The Hound of Baskerville

The Hound of Baskerville

By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Originally written in 1902

Adapted to CEFR A2 level using Google Gemeni

10505 words

Chapter I:

Mr. Sherlock Holmes sat at the breakfast table. He was usually very late to rise. I stood and picked up the stick a visitor had left last night. It was a thick, nice stick with a silver band[1]. The band said: "To James Mortimer, M.R.C.S., from his friends of the C.C.H., 1884." It was a stick a doctor might use.

"Well, Watson, what do you think of it?" Holmes asked. He was not looking at me.

"How did you know what I was doing?" I asked. "Do you have eyes in the back of your head?"

"I have a shiny coffee pot in front of me," he said. "What do you think of the stick? We didn't meet the man, so the stick is important. Tell me what you know about the man from his stick."

"I think," I said, trying to think like him, "that Dr. Mortimer is a good, older doctor. His friends like him and gave him a gift."

"Good!" Holmes said.

"I also think he's a country doctor who walks a lot," I said.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because the stick is old and worn down. The metal end is very flat. This means he has walked a lot with it."

"Correct!" Holmes said. "I think you are better than you think you are."

His words made me happy. He took the stick and looked at it closely. He used a special glass to look at it.

"Interesting, but simple," he said. "The stick tells us a few things."

"Did I miss anything?" I asked, feeling important.

"I'm afraid most of your ideas were wrong," he said. "But you were not completely wrong. He is a country doctor, and he walks a lot."

"So I was right!" I said.

"To an extent[2]. But not all of it. A gift to a doctor is more likely from a hospital. 'C.C.' probably means Charing Cross."

"You could be right," I said.

"Yes. And if we think that's true, we have a new way to find out about this visitor. He was probably a student who left the hospital to start his own practice. The stick has the date 1884. This means he left five years ago. So he is not an old, serious doctor. He is a young man, under thirty. He is a kind, not ambitious[3], and a little forgetful. Also, he has a favorite dog. The dog is bigger than a small dog and smaller than a big dog."

I laughed. "I can't check that," I said, "but I can check his job." I got a book from the shelf and read his information aloud:

"Mortimer, James, M.R.C.S., 1882, Grimpen, Dartmoor, Devon. Worked at Charing Cross Hospital from 1882 to 1884. He wrote books and papers on science. He is a doctor for Grimpen."

"No hunting club there, Watson," Holmes said, "but a country doctor, as you said. I was right. A kind man gets gifts. A man not ambitious leaves London for the country. And only a forgetful man leaves his stick and not a business card."

"And the dog?" I asked.

"The dog has carried the stick. You can see the teeth marks. The marks show the dog's mouth is not small or big. It is a curly-haired spaniel[4]."

He stood up. "How can you be so sure?" I asked.

"Because I can see the dog at our door," he said. "And I hear its owner ringing the bell. Don't move, Watson. This is an important moment. What does Dr. James Mortimer want from me? Come in!"

The man came in. He was tall and thin. He had a long nose and sharp gray eyes behind glasses. He saw the stick in Holmes's hand. "I'm so happy!" he said. "I would not lose this stick for anything."

"It was a gift from Charing Cross Hospital?" Holmes asked.

"From friends there for my marriage," the doctor said.

"Your marriage?" Holmes said. "That changes our ideas. So you got married and left the hospital to make a home?"

"Yes," the doctor said.

"We were not completely wrong," Holmes said. "Now, Dr. Mortimer, I think you should tell me why you came here."

Chapter II:

Dr. James Mortimer said, "I have an old paper in my pocket."

"I saw it," Holmes said. "It is from the early 1700s."

"How do you know that?" the doctor asked.

"I can tell by the way the letters are made," Holmes said. "The date is 1742."

Dr. Mortimer took the paper out. "This was given to me by Sir Charles Baskerville. He died three months ago. He was a smart man, but he believed this story. He thought he would die in the same way."

