thin towers of Baskerville Hall rose above the trees. They -were the only signs of human life which I could see, save only those -prehistoric huts which lay thickly upon the slopes of the hills. Nowhere -was there any trace of that lonely man whom I had seen on the same spot -two nights before. - -As I walked back I was overtaken by Dr. Mortimer driving in his dog-cart -over a rough moorland track which led from the outlying farmhouse of -Foulmire. He has been very attentive to us, and hardly a day has passed -that he has not called at the Hall to see how we were getting on. He -insisted upon my climbing into his dog-cart, and he gave me a lift -homeward. I found him much troubled over the disappearance of his little -spaniel. It had wandered on to the moor and had never come back. I -gave him such consolation as I might, but I thought of the pony on the -Grimpen Mire, and I do not fancy that he will see his little dog again. - -"By the way, Mortimer," said I as we jolted along the rough road, "I -suppose there are few people living within driving distance of this whom -you do not know?" - -"Hardly any, I think." - -"Can you, then, tell me the name of any woman whose initials are L. L.?" - -He thought for a few minutes. - -"No," said he. "There are a few gipsies and labouring folk for whom -I can't answer, but among the farmers or gentry there is no one whose -initials are those. Wait a bit though," he added after a pause. "There -is Laura Lyons--her initials are L. L.--but she lives in Coombe Tracey." - -"Who is she?" I asked. - -"She is Frankland's daughter." - -"What! Old Frankland the crank?" - -"Exactly. She married an artist named Lyons, who came sketching on the -moor. He proved to be a blackguard and deserted her. The fault from what -I hear may not have been entirely on one side. Her father refused to -have anything to do with her because she had married without his consent -and perhaps for one or two other reasons as well. So, between the old -sinner and the young one the girl has had a pretty bad time." - -"How does she live?" - -"I fancy old Frankland allows her a pittance, but it cannot be more, -for his own affairs are considerably involved. Whatever she may have -deserved one could not allow her to go hopelessly to the bad. Her story -got about, and several of the people here did something to enable her -to earn an honest living. Stapleton did for one, and Sir Charles for -another. I gave a trifle myself. It was to set her up in a typewriting -business." - -He wanted to know the object of my inquiries, but I managed to satisfy -his curiosity without telling him too much, for there is no reason why -we should take anyone into our confidence. Tomorrow morning I shall -find my way to Coombe Tracey, and if I can see this Mrs. Laura Lyons, of -equivocal reputation, a long step will have been made towards clearing -one incident in this chain of mysteries. I am certainly developing the -wisdom of the serpent, for when Mortimer pressed his questions to an -inconvenient extent I asked him casually to what type Frankland's skull -belonged, and so heard nothing but craniology for the rest of our drive. -I have not lived for years with Sherlock Holmes for nothing. - -I have only one other incident to record upon this tempestuous and -melancholy day. This was my conversation with Barrymore just now, which -gives me one more strong card which I can play in due time. - -Mortimer had stayed to dinner, and he and the baronet played ecarte -afterwards. The butler brought me my coffee into the library, and I took -the chance to ask him a few questions. - -"Well," said I, "has this precious relation of yours departed, or is he -still lurking out yonder?" - -"I don't know, sir. I hope to heaven that he has gone, for he has -brought nothing but trouble here! I've not heard of him since I left out -food for him last, and that was three days ago." - -"Did you see him then?" - -"No, sir, but the food was gone when next I went that way." - -"Then he was certainly there?" - -"So you would think, sir, unless it was the other man who took it." - -I sat with my coffee-cup halfway to my lips and stared at Barrymore. - -"You know that there is another man then?" - -"Yes, sir; there is another man upon the moor." - -"Have you seen him?" - -"No, sir." - -"How do you know of him then?" - -"Selden told me of him, sir, a week ago or more. He's in hiding, too, -but he's not a convict as far as I can make out. I don't like it, Dr. -Watson--I tell you straight, sir, that I don't like it." He spoke with a -sudden passion of earnestness. - -"Now, listen to me, Barrymore! I have no interest in this matter but -that of your master. I have come here with no object except to help him. -Tell me, frankly, what it is that you don't like." - -Barrymore hesitated for a moment, as if he regretted his outburst or -found it difficult to express his own feelings in words. - -"It's all these goings-on, sir," he cried at last, waving his hand -towards the rain-lashed window which faced the moor. "There's foul play -somewhere, and there's black villainy brewing, to that I'll swear! -Very glad I should be, sir, to see Sir Henry on his way back to London -again!" - -"But what is it that alarms you?" - -"Look at Sir Charles's death! That was bad enough, for all that the -coroner said. Look at the noises on the moor at night. There's not a -man would cross it after sundown if he was paid for it. Look at this -stranger hiding out yonder, and watching and waiting! What's he waiting -for? What does it mean? It means no good to anyone of the name of -Baskerville, and very glad I shall be to be quit of it all on the day -that Sir Henry's new servants are ready to take over the Hall." - -"But about this stranger," said I. "Can you tell me anything about -him? What did Selden say? Did he find out where he hid, or what he was -doing?" - -"He saw him once or twice, but he is a deep one and gives nothing away. -At first he thought that he was the police, but soon he found that he -had some lay of his own. A kind of gentleman he was, as far as he could -see, but what he was doing he could not make out." - -"And where did he say that he lived?" - -"Among the old houses on the hillside--the stone huts where the old folk -used to live." - -"But how about his food?" - -"Selden found out that he has got a lad who works for him and brings all -he needs. I dare say he goes to Coombe Tracey for what he wants." - -"Very good, Barrymore. We may talk further of this some other time." -When the butler had gone I walked over to the black window, and I looked -through a blurred pane at the driving clouds and at the tossing outline -of the wind-swept trees. It is a wild night indoors, and what must it -be in a stone hut upon the moor. What passion of hatred can it be which -leads a man to lurk in such a place at such a time! And what deep and -earnest purpose can he have which calls for such a trial! There, in that -hut upon the moor, seems to lie the very centre of that problem which -has vexed me so sorely. I swear that another day shall not have passed -before I have done all that man can do to reach the heart of the -mystery. - - - - -Chapter 11. The Man on the Tor - - - -The extract from my private diary which forms the last chapter has -brought my narrative up to the eighteenth of October, a time when these -strange events began to move swiftly towards their terrible conclusion. -The incidents of the next few days are indelibly graven upon my -recollection, and I can tell them without reference to the notes made -at the time. I start them from the day which succeeded that upon which -I had established two facts of great importance, the one that Mrs. Laura -Lyons of Coombe Tracey had written to Sir Charles Baskerville and made -an appointment with him at the very place and hour that he met his -death, the other that the lurking man upon the moor was to be found -among the stone huts upon the hillside. With these two facts in my -possession I felt that either my intelligence or my courage must be -deficient if I could not throw some further light upon these dark -places. - -I had no opportunity to tell the baronet what I had learned about Mrs. -Lyons upon the evening before, for Dr. Mortimer remained with him at -cards until it was very late. At breakfast, however, I informed him -about my discovery and asked him whether he would care to accompany -me to Coombe Tracey. At first he was very eager to come, but on second -thoughts it seemed to both of us that if I went alone the results might -be better. The more formal we made the visit the less information we -might obtain. I left Sir Henry behind, therefore, not without some -prickings of conscience, and drove off upon my new quest. - -When I reached Coombe Tracey I told Perkins to put up the horses, and -I made inquiries for the lady whom I had come to interrogate. I had no -difficulty in finding her rooms, which were central and well appointed. -A maid showed me in without ceremony, and as I entered the sitting-room -a lady, who was sitting before a Remington typewriter, sprang up with a -pleasant smile of welcome. Her face fell, however, when she saw that -I was a stranger, and she sat down again and asked me the object of my -visit. - -The first impression left by Mrs. Lyons was one of extreme beauty. Her -eyes and hair were of the same rich hazel colour, and her cheeks, though -considerably freckled, were flushed with the exquisite bloom of the -brunette, the dainty pink which lurks at the heart of the sulphur rose. -Admiration was, I repeat, the first impression. But the second was -criticism. There was something subtly wrong with the face, some -coarseness of expression, some hardness, perhaps, of eye, some looseness -of lip which marred its perfect beauty. But these, of course, are -afterthoughts. At the moment I was simply conscious that I was in -the presence of a very handsome woman, and that she was asking me the -reasons for my visit. I had not quite understood until that instant how -delicate my mission was. - -"I have the pleasure," said I, "of knowing your father." - -It was a clumsy introduction, and the lady made me feel it. "There -is nothing in common between my father and me," she said. "I owe him -nothing, and his friends are not mine. If it were not for the late Sir -Charles Baskerville and some other kind hearts I might have starved for -all that my father cared." - -"It was about the late Sir Charles Baskerville that I have come here to -see you." - -The freckles started out on the lady's face. - -"What can I tell you about him?" she asked, and her fingers played -nervously over the stops of her typewriter. - -"You knew him, did you not?" - -"I have already said that I owe a great deal to his kindness. If I am -able to support myself it is largely due to the interest which he took -in my unhappy situation." - -"Did you correspond with him?" - -The lady looked quickly up with an angry gleam in her hazel eyes. - -"What is the object of these questions?" she asked sharply. - -"The object is to avoid a public scandal. It is better that I should ask -them here than that the matter should pass outside our control." - -She was silent and her face was still very pale. At last she looked up -with something reckless and defiant in her manner. - -"Well, I'll answer," she said. "What are your questions?" - -"Did you correspond with Sir Charles?" - -"I certainly wrote to him once or twice to acknowledge his delicacy and -his generosity." - -"Have you the dates of those letters?" - -"No." - -"Have you ever met him?" - -"Yes, once or twice, when he came into Coombe Tracey. He was a very -retiring man, and he preferred to do good by stealth." - -"But if you saw him so seldom and wrote so seldom, how did he know -enough about your affairs to be able to help you, as you say that he has -done?" - -She met my difficulty with the utmost readiness. - -"There were several gentlemen who knew my sad history and united to -help me. One was Mr. Stapleton, a neighbour and intimate friend of Sir -Charles's. He was exceedingly kind, and it was through him that Sir -Charles learned about my affairs." - -I knew already that Sir Charles Baskerville had made Stapleton his -almoner upon several occasions, so the lady's statement bore the impress -of truth upon it. - -"Did you ever write to Sir Charles asking him to meet you?" I continued. - -Mrs. Lyons flushed with anger again. "Really, sir, this is a very -extraordinary question." - -"I am sorry, madam, but I must repeat it." - -"Then I answer, certainly not." - -"Not on the very day of Sir Charles's death?" - -The flush had faded in an instant, and a deathly face was before me. Her -dry lips could not speak the "No" which I saw rather than heard. - -"Surely your memory deceives you," said I. "I could even quote a passage -of your letter. It ran 'Please, please, as you are a gentleman, burn -this letter, and be at the gate by ten o'clock.'" - -I thought that she had fainted, but she recovered herself by a supreme -effort. - -"Is there no such thing as a gentleman?" she gasped. - -"You do Sir Charles an injustice. He did burn the letter. But sometimes -a letter may be legible even when burned. You acknowledge now that you -wrote it?" - -"Yes, I did write it," she cried, pouring out her soul in a torrent of -words. "I did write it. Why should I deny it? I have no reason to be -ashamed of it. I wished him to help me. I believed that if I had an -interview I could gain his help, so I asked him to meet me." - -"But why at such an hour?" - -"Because I had only just learned that he was going to London next day -and might be away for months. There were reasons why I could not get -there earlier." - -"But why a rendezvous in the garden instead of a visit to the house?" - -"Do you think a woman could go alone at that hour to a bachelor's -house?" - -"Well, what happened when you did get there?" - -"I never went." - -"Mrs. Lyons!" - -"No, I swear it to you on all I hold sacred. I never went. Something -intervened to prevent my going." - -"What was that?" - -"That is a private matter. I cannot tell it." - -"You acknowledge then that you made an appointment with Sir Charles at -the very hour and place at which he met his death, but you deny that you -kept the appointment." - -"That is the truth." - -Again and again I cross-questioned her, but I could never get past that -point. - -"Mrs. Lyons," said I as I rose from this long and inconclusive -interview, "you are taking a very great responsibility and putting -yourself in a very false position by not making an absolutely clean -breast of all that you know. If I have to call in the aid of the police -you will find how seriously you are compromised. If your position is -innocent, why did you in the first instance deny having written to Sir -Charles upon that date?" - -"Because I feared that some false conclusion might be drawn from it and -that I might find myself involved in a scandal." - -"And why were you so pressing that Sir Charles should destroy your -letter?" - -"If you have read the letter you will know." - -"I did not say that I had read all the letter." - -"You quoted some of it." - -"I quoted the postscript. The letter had, as I said, been burned and it -was not all legible. I ask you once again why it was that you were so -pressing that Sir