The Hound of The Baskervilles

THE HoUnD Of tHE
BASKERVILLES
BY ARTHUR COnAn DOYLE
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CHAptER 1
MR. SHERLOCK HoLMES
M
r. 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 Mortim-
er, 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 unfortu-
THe HoUND OF THe BASKeRVILLes

2
nate 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, elder-
ly 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 as-
sistance, and which has made him a small presentation in
return.’
‘Really, Watson, you excel yourself,’ said Holmes, push-
ing 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
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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 at-
tempts which I had made to give publicity to his methods. I
was proud, too, to think that I had so far mastered his sys-
tem 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 in-
terest 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-im-
portance. ‘I trust that there is nothing of consequence
which I have overlooked?’
‘I am afraid, my dear Watson, that most of your conclu-
sions were erroneous. When I said that you stimulated me I
meant, to be frank, that in noting your fallacies I was occa-
sionally guided towards the truth. Not that you are entirely
wrong in this instance. The man is certainly a country prac-
titioner. And he walks a good deal.’
‘Then I was right.’
‘To that extent.’
‘But that was all.’

4
‘No, no, my dear Watson, not all—by no means all. I
would suggest, for example, that a presentation to a doc-
tor 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
‘Char- ing 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 with-
drew from the service of the hospital in order to start in
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
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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 prac-
titioner 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 par-
ticulars 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 Compara-
tive Pathology, with essay entitled ‘Is Disease a Reversion?’
Corresponding member of the Swedish Pathological Soci-
ety. Author of ‘Some Freaks of Atavism’ (Lancet 1882). ‘Do
We Progress?’ (Journal of Psychology, March, 1883).
Medi- cal Officer for the parishes of Grimpen, Thorsley,
and High
6
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 remem-
ber 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
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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 spar-
kling 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 aston-
ishment.
‘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
THe HoUND OF THe

8
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
Hol- mes. ‘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 dolichocephal- ic 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 an- thropological 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.
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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 to-day?’
‘No, sir, no; though I am happy to have had the oppor-
tunity 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
Mon- sieur 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.’
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CHAptER 2
THE CURSE Of tHE

BASKERVILLES
‘
have in my pocket a manuscript,’ said Dr. James Mor-
timer.
‘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 examina-
tion 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.
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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 en-
abled 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 manu-
script 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
THe HoUND OF THe
1
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 byword 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 yeo-
man 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
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have her wits turned at the singing and shouting and terri-
ble 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, per-
chance—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 compa-
ny 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. Where-
at 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
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1
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 slink- ing away
and some, with starting hackles and staring eyes,
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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 bold-
est, 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
daredevil roys- terers, 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
THe HoUND OF THe
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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 sis-
ter 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 pock-
et.
‘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 candi-
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date for Mid-Devon at the next election, has cast a gloom
over the county. Though Sir Charles had resided at Basker-
ville 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 recon-
struction and improvement which have been interrupted
by his death. Being himself childless, it was his openly ex-
pressed desire that the whole country-side 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 imag-
ine that death could be from any but natural causes. Sir
Charles was a widower, and a man who may be said to have
THe HoUND OF THe

1
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 act-
ing 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 walk-
ing down the famous Yew Alley of Baskerville Hall. The
evidence of the Barrymores shows that this had been his
custom. On the 4th of May Sir Charles had declared his in-
tention 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 foot-
marks were easily traced down the Alley. Half-way 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
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fact which has not been explained is the statement of Bar-
rymore that his master’s footprints altered their character
from the time that he passed the moor-gate, and that he ap-
peared 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 direc-
tion 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 in-
deed 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 examina-
tion, 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 obvious-
ly 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
THe HoUND OF THe