Holmes took the paper. Dr. Mortimer read the story.

The Story of the Hound

In the past, a man named Hugo Baskerville lived at Baskerville Hall. He was a bad man. He took a young woman from her home. He locked her in a room and drank with his friends. The woman was scared. She climbed down the wall and ran away, across the wild moor.

When Hugo found her room empty, he became very angry. He shouted that he would give his soul to the devil if he could catch her. He took his horse and his dogs and rode out to find her.

His friends, scared, also rode out. They saw a shepherd[5] on the moor[6]. The shepherd was very afraid. He said he saw the young woman and Hugo. But he also saw a great, black dog, a hound of hell, running behind Hugo.

The friends rode on. They soon found Hugo's horse without its rider. A great fear came over them. They found the dogs, too. The dogs were hiding, afraid to move.

Three of the friends went forward. They found the young woman. She was dead from fear. They also found the body of Hugo. Standing over his body was a huge, black beast. It was a dog, but bigger than any dog they had ever seen. The men were so scared they rode away. One man died that night from what he saw.

This great dog has been a curse on the Baskerville family ever since.

Dr. Mortimer finished reading. "Well?" Holmes asked.

"Don't you find it interesting?" the doctor asked.

"Only as a fairy tale," Holmes said.

Dr. Mortimer took out a newspaper. "This is a recent story about Sir Charles Baskerville's death."

Holmes looked interested. The doctor read from the paper. It said that Sir Charles was a good man. He was rich and helped many people. But he was very nervous and had a bad heart.

The paper said Sir Charles always took a walk in the yew alley at night. On the night he died, he did not come back. The butler found him dead. Sir Charles's footprints[7] showed he was walking on his toes at the end. The doctors said he died from a heart attack, but the people in the area told old stories about the Baskerville curse. The paper said the police found no crime.

"Those are the public facts," Dr. Mortimer said.

"Thank you," Holmes said. "Now, give me the private facts."

Dr. Mortimer looked emotional. "I will tell you what I told no one else. I did not tell the police because they would think it was a silly story. The legend scared Sir Charles very much. He would not go on the moor at night."

"Three weeks before he died, I saw him at his front door. He looked past me with great horror. I turned and saw a large black shape run by. I was convinced it was nothing, but Sir Charles was very scared. This is why he gave me the story."

"On the night he died, I went to the house. I checked everything. I saw his footprints. But I also saw something else. I saw footprints, fresh and clear."

"Footprints of a man or a woman?" Holmes asked.

Dr. Mortimer looked at us. His voice was a whisper. "Mr. Holmes, they were the footprints of a gigantic hound!"

Chapter III:

My friend Holmes leaned forward, excited. "You saw this?" he asked.

"As clearly as I see you," Dr. Mortimer said.

"And you said nothing to anyone?"

"What was the use?" the doctor answered. "The marks were 20 yards from the body, and no one else saw them. I wouldn't have either if I didn't know the legend."

"Are there many dogs on the moor?" Holmes asked.

"There are sheepdogs, but this was not a sheepdog. It was enormous[8]."

Holmes asked about the yew alley where Sir Charles died. The doctor said the path was eight feet wide with grass on each side. The yew hedges were twelve feet high. A small gate went from the path to the moor.

"Was the gate closed?" Holmes asked.

"Yes, it was locked."

"But a person could get over it?" Holmes asked.

"Yes."

"And were there marks by the gate?"

"It was all very mixed up," the doctor said. "Sir Charles had been standing there for five or ten minutes."

"How do you know that?" Holmes asked.

"Because the ash[9] from his cigar had fallen two times in the same spot."

"Excellent!" Holmes said. "Oh, Dr. Mortimer, you should have called me sooner! The rain has washed everything away now."

"I could not call you, Mr. Holmes, without telling everyone the story. And there is a place where even a great detective cannot help," the doctor said.

"You mean the thing is supernatural[10]?" Holmes asked.