Charles should destroy this letter which he received -on the day of his death." - -"The matter is a very private one." - -"The more reason why you should avoid a public investigation." - -"I will tell you, then. If you have heard anything of my unhappy history -you will know that I made a rash marriage and had reason to regret it." - -"I have heard so much." - -"My life has been one incessant persecution from a husband whom I abhor. -The law is upon his side, and every day I am faced by the possibility -that he may force me to live with him. At the time that I wrote this -letter to Sir Charles I had learned that there was a prospect of -my regaining my freedom if certain expenses could be met. It meant -everything to me--peace of mind, happiness, self-respect--everything. I -knew Sir Charles's generosity, and I thought that if he heard the story -from my own lips he would help me." - -"Then how is it that you did not go?" - -"Because I received help in the interval from another source." - -"Why then, did you not write to Sir Charles and explain this?" - -"So I should have done had I not seen his death in the paper next -morning." - -The woman's story hung coherently together, and all my questions were -unable to shake it. I could only check it by finding if she had, indeed, -instituted divorce proceedings against her husband at or about the time -of the tragedy. - -It was unlikely that she would dare to say that she had not been to -Baskerville Hall if she really had been, for a trap would be necessary -to take her there, and could not have returned to Coombe Tracey until -the early hours of the morning. Such an excursion could not be kept -secret. The probability was, therefore, that she was telling the truth, -or, at least, a part of the truth. I came away baffled and disheartened. -Once again I had reached that dead wall which seemed to be built across -every path by which I tried to get at the object of my mission. And yet -the more I thought of the lady's face and of her manner the more I felt -that something was being held back from me. Why should she turn so pale? -Why should she fight against every admission until it was forced from -her? Why should she have been so reticent at the time of the tragedy? -Surely the explanation of all this could not be as innocent as she -would have me believe. For the moment I could proceed no farther in that -direction, but must turn back to that other clue which was to be sought -for among the stone huts upon the moor. - -And that was a most vague direction. I realized it as I drove back -and noted how hill after hill showed traces of the ancient people. -Barrymore's only indication had been that the stranger lived in one of -these abandoned huts, and many hundreds of them are scattered throughout -the length and breadth of the moor. But I had my own experience for a -guide since it had shown me the man himself standing upon the summit of -the Black Tor. That, then, should be the centre of my search. From there -I should explore every hut upon the moor until I lighted upon the right -one. If this man were inside it I should find out from his own lips, at -the point of my revolver if necessary, who he was and why he had dogged -us so long. He might slip away from us in the crowd of Regent Street, -but it would puzzle him to do so upon the lonely moor. On the other -hand, if I should find the hut and its tenant should not be within it I -must remain there, however long the vigil, until he returned. Holmes had -missed him in London. It would indeed be a triumph for me if I could run -him to earth where my master had failed. - -Luck had been against us again and again in this inquiry, but now at -last it came to my aid. And the messenger of good fortune was none other -than Mr. Frankland, who was standing, gray-whiskered and red-faced, -outside the gate of his garden, which opened on to the highroad along -which I travelled. - -"Good-day, Dr. Watson," cried he with unwonted good humour, "you must -really give your horses a rest and come in to have a glass of wine and -to congratulate me." - -My feelings towards him were very far from being friendly after what I -had heard of his treatment of his daughter, but I was anxious to send -Perkins and the wagonette home, and the opportunity was a good one. I -alighted and sent a message to Sir Henry that I should walk over in time -for dinner. Then I followed Frankland into his dining-room. - -"It is a great day for me, sir--one of the red-letter days of my life," -he cried with many chuckles. "I have brought off a double event. I mean -to teach them in these parts that law is law, and that there is a man -here who does not fear to invoke it. I have established a right of way -through the centre of old Middleton's park, slap across it, sir, within -a hundred yards of his own front door. What do you think of that? We'll -teach these magnates that they cannot ride roughshod over the rights -of the commoners, confound them! And I've closed the wood where the -Fernworthy folk used to picnic. These infernal people seem to think that -there are no rights of property, and that they can swarm where they like -with their papers and their bottles. Both cases decided, Dr. Watson, and -both in my favour. I haven't had such a day since I had Sir John Morland -for trespass because he shot in his own warren." - -"How on earth did you do that?" - -"Look it up in the books, sir. It will repay reading--Frankland v. -Morland, Court of Queen's Bench. It cost me 200 pounds, but I got my -verdict." - -"Did it do you any good?" - -"None, sir, none. I am proud to say that I had no interest in the -matter. I act entirely from a sense of public duty. I have no doubt, for -example, that the Fernworthy people will burn me in effigy tonight. -I told the police last time they did it that they should stop these -disgraceful exhibitions. The County Constabulary is in a scandalous -state, sir, and it has not afforded me the protection to which I am -entitled. The case of Frankland v. Regina will bring the matter before -the attention of the public. I told them that they would have occasion -to regret their treatment of me, and already my words have come true." - -"How so?" I asked. - -The old man put on a very knowing expression. "Because I could tell them -what they are dying to know; but nothing would induce me to help the -rascals in any way." - -I had been casting round for some excuse by which I could get away -from his gossip, but now I began to wish to hear more of it. I had seen -enough of the contrary nature of the old sinner to understand that any -strong sign of interest would be the surest way to stop his confidences. - -"Some poaching case, no doubt?" said I with an indifferent manner. - -"Ha, ha, my boy, a very much more important matter than that! What about -the convict on the moor?" - -I stared. "You don't mean that you know where he is?" said I. - -"I may not know exactly where he is, but I am quite sure that I could -help the police to lay their hands on him. Has it never struck you that -the way to catch that man was to find out where he got his food and so -trace it to him?" - -He certainly seemed to be getting uncomfortably near the truth. "No -doubt," said I; "but how do you know that he is anywhere upon the moor?" - -"I know it because I have seen with my own eyes the messenger who takes -him his food." - -My heart sank for Barrymore. It was a serious thing to be in the power -of this spiteful old busybody. But his next remark took a weight from my -mind. - -"You'll be surprised to hear that his food is taken to him by a child. -I see him every day through my telescope upon the roof. He passes along -the same path at the same hour, and to whom should he be going except to -the convict?" - -Here was luck indeed! And yet I suppressed all appearance of interest. A -child! Barrymore had said that our unknown was supplied by a boy. It was -on his track, and not upon the convict's, that Frankland had stumbled. -If I could get his knowledge it might save me a long and weary hunt. But -incredulity and indifference were evidently my strongest cards. - -"I should say that it was much more likely that it was the son of one of -the moorland shepherds taking out his father's dinner." - -The least appearance of opposition struck fire out of the old autocrat. -His eyes looked malignantly at me, and his gray whiskers bristled like -those of an angry cat. - -"Indeed, sir!" said he, pointing out over the wide-stretching moor. "Do -you see that Black Tor over yonder? Well, do you see the low hill beyond -with the thornbush upon it? It is the stoniest part of the whole moor. -Is that a place where a shepherd would be likely to take his station? -Your suggestion, sir, is a most absurd one." - -I meekly answered that I had spoken without knowing all the facts. My -submission pleased him and led him to further confidences. - -"You may be sure, sir, that I have very good grounds before I come to an -opinion. I have seen the boy again and again with his bundle. Every -day, and sometimes twice a day, I have been able--but wait a moment, -Dr. Watson. Do my eyes deceive me, or is there at the present moment -something moving upon that hillside?" - -It was several miles off, but I could distinctly see a small dark dot -against the dull green and gray. - -"Come, sir, come!" cried Frankland, rushing upstairs. "You will see with -your own eyes and judge for yourself." - -The telescope, a formidable instrument mounted upon a tripod, stood upon -the flat leads of the house. Frankland clapped his eye to it and gave a -cry of satisfaction. - -"Quick, Dr. Watson, quick, before he passes over the hill!" - -There he was, sure enough, a small urchin with a little bundle upon his -shoulder, toiling slowly up the hill. When he reached the crest I saw -the ragged uncouth figure outlined for an instant against the cold blue -sky. He looked round him with a furtive and stealthy air, as one who -dreads pursuit. Then he vanished over the hill. - -"Well! Am I right?" - -"Certainly, there is a boy who seems to have some secret errand." - -"And what the errand is even a county constable could guess. But not -one word shall they have from me, and I bind you to secrecy also, Dr. -Watson. Not a word! You understand!" - -"Just as you wish." - -"They have treated me shamefully--shamefully. When the facts come out in -Frankland v. Regina I venture to think that a thrill of indignation will -run through the country. Nothing would induce me to help the police in -any way. For all they cared it might have been me, instead of my effigy, -which these rascals burned at the stake. Surely you are not going! You -will help me to empty the decanter in honour of this great occasion!" - -But I resisted all his solicitations and succeeded in dissuading him -from his announced intention of walking home with me. I kept the road -as long as his eye was on me, and then I struck off across the moor and -made for the stony hill over which the boy had disappeared. Everything -was working in my favour, and I swore that it should not be through lack -of energy or perseverance that I should miss the chance which fortune -had thrown in my way. - -The sun was already sinking when I reached the summit of the hill, and -the long slopes beneath me were all golden-green on one side and gray -shadow on the other. A haze lay low upon the farthest sky-line, out of -which jutted the fantastic shapes of Belliver and Vixen Tor. Over the -wide expanse there was no sound and no movement. One great gray bird, a -gull or curlew, soared aloft in the blue heaven. He and I seemed to be -the only living things between the huge arch of the sky and the desert -beneath it. The barren scene, the sense of loneliness, and the mystery -and urgency of my task all struck a chill into my heart. The boy was -nowhere to be seen. But down beneath me in a cleft of the hills there -was a circle of the old stone huts, and in the middle of them there -was one which retained sufficient roof to act as a screen against the -weather. My heart leaped within me as I saw it. This must be the burrow -where the stranger lurked. At last my foot was on the threshold of his -hiding place--his secret was within my grasp. - -As I approached the hut, walking as warily as Stapleton would do when -with poised net he drew near the settled butterfly, I satisfied myself -that the place had indeed been used as a habitation. A vague pathway -among the boulders led to the dilapidated opening which served as a -door. All was silent within. The unknown might be lurking there, or -he might be prowling on the moor. My nerves tingled with the sense of -adventure. Throwing aside my cigarette, I closed my hand upon the butt -of my revolver and, walking swiftly up to the door, I looked in. The -place was empty. - -But there were ample signs that I had not come upon a false scent. This -was certainly where the man lived. Some blankets rolled in a waterproof -lay upon that very stone slab upon which Neolithic man had once -slumbered. The ashes of a fire were heaped in a rude grate. Beside it -lay some cooking utensils and a bucket half-full of water. A litter of -empty tins showed that the place had been occupied for some time, and I -saw, as my eyes became accustomed to the checkered light, a pannikin and -a half-full bottle of spirits standing in the corner. In the middle of -the hut a flat stone served the purpose of a table, and upon this stood -a small cloth bundle--the same, no doubt, which I had seen through the -telescope upon the shoulder of the boy. It contained a loaf of bread, -a tinned tongue, and two tins of preserved peaches. As I set it down -again, after having examined it, my heart leaped to see that beneath it -there lay a sheet of paper with writing upon it. I raised it, and this -was what I read, roughly scrawled in pencil: "Dr. Watson has gone to -Coombe Tracey." - -For a minute I stood there with the paper in my hands thinking out the -meaning of this curt message. It was I, then, and not Sir Henry, who was -being dogged by this secret man. He had not followed me himself, but -he had set an agent--the boy, perhaps--upon my track, and this was his -report. Possibly I had taken no step since I had been upon the moor -which had not been observed and reported. Always there was this feeling -of an unseen force, a fine net drawn round us with infinite skill and -delicacy, holding us so lightly that it was only at some supreme moment -that one realized that one was indeed entangled in its meshes. - -If there was one report there might be others, so I looked round the hut -in search of them. There was no trace, however, of anything of the kind, -nor could I discover any sign which might indicate the character or -intentions of the man who lived in this singular place, save that he -must be of Spartan habits and cared little for the comforts of life. -When I thought of the heavy rains and looked at the gaping roof I -understood how strong and immutable must be the purpose which had kept -him in that inhospitable abode. Was he our malignant enemy, or was he by -chance our guardian angel? I swore that I would not leave the hut until -I knew. - -Outside the sun was sinking low and the west was blazing with scarlet -and gold. Its reflection was shot back in ruddy patches by the