2
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 ar-
ticle, 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
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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. Sta-
pleton, 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 communi-
ty 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 ap-
pear to you, Mr. Holmes, he was honestly convinced that
a dreadful fate overhung his family, and certainly the re-
cords 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 eve-
ning 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
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2
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 ex-
citement 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 horse- back 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 in-
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quest. I followed the footsteps down the Yew Alley, I saw
the spot at the moor-gate where he seemed to have wait-
ed, 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 Barry-
more 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!’
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2
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. Hol-
mes 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.’
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‘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 ei-
ther 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
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2
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 rea-
sons for not wishing to do so. Besides, besides —‘
‘Why do you hesitate?’
‘There is a realm in which the most acute and most expe-
rienced 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 peo-
ple had seen a creature upon the moor which corresponds
with this Baskerville demon, and which could not possi-
bly 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 su-
pernatural?’
‘I do not know what to believe.’
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2
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 am-
bitious 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
supernatural- ists. 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. Mortim-
er 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 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
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Henry. The
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3
third, Rodger, was the black sheep of the family. He came of
the old masterful Baskerville strain, and was the very im-
age, 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 South-
ampton 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 ev-
ery 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 prosper-
ity of the whole poor, bleak country-side 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 cor-
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rect, 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 under-
stand 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 to-morrow, Dr. Mor-
timer, 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 shirtcuff 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 be-
fore Sir Charles Baskerville’s death several people saw this
apparition upon the moor?’
‘Three people did.’
‘Did any see it after?’
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3
‘I have not heard of any.’
‘Thank you. Good morning.’
Holmes returned to his seat with that quiet look of in-
ward 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 com-
pare 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 concentra-
tion 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 es-
sential 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
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throat and set me coughing. Through the haze I had a vague
vision of Holmes in his dressing-gown coiled up in an arm-
chair 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
pos- sess 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 arm-chair and
THe HoUND OF THe
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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 un-
der 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 farm-houses,
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 ex-
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planation.’
‘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 ex-
haust 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 ex-
ample. 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, run-
ning for his life, running until he burst his heart and fell
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3
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 prob-
able, 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.’
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CHAptER 4
SIR HEnRY BASKERVILLE
O
ur breakfast-table was cleared early, and Holmes wait-
ed 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 weath-
er-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

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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 postmark ‘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?’
THe HoUND OF THe
3
‘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 permis-
sion 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 profes-
sional interest, and Sir Henry Baskerville turned a pair of
puzzled dark eyes upon me.
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‘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 re-
ally 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 ne-
gro from that of an Esquimau?’
‘Most certainly.’
‘But how?’
‘Because that is my special hobby. The differences are
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4
obvious. The supra-orbital crest, the facial angle, the maxil-
lary 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 de-
tection 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 Mer-
cury with the Western Morning News. But a Times leader
is entirely distinctive, and these words could have been tak-
en 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.’
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‘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 probabil-
ities 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
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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 splut-
tered 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 mes-
sage. 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 nov-
el,’ said our visitor. ‘Why in thunder should anyone follow
or watch me?’
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‘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 rou-
tine 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 yes-
terday you went out at once and bought a pair of boots?’
THe HoUND OF THe

4
‘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 lis-
tened with the deepest attention, and with an occasional
exclamation of surprise.
‘Well, I seem to have come into an inheritance with a
ven- geance,’ said he when the long narrative was finished.
‘Of course, I’ve heard of the hound ever since I was in the
nurs- ery. 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.’
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‘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 Basker-
ville 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
THe HoUND OF THe

4
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 compan-
ion.
‘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 sat-
isfied 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 dis-

tance 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 han-
som 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 win-
dow 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 pant-
ing 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
THe HoUND OF THe

4
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 ob-
served 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 mo-
ment.’
‘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
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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 com-
panion, had long vanished in front of us.
‘There is no object in our following them,’ said Holm-
es. ‘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 prob-
ability 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,
THe HoUND OF THe

5
Wilson, that you had among your boys a lad named Cart-
wright, 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 mis-
carried 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
twen-
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ty-three shillings. You will then learn in possibly twenty
cases out of the twenty-three that the waste of the day be-
fore 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
galler- ies and fill in the time until we are due at the hotel.’
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5
CHAptER 5
THREE BROKEn THREAdS
S
herlock 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 fami-
ly, 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,
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gray-
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5
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 remem-
ber 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
acquain-
tance. 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 West-
ern dialect than any which we had heard from him in the
morning.
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‘Seems to me they are playing me for a sucker in this ho-
tel,’ 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 pat-
ent leathers, which I am wearing. Last night they took one
of my brown ones, and to-day 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——‘
THe HoUND OF THe