"I did not say that," the doctor replied.

"But you think it," Holmes said.

"After the death, several people told me they saw a creature on the moor. They said it was a huge, luminous[11], ghostly thing that looked like the hound from the legend. They were all scared. I am not sure what to believe."

Holmes said, "I have only worked on things in this world. But the footprint is real, isn't it?"

"The first hound in the story was also real," Dr. Mortimer said.

"I see you believe the supernatural story," Holmes said. "So, why did you come to me? You say it is useless to investigate, but you want my help."

"I have come for advice on what to do with Sir Henry Baskerville," the doctor said. "He arrives in London in about an hour. He is the last of the Baskervilles, and he is the heir. What should I do with him? He must go to Baskerville Hall, but every Baskerville who goes there meets with a bad fate."

Holmes thought for a moment. "If the thing is supernatural, it can hurt him in London just as easily as in Devonshire. I think he is as safe in London as he is there. You must meet him at the station and do not tell him anything until I have made up my mind."

"How long will that take?" the doctor asked.

"Twenty-four hours," Holmes said. "Come back at ten o'clock tomorrow and bring Sir Henry with you."

The doctor hurried[12] away. Holmes returned to his chair. I could see he was happy.

"I'm going out, Watson," I said.

"I don't need your help now," Holmes said. "I need to be alone. But if you are passing[13], please get some tobacco for me. And don't come back until evening."

I knew Holmes needed to think. I spent the day at my club. When I returned, the room was filled with smoke. Holmes was in his chair. "You have been at your club all day," he said.

"My dear Holmes!" I said. "How do you know?"

"You are clean and neat," he said. "The day was wet. You have not been outside. So you were at your club."

"Where have you been?" I asked.

"I have been to Devonshire in my mind," he said. He showed me a big map. "Here is Baskerville Hall, here is Grimpen, and here is the moor. This is the place where the tragedy[14] happened."

"It must be a wild place," I said.

"Yes. But the devil's agents can be made of flesh and blood. There are two questions for us: Was there a crime? And what was the crime? If it is a supernatural thing, we can do nothing. But we must check all other ideas first."

"I have been thinking about the footprints," I said.

"Mortimer said he walked on his toes," Holmes said. "That is not right. He was running, Watson. Running for his life."

"Running from what?" I asked.

"That is our problem," Holmes said. "Why was he waiting at the gate? He was an old man, and it was a bad night. He was waiting for someone. He was running from someone. We will know more tomorrow when we meet Sir Henry."

Chapter IV:

Our breakfast was finished, and Holmes waited for our visitors. At ten o'clock, Dr. Mortimer and Sir Henry Baskerville arrived. Sir Henry was a strong, dark-eyed man. He looked like he spent a lot of time outside.

"This is Sir Henry Baskerville," Dr. Mortimer said.

"Mr. Holmes," Sir Henry said, "I have a puzzle that I can't solve. I came to you for help."

"Please sit down," Holmes said. "Have you had a strange experience since you arrived in London?"

"Nothing important," Sir Henry said. "Only this letter."

He put an envelope on the table. It was a normal envelope. The address, "Sir Henry Baskerville, Northumberland Hotel," was written in rough letters.

"Who knew you were going to that hotel?" Holmes asked.

"No one," Sir Henry said. "We only decided yesterday after we met."

"Someone is very interested in your plans," Holmes said. He took a piece of paper from the envelope. It had a sentence on it made of words cut from a newspaper. The words said:

As you value your life or your reason keep away from the moor.

The word "moor" was written by hand.

"What does this mean?" Sir Henry asked.

"It is a warning," Holmes said. "Watson, do you have yesterday's newspaper?"

I gave him the paper. He looked at it quickly. "Watson, the words were taken from this newspaper, from the main article," Holmes said.

"How do you know that?" I asked.

"My dear Watson," Holmes said, "I know the type of every newspaper. The words are from the 'Times.' It was written yesterday, so the words must be in yesterday's paper."