distant -pools which lay amid the great Grimpen Mire. There were the two towers -of Baskerville Hall, and there a distant blur of smoke which marked the -village of Grimpen. Between the two, behind the hill, was the house -of the Stapletons. All was sweet and mellow and peaceful in the golden -evening light, and yet as I looked at them my soul shared none of the -peace of Nature but quivered at the vagueness and the terror of that -interview which every instant was bringing nearer. With tingling nerves -but a fixed purpose, I sat in the dark recess of the hut and waited with -sombre patience for the coming of its tenant. - -And then at last I heard him. Far away came the sharp clink of a boot -striking upon a stone. Then another and yet another, coming nearer and -nearer. I shrank back into the darkest corner and cocked the pistol in -my pocket, determined not to discover myself until I had an opportunity -of seeing something of the stranger. There was a long pause which showed -that he had stopped. Then once more the footsteps approached and a -shadow fell across the opening of the hut. - -"It is a lovely evening, my dear Watson," said a well-known voice. "I -really think that you will be more comfortable outside than in." - - - - -Chapter 12. Death on the Moor - - - -For a moment or two I sat breathless, hardly able to believe my ears. -Then my senses and my voice came back to me, while a crushing weight -of responsibility seemed in an instant to be lifted from my soul. That -cold, incisive, ironical voice could belong to but one man in all the -world. - -"Holmes!" I cried--"Holmes!" - -"Come out," said he, "and please be careful with the revolver." - -I stooped under the rude lintel, and there he sat upon a stone outside, -his gray eyes dancing with amusement as they fell upon my astonished -features. He was thin and worn, but clear and alert, his keen face -bronzed by the sun and roughened by the wind. In his tweed suit and -cloth cap he looked like any other tourist upon the moor, and he had -contrived, with that catlike love of personal cleanliness which was one -of his characteristics, that his chin should be as smooth and his linen -as perfect as if he were in Baker Street. - -"I never was more glad to see anyone in my life," said I as I wrung him -by the hand. - -"Or more astonished, eh?" - -"Well, I must confess to it." - -"The surprise was not all on one side, I assure you. I had no idea that -you had found my occasional retreat, still less that you were inside it, -until I was within twenty paces of the door." - -"My footprint, I presume?" - -"No, Watson, I fear that I could not undertake to recognize your -footprint amid all the footprints of the world. If you seriously desire -to deceive me you must change your tobacconist; for when I see the stub -of a cigarette marked Bradley, Oxford Street, I know that my friend -Watson is in the neighbourhood. You will see it there beside the path. -You threw it down, no doubt, at that supreme moment when you charged -into the empty hut." - -"Exactly." - -"I thought as much--and knowing your admirable tenacity I was convinced -that you were sitting in ambush, a weapon within reach, waiting for the -tenant to return. So you actually thought that I was the criminal?" - -"I did not know who you were, but I was determined to find out." - -"Excellent, Watson! And how did you localize me? You saw me, perhaps, on -the night of the convict hunt, when I was so imprudent as to allow the -moon to rise behind me?" - -"Yes, I saw you then." - -"And have no doubt searched all the huts until you came to this one?" - -"No, your boy had been observed, and that gave me a guide where to -look." - -"The old gentleman with the telescope, no doubt. I could not make it out -when first I saw the light flashing upon the lens." He rose and peeped -into the hut. "Ha, I see that Cartwright has brought up some supplies. -What's this paper? So you have been to Coombe Tracey, have you?" - -"Yes." - -"To see Mrs. Laura Lyons?" - -"Exactly." - -"Well done! Our researches have evidently been running on parallel -lines, and when we unite our results I expect we shall have a fairly -full knowledge of the case." - -"Well, I am glad from my heart that you are here, for indeed the -responsibility and the mystery were both becoming too much for my -nerves. But how in the name of wonder did you come here, and what have -you been doing? I thought that you were in Baker Street working out that -case of blackmailing." - -"That was what I wished you to think." - -"Then you use me, and yet do not trust me!" I cried with some -bitterness. "I think that I have deserved better at your hands, Holmes." - -"My dear fellow, you have been invaluable to me in this as in many other -cases, and I beg that you will forgive me if I have seemed to play a -trick upon you. In truth, it was partly for your own sake that I did it, -and it was my appreciation of the danger which you ran which led me to -come down and examine the matter for myself. Had I been with Sir Henry -and you it is confident that my point of view would have been the -same as yours, and my presence would have warned our very formidable -opponents to be on their guard. As it is, I have been able to get about -as I could not possibly have done had I been living in the Hall, and -I remain an unknown factor in the business, ready to throw in all my -weight at a critical moment." - -"But why keep me in the dark?" - -"For you to know could not have helped us and might possibly have led -to my discovery. You would have wished to tell me something, or in your -kindness you would have brought me out some comfort or other, and so an -unnecessary risk would be run. I brought Cartwright down with me--you -remember the little chap at the express office--and he has seen after -my simple wants: a loaf of bread and a clean collar. What does man want -more? He has given me an extra pair of eyes upon a very active pair of -feet, and both have been invaluable." - -"Then my reports have all been wasted!"--My voice trembled as I recalled -the pains and the pride with which I had composed them. - -Holmes took a bundle of papers from his pocket. - -"Here are your reports, my dear fellow, and very well thumbed, I assure -you. I made excellent arrangements, and they are only delayed one day -upon their way. I must compliment you exceedingly upon the zeal and -the intelligence which you have shown over an extraordinarily difficult -case." - -I was still rather raw over the deception which had been practised upon -me, but the warmth of Holmes's praise drove my anger from my mind. I -felt also in my heart that he was right in what he said and that it was -really best for our purpose that I should not have known that he was -upon the moor. - -"That's better," said he, seeing the shadow rise from my face. "And -now tell me the result of your visit to Mrs. Laura Lyons--it was not -difficult for me to guess that it was to see her that you had gone, for -I am already aware that she is the one person in Coombe Tracey who might -be of service to us in the matter. In fact, if you had not gone today it -is exceedingly probable that I should have gone tomorrow." - -The sun had set and dusk was settling over the moor. The air had turned -chill and we withdrew into the hut for warmth. There, sitting together -in the twilight, I told Holmes of my conversation with the lady. So -interested was he that I had to repeat some of it twice before he was -satisfied. - -"This is most important," said he when I had concluded. "It fills up a -gap which I had been unable to bridge in this most complex affair. You -are aware, perhaps, that a close intimacy exists between this lady and -the man Stapleton?" - -"I did not know of a close intimacy." - -"There can be no doubt about the matter. They meet, they write, there -is a complete understanding between them. Now, this puts a very powerful -weapon into our hands. If I could only use it to detach his wife--" - -"His wife?" - -"I am giving you some information now, in return for all that you have -given me. The lady who has passed here as Miss Stapleton is in reality -his wife." - -"Good heavens, Holmes! Are you sure of what you say? How could he have -permitted Sir Henry to fall in love with her?" - -"Sir Henry's falling in love could do no harm to anyone except Sir -Henry. He took particular care that Sir Henry did not make love to her, -as you have yourself observed. I repeat that the lady is his wife and -not his sister." - -"But why this elaborate deception?" - -"Because he foresaw that she would be very much more useful to him in -the character of a free woman." - -All my unspoken instincts, my vague suspicions, suddenly took shape and -centred upon the naturalist. In that impassive colourless man, with his -straw hat and his butterfly-net, I seemed to see something terrible--a -creature of infinite patience and craft, with a smiling face and a -murderous heart. - -"It is he, then, who is our enemy--it is he who dogged us in London?" - -"So I read the riddle." - -"And the warning--it must have come from her!" - -"Exactly." - -The shape of some monstrous villainy, half seen, half guessed, loomed -through the darkness which had girt me so long. - -"But are you sure of this, Holmes? How do you know that the woman is his -wife?" - -"Because he so far forgot himself as to tell you a true piece of -autobiography upon the occasion when he first met you, and I dare say -he has many a time regretted it since. He was once a schoolmaster in -the north of England. Now, there is no one more easy to trace than a -schoolmaster. There are scholastic agencies by which one may identify -any man who has been in the profession. A little investigation showed me -that a school had come to grief under atrocious circumstances, and that -the man who had owned it--the name was different--had disappeared with -his wife. The descriptions agreed. When I learned that the missing man -was devoted to entomology the identification was complete." - -The darkness was rising, but much was still hidden by the shadows. - -"If this woman is in truth his wife, where does Mrs. Laura Lyons come -in?" I asked. - -"That is one of the points upon which your own researches have shed a -light. Your interview with the lady has cleared the situation very -much. I did not know about a projected divorce between herself and her -husband. In that case, regarding Stapleton as an unmarried man, she -counted no doubt upon becoming his wife." - -"And when she is undeceived?" - -"Why, then we may find the lady of service. It must be our first duty -to see her--both of us--tomorrow. Don't you think, Watson, that you are -away from your charge rather long? Your place should be at Baskerville -Hall." - -The last red streaks had faded away in the west and night had settled -upon the moor. A few faint stars were gleaming in a violet sky. - -"One last question, Holmes," I said as I rose. "Surely there is no need -of secrecy between you and me. What is the meaning of it all? What is he -after?" - -Holmes's voice sank as he answered: - -"It is murder, Watson--refined, cold-blooded, deliberate murder. Do not -ask me for particulars. My nets are closing upon him, even as his are -upon Sir Henry, and with your help he is already almost at my mercy. -There is but one danger which can threaten us. It is that he should -strike before we are ready to do so. Another day--two at the most--and -I have my case complete, but until then guard your charge as closely -as ever a fond mother watched her ailing child. Your mission today has -justified itself, and yet I could almost wish that you had not left his -side. Hark!" - -A terrible scream--a prolonged yell of horror and anguish--burst out of -the silence of the moor. That frightful cry turned the blood to ice in -my veins. - -"Oh, my God!" I gasped. "What is it? What does it mean?" - -Holmes had sprung to his feet, and I saw his dark, athletic outline at -the door of the hut, his shoulders stooping, his head thrust forward, -his face peering into the darkness. - -"Hush!" he whispered. "Hush!" - -The cry had been loud on account of its vehemence, but it had pealed out -from somewhere far off on the shadowy plain. Now it burst upon our ears, -nearer, louder, more urgent than before. - -"Where is it?" Holmes whispered; and I knew from the thrill of his voice -that he, the man of iron, was shaken to the soul. "Where is it, Watson?" - -"There, I think." I pointed into the darkness. - -"No, there!" - -Again the agonized cry swept through the silent night, louder and much -nearer than ever. And a new sound mingled with it, a deep, muttered -rumble, musical and yet menacing, rising and falling like the low, -constant murmur of the sea. - -"The hound!" cried Holmes. "Come, Watson, come! Great heavens, if we are -too late!" - -He had started running swiftly over the moor, and I had followed at his -heels. But now from somewhere among the broken ground immediately in -front of us there came one last despairing yell, and then a dull, heavy -thud. We halted and listened. Not another sound broke the heavy silence -of the windless night. - -I saw Holmes put his hand to his forehead like a man distracted. He -stamped his feet upon the ground. - -"He has beaten us, Watson. We are too late." - -"No, no, surely not!" - -"Fool that I was to hold my hand. And you, Watson, see what comes of -abandoning your charge! But, by Heaven, if the worst has happened we'll -avenge him!" - -Blindly we ran through the gloom, blundering against boulders, forcing -our way through gorse bushes, panting up hills and rushing down slopes, -heading always in the direction whence those dreadful sounds had come. -At every rise Holmes looked eagerly round him, but the shadows were -thick upon the moor, and nothing moved upon its dreary face. - -"Can you see anything?" - -"Nothing." - -"But, hark, what is that?" - -A low moan had fallen upon our ears. There it was again upon our left! -On that side a ridge of rocks ended in a sheer cliff which overlooked -a stone-strewn slope. On its jagged face was spread-eagled some dark, -irregular object. As we ran towards it the vague outline hardened into -a definite shape. It was a prostrate man face downward upon the ground, -the head doubled under him at a horrible angle, the shoulders rounded -and the body hunched together as if in the act of throwing a somersault. -So grotesque was the attitude that I could not for the instant realize -that that moan had been the passing of his soul. Not a whisper, not a -rustle, rose now from the dark figure over which we stooped. Holmes laid -his hand upon him and held it up again with an exclamation of horror. -The gleam of the match which he struck shone upon his clotted fingers -and upon the ghastly pool which widened slowly from the crushed skull -of the victim. And it shone upon something else which turned our hearts -sick and faint within us--the body of Sir Henry Baskerville! - -There was no chance of either of us forgetting that peculiar ruddy tweed -suit--the very one which he had worn on the first morning that we had -seen him in Baker Street. We caught the one clear glimpse of it, and -then the match flickered and went out, even as the hope had gone out -of our souls. Holmes groaned, and his face glimmered white through the -darkness. - -"The brute! The brute!" I cried with clenched hands. "Oh Holmes, I shall -never forgive myself for having left him to his fate." - -"I am more to blame than you, Watson. In order to have my case well -rounded and complete, I have thrown away the life of my client. It is -the greatest blow which has befallen me in my career. But how could I -know--how could I know--that he would risk his life alone upon the moor -in the face of all my warnings?" - -"That we should have heard his screams--my God, those screams!