5
‘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 mad-
dest, 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
conjunc- tion 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
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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.’
THe HoUND OF THe
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FRee eBoo AT PLANeT eBooK.COM 5y
‘At the same time,’ said Baskerville, ‘it’s clear enough that
so long as there are none of the family at the Hall these peo-
ple 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 provi-
sions 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
THe HoUND OF THe
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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 cler-
gyman 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 en-
tailed. 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 with-
out delay. There is only one provision which I must make.
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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 good will 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 al-
ways by your side.’
‘Is it possible that you could come yourself, Mr. Holm-
es?’
‘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 be-
fore 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
THe HoUND OF THe
6
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 10:30 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 noth-
ing of the matter, nor could any inquiry clear it up. Another
item had been added to that constant and apparently pur-
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poseless 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 discon-
nected 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 re-
port 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
THe HoUND OF THe

6
man himself.
‘I got a message from the head office that a gent at this
address had been inquiring for 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 cab-
man, 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 after-
wards 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.’
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‘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 guin-
eas 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 fol-
lowed 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 half-way down the street
and waited an hour and a half. Then the two gentlemen
THe HoUND OF THe
6
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 min-
utes. 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 alto-
gether 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!’
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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.’
THe HoUND OF THe

6
CHAptER 6
BASKERVILLE HALL
S
ir Henry Baskerville and Dr. Mortimer were ready upon
the appointed day, and we started as arranged for Dev-
onshire. 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 sus-
picions, 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
in- direct 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?’
THe HoUND OF THe

6
‘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 Basker-
ville. ‘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 leg-
end which Dr. Mortimer has read to us, and avoid the moor
in those hours of darkness when the powers of evil are ex-
alted.’
I looked back at the platform when we had left it far be-
hind, 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 com-
panions 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 de-
light as he recognized the familiar features of the Devon
scenery.
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‘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
Iver- nian 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 dis-
tance, 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 pro-
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saic 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 mas-
terful 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 wag-
onette 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 country-side 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 mot-
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tled 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, look-
ing eagerly about him and asking countless questions. To
his eyes all seemed beautiful, but to me a tinge of melan-
choly lay upon the country-side, 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 veg-
etation—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 sol-
dier, 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
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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 Hol-
mes 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. Some-
where 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 gi-
ant 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 cup-like
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 Basker-
villes. 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.’
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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 our-
selves, large, lofty, and heavily raftered with huge balks of
age-blackened oak. In the great old-fashioned fireplace be-
hind 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, nat-
urally, wish to have more company, and so you will need
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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 genera-
tions, 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 but-
ler’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 build-
ing, 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 numer-
ous 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
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step separating the dais where the family sat from the lower
portion reserved for their dependents. At one end a min-
strel’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. Howev-
er, if it suits you, we will retire early to-night, 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.
y THe HoUND OF THe
And yet it was not quite the last. I found myself weary
and yet wakeful, tossing restlessly from side to side, seek-
ing 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 wom-
an, 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.
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y THe HoUND OF THe
CHAptER 7
THE StApLETOnS
Of MERRIpIT
HOUSE
T
he 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,
THe HoUND OF THe
8
a woman I think, sobbing in the night?’
‘That is curious, for I did when I was half asleep fancy
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8
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 experi-
ence. It seemed to me that the pallid features of the butler
turned a shade paler still as he listened to his master’s ques-
tion.
‘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 tell-tale 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 circum-
stances 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
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8
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 break-
fast, 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 larg-
er 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. Barry-
more’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
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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 persecut-
ing 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 mo-
tive was that which had been suggested by Sir Henry, that if
the family could be scared away a comfortable and perma-
nent 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. Hol-
mes 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 responsibil-
ity from my shoulders.
Suddenly my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of
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8
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 lean-jawed, 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. Wat-
son,’ 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 ask-
ing 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 country-side. Sir Henry has, I
suppose, no superstitious fears in the matter?’
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‘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 mat-
ter 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 compan-
ion showed that no surprise was intended.
‘It is useless for us to pretend that we do not know you,
THe HoUND OF THe

8
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 fol-
lows 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 him-
self?’
‘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 investi-
gate 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
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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 Mer-
ripit 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 Sta-
pleton’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 se-
crets 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.’