"Someone cut the words with scissors," Sir Henry said.

"Small scissors," Holmes added. "And they used gum to put them on the paper. The person who wrote this is a well-educated person who wanted to look uneducated. They wrote the word 'moor' because it is a less common word and could not be found in print."

"Why was the person in such a hurry to send this?" Holmes asked. "A letter sent in the morning would have still arrived in time. Perhaps he was afraid of being interrupted[15]."

"That is just a guess," Dr. Mortimer said.

"It is a guess, but a scientific one," Holmes replied. "I am sure the letter was written in a hotel. Look at the pen and ink. They are bad, like the ones in hotels. If we search the hotels near Charing Cross, we might find the missing part of the newspaper."

"Has anything else happened to you?" Holmes asked Sir Henry.

"I lost one of my boots," Sir Henry said. "I bought them last night. This morning, there was only one boot outside my room."

"My dear sir, that is not a problem for Mr. Holmes," Dr. Mortimer said.

"Yes, it is," Holmes said. "Anything that is not normal is important. So you lost a new boot? This is very interesting."

Sir Henry then asked Holmes and Dr. Mortimer to tell him everything. Dr. Mortimer told him the story of the Baskerville family and the hound.

"I've heard the legend since I was a child," Sir Henry said. "I never believed it. But now, with my uncle's death and this letter, I don't know what to think."

"Someone is watching you," Holmes said. "They might be trying to help you or to scare you away."

"I am not afraid," Sir Henry said. "No man on earth can stop me from going to my home. That is my final decision." He seemed angry.

"Sir Henry, would you and Dr. Watson have lunch with us at two o'clock?" he asked. "I need some time to think. I will tell you how I feel about all of this then."

"We will be there," Holmes said.

Dr. Mortimer and Sir Henry left. Holmes quickly put on his coat. "Quickly, Watson, our hats and boots! We must follow them!"

We ran into the street. We saw them about 200 yards ahead. Holmes walked quickly to get closer. We followed them to Oxford Street and then to Regent Street. They stopped at a shop window. Holmes stopped too.

Across the street, a cab[16] with a man inside stopped. When Holmes stopped, the man in the cab looked at us. Then the cab drove away very fast. We ran, but we lost the man.

"We lost him!" Holmes said sadly. "He was a very clever spy[17]. He was in a cab to follow them without being seen. I should have turned around and taken another cab to follow him."

We went into a messenger office. Holmes asked for a boy named Cartwright. "Cartwright," Holmes said. "You will go to 23 hotels near here. You will ask to see yesterday's waste paper. You will look for a page from the 'Times' with holes cut in it. This is what you are looking for." He gave the boy some money. "Call me when you have a report. We will find out who the cabman was. Then we will go look at paintings until our lunch appointment."

Chapter V:

Holmes could think of other things very easily. For two hours, he forgot our case. He looked at paintings in a gallery. He talked about nothing but art.

At the Northumberland Hotel, the desk clerk[18] told us Sir Henry was waiting. Holmes asked to see the guest list. He saw two new names. He asked the clerk about them, pretending he knew them. This was to see if they were spies. The clerk said they were not. Holmes told me this was important: the people watching Sir Henry were not staying in his hotel. They wanted to watch him, but they did not want to be seen.

Suddenly, Sir Henry came down the stairs. He was very angry, holding an old, dirty boot.

"They're playing a trick on me!" he shouted. "My new brown boot was gone, and now they have taken one of my old black boots!"

Holmes asked what happened. A hotel worker had looked for the boot but could not find it. Sir Henry said, "If that boot isn't back by tonight, I will leave this hotel!" He was very upset.

"I think it's important," Holmes said. "This case is very complex. We have many clues, and one of them will lead us to the truth."

We ate lunch. After, Holmes asked Sir Henry what he planned to do.

"I will go to Baskerville Hall at the end of the week," Sir Henry said.