--and yet -have been unable to save him! Where is this brute of a hound which drove -him to his death? It may be lurking among these rocks at this instant. -And Stapleton, where is he? He shall answer for this deed." - -"He shall. I will see to that. Uncle and nephew have been murdered--the -one frightened to death by the very sight of a beast which he thought -to be supernatural, the other driven to his end in his wild flight to -escape from it. But now we have to prove the connection between the -man and the beast. Save from what we heard, we cannot even swear to the -existence of the latter, since Sir Henry has evidently died from the -fall. But, by heavens, cunning as he is, the fellow shall be in my power -before another day is past!" - -We stood with bitter hearts on either side of the mangled body, -overwhelmed by this sudden and irrevocable disaster which had brought -all our long and weary labours to so piteous an end. Then as the moon -rose we climbed to the top of the rocks over which our poor friend had -fallen, and from the summit we gazed out over the shadowy moor, half -silver and half gloom. Far away, miles off, in the direction of Grimpen, -a single steady yellow light was shining. It could only come from the -lonely abode of the Stapletons. With a bitter curse I shook my fist at -it as I gazed. - -"Why should we not seize him at once?" - -"Our case is not complete. The fellow is wary and cunning to the last -degree. It is not what we know, but what we can prove. If we make one -false move the villain may escape us yet." - -"What can we do?" - -"There will be plenty for us to do tomorrow. Tonight we can only perform -the last offices to our poor friend." - -Together we made our way down the precipitous slope and approached the -body, black and clear against the silvered stones. The agony of those -contorted limbs struck me with a spasm of pain and blurred my eyes with -tears. - -"We must send for help, Holmes! We cannot carry him all the way to the -Hall. Good heavens, are you mad?" - -He had uttered a cry and bent over the body. Now he was dancing and -laughing and wringing my hand. Could this be my stern, self-contained -friend? These were hidden fires, indeed! - -"A beard! A beard! The man has a beard!" - -"A beard?" - -"It is not the baronet--it is--why, it is my neighbour, the convict!" - -With feverish haste we had turned the body over, and that dripping beard -was pointing up to the cold, clear moon. There could be no doubt about -the beetling forehead, the sunken animal eyes. It was indeed the same -face which had glared upon me in the light of the candle from over the -rock--the face of Selden, the criminal. - -Then in an instant it was all clear to me. I remembered how the baronet -had told me that he had handed his old wardrobe to Barrymore. Barrymore -had passed it on in order to help Selden in his escape. Boots, shirt, -cap--it was all Sir Henry's. The tragedy was still black enough, but -this man had at least deserved death by the laws of his country. I told -Holmes how the matter stood, my heart bubbling over with thankfulness -and joy. - -"Then the clothes have been the poor devil's death," said he. "It is -clear enough that the hound has been laid on from some article of -Sir Henry's--the boot which was abstracted in the hotel, in all -probability--and so ran this man down. There is one very singular thing, -however: How came Selden, in the darkness, to know that the hound was on -his trail?" - -"He heard him." - -"To hear a hound upon the moor would not work a hard man like this -convict into such a paroxysm of terror that he would risk recapture -by screaming wildly for help. By his cries he must have run a long way -after he knew the animal was on his track. How did he know?" - -"A greater mystery to me is why this hound, presuming that all our -conjectures are correct--" - -"I presume nothing." - -"Well, then, why this hound should be loose tonight. I suppose that it -does not always run loose upon the moor. Stapleton would not let it go -unless he had reason to think that Sir Henry would be there." - -"My difficulty is the more formidable of the two, for I think that we -shall very shortly get an explanation of yours, while mine may remain -forever a mystery. The question now is, what shall we do with this poor -wretch's body? We cannot leave it here to the foxes and the ravens." - -"I suggest that we put it in one of the huts until we can communicate -with the police." - -"Exactly. I have no doubt that you and I could carry it so far. Halloa, -Watson, what's this? It's the man himself, by all that's wonderful and -audacious! Not a word to show your suspicions--not a word, or my plans -crumble to the ground." - -A figure was approaching us over the moor, and I saw the dull red glow -of a cigar. The moon shone upon him, and I could distinguish the dapper -shape and jaunty walk of the naturalist. He stopped when he saw us, and -then came on again. - -"Why, Dr. Watson, that's not you, is it? You are the last man that I -should have expected to see out on the moor at this time of night. But, -dear me, what's this? Somebody hurt? Not--don't tell me that it is our -friend Sir Henry!" He hurried past me and stooped over the dead man. I -heard a sharp intake of his breath and the cigar fell from his fingers. - -"Who--who's this?" he stammered. - -"It is Selden, the man who escaped from Princetown." - -Stapleton turned a ghastly face upon us, but by a supreme effort he had -overcome his amazement and his disappointment. He looked sharply from -Holmes to me. "Dear me! What a very shocking affair! How did he die?" - -"He appears to have broken his neck by falling over these rocks. My -friend and I were strolling on the moor when we heard a cry." - -"I heard a cry also. That was what brought me out. I was uneasy about -Sir Henry." - -"Why about Sir Henry in particular?" I could not help asking. - -"Because I had suggested that he should come over. When he did not come -I was surprised, and I naturally became alarmed for his safety when I -heard cries upon the moor. By the way"--his eyes darted again from my -face to Holmes's--"did you hear anything else besides a cry?" - -"No," said Holmes; "did you?" - -"No." - -"What do you mean, then?" - -"Oh, you know the stories that the peasants tell about a phantom -hound, and so on. It is said to be heard at night upon the moor. I was -wondering if there were any evidence of such a sound tonight." - -"We heard nothing of the kind," said I. - -"And what is your theory of this poor fellow's death?" - -"I have no doubt that anxiety and exposure have driven him off his head. -He has rushed about the moor in a crazy state and eventually fallen over -here and broken his neck." - -"That seems the most reasonable theory," said Stapleton, and he gave a -sigh which I took to indicate his relief. "What do you think about it, -Mr. Sherlock Holmes?" - -My friend bowed his compliments. "You are quick at identification," said -he. - -"We have been expecting you in these parts since Dr. Watson came down. -You are in time to see a tragedy." - -"Yes, indeed. I have no doubt that my friend's explanation will cover -the facts. I will take an unpleasant remembrance back to London with me -tomorrow." - -"Oh, you return tomorrow?" - -"That is my intention." - -"I hope your visit has cast some light upon those occurrences which have -puzzled us?" - -Holmes shrugged his shoulders. - -"One cannot always have the success for which one hopes. An investigator -needs facts and not legends or rumours. It has not been a satisfactory -case." - -My friend spoke in his frankest and most unconcerned manner. Stapleton -still looked hard at him. Then he turned to me. - -"I would suggest carrying this poor fellow to my house, but it would -give my sister such a fright that I do not feel justified in doing it. -I think that if we put something over his face he will be safe until -morning." - -And so it was arranged. Resisting Stapleton's offer of hospitality, -Holmes and I set off to Baskerville Hall, leaving the naturalist to -return alone. Looking back we saw the figure moving slowly away over the -broad moor, and behind him that one black smudge on the silvered slope -which showed where the man was lying who had come so horribly to his -end. - - - - -Chapter 13. Fixing the Nets - - - -"We're at close grips at last," said Holmes as we walked together across -the moor. "What a nerve the fellow has! How he pulled himself together -in the face of what must have been a paralyzing shock when he found that -the wrong man had fallen a victim to his plot. I told you in London, -Watson, and I tell you now again, that we have never had a foeman more -worthy of our steel." - -"I am sorry that he has seen you." - -"And so was I at first. But there was no getting out of it." - -"What effect do you think it will have upon his plans now that he knows -you are here?" - -"It may cause him to be more cautious, or it may drive him to desperate -measures at once. Like most clever criminals, he may be too confident in -his own cleverness and imagine that he has completely deceived us." - -"Why should we not arrest him at once?" - -"My dear Watson, you were born to be a man of action. Your instinct is -always to do something energetic. But supposing, for argument's sake, -that we had him arrested tonight, what on earth the better off should -we be for that? We could prove nothing against him. There's the devilish -cunning of it! If he were acting through a human agent we could get some -evidence, but if we were to drag this great dog to the light of day it -would not help us in putting a rope round the neck of its master." - -"Surely we have a case." - -"Not a shadow of one--only surmise and conjecture. We should be laughed -out of court if we came with such a story and such evidence." - -"There is Sir Charles's death." - -"Found dead without a mark upon him. You and I know that he died of -sheer fright, and we know also what frightened him, but how are we to -get twelve stolid jurymen to know it? What signs are there of a hound? -Where are the marks of its fangs? Of course we know that a hound does -not bite a dead body and that Sir Charles was dead before ever the -brute overtook him. But we have to prove all this, and we are not in a -position to do it." - -"Well, then, tonight?" - -"We are not much better off tonight. Again, there was no direct -connection between the hound and the man's death. We never saw the -hound. We heard it, but we could not prove that it was running upon this -man's trail. There is a complete absence of motive. No, my dear fellow; -we must reconcile ourselves to the fact that we have no case at present, -and that it is worth our while to run any risk in order to establish -one." - -"And how do you propose to do so?" - -"I have great hopes of what Mrs. Laura Lyons may do for us when the -position of affairs is made clear to her. And I have my own plan as -well. Sufficient for tomorrow is the evil thereof; but I hope before the -day is past to have the upper hand at last." - -I could draw nothing further from him, and he walked, lost in thought, -as far as the Baskerville gates. - -"Are you coming up?" - -"Yes; I see no reason for further concealment. But one last word, -Watson. Say nothing of the hound to Sir Henry. Let him think that -Selden's death was as Stapleton would have us believe. He will have a -better nerve for the ordeal which he will have to undergo tomorrow, -when he is engaged, if I remember your report aright, to dine with these -people." - -"And so am I." - -"Then you must excuse yourself and he must go alone. That will be easily -arranged. And now, if we are too late for dinner, I think that we are -both ready for our suppers." - -Sir Henry was more pleased than surprised to see Sherlock Holmes, for he -had for some days been expecting that recent events would bring him down -from London. He did raise his eyebrows, however, when he found that my -friend had neither any luggage nor any explanations for its absence. -Between us we soon supplied his wants, and then over a belated supper -we explained to the baronet as much of our experience as it seemed -desirable that he should know. But first I had the unpleasant duty of -breaking the news to Barrymore and his wife. To him it may have been an -unmitigated relief, but she wept bitterly in her apron. To all the world -he was the man of violence, half animal and half demon; but to her he -always remained the little wilful boy of her own girlhood, the child who -had clung to her hand. Evil indeed is the man who has not one woman to -mourn him. - -"I've been moping in the house all day since Watson went off in the -morning," said the baronet. "I guess I should have some credit, for I -have kept my promise. If I hadn't sworn not to go about alone I might -have had a more lively evening, for I had a message from Stapleton -asking me over there." - -"I have no doubt that you would have had a more lively evening," said -Holmes drily. "By the way, I don't suppose you appreciate that we have -been mourning over you as having broken your neck?" - -Sir Henry opened his eyes. "How was that?" - -"This poor wretch was dressed in your clothes. I fear your servant who -gave them to him may get into trouble with the police." - -"That is unlikely. There was no mark on any of them, as far as I know." - -"That's lucky for him--in fact, it's lucky for all of you, since you are -all on the wrong side of the law in this matter. I am not sure that as -a conscientious detective my first duty is not to arrest the whole -household. Watson's reports are most incriminating documents." - -"But how about the case?" asked the baronet. "Have you made anything out -of the tangle? I don't know that Watson and I are much the wiser since -we came down." - -"I think that I shall be in a position to make the situation rather more -clear to you before long. It has been an exceedingly difficult and most -complicated business. There are several points upon which we still want -light--but it is coming all the same." - -"We've had one experience, as Watson has no doubt told you. We heard the -hound on the moor, so I can swear that it is not all empty superstition. -I had something to do with dogs when I was out West, and I know one when -I hear one. If you can muzzle that one and put him on a chain I'll be -ready to swear you are the greatest detective of all time." - -"I think I will muzzle him and chain him all right if you will give me -your help." - -"Whatever you tell me to do I will do." - -"Very good; and I will ask you also to do it blindly, without always -asking the reason." - -"Just as you like." - -"If you will do this I think the chances are that our little problem -will soon be solved. I have no doubt--" - -He stopped suddenly and