THe HoUND OF THe
8
‘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 mis-
erable ponies!’
Something brown was rolling and tossing among the
green sedges. Then a long, agonized, writhing neck shot up-
ward 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 un-
til 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
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8
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 call-
ing 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 non-
sense as that?’ said I. ‘What do you think is the cause of so
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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 boom-
ing?’
‘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. Pre-
historic man lived thickly on the moor, and as no one in
particular has lived there since, we find all his little ar-
rangements 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
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9
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 en-
ergy 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 di-
rection 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 uncom-
mon 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
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have seemed impassive were it not for the sensitive mouth
and the beautiful dark, eager eyes. With her perfect fig-
ure 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, instant-
ly.’
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 to-night!
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 mares-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.
THe HoUND OF THe
9
‘Well, Jack, you are very hot.’
‘Yes, I was chasing a Cyclopides. He is very rare and sel-
dom 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 rec-
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ognize 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 convic-
tion in her words.
‘I had a school,’ said Stapleton. ‘It was in the north coun-
try. 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 irre-
trievably 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 bot-
any and zoology, I find an unlimited field of work here, and
my sister is as devoted to Nature as I am. All this, Dr. Wat-
son, 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 inter-
THe HoUND OF THe

9
esting neighbours. Dr. Mortimer is a most learned man in
his own line. Poor Sir Charles was also an admirable com-
panion. 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 in- spect 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 im-
pressions 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.
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‘I have run all the way in order to cut you off, Dr. Wat-
son,’ 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 think-
ing 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 bet-
ter 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 con-
scious 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 an-
swered 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 favou-
rite walk was over the moor to our house. He was deeply
impressed with the curse which hung over the family, and
THe HoUND OF THe

9
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 in-
tended 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 na-
ture. 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 any-
thing 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 get

back, or he will miss me and suspect that I have seen you.
Good-bye!’ She turned and had disappeared in a few min-
utes among the scattered boulders, while I, with my soul
full of vague fears, pursued my way to Baskerville Hall.
THe HoUND OF THe

9
CHAptER 8
FIRST REpORT Of DR. WATSOn
F
rom this point onward I will follow the course of events
by transcribing my own letters to Mr. Sherlock Holm-
es which lie before me on the table. One page is missing,
but otherwise they are exactly as written and show my feel-
ings and suspicions of the moment more accurately than
my memory, clear as it is upon these tragic events, can pos-
sibly do.
Baskerville Hall, October 13th.
MY DEAR HOLMES,—My previous letters and tele-
grams 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
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against the scarred hill-sides 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 imag-
ine 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 se-
verely 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 to-day 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
THe HoUND OF THe
1
these stone huts would
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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 Sta-
pletons. 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 Per-
kins 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 beau-
tiful woman. There is something tropical and exotic about
her which forms a singular contrast to her cool and unemo-
tional 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 seek-
ing 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,
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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 rug-
ged 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 Sta- pleton 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 consid- eration 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 to-night, and there is
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some talk
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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 disap-
probation 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 tˆte-…-tˆte. 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. Mor-
timer 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 enthu-
siast 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 sum-
mer-house. Half-way 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.
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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 ex-
haustion. 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 Bar-
rymore 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 ei-
ther 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 im- memorial, 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 villag- ers 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
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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
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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
ac- cord.
‘I could not quite understand the object of your ques-
tions this morning, Sir Henry,’ said he. ‘I trust that they do
not mean that I have done anything to forfeit your confi-
dence?’
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 sor-
row gnaws ever at her heart. Sometimes I wonder if she has
a guilty memory which haunts her, and sometimes I sus-
pect 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.
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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 light-
er 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 trail-
ing 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 unfur-
nished 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 min-
utes 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 jour-
ney. 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 inter-
esting reading.
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CHAptER 9
(SECOnd REpORT Of DR.

WATSOn)
THE LIGHT UPON

THE MOOR
B
askerville Hall, Oct. 15th.
MY DEAR HOLMES,—If I was compelled to leave
you without much news during the early days of my mis-
sion 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 Barry-
more at the window, and now I have quite a budget already
which will, unless I am much mistaken, considerably sur-
prise 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
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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 win-
dow 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 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 ob-
tained. 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 pos-
sible that some love intrigue was on foot. That would have
accounted for his stealthy movements and also for the un-
easiness 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 re-
turned 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 move-
ments might be, I felt that the responsibility of keeping
them to myself until I could explain them was more than I
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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 to-night 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 ar-
chitect 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 ex-
pense to restore the grandeur of his family. When the house
is renovated and refurnished, all that he will need will be a
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wife to make it complete. Between ourselves there are
pretty clear signs that this will not be wanting if the lady
is will- ing, for I have seldom seen a man more infatuated
with a woman than he is with our beautiful neighbour,
Miss Sta- pleton. And yet the course of true love does not
run quite as smoothly as one would under the
circumstances expect. To-day, 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 Barry-
more, 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 pleas-
ant 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
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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 with-
out seeing anything of Sir Henry, until I came to the point
where the moor path branches off. There, fearing that per-
haps 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 in-
tently, 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.
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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 po-
sition 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 conver-
sation, 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 ap-
peared 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 mo-
ment I saw them spring apart and turn hurriedly round.
Stapleton was the cause of the interruption. He was run-
ning 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 an-
gry as the other refused to accept them. The lady stood by
in haughty silence. Finally Stapleton turned upon his heel
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and beckoned in a peremptory way to his sister, who, af-
ter 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 impos-
sible 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 country-side 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?’
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‘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 un-
til to-day, but you can take it from me that either he or I
ought to be in a strait-jacket. 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 to-day 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
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her I was in no hurry to leave it, and that if she really want-
ed 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 com-
pletely 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 re-
jected so brusquely without any reference to the lady’s own
wishes, and that the lady should accept the situation with-
out protest, is very amazing. However, our conjectures were
set at rest by a visit from Stapleton himself that very after-

