The Hound of the Baskervilles

ry Bask

n 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 twee

y Baskerville," s

sed coming round to you this morning I should have come on my own account. I understand that you think ou

you to say that you have yourself had some rem

ke, as like as not. It was this letter, if you can

ish in colour. The address, "Sir Henry Baskerville, Northumberland Hotel," was printed in r

Northumberland Hotel?" asked Holmes,

wn. We only decided af

was no doubt alrea

d the doctor. "There was no possible indica

o 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 pasti

me, Mr. Holmes, what in thunder is the meaning of that,

You must allow that there is nothing

ome from someone who was convinced

seems to me that all you gentlemen know a gr

Holmes. "We will confine ourselves for the present with your permission to this very interesting docume

re in the

ay 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

professional interest, and Sir Henry Baskervi

hat kind," said he; "but it seems to me we've got a

Henry. Watson here knows more about my methods than you do, but I fear

s that I see

extracted out of the other. 'You,' 'your,' 'your,' 'life,' 'reason,' 'value,'

ht! Well, if that isn't

settled by the fact that 'keep away' a

now-so

ent. "I could understand anyone saying that the words were from a newspaper; but that you should name which, and add that

could tell the skull of a neg

cert

t h

rences are obvious. The supra-orbital crest,

d be between your negro and your Esquimau. The detection of types is one of the most elementary branches of knowledge to the special expert in crime, though I confess that once when I was very young I confused the Leeds Mercury wit

lmes," said Sir Henry Baskerville, "someo

it was a very short-bladed scissors, since the

the message with a pair of short-bla

said

I want to know why the word '

her words were all simple and might be found i

ain it. Have you read anything e

onceal 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

into the region of guess

ic use of the imagination, but we have always some material basis on which to start our speculation. Now, y

world can yo

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 sa

upon which the words were pasted, holdi

el

ater-mark upon it. I think we have drawn as much as we can from this curious letter; and n

r. Holmes.

erved anyone foll

of a dime novel," said our visitor. "Why i

e nothing else to report to us

upon what you thin

the ordinary routine of l

enry

my time in the States and in Canada. But I hope that to lose one o

ost one of

You will find it when you return to the hotel. What is t

or anything outside

olish the incident may seem. You ha

one in the morning. I could get no sense out of the chap who cleans them. The worst of i

them, why did you put

ad never been varnished. T

val in London yesterday you went out

e I must dress the part, and it may be that I have got a little careless in my ways out West. Among other thi

ock Holmes. "I confess that I share Dr. Mortimer's belief

I have spoken quite enough about the little that I know. It is time that you

swered. "Dr. Mortimer, I think you could not do be

ted the whole case as he had done upon the morning before. Sir Henry Baskerville l

nce I was in the nursery. It's the pet story of the family, though I never thought of taking it seriously before. But as to my uncle's death-well, it all s

cise

he letter to me at the hotel. I s

s more than we do about what goes o

eone is not ill-disposed towards y

wish, for their own purp

g me to a problem which presents several interesting alternatives. But the practical point which we n

ould I

ems to be

s family fiend or do you mea

s what we hav

as evident that the fiery temper of the Baskervilles was not extinct in this their last representative. "Meanwhile," said he, "I have hardly had time to think over all that you have told me. It's a big thing for a man to have to understand and to decide at one sitting. I should like to hav

venient to y

fect

ect us. Shall I h

for this affair has

walk, with pleasure,

t two o'clock. Au rev

nd the bang of the front door. In an instant Holmes ha

s back again in a few seconds in a frock-coat. We hurried together down the stairs and into the street. Dr. Mo

un on and

with your company if you will tolerate mine. Our friends ar

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,

along! We'll have a good look

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

e tide of vehicles. "Was ever such bad luck and such bad management, too? Watson, Watso

as the

not an

s

ould it be known so quickly that it was the Northumberland Hotel which he had chosen? If they had followed him the first day I argued that the

I reme

n 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 h

in the power

act

we did not ge

seriously imagine that I neglected to get the number? No.

how you could h

etter 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

during this conversation, and Dr. Mortimer, wit

ted and will not return. We must see what further cards we have in our hands a

ear only to

s a false one. A clever man upon so delicate an errand has no use

ct messenger offices, where he w

rgotten the little case in which I

not. You saved my good n

n, Wilson, that you had among your boys a lad named Cart

he is sti

u! And I should be glad to have

obeyed the summons of the manager. He stood now g

, Cartwright, there are the names of twenty-three hotels here,

s,

it each of th

s,

ing the outside porter one shilling

s,

yesterday. You will say that an important telegram has mi

s,

s with some holes cut in it with scissors. Here is a copy of the Ti

s,

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