stared fixedly up over my head into the air. The -lamp beat upon his face, and so intent was it and so still that it might -have been that of a clear-cut classical statue, a personification of -alertness and expectation. - -"What is it?" we both cried. - -I could see as he looked down that he was repressing some internal -emotion. His features were still composed, but his eyes shone with -amused exultation. - -"Excuse the admiration of a connoisseur," said he as he waved his hand -towards the line of portraits which covered the opposite wall. "Watson -won't allow that I know anything of art but that is mere jealousy -because our views upon the subject differ. Now, these are a really very -fine series of portraits." - -"Well, I'm glad to hear you say so," said Sir Henry, glancing with some -surprise at my friend. "I don't pretend to know much about these things, -and I'd be a better judge of a horse or a steer than of a picture. I -didn't know that you found time for such things." - -"I know what is good when I see it, and I see it now. That's a Kneller, -I'll swear, that lady in the blue silk over yonder, and the stout -gentleman with the wig ought to be a Reynolds. They are all family -portraits, I presume?" - -"Every one." - -"Do you know the names?" - -"Barrymore has been coaching me in them, and I think I can say my -lessons fairly well." - -"Who is the gentleman with the telescope?" - -"That is Rear-Admiral Baskerville, who served under Rodney in the West -Indies. The man with the blue coat and the roll of paper is Sir William -Baskerville, who was Chairman of Committees of the House of Commons -under Pitt." - -"And this Cavalier opposite to me--the one with the black velvet and the -lace?" - -"Ah, you have a right to know about him. That is the cause of all the -mischief, the wicked Hugo, who started the Hound of the Baskervilles. -We're not likely to forget him." - -I gazed with interest and some surprise upon the portrait. - -"Dear me!" said Holmes, "he seems a quiet, meek-mannered man enough, but -I dare say that there was a lurking devil in his eyes. I had pictured -him as a more robust and ruffianly person." - -"There's no doubt about the authenticity, for the name and the date, -1647, are on the back of the canvas." - -Holmes said little more, but the picture of the old roysterer seemed to -have a fascination for him, and his eyes were continually fixed upon it -during supper. It was not until later, when Sir Henry had gone to his -room, that I was able to follow the trend of his thoughts. He led me -back into the banqueting-hall, his bedroom candle in his hand, and he -held it up against the time-stained portrait on the wall. - -"Do you see anything there?" - -I looked at the broad plumed hat, the curling love-locks, the white lace -collar, and the straight, severe face which was framed between them. It -was not a brutal countenance, but it was prim, hard, and stern, with a -firm-set, thin-lipped mouth, and a coldly intolerant eye. - -"Is it like anyone you know?" - -"There is something of Sir Henry about the jaw." - -"Just a suggestion, perhaps. But wait an instant!" He stood upon a -chair, and, holding up the light in his left hand, he curved his right -arm over the broad hat and round the long ringlets. - -"Good heavens!" I cried in amazement. - -The face of Stapleton had sprung out of the canvas. - -"Ha, you see it now. My eyes have been trained to examine faces and not -their trimmings. It is the first quality of a criminal investigator that -he should see through a disguise." - -"But this is marvellous. It might be his portrait." - -"Yes, it is an interesting instance of a throwback, which appears to be -both physical and spiritual. A study of family portraits is enough -to convert a man to the doctrine of reincarnation. The fellow is a -Baskerville--that is evident." - -"With designs upon the succession." - -"Exactly. This chance of the picture has supplied us with one of our -most obvious missing links. We have him, Watson, we have him, and I dare -swear that before tomorrow night he will be fluttering in our net as -helpless as one of his own butterflies. A pin, a cork, and a card, and -we add him to the Baker Street collection!" He burst into one of his -rare fits of laughter as he turned away from the picture. I have not -heard him laugh often, and it has always boded ill to somebody. - -I was up betimes in the morning, but Holmes was afoot earlier still, for -I saw him as I dressed, coming up the drive. - -"Yes, we should have a full day today," he remarked, and he rubbed his -hands with the joy of action. "The nets are all in place, and the drag -is about to begin. We'll know before the day is out whether we have -caught our big, leanjawed pike, or whether he has got through the -meshes." - -"Have you been on the moor already?" - -"I have sent a report from Grimpen to Princetown as to the death of -Selden. I think I can promise that none of you will be troubled in the -matter. And I have also communicated with my faithful Cartwright, who -would certainly have pined away at the door of my hut, as a dog does at -his master's grave, if I had not set his mind at rest about my safety." - -"What is the next move?" - -"To see Sir Henry. Ah, here he is!" - -"Good-morning, Holmes," said the baronet. "You look like a general who -is planning a battle with his chief of the staff." - -"That is the exact situation. Watson was asking for orders." - -"And so do I." - -"Very good. You are engaged, as I understand, to dine with our friends -the Stapletons tonight." - -"I hope that you will come also. They are very hospitable people, and I -am sure that they would be very glad to see you." - -"I fear that Watson and I must go to London." - -"To London?" - -"Yes, I think that we should be more useful there at the present -juncture." - -The baronet's face perceptibly lengthened. - -"I hoped that you were going to see me through this business. The Hall -and the moor are not very pleasant places when one is alone." - -"My dear fellow, you must trust me implicitly and do exactly what I tell -you. You can tell your friends that we should have been happy to have -come with you, but that urgent business required us to be in town. We -hope very soon to return to Devonshire. Will you remember to give them -that message?" - -"If you insist upon it." - -"There is no alternative, I assure you." - -I saw by the baronet's clouded brow that he was deeply hurt by what he -regarded as our desertion. - -"When do you desire to go?" he asked coldly. - -"Immediately after breakfast. We will drive in to Coombe Tracey, but -Watson will leave his things as a pledge that he will come back to you. -Watson, you will send a note to Stapleton to tell him that you regret -that you cannot come." - -"I have a good mind to go to London with you," said the baronet. "Why -should I stay here alone?" - -"Because it is your post of duty. Because you gave me your word that you -would do as you were told, and I tell you to stay." - -"All right, then, I'll stay." - -"One more direction! I wish you to drive to Merripit House. Send back -your trap, however, and let them know that you intend to walk home." - -"To walk across the moor?" - -"Yes." - -"But that is the very thing which you have so often cautioned me not to -do." - -"This time you may do it with safety. If I had not every confidence in -your nerve and courage I would not suggest it, but it is essential that -you should do it." - -"Then I will do it." - -"And as you value your life do not go across the moor in any direction -save along the straight path which leads from Merripit House to the -Grimpen Road, and is your natural way home." - -"I will do just what you say." - -"Very good. I should be glad to get away as soon after breakfast as -possible, so as to reach London in the afternoon." - -I was much astounded by this programme, though I remembered that Holmes -had said to Stapleton on the night before that his visit would terminate -next day. It had not crossed my mind however, that he would wish me to -go with him, nor could I understand how we could both be absent at a -moment which he himself declared to be critical. There was nothing for -it, however, but implicit obedience; so we bade good-bye to our rueful -friend, and a couple of hours afterwards we were at the station of -Coombe Tracey and had dispatched the trap upon its return journey. A -small boy was waiting upon the platform. - -"Any orders, sir?" - -"You will take this train to town, Cartwright. The moment you arrive you -will send a wire to Sir Henry Baskerville, in my name, to say that if he -finds the pocketbook which I have dropped he is to send it by registered -post to Baker Street." - -"Yes, sir." - -"And ask at the station office if there is a message for me." - -The boy returned with a telegram, which Holmes handed to me. It ran: - -Wire received. Coming down with unsigned warrant. Arrive five-forty. -Lestrade. - -"That is in answer to mine of this morning. He is the best of the -professionals, I think, and we may need his assistance. Now, Watson, I -think that we cannot employ our time better than by calling upon your -acquaintance, Mrs. Laura Lyons." - -His plan of campaign was beginning to be evident. He would use the -baronet in order to convince the Stapletons that we were really gone, -while we should actually return at the instant when we were likely to -be needed. That telegram from London, if mentioned by Sir Henry to the -Stapletons, must remove the last suspicions from their minds. Already I -seemed to see our nets drawing closer around that leanjawed pike. - -Mrs. Laura Lyons was in her office, and Sherlock Holmes opened his -interview with a frankness and directness which considerably amazed her. - -"I am investigating the circumstances which attended the death of the -late Sir Charles Baskerville," said he. "My friend here, Dr. Watson, -has informed me of what you have communicated, and also of what you have -withheld in connection with that matter." - -"What have I withheld?" she asked defiantly. - -"You have confessed that you asked Sir Charles to be at the gate at ten -o'clock. We know that that was the place and hour of his death. You have -withheld what the connection is between these events." - -"There is no connection." - -"In that case the coincidence must indeed be an extraordinary one. But -I think that we shall succeed in establishing a connection, after all. I -wish to be perfectly frank with you, Mrs. Lyons. We regard this case as -one of murder, and the evidence may implicate not only your friend Mr. -Stapleton but his wife as well." - -The lady sprang from her chair. - -"His wife!" she cried. - -"The fact is no longer a secret. The person who has passed for his -sister is really his wife." - -Mrs. Lyons had resumed her seat. Her hands were grasping the arms of her -chair, and I saw that the pink nails had turned white with the pressure -of her grip. - -"His wife!" she said again. "His wife! He is not a married man." - -Sherlock Holmes shrugged his shoulders. - -"Prove it to me! Prove it to me! And if you can do so--!" - -The fierce flash of her eyes said more than any words. - -"I have come prepared to do so," said Holmes, drawing several papers -from his pocket. "Here is a photograph of the couple taken in York four -years ago. It is indorsed 'Mr. and Mrs. Vandeleur,' but you will have no -difficulty in recognizing him, and her also, if you know her by sight. -Here are three written descriptions by trustworthy witnesses of Mr. and -Mrs. Vandeleur, who at that time kept St. Oliver's private school. Read -them and see if you can doubt the identity of these people." - -She glanced at them, and then looked up at us with the set, rigid face -of a desperate woman. - -"Mr. Holmes," she said, "this man had offered me marriage on condition -that I could get a divorce from my husband. He has lied to me, the -villain, in every conceivable way. Not one word of truth has he ever -told me. And why--why? I imagined that all was for my own sake. But now -I see that I was never anything but a tool in his hands. Why should I -preserve faith with him who never kept any with me? Why should I try to -shield him from the consequences of his own wicked acts? Ask me what you -like, and there is nothing which I shall hold back. One thing I swear -to you, and that is that when I wrote the letter I never dreamed of any -harm to the old gentleman, who had been my kindest friend." - -"I entirely believe you, madam," said Sherlock Holmes. "The recital of -these events must be very painful to you, and perhaps it will make it -easier if I tell you what occurred, and you can check me if I make any -material mistake. The sending of this letter was suggested to you by -Stapleton?" - -"He dictated it." - -"I presume that the reason he gave was that you would receive help from -Sir Charles for the legal expenses connected with your divorce?" - -"Exactly." - -"And then after you had sent the letter he dissuaded you from keeping -the appointment?" - -"He told me that it would hurt his self-respect that any other man -should find the money for such an object, and that though he was a poor -man himself he would devote his last penny to removing the obstacles -which divided us." - -"He appears to be a very consistent character. And then you heard -nothing until you read the reports of the death in the paper?" - -"No." - -"And he made you swear to say nothing about your appointment with Sir -Charles?" - -"He did. He said that the death was a very mysterious one, and that I -should certainly be suspected if the facts came out. He frightened me -into remaining silent." - -"Quite so. But you had your suspicions?" - -She hesitated and looked down. - -"I knew him," she said. "But if he had kept faith with me I should -always have done so with him." - -"I think that on the whole you have had a fortunate escape," said -Sherlock Holmes. "You have had him in your power and he knew it, and yet -you are alive. You have been walking for some months very near to the -edge of a precipice. We must wish you good-morning now, Mrs. Lyons, and -it is probable that you will very shortly hear from us again." - -"Our case becomes rounded off, and difficulty after difficulty thins -away in front of us," said Holmes as we stood waiting for the arrival of -the express from town. "I shall soon be in the position of being able -to put into a single connected narrative one of the most singular -and sensational crimes of modern times. Students of criminology will -remember the analogous incidents in Godno, in Little Russia, in the year -'66, and of course there are the Anderson murders in North Carolina, but -this case possesses some features which are entirely its own. Even now -we have no clear case against this very wily man. But I shall be very -much surprised if it is not clear enough before we go to bed this -night." - -The London express came roaring into the station, and a small, wiry -bulldog of a man had sprung from a first-class carriage. We all three -shook hands, and I saw at once from the reverential way in which -Lestrade gazed at my companion that he had learned a good deal since -the days when they had first worked together. I could well remember -the scorn which the theories of the reasoner used then to excite in the -practical man. - -"Anything