noon. 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 natu-
ral 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 neigh-
bour 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 op-
position upon his part if I would promise for three months
to let the matter rest and to be content with cultivating the
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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 disappoint-
ed 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 fig-
ure, his shoulders rounded, as he tip-toed 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. Some-
times 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 nat-
ural. 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,
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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 pin-point 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 do-
ing, Sir Henry—all mine. He has done nothing except for
1 THe HoUND OF THe
my sake and because I asked him.’
‘Speak out, then! What does it
mean?’
‘My unhappy brother is starving on the moor. We can-
not 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 expedi-
tions 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
scaf- fold; 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
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was here
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and that we could not refuse to help him. When he dragged
himself here one night, weary and starving, with the ward-
ers 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 any-
where 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.’
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‘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 soon-
er 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.
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‘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 pow-
er 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 al-
ready 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 country-side.’
‘Oh, they are ignorant people. Why should you mind
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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 to-morrow.’
‘I don’t think I’ll get that cry out of my head. What do
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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 decep- tive 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
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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 for-
ward 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,
stronglybuilt 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 re-
volver 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
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upon the side of a distant hill. We ran and ran until we were
completely blown, but the space between us grew ever wid-
er. 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 hope-
less 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 back-ground, 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 wil- derness 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.
THe HoUND OF THe
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He had not seen this lonely man upon the tor and could not
feel the thrill which his strange presence and his command-
ing attitude had given to me. ‘A warder, no doubt,’ said he.
‘The moor has been thick with them since this fellow es-
caped.’ Well, perhaps his explanation may be the right one,
but I should like to have some further proof of it. To-day 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.
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CHAptER 10
ExtRACT fROM THE

DIARY Of DR.
WATSOn
S
o far I have been able to quote from the reports which I
have forwarded during these early days to Sherlock Hol-
mes. 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
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conscious myself of a weight at my heart and a feeling of
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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,
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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 ene-
my. 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
Staple- ton, 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. Bar-
rymore 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
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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 be-
fore 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
THe HoUND OF THe
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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 un-
til 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 be-
fore 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
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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 ini-
tials. 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 ash-
es 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
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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 con-
ceal 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 treat-
ing 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
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think of this new light?’
‘It seems to leave the darkness rather blacker than be-
fore.’
‘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 to-day 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 hid-
den 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 driv-
ing 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 disappear-
ance 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.’
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‘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, be-
tween 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 can-
not 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 hon-
est 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. To-morrow 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 myster-
ies. 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 Hol-
mes for nothing.
I have only one other incident to record upon this tem-
pestuous 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 ecart‚ afterwards. The butler brought me my cof-
fee 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.’
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‘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 vil-
lainy 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
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at night. There’s not a man would cross it after sundown
if he was paid for it. Look at this stranger hiding out yon-
der, 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 him 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!
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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.
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CHAptER 11
THE MAn On tHE TOR
T
he extract from my private diary which forms the last
chapter has brought my narrative up to the 18th of Octo-
ber, 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 then 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 hill-side. 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 fur-
ther 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,
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1
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 ex-
treme 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. Admira-
tion 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 after-thoughts. 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 fin-
gers 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 sharp-
ly.
‘The object is to avoid a public scandal. It is better that I
should ask them here than that the matter should pass out-
side our control.’
She was silent and her face was still very pale. At last she
looked up with something reckless and defiant in her man-
ner.
‘Well, I’ll answer,’ she said. ‘What are your questions?’
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‘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 Lon-
don 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.
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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 incon-
clusive 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 de-
stroy this letter which he received on the day of his death.’
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‘The matter is a very private one.’
‘The more reason why you should avoid a public inves-
tigation.’
‘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 hus-
band 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
free- dom 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 pa-
per 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
THe HoUND OF THe
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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 dis-
heartened. 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 some-
thing 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 reti-
cent 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 direc-
tion, 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
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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 inqui-
ry, 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 high road 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
friend- ly 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 in-
voke 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?
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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. Wat-
son, 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—
Frank- land 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 to-night. 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
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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 indiffer-
ent manner.
‘Ha, ha, my boy, a very much more important matter
than that! What about the convict on the moor?’
I started. ‘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 appear-
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ance 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 stron-
gest 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-stretch-
ing 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 sugges-
tion, 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 be-
fore 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 out-
lined 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 under-
stand!’
‘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!’
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But I resisted all his solicitations and succeeded in dis-
suading 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 no-
where 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
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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 cook-
ing 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 se-
THe HoUND OF THe

