The Hound of the Baskervilles - Doyle, ebook, ebook.1400, Temp 3
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//-->The Hound of the Baskervilles1The Hound of the BaskervillesChapter 1 Mr. Sherlock Holmes .................................................................. 3Chapter 2 The Curse of the Baskervilles ................................................... 13Chapter 3 The Problem .............................................................................. 27Chapter 4 Sir Henry Baskerville................................................................ 42Chapter 5 Three Broken Threads............................................................... 60Chapter 6 Baskerville Hall......................................................................... 77Chapter 7 The Stapletons of Merripit House............................................. 91Chapter 8 First Report of Dr. Watson...................................................... 111Chapter 9 The Light upon the Moor [Second Report of Dr. Watson] ... 120Chapter 10 Extract from the Diary of Dr. Watson .................................. 144Chapter 11 The Man on the Tor .............................................................. 159Chapter 12 Death on the Moor ................................................................ 177Chapter 13 Fixing the Nets ...................................................................... 195Chapter 14 The Hound of the Baskervilles ............................................. 213Chapter 15 A Retrospection..................................................................... 229Table of Contents Copyright © 2002 Outrigger Publishing, LLC.2The Hound of the BaskervillesChapter 1 Mr. Sherlock HolmesMr. Sherlock Holmes, who was usually very late in the mornings,save upon those not infrequent occasions when he was up allnight, was seated at the breakfast table. I stood upon the hearth-rug and picked up the stick which our visitor had left behind himthe night before. It was a fine, thick piece of wood, bulbous-headed, of the sort which is known as a "Penang lawyer." Justunder the head was a broad silver band nearly an inch across. "ToJames Mortimer, M.R.C.S., from his friends of the C.C.H.," wasengraved upon it, with the date "1884." It was just such a stick asthe 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 nosign of my occupation."How did you know what I was doing? I believe you have eyes inthe back of your head.""I have, at least, a well-polished, silver-plated coffee-pot in frontof me," said he. "But, tell me, Watson, what do you make of ourvisitor's stick? Since we have been so unfortunate as to miss himand have no notion of his errand, this accidental souvenir becomesof importance. Let me hear you reconstruct the man by anexamination of it."3The Hound of the Baskervilles"I think," said I, following as far as I could the methods of mycompanion, "that Dr. Mortimer is a successful, elderly medicalman, well-esteemed since those who know him give him thismark of their appreciation.""Good!" said Holmes. "Excellent!""I think also that the probability is in favour of his being countrypractitioner who does a great deal of his visiting on foot.""Why so?""Because this stick, though originally a very handsome one hasbeen so knocked about that I can hardly imagine a townpractitioner carrying it. The thick-iron ferrule is worn down, so itis 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 guessthat to be the Something Hunt, the local hunt to whose membershe has possibly given some surgical assistance, and which hasmade him a small presentation in return.""Really, Watson, you excel yourself," said Holmes, pushing backhis chair and lighting a cigarette. "I am bound to say that in allthe accounts which you have been so good as to give of my ownsmall achievements you have habitually underrated your ownabilities. It may be that you are not yourself luminous, but youare a conductor of light. Some people without possessing genius4The Hound of the Baskervilleshave a remarkable power of stimulating it. I confess, my dearfellow, that I am very much in your debt."He had never said as much before, and I must admit that his wordsgave me keen pleasure, for I had often been piqued by hisindifference to my admiration and to the attempts which I hadmade to give publicity to his methods. I was proud, too, to thinkthat I had so far mastered his system as to apply it in way whichearned his approval. He now took the stick from my hands andexamined it for a few minutes with his naked eyes. Then with anexpression of interest he laid down his cigarette, and carrying thecane to the window, he looked over it again with a convex lens."Interesting, though elementary," said he as he returned to hisfavourite corner of the settee. "There are certainly one or twoindications upon the stick. It gives us the basis for severaldeductions.""Has anything escaped me?" I asked with some self-importance."I trust that there is nothing of consequence which I haveoverlooked?""I am afraid, my dear Watson, that most of your conclusions wereerroneous. When I said that you stimulated me I meant, to befrank, that in noting your fallacies I was occasionally guidedtowards the truth. Not that you are entirely wrong in this instance.The man is certainly a country practitioner. And he walks a gooddeal.""Then I was right."5
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