good?" he asked. - -"The biggest thing for years," said Holmes. "We have two hours before -we need think of starting. I think we might employ it in getting some -dinner and then, Lestrade, we will take the London fog out of your -throat by giving you a breath of the pure night air of Dartmoor. Never -been there? Ah, well, I don't suppose you will forget your first visit." - - - - -Chapter 14. The Hound of the Baskervilles - - - -One of Sherlock Holmes's defects--if, indeed, one may call it a -defect--was that he was exceedingly loath to communicate his full plans -to any other person until the instant of their fulfilment. Partly it -came no doubt from his own masterful nature, which loved to dominate and -surprise those who were around him. Partly also from his professional -caution, which urged him never to take any chances. The result, however, -was very trying for those who were acting as his agents and assistants. -I had often suffered under it, but never more so than during that long -drive in the darkness. The great ordeal was in front of us; at last we -were about to make our final effort, and yet Holmes had said nothing, -and I could only surmise what his course of action would be. My nerves -thrilled with anticipation when at last the cold wind upon our faces and -the dark, void spaces on either side of the narrow road told me that we -were back upon the moor once again. Every stride of the horses and every -turn of the wheels was taking us nearer to our supreme adventure. - -Our conversation was hampered by the presence of the driver of the hired -wagonette, so that we were forced to talk of trivial matters when our -nerves were tense with emotion and anticipation. It was a relief to me, -after that unnatural restraint, when we at last passed Frankland's -house and knew that we were drawing near to the Hall and to the scene -of action. We did not drive up to the door but got down near the gate of -the avenue. The wagonette was paid off and ordered to return to Coombe -Tracey forthwith, while we started to walk to Merripit House. - -"Are you armed, Lestrade?" - -The little detective smiled. "As long as I have my trousers I have a -hip-pocket, and as long as I have my hip-pocket I have something in it." - -"Good! My friend and I are also ready for emergencies." - -"You're mighty close about this affair, Mr. Holmes. What's the game -now?" - -"A waiting game." - -"My word, it does not seem a very cheerful place," said the detective -with a shiver, glancing round him at the gloomy slopes of the hill and -at the huge lake of fog which lay over the Grimpen Mire. "I see the -lights of a house ahead of us." - -"That is Merripit House and the end of our journey. I must request you -to walk on tiptoe and not to talk above a whisper." - -We moved cautiously along the track as if we were bound for the house, -but Holmes halted us when we were about two hundred yards from it. - -"This will do," said he. "These rocks upon the right make an admirable -screen." - -"We are to wait here?" - -"Yes, we shall make our little ambush here. Get into this hollow, -Lestrade. You have been inside the house, have you not, Watson? Can you -tell the position of the rooms? What are those latticed windows at this -end?" - -"I think they are the kitchen windows." - -"And the one beyond, which shines so brightly?" - -"That is certainly the dining-room." - -"The blinds are up. You know the lie of the land best. Creep forward -quietly and see what they are doing--but for heaven's sake don't let -them know that they are watched!" - -I tiptoed down the path and stooped behind the low wall which surrounded -the stunted orchard. Creeping in its shadow I reached a point whence I -could look straight through the uncurtained window. - -There were only two men in the room, Sir Henry and Stapleton. They sat -with their profiles towards me on either side of the round table. Both -of them were smoking cigars, and coffee and wine were in front of them. -Stapleton was talking with animation, but the baronet looked pale and -distrait. Perhaps the thought of that lonely walk across the ill-omened -moor was weighing heavily upon his mind. - -As I watched them Stapleton rose and left the room, while Sir Henry -filled his glass again and leaned back in his chair, puffing at his -cigar. I heard the creak of a door and the crisp sound of boots upon -gravel. The steps passed along the path on the other side of the wall -under which I crouched. Looking over, I saw the naturalist pause at the -door of an out-house in the corner of the orchard. A key turned in -a lock, and as he passed in there was a curious scuffling noise from -within. He was only a minute or so inside, and then I heard the key turn -once more and he passed me and reentered the house. I saw him rejoin his -guest, and I crept quietly back to where my companions were waiting to -tell them what I had seen. - -"You say, Watson, that the lady is not there?" Holmes asked when I had -finished my report. - -"No." - -"Where can she be, then, since there is no light in any other room -except the kitchen?" - -"I cannot think where she is." - -I have said that over the great Grimpen Mire there hung a dense, white -fog. It was drifting slowly in our direction and banked itself up like a -wall on that side of us, low but thick and well defined. The moon shone -on it, and it looked like a great shimmering ice-field, with the heads -of the distant tors as rocks borne upon its surface. Holmes's face -was turned towards it, and he muttered impatiently as he watched its -sluggish drift. - -"It's moving towards us, Watson." - -"Is that serious?" - -"Very serious, indeed--the one thing upon earth which could have -disarranged my plans. He can't be very long, now. It is already ten -o'clock. Our success and even his life may depend upon his coming out -before the fog is over the path." - -The night was clear and fine above us. The stars shone cold and bright, -while a half-moon bathed the whole scene in a soft, uncertain light. -Before us lay the dark bulk of the house, its serrated roof and -bristling chimneys hard outlined against the silver-spangled sky. Broad -bars of golden light from the lower windows stretched across the orchard -and the moor. One of them was suddenly shut off. The servants had left -the kitchen. There only remained the lamp in the dining-room where the -two men, the murderous host and the unconscious guest, still chatted -over their cigars. - -Every minute that white woolly plain which covered one-half of the moor -was drifting closer and closer to the house. Already the first thin -wisps of it were curling across the golden square of the lighted window. -The farther wall of the orchard was already invisible, and the trees -were standing out of a swirl of white vapour. As we watched it the -fog-wreaths came crawling round both corners of the house and rolled -slowly into one dense bank on which the upper floor and the roof -floated like a strange ship upon a shadowy sea. Holmes struck his hand -passionately upon the rock in front of us and stamped his feet in his -impatience. - -"If he isn't out in a quarter of an hour the path will be covered. In -half an hour we won't be able to see our hands in front of us." - -"Shall we move farther back upon higher ground?" - -"Yes, I think it would be as well." - -So as the fog-bank flowed onward we fell back before it until we were -half a mile from the house, and still that dense white sea, with the -moon silvering its upper edge, swept slowly and inexorably on. - -"We are going too far," said Holmes. "We dare not take the chance of his -being overtaken before he can reach us. At all costs we must hold our -ground where we are." He dropped on his knees and clapped his ear to the -ground. "Thank God, I think that I hear him coming." - -A sound of quick steps broke the silence of the moor. Crouching among -the stones we stared intently at the silver-tipped bank in front of us. -The steps grew louder, and through the fog, as through a curtain, there -stepped the man whom we were awaiting. He looked round him in surprise -as he emerged into the clear, starlit night. Then he came swiftly along -the path, passed close to where we lay, and went on up the long slope -behind us. As he walked he glanced continually over either shoulder, -like a man who is ill at ease. - -"Hist!" cried Holmes, and I heard the sharp click of a cocking pistol. -"Look out! It's coming!" - -There was a thin, crisp, continuous patter from somewhere in the heart -of that crawling bank. The cloud was within fifty yards of where we lay, -and we glared at it, all three, uncertain what horror was about to break -from the heart of it. I was at Holmes's elbow, and I glanced for an -instant at his face. It was pale and exultant, his eyes shining brightly -in the moonlight. But suddenly they started forward in a rigid, fixed -stare, and his lips parted in amazement. At the same instant Lestrade -gave a yell of terror and threw himself face downward upon the ground. -I sprang to my feet, my inert hand grasping my pistol, my mind paralyzed -by the dreadful shape which had sprung out upon us from the shadows of -the fog. A hound it was, an enormous coal-black hound, but not such a -hound as mortal eyes have ever seen. Fire burst from its open mouth, its -eyes glowed with a smouldering glare, its muzzle and hackles and dewlap -were outlined in flickering flame. Never in the delirious dream of -a disordered brain could anything more savage, more appalling, more -hellish be conceived than that dark form and savage face which broke -upon us out of the wall of fog. - -With long bounds the huge black creature was leaping down the track, -following hard upon the footsteps of our friend. So paralyzed were we by -the apparition that we allowed him to pass before we had recovered our -nerve. Then Holmes and I both fired together, and the creature gave a -hideous howl, which showed that one at least had hit him. He did not -pause, however, but bounded onward. Far away on the path we saw Sir -Henry looking back, his face white in the moonlight, his hands raised in -horror, glaring helplessly at the frightful thing which was hunting him -down. But that cry of pain from the hound had blown all our fears to the -winds. If he was vulnerable he was mortal, and if we could wound him we -could kill him. Never have I seen a man run as Holmes ran that night. I -am reckoned fleet of foot, but he outpaced me as much as I outpaced the -little professional. In front of us as we flew up the track we heard -scream after scream from Sir Henry and the deep roar of the hound. I was -in time to see the beast spring upon its victim, hurl him to the ground, -and worry at his throat. But the next instant Holmes had emptied five -barrels of his revolver into the creature's flank. With a last howl of -agony and a vicious snap in the air, it rolled upon its back, four feet -pawing furiously, and then fell limp upon its side. I stooped, panting, -and pressed my pistol to the dreadful, shimmering head, but it was -useless to press the trigger. The giant hound was dead. - -Sir Henry lay insensible where he had fallen. We tore away his collar, -and Holmes breathed a prayer of gratitude when we saw that there was -no sign of a wound and that the rescue had been in time. Already our -friend's eyelids shivered and he made a feeble effort to move. Lestrade -thrust his brandy-flask between the baronet's teeth, and two frightened -eyes were looking up at us. - -"My God!" he whispered. "What was it? What, in heaven's name, was it?" - -"It's dead, whatever it is," said Holmes. "We've laid the family ghost -once and forever." - -In mere size and strength it was a terrible creature which was lying -stretched before us. It was not a pure bloodhound and it was not a pure -mastiff; but it appeared to be a combination of the two--gaunt, savage, -and as large as a small lioness. Even now in the stillness of death, -the huge jaws seemed to be dripping with a bluish flame and the small, -deep-set, cruel eyes were ringed with fire. I placed my hand upon the -glowing muzzle, and as I held them up my own fingers smouldered and -gleamed in the darkness. - -"Phosphorus," I said. - -"A cunning preparation of it," said Holmes, sniffing at the dead animal. -"There is no smell which might have interfered with his power of scent. -We owe you a deep apology, Sir Henry, for having exposed you to this -fright. I was prepared for a hound, but not for such a creature as this. -And the fog gave us little time to receive him." - -"You have saved my life." - -"Having first endangered it. Are you strong enough to stand?" - -"Give me another mouthful of that brandy and I shall be ready for -anything. So! Now, if you will help me up. What do you propose to do?" - -"To leave you here. You are not fit for further adventures tonight. If -you will wait, one or other of us will go back with you to the Hall." - -He tried to stagger to his feet; but he was still ghastly pale and -trembling in every limb. We helped him to a rock, where he sat shivering -with his face buried in his hands. - -"We must leave you now," said Holmes. "The rest of our work must be -done, and every moment is of importance. We have our case, and now we -only want our man. - -"It's a thousand to one against our finding him at the house," he -continued as we retraced our steps swiftly down the path. "Those shots -must have told him that the game was up." - -"We were some distance off, and this fog may have deadened them." - -"He followed the hound to call him off--of that you may be certain. No, -no, he's gone by this time! But we'll search the house and make sure." - -The front door was open, so we rushed in and hurried from room to -room to the amazement of a doddering old manservant, who met us in the -passage. There was no light save in the dining-room, but Holmes caught -up the lamp and left no corner of the house unexplored. No sign could we -see of the man whom we were chasing. On the upper floor, however, one of -the bedroom doors was locked. - -"There's someone in here," cried Lestrade. "I can hear a movement. Open -this door!" - -A faint moaning and rustling came from within. Holmes struck the door -just over the lock with the flat of his foot and it flew open. Pistol in -hand, we all three rushed into the room. - -But there was no sign within it of that desperate and defiant villain -whom we expected to see. Instead we were faced by an object so strange -and so unexpected that we stood for a moment staring at it in amazement. - -The room had been fashioned into a small museum, and the walls were -lined by a number of glass-topped cases full of that collection of -butterflies and moths the formation of which had been the relaxation of -this complex and dangerous man. In the centre of this room there was an -upright beam, which had been placed at some period as a support for the -old worm-eaten baulk of timber which spanned the roof. To this post a -figure was tied, so swathed and muffled in the sheets which had been -used to secure it that one could not for the moment tell whether it -was that of a man or a woman. One towel passed round the throat and was -secured at the back of the pillar. Another covered the lower part of -the face, and over it two dark eyes--eyes full of grief and shame