"That is a good idea," Holmes said. "Someone is following you here in London. It is hard to find them. If they mean to do you harm[19], we can't stop them here. You were followed from my house this morning, Dr. Mortimer."

"Followed? By whom?" Dr. Mortimer asked, shocked.

"I don't know yet," Holmes said. "But do you know a man with a black beard at Baskerville Hall?"

"Yes, Barrymore, the butler[20]," the doctor said.

Holmes wrote a telegram[21] to the butler to see if he was at the Hall. He also sent a telegram to the postmaster to make sure the butler got it himself.

Holmes learned that Sir Henry was now very rich, with 740,000 pounds. If something happened to him, the money would go to his cousin, James Desmond.

"You should not go to the Hall alone," Holmes said to Sir Henry. "I am too busy, but my friend, Dr. Watson, would be a great help to you."

Sir Henry shook my hand. "That is very kind of you, Dr. Watson. I will never forget it."

I agreed to go. "I will come with pleasure and report everything to Holmes."

"Good," Holmes said. "We will meet you at the train on Saturday."

Just then, Sir Henry shouted. He had found his new brown boot under a table.

Later that evening, two telegrams arrived. The first said Barrymore was at the Hall. The second said the messenger boy could not find the newspaper.

"Two of my clues[22] are gone," Holmes said. "But we still have the cab driver."

A man soon knocked on the door. It was the cab driver. Holmes asked him what happened. The driver said the man he drove was a detective.

"What was his name?" Holmes asked.

"He said his name was Sherlock Holmes," the cab driver said.

Holmes was shocked. Then he laughed. "He was a clever one, Watson! He knew I would find him, so he used my name. He has beaten me in London. I hope you have better luck in Devonshire. This is a dangerous business, Watson."

Chapter VI:

Sir Henry and Dr. Mortimer were ready for the trip to Devonshire. Holmes came to the train station with me. He told me, "Watson, do not try to find a solution. Just send me facts."

"What kind of facts?" I asked.

"Anything that seems important. Especially about Sir Henry and the people who live near him," Holmes said. He told me to watch everyone: the butler and his wife, a groom[23], two farmers, Dr. Mortimer and his wife, and the naturalist[24], Mr. Stapleton, and his sister.

"You have a gun, I hope?" Holmes asked.

"Yes," I said.

"Good. Keep it with you always," he said.

Dr. Mortimer told Holmes they had not seen anyone following them for the last two days.

"That was not smart," Holmes said. "You should not go anywhere alone. And you, Sir Henry, did you find your other boot?"

"No, it is gone forever," Sir Henry said.

"Very interesting," Holmes said. The train started to move. He had one last piece of advice. "Remember the old story. Stay away from the moor at night."

I looked back and saw Holmes watching us.

The trip was nice. The land changed from brown to red. We were in Devonshire. Sir Henry was happy to see the familiar[25] land.

"I have been all over the world," he said, "but I have not seen a place as beautiful as this."

Dr. Mortimer pointed to a grey hill in the distance. "There is the moor," he said.

Sir Henry stared at the moor. I could see that this place meant a lot to him. He was like the fiery men from the Baskerville family legend.

The train stopped at a small station. We got out. Two soldiers with guns were at the gate. The driver told us that a dangerous criminal, a man named Selden, had escaped from prison. He had been gone for three days.

We got into a carriage[26]. The road went up a hill. The wind was cold. Sir Henry became quiet. We left the beautiful, green country and entered the wild, empty moor. Soon, we saw two towers. "Baskerville Hall," the driver said.

We arrived at the Hall. The old house looked dark. A man and a woman stood outside to meet us. It was the butler, Barrymore, and his wife. Barrymore was a tall man with a black beard.

"Welcome, Sir Henry," Barrymore said.

Dr. Mortimer said he must go home. We said goodbye. The door closed, and we were in the Hall. It was a large, old room with a big fireplace. We were cold from the drive.