1
cret 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, how-
ever, 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
Spar- tan 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 blaz-
ing 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 quiv-
ered at the vagueness and the terror of that interview which
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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, deter-
mined 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 out-
side than in.’
THe HoUND OF THe

1
CHAptER 12
DEATH On tHE MOOR
F
or a moment or two I sat breathless, hardly able to be-
lieve 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 re-
volver.’
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 rough- ened 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 cat-like 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?’
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‘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 recog-
nize 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 te-
nacity 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 HoUND OF THe

1
‘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 Cart-
wright 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 be-
coming 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
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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 unneces-
sary 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
trem- bled 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 com-
pliment 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
THe HoUND OF THe

1
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 to-day it is
exceedingly probable that I should have gone to-morrow.’
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 Hol-
mes 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, sud-
denly took shape and centred upon the naturalist. In that
impassive, colourless man, with his straw hat and his but-
terfly-net, I seemed to see something terrible—a creature of
infinite patience and craft, with a smiling face and a mur-
derous 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
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1
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 research-
es 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, re-
garding 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—to-morrow. 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?’
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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 dan-
ger 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 to-day 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 an-
guish—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, athlet-
ic 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 ur-
gent 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,
1 THe HoUND OF THe
louder and much nearer than ever. And a new sound min-
gled 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 dis-
tracted. 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 direc-
tion 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 at-
titude 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. Hol-
mes 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 pe-
culiar 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.’
1 THe HoUND OF THe

‘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 be-
fallen me in my career. But how could I know—how could
l 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 fel-
low 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 disas-
ter 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 cun-
ning 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 to-morrow. To-night 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 sil-
vered 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.
1 THe HoUND OF THe

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 or-
der 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 to-night. 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 fin-
gers.
‘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 disappoint-
ment. 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
1 THe HoUND OF THe

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 to-night.’
‘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.
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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 to-morrow.’
‘Oh, you return to-morrow?’
‘That is my intention.’
‘I hope your visit has cast some light upon those occur-
rences 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 hos-
pitality, 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.
1 THe HoUND OF THe

CHAptER 13
FIXIng tHE NETS
‘
e’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 Lon-
don, 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 crim-
inals, 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
to-night, what on earth the better off should we be for that?
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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 fright-
ened 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, to-night?’
‘We are not much better off to-night. 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 pres-
ent, 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
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us when the position of affairs is made clear to her. And I
have my own plan as well. Sufficient for to-morrow 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 to-morrow, 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 Sher-
lock 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 ab-
sence. 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
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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 situa-
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tion 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, with-
out 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 clas-
sical 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 any-
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thing of art, but that is mere jealousy, because our views
upon the subject differ. Now, these are a really very fine se-
ries 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 Reyn-
olds. 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 Chair-
man 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 por-
trait.
‘Dear me!’ said Holmes, ‘he seems a quiet, meek-man-
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nered 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 roys-
terer seemed to have a fascination for him, and his eyes
were continually fixed upon it during supper. It was not un-
til 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 exam-
ine faces and not their trimmings. It is the first quality of
a criminal investigator that he should see through a dis-
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guise.’
‘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 rein-
carnation. 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, Wat-
son, we have him, and I dare swear that before to-morrow
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 to-day,’ 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, lean-jawed
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 communicat-
ed with my faithful Cartwright, who would certainly have
pined away at the door of my hut, as a dog does at his mas-
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ter’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 or-
ders.’
‘And so do I.’
‘Very good. You are engaged, as I understand, to dine
with our friends the Stapletons to-night.’
‘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 busi-
ness. 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 ur-
gent 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 Sta-
pleton 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 cau-
tioned 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.’
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‘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 after-
noon.’
I was much astounded by this programme, though I re-
membered 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 Trac-
ey 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 pocket-
book 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 bet-
ter 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 lean-
jawed pike.
Mrs. Laura Lyons was in her office, and Sherlock Hol-
mes 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 con-
nection 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 extraor-
dinary 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,
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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 grasp-
ing 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
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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 send-
ing of this letter was suggested to you by Stapleton?’
‘He dictated it.’
‘I presume that the reason he gave was that you would re-
ceive 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 ap-
pointment with Sir Charles?’
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‘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 es-
cape,’ 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 prec-
ipice. 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 dif-
ficulty 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 sensa-
tional 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
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carriage. We all three shook hands, and I saw at once from
the reverential way in which Lestrade gazed at my compan-
ion 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.’
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CHAptER 14
THE HOUnd Of tHE