and a -dreadful questioning--stared back at us. In a minute we had torn off -the gag, unswathed the bonds, and Mrs. Stapleton sank upon the floor in -front of us. As her beautiful head fell upon her chest I saw the clear -red weal of a whiplash across her neck. - -"The brute!" cried Holmes. "Here, Lestrade, your brandy-bottle! Put her -in the chair! She has fainted from ill-usage and exhaustion." - -She opened her eyes again. - -"Is he safe?" she asked. "Has he escaped?" - -"He cannot escape us, madam." - -"No, no, I did not mean my husband. Sir Henry? Is he safe?" - -"Yes." - -"And the hound?" - -"It is dead." - -She gave a long sigh of satisfaction. - -"Thank God! Thank God! Oh, this villain! See how he has treated me!" -She shot her arms out from her sleeves, and we saw with horror that they -were all mottled with bruises. "But this is nothing--nothing! It is my -mind and soul that he has tortured and defiled. I could endure it all, -ill-usage, solitude, a life of deception, everything, as long as I could -still cling to the hope that I had his love, but now I know that in -this also I have been his dupe and his tool." She broke into passionate -sobbing as she spoke. - -"You bear him no good will, madam," said Holmes. "Tell us then where we -shall find him. If you have ever aided him in evil, help us now and so -atone." - -"There is but one place where he can have fled," she answered. "There is -an old tin mine on an island in the heart of the mire. It was there that -he kept his hound and there also he had made preparations so that he -might have a refuge. That is where he would fly." - -The fog-bank lay like white wool against the window. Holmes held the -lamp towards it. - -"See," said he. "No one could find his way into the Grimpen Mire -tonight." - -She laughed and clapped her hands. Her eyes and teeth gleamed with -fierce merriment. - -"He may find his way in, but never out," she cried. "How can he see the -guiding wands tonight? We planted them together, he and I, to mark the -pathway through the mire. Oh, if I could only have plucked them out -today. Then indeed you would have had him at your mercy!" - -It was evident to us that all pursuit was in vain until the fog had -lifted. Meanwhile we left Lestrade in possession of the house while -Holmes and I went back with the baronet to Baskerville Hall. The story -of the Stapletons could no longer be withheld from him, but he took -the blow bravely when he learned the truth about the woman whom he had -loved. But the shock of the night's adventures had shattered his nerves, -and before morning he lay delirious in a high fever under the care of -Dr. Mortimer. The two of them were destined to travel together round the -world before Sir Henry had become once more the hale, hearty man that he -had been before he became master of that ill-omened estate. - -And now I come rapidly to the conclusion of this singular narrative, in -which I have tried to make the reader share those dark fears and vague -surmises which clouded our lives so long and ended in so tragic a -manner. On the morning after the death of the hound the fog had lifted -and we were guided by Mrs. Stapleton to the point where they had found -a pathway through the bog. It helped us to realize the horror of this -woman's life when we saw the eagerness and joy with which she laid us -on her husband's track. We left her standing upon the thin peninsula of -firm, peaty soil which tapered out into the widespread bog. From the -end of it a small wand planted here and there showed where the path -zigzagged from tuft to tuft of rushes among those green-scummed pits -and foul quagmires which barred the way to the stranger. Rank reeds and -lush, slimy water-plants sent an odour of decay and a heavy miasmatic -vapour onto our faces, while a false step plunged us more than once -thigh-deep into the dark, quivering mire, which shook for yards in soft -undulations around our feet. Its tenacious grip plucked at our heels as -we walked, and when we sank into it it was as if some malignant hand was -tugging us down into those obscene depths, so grim and purposeful was -the clutch in which it held us. Once only we saw a trace that someone -had passed that perilous way before us. From amid a tuft of cotton grass -which bore it up out of the slime some dark thing was projecting. Holmes -sank to his waist as he stepped from the path to seize it, and had we -not been there to drag him out he could never have set his foot -upon firm land again. He held an old black boot in the air. "Meyers, -Toronto," was printed on the leather inside. - -"It is worth a mud bath," said he. "It is our friend Sir Henry's missing -boot." - -"Thrown there by Stapleton in his flight." - -"Exactly. He retained it in his hand after using it to set the hound -upon the track. He fled when he knew the game was up, still clutching -it. And he hurled it away at this point of his flight. We know at least -that he came so far in safety." - -But more than that we were never destined to know, though there was much -which we might surmise. There was no chance of finding footsteps in the -mire, for the rising mud oozed swiftly in upon them, but as we at last -reached firmer ground beyond the morass we all looked eagerly for them. -But no slightest sign of them ever met our eyes. If the earth told a -true story, then Stapleton never reached that island of refuge towards -which he struggled through the fog upon that last night. Somewhere in -the heart of the great Grimpen Mire, down in the foul slime of the -huge morass which had sucked him in, this cold and cruel-hearted man is -forever buried. - -Many traces we found of him in the bog-girt island where he had hid his -savage ally. A huge driving-wheel and a shaft half-filled with rubbish -showed the position of an abandoned mine. Beside it were the crumbling -remains of the cottages of the miners, driven away no doubt by the foul -reek of the surrounding swamp. In one of these a staple and chain with -a quantity of gnawed bones showed where the animal had been confined. -A skeleton with a tangle of brown hair adhering to it lay among the -debris. - -"A dog!" said Holmes. "By Jove, a curly-haired spaniel. Poor Mortimer -will never see his pet again. Well, I do not know that this place -contains any secret which we have not already fathomed. He could hide -his hound, but he could not hush its voice, and hence came those cries -which even in daylight were not pleasant to hear. On an emergency he -could keep the hound in the out-house at Merripit, but it was always a -risk, and it was only on the supreme day, which he regarded as the end -of all his efforts, that he dared do it. This paste in the tin is no -doubt the luminous mixture with which the creature was daubed. It was -suggested, of course, by the story of the family hell-hound, and by the -desire to frighten old Sir Charles to death. No wonder the poor devil of -a convict ran and screamed, even as our friend did, and as we ourselves -might have done, when he saw such a creature bounding through the -darkness of the moor upon his track. It was a cunning device, for, apart -from the chance of driving your victim to his death, what peasant would -venture to inquire too closely into such a creature should he get sight -of it, as many have done, upon the moor? I said it in London, Watson, -and I say it again now, that never yet have we helped to hunt down a -more dangerous man than he who is lying yonder"--he swept his long arm -towards the huge mottled expanse of green-splotched bog which stretched -away until it merged into the russet slopes of the moor. - - - - -Chapter 15. A Retrospection - - - -It was the end of November, and Holmes and I sat, upon a raw and foggy -night, on either side of a blazing fire in our sitting-room in Baker -Street. Since the tragic upshot of our visit to Devonshire he had been -engaged in two affairs of the utmost importance, in the first of which -he had exposed the atrocious conduct of Colonel Upwood in connection -with the famous card scandal of the Nonpareil Club, while in the second -he had defended the unfortunate Mme. Montpensier from the charge -of murder which hung over her in connection with the death of her -step-daughter, Mlle. Carere, the young lady who, as it will be -remembered, was found six months later alive and married in New York. -My friend was in excellent spirits over the success which had attended -a succession of difficult and important cases, so that I was able to -induce him to discuss the details of the Baskerville mystery. I had -waited patiently for the opportunity for I was aware that he would never -permit cases to overlap, and that his clear and logical mind would not -be drawn from its present work to dwell upon memories of the past. Sir -Henry and Dr. Mortimer were, however, in London, on their way to that -long voyage which had been recommended for the restoration of his -shattered nerves. They had called upon us that very afternoon, so that -it was natural that the subject should come up for discussion. - -"The whole course of events," said Holmes, "from the point of view of -the man who called himself Stapleton was simple and direct, although -to us, who had no means in the beginning of knowing the motives of -his actions and could only learn part of the facts, it all appeared -exceedingly complex. I have had the advantage of two conversations with -Mrs. Stapleton, and the case has now been so entirely cleared up that I -am not aware that there is anything which has remained a secret to us. -You will find a few notes upon the matter under the heading B in my -indexed list of cases." - -"Perhaps you would kindly give me a sketch of the course of events from -memory." - -"Certainly, though I cannot guarantee that I carry all the facts in my -mind. Intense mental concentration has a curious way of blotting out -what has passed. The barrister who has his case at his fingers' ends and -is able to argue with an expert upon his own subject finds that a week -or two of the courts will drive it all out of his head once more. So -each of my cases displaces the last, and Mlle. Carere has blurred my -recollection of Baskerville Hall. Tomorrow some other little problem may -be submitted to my notice which will in turn dispossess the fair French -lady and the infamous Upwood. So far as the case of the hound goes, -however, I will give you the course of events as nearly as I can, and -you will suggest anything which I may have forgotten. - -"My inquiries show beyond all question that the family portrait did not -lie, and that this fellow was indeed a Baskerville. He was a son of that -Rodger Baskerville, the younger brother of Sir Charles, who fled with -a sinister reputation to South America, where he was said to have died -unmarried. He did, as a matter of fact, marry, and had one child, this -fellow, whose real name is the same as his father's. He married Beryl -Garcia, one of the beauties of Costa Rica, and, having purloined a -considerable sum of public money, he changed his name to Vandeleur and -fled to England, where he established a school in the east of Yorkshire. -His reason for attempting this special line of business was that he had -struck up an acquaintance with a consumptive tutor upon the voyage -home, and that he had used this man's ability to make the undertaking a -success. Fraser, the tutor, died however, and the school which had begun -well sank from disrepute into infamy. The Vandeleurs found it convenient -to change their name to Stapleton, and he brought the remains of his -fortune, his schemes for the future, and his taste for entomology to -the south of England. I learned at the British Museum that he was a -recognized authority upon the subject, and that the name of Vandeleur -has been permanently attached to a certain moth which he had, in his -Yorkshire days, been the first to describe. - -"We now come to that portion of his life which has proved to be of such -intense interest to us. The fellow had evidently made inquiry and found -that only two lives intervened between him and a valuable estate. When -he went to Devonshire his plans were, I believe, exceedingly hazy, but -that he meant mischief from the first is evident from the way in which -he took his wife with him in the character of his sister. The idea of -using her as a decoy was clearly already in his mind, though he may not -have been certain how the details of his plot were to be arranged. He -meant in the end to have the estate, and he was ready to use any tool -or run any risk for that end. His first act was to establish himself as -near to his ancestral home as he could, and his second was to cultivate -a friendship with Sir Charles Baskerville and with the neighbours. - -"The baronet himself told him about the family hound, and so prepared -the way for his own death. Stapleton, as I will continue to call him, -knew that the old man's heart was weak and that a shock would kill him. -So much he had learned from Dr. Mortimer. He had heard also that Sir -Charles was superstitious and had taken this grim legend very seriously. -His ingenious mind instantly suggested a way by which the baronet could -be done to death, and yet it would be hardly possible to bring home the -guilt to the real murderer. - -"Having conceived the idea he proceeded to carry it out with -considerable finesse. An ordinary schemer would have been content -to work with a savage hound. The use of artificial means to make the -creature diabolical was a flash of genius upon his part. The dog he -bought in London from Ross and Mangles, the dealers in Fulham Road. It -was the strongest and most savage in their possession. He brought it -down by the North Devon line and walked a great distance over the moor -so as to get it home without exciting any remarks. He had already on his -insect hunts learned to penetrate the Grimpen Mire, and so had found a -safe hiding-place for the creature. Here he kennelled it and waited his -chance. - -"But it was some time coming. The old gentleman could not be decoyed -outside of his grounds at night. Several times Stapleton lurked about -with his hound, but without avail. It was during these fruitless quests -that he, or rather his ally, was seen by peasants, and that the legend -of the demon dog received a new confirmation. He had hoped that his wife -might lure Sir Charles to his ruin, but here she proved unexpectedly -independent. She would not endeavour to entangle the old gentleman in -a sentimental attachment which might deliver him over to his enemy. -Threats and even, I am sorry to say, blows refused to move her. She -would have nothing to do with it, and for a time Stapleton was at a -deadlock. - -"He found a way out of his difficulties through the chance that Sir -Charles, who had conceived a friendship for him, made him the minister -of his charity in the case of this unfortunate woman, Mrs. Laura Lyons. -By representing himself as a single man he acquired complete influence -over her, and he gave her to understand that in the event of her -obtaining a divorce from her husband he would marry her. His plans were -suddenly brought to a head by his knowledge that Sir Charles was about -to leave the Hall on the advice of Dr. Mortimer, with whose opinion he -himself pretended to coincide. He must act at once, or his victim might -get beyond his power. He therefore put pressure upon Mrs. Lyons to -write this letter, imploring the old man to give her an interview on -the evening before his departure for London. He then, by a specious -argument, prevented her from going, and so had the chance for which he -had waited. - -"Driving back in the evening from Coombe Tracey he was in time to get -his hound, to treat it with his infernal paint, and to bring the beast -round to the gate at which he had reason to expect that he would find -the old gentleman waiting. The dog, incited by its master, sprang over -the wicket-gate and pursued the unfortunate baronet, who fled screaming -down the yew alley. In that gloomy tunnel it must indeed have been a -dreadful sight to see that huge black creature, with its flaming jaws -and blazing eyes, bounding after its victim. He fell dead at the end -of the alley from heart disease and terror. The hound had kept upon the -grassy border while the baronet had run down the path, so that no track -but the man's was visible. On seeing him lying still the creature had -probably approached to sniff at him, but finding him dead had turned -away again. It was then that it left the print which was actually -observed by Dr. Mortimer. The hound was called off and hurried away to -its lair in the Grimpen Mire, and a mystery was left which puzzled -the authorities, alarmed the countryside, and finally brought the case -within the scope of our observation. - -"So much for the death of Sir Charles Baskerville. You perceive the -devilish cunning of it, for really it would be almost impossible to make -a case against the real murderer. His only accomplice was one who could -never give him away, and the grotesque, inconceivable nature of -the device only served to make it more effective. Both of the women -concerned in the case, Mrs. Stapleton and Mrs. Laura Lyons, were left -with a strong suspicion against Stapleton. Mrs. Stapleton knew that he -had designs upon the old man, and also of the existence of the hound. -Mrs. Lyons knew neither of these things, but had been impressed by the -death occurring at the time of an uncancelled appointment which was only -known to him. However, both of them were under his influence, and he had -nothing to fear from them. The first half of his task was successfully -accomplished but the more difficult still remained. - -"It is possible that Stapleton did not know of the existence of an heir -in Canada. In any case he would very soon learn it from his friend Dr. -Mortimer, and he was told by the latter all details about the arrival of -Henry Baskerville. Stapleton's first idea was that this young stranger -from Canada might possibly be done to death in London without coming -down to Devonshire at all. He distrusted his wife ever since she had -refused to help him in laying a trap for the old man, and he dared not -leave her long out of his sight for fear he should lose his influence -over her. It was for this reason that he took her to London with him. -They lodged, I find, at the Mexborough Private Hotel, in Craven Street, -which was actually one of those called upon by my agent in search -of evidence. Here he kept his wife imprisoned in her room while -he, disguised in a beard, followed Dr. Mortimer to Baker Street and -afterwards to the station and to the Northumberland Hotel. His wife had -some inkling of his plans; but she had such a fear of her husband--a -fear founded upon brutal ill-treatment--that she dare not write to warn -the man whom she knew to be in danger. If the letter should fall into -Stapleton's hands her own life would not be safe. Eventually, as we -know, she adopted the expedient of cutting out the words which would -form the message, and addressing the letter in a disguised hand. It -reached the baronet, and gave him the first warning of his danger. - -"It was very essential for Stapleton to get some article of Sir Henry's -attire so that, in case he was driven to use the dog, he might always -have the means of setting him upon his track. With characteristic -promptness and audacity he set about this at once, and we cannot doubt -that the boots or chamber-maid of the hotel was well bribed to help him -in his design. By chance, however, the first boot which was procured for -him was a new one and, therefore, useless for his purpose. He then had -it returned and obtained another--a most instructive incident, since it -proved conclusively to my mind that we were dealing with a real hound, -as no other supposition could explain this anxiety to obtain an old -boot and this indifference to a new one. The more outre and grotesque an -incident is the more carefully it deserves to be examined, and the very -point which appears to complicate a case is, when duly considered and -scientifically handled, the one which is most likely to elucidate it. - -"Then we had the visit from our friends next morning, shadowed always -by Stapleton in the cab. From his knowledge of our rooms and of my -appearance, as well as from his general conduct, I am inclined to think -that Stapleton's career of crime has been by no means limited to this -single Baskerville affair. It is suggestive that during the last three -years there have been four considerable burglaries in the west country, -for none of which was any criminal ever arrested. The last of these, at -Folkestone Court, in May, was remarkable for the cold-blooded pistolling -of the page, who surprised the masked and solitary burglar. I cannot -doubt that Stapleton recruited his waning resources in this fashion, and -that for years he has been a desperate and dangerous man. - -"We had an example of his readiness of resource that morning when he got -away from us so successfully, and also of his audacity in sending back -my own name to me through the cabman. From that moment he understood -that I had taken over the case in London, and that therefore there was -no chance for him there. He returned to Dartmoor and awaited the arrival -of the baronet." - -"One moment!" said I. "You have, no doubt, described the sequence -of events correctly, but there is one point which you have left -unexplained. What became of the hound when its master was in London?" - -"I have given some attention to this matter and it is undoubtedly of -importance. There can be no question that Stapleton had a confidant, -though it is unlikely that he ever placed himself in his power by -sharing all his plans with him. There was an old manservant at Merripit -House, whose name was Anthony. His connection with the Stapletons can -be traced for several years, as far back as the school-mastering days, -so that he must have been aware that his master and mistress were really -husband and wife. This man has disappeared and has escaped from the -country. It is suggestive that Anthony is not a common name in England, -while Antonio is so in all Spanish or Spanish-American countries. The -man, like Mrs. Stapleton herself, spoke good English, but with a curious -lisping accent. I have myself seen this old man cross the Grimpen -Mire by the path which Stapleton had marked out. It is very probable, -therefore, that in the absence of his master it was he who cared for the -hound, though he may never have known the purpose for which the beast -was used. - -"The Stapletons then went down to Devonshire, whither they were soon -followed by Sir Henry and you. One word now as to how I stood myself at -that time. It may possibly recur to your memory that when I examined -the paper upon which the printed words were fastened I made a close -inspection for the water-mark. In doing so I held it within a few inches -of my eyes, and was conscious of a faint smell of the scent known as -white jessamine. There are seventy-five perfumes, which it is very -necessary that a criminal expert should be able to distinguish from each -other, and cases have more than once within my own experience depended -upon their prompt recognition. The scent suggested the presence of a -lady, and already my thoughts began to turn towards the Stapletons. Thus -I had made certain of the hound, and had guessed at the criminal before -ever we went to the west country. - -"It was my game to watch Stapleton. It was evident, however, that I -could not do this if I were with you, since he would be keenly on his -guard. I deceived everybody, therefore, yourself included, and I came -down secretly when I was supposed to be in London. My hardships were -not so great as you imagined, though such trifling details must never -interfere with the investigation of a case. I stayed for the most -part at Coombe Tracey, and only used the hut upon the moor when it was -necessary to be near the scene of action. Cartwright had come down with -me, and in his disguise as a country boy he was of great assistance -to me. I was dependent upon him for food and clean linen. When I was -watching Stapleton, Cartwright was frequently watching you, so that I -was able to keep my hand upon all the strings. - -"I have already told you that your reports reached me rapidly, being -forwarded instantly from Baker Street to Coombe Tracey. They were of -great service to me, and especially that one incidentally truthful piece -of biography of Stapleton's. I was able to establish the identity of -the man and the woman and knew at last exactly how I stood. The case -had been considerably complicated through the incident of the escaped -convict and the relations between him and the Barrymores. This also you -cleared up in a very effective way, though I had already come to the -same conclusions from my own observations. - -"By the time that you discovered me upon the moor I had a complete -knowledge of the whole business, but I had not a case which could go to -a jury. Even Stapleton's attempt upon Sir Henry that night which ended -in the death of the unfortunate convict did not help us much in proving -murder against our man. There seemed to be no alternative but to -catch him red-handed, and to do so we had to use Sir Henry, alone and -apparently unprotected, as a bait. We did so, and at the cost of a -severe shock to our client we succeeded in completing our case and -driving Stapleton to his destruction. That Sir Henry should have been -exposed to this is, I must confess, a reproach to my management of the -case, but we had no means of foreseeing the terrible and paralyzing -spectacle which the beast presented, nor could we predict the fog which -enabled him to burst upon us at such short notice. We succeeded in our -object at a cost which both the specialist and Dr. Mortimer assure me -will be a temporary one. A long journey may enable our friend to recover -not only from his shattered nerves but also from his wounded feelings. -His love for the lady was deep and sincere, and to him the saddest part -of all this black business was that he should have been deceived by her. - -"It only remains to indicate the part which she had played throughout. -There can be no doubt that Stapleton exercised an influence over her -which may have been love or may have been fear, or very possibly both, -since they are by no means incompatible emotions. It was, at least, -absolutely effective. At his command she consented to pass as his -sister, though he found the limits of his power over her when he -endeavoured to make her the direct accessory to murder. She was ready to -warn Sir Henry so far as she could without implicating her husband, and -again and again she tried to do so. Stapleton himself seems to have been -capable of jealousy, and when he saw the baronet paying court to the -lady, even though it was part of his own plan, still he could not help -interrupting with a passionate outburst which revealed the fiery soul -which his self-contained manner so cleverly concealed. By encouraging -the intimacy he made it certain that Sir Henry would frequently come -to Merripit House and that he would sooner or later get the opportunity -which he desired. On the day of the crisis, however, his wife turned -suddenly against him. She had learned something of the death of the -convict, and she knew that the hound was being kept in the outhouse on -the evening that Sir Henry was coming to dinner. She taxed her husband -with his intended crime, and a furious scene followed in which he showed -her for the first time that she had a rival in his love. Her fidelity -turned in an instant to bitter hatred, and he saw that she would betray -him. He tied her up, therefore, that she might have no chance of warning -Sir Henry, and he hoped, no doubt, that when the whole countryside put -down the baronet's death to the curse of his family, as they certainly -would do, he could win his wife back to accept an accomplished fact and -to keep silent upon what she knew. In this I fancy that in any case -he made a miscalculation, and that, if we had not been there, his doom -would none the less have been sealed. A woman of Spanish blood does -not condone such an injury so lightly. And now, my dear Watson, without -referring to my notes, I cannot give you a more detailed account of -this curious case. I do not know that anything essential has been left -unexplained." - -"He could not hope to frighten Sir Henry to death as he had done the old -uncle with his bogie hound." - -"The beast was savage and half-starved. If its appearance did not -frighten its victim to death, at least it would paralyze the resistance -which might be offered." - -"No doubt. There only remains one difficulty. If Stapleton came into the -succession, how could he explain the fact that he, the heir, had been -living unannounced under another name so close to the property? How -could he claim it without causing suspicion and inquiry?" - -"It is a formidable difficulty, and I fear that you ask too much when -you expect me to solve it. The past and the present are within the field -of my inquiry, but what a man may do in the future is a hard question -to answer. Mrs. Stapleton has heard her husband discuss the problem on -several occasions. There were three possible courses. He might claim the -property from South America, establish his identity before the British -authorities there and so obtain the fortune without ever coming to -England at all, or he might adopt an elaborate disguise during the -short time that he need be in London; or, again, he might furnish an -accomplice with the proofs and papers, putting him in as heir, and -retaining a claim upon some proportion of his income. We cannot doubt -from what we know of him that he would have found some way out of the -difficulty. And now, my dear Watson, we have had some weeks of severe -work, and for one evening, I think, we may turn our thoughts into more -pleasant channels. I have a box for 'Les Huguenots.' Have you heard the -De Reszkes? Might I trouble you then to be ready in half an hour, and we -can stop at Marcini's for a little dinner on the way?" - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Hound of the Baskervilles, by A. Conan Doyle - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES *** - -***** This file should be named 2852.txt or 2852.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/2/8/5/2852/ - -Produced by Shreevatsa R - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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