BASKERVILLES
O
ne 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 spac-
es 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 su-
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preme 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 unnatu-
ral 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.
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‘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 re-
entered 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 dis-
tant 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.’
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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 out-
lined 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 ser-
vants 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,
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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 sil-
ver-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 sur-
prise 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 some-
where 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 shin-
ing brightly in the moonlight. But suddenly they started
forward in a rigid, fixed stare, and his lips parted in amaze-
ment. 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 para-
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lyzed 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 dew-
lap 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 al-
lowed 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
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throat. But
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the next instant Holmes had emptied five barrels of his re-
volver 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 shiv-
ered 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 com-
bination 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
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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
to-night. 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 dead-
ened 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.’
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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. Hol-
mes 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 defi-
ant 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 danger-
ous 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 muf-
fled 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
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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, soli-
tude, 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
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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 to-night.’
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 to-night? We planted them
together, he and I, to mark the pathway through the mire.
Oh, if I could only have plucked them out to-day. Then in-
deed 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 des-
tined 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.
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And now I come rapidly to the conclusion of this singu-
lar 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
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printed on the leather inside.
‘It is worth a mud bath,’ said he. ‘It is our friend Sir Hen-
ry’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 is-
land 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.
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‘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.
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CHAptER 15
A RETROSpECTIOn
I
t 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 connec-
tion 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
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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 exceeding-
ly 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 curi-
ous 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. To-morrow some other
little problem may be submitted to my notice which will in
turn dispossess the fair French lady and the infamous Up-
wood. 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.
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‘My inquiries show beyond all question that the fam-
ily 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 rep-
utation 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 mon-
ey, 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 tu-
tor 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 con-
venient 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 Dev- onshire his plans were, I believe, exceedingly
hazy, but that
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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 arti-
ficial 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 dis-
tance over the moor so as to get it home without exciting
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any remarks. He had already on his insect hunts learned to
penetrate the Grimpen Mire, and so had found a safe hid-
ing-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 unex- pectedly 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
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man to give her an
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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 country-side, 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 murder-
er. 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
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concerned in the case, Mrs. Stapleton and Mrs. Laura Ly-
ons, 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
occur- ring 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. Sta- pleton’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. Mor- timer 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
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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 anoth-
er—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 com-
plicate 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 knowl-
edge 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 sin-
gle Baskerville affair. It is suggestive that during the last
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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 pistoling 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 dan-
gerous 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 Dart-
moor 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 un-
doubtedly 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 schoolmaster-
ing 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 sugges-
THe HoUND OF THe

2
tive 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 possi-
bly 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 de-
pended 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, how-
ever, that I could not do this if I were with you, since he
would be keenly on his guard. I deceived everybody, there-
fore, 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 watch-
ing 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 es-
pecially 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 inci-
dent 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 con-
clusions 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,
THe HoUND OF THe
2
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 destruc-
tion. 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 endeav- oured to make her the direct accessory to
murder. She was ready to warn Sir Henry so far as she
could without impli- cating 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 con-
cealed. 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 be-
ing kept in the out-house 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 fi-
delity 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 country-side 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 accom-
plished 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, with-
out 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 para-
2 THe HoUND OF THe

lyze 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?’

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