"It is exactly as I imagined," Sir Henry said. "My family has lived here for 500 years. It feels important to be here."

Barrymore told us dinner would be ready soon. He said he and his wife were sad about Sir Charles's death and would like to leave soon, but they would stay to help Sir Henry get settled.

We had dinner in a large, dark room. It was a sad place. After dinner, we went to the billiard[27] room to smoke.

"This is not a happy place," Sir Henry said. "No wonder my uncle was so nervous. I will put lights everywhere soon."

I went to my room. I looked out the window at the dark moor. I went to bed, but I could not sleep. It was very quiet. Then, I heard a sound. It was the soft sound of a woman crying. The sound came from inside the house. I listened for a long time, but I did not hear it again.

Chapter VII:

The next morning, the sun made the Hall look cheerful[28]. Sir Henry and I had breakfast. He said the house was not gloomy at all, and that we had been tired from our trip.

"Did you hear a woman crying last night?" I asked.

"I thought I heard something, but I thought it was a dream," he said.

I knew it was not a dream. Sir Henry called for Barrymore. The butler looked pale[29]. He said only two women were in the house: the maid and his wife. He said the sound was not from his wife. But he was lying.

After breakfast, I saw Mrs. Barrymore. Her eyes were red, like she had been crying. It was her I had heard. Her husband must have known, but he lied to us. I wondered[30] why. I also wondered if he was the man we saw in the cab. To find out, I went to the village.

I walked four miles to the small town of Grimpen. I found the post office. The postmaster remembered the telegram Holmes sent. He said his boy, James, delivered it to Mrs. Barrymore. The postmaster did not know if Barrymore was there. So, we still did not know if Barrymore had been in London.

On my way back, a man called out to me. He was a small man with light hair and a straw hat. He had a box for butterflies. He said his name was Stapleton. He was the naturalist Holmes had told me about.

"Dr. Mortimer pointed you out to me," he said. "I hope Sir Henry is not afraid to live here."

He told me he believed the story about the hound. He thought Sir Charles had seen a dog and died of fright because his heart was weak.

"Did Sherlock Holmes come to a conclusion?" he asked. He knew who I was. I told him Holmes was busy and could not come. Stapleton said he hoped I would ask for his help.

We walked on. Stapleton showed me the moor. It was a beautiful but dangerous place. He pointed to a bog, a wet and soft area called the Grimpen Mire. "A pony went in yesterday and never came out," he said. "The Mire is an awful place."

As we walked, we heard a long, low moan. It was a very sad sound.

"What is that?" I asked.

"The peasants say it is the Hound of the Baskervilles," Stapleton said. He told me it was probably just a strange sound from the bog.

Soon, we came to a small house. "My house," Stapleton said. "Please come and meet my sister."

Just then, a beautiful woman came up to us. It was his sister, Miss Stapleton. She was very different from her brother. She was tall and dark-haired.

She looked at me and said, "Go back! Go straight back to London, instantly."

I was shocked. "Why?" I asked.

"I cannot explain," she said. "But for God's sake, do what I ask. Get away from this place!"

She was afraid her brother would hear us. He came over. He looked at us with a strange expression[31]. I said my name was Dr. Watson, not Sir Henry. She seemed very upset.

"I am sorry for the mistake," she said. She asked me to forget what she said.

I told her I could not. I asked her again why she wanted Sir Henry to leave. She said she was worried about the old story of the hound.

"I do not believe in that nonsense," I said. "Sir Henry will not leave because of it."

She said no more and quickly left. I went back to the Hall, my heart full of worry.

Chapter VIII:

My letters to Sherlock Holmes tell the story of my time at Baskerville Hall.

October 13th

My Dear Holmes,

It is October 13th. The longer I am here, the more I feel the spirit of the moor. The place is old, with signs of the people who lived here long ago.

I have not written because nothing important happened until today.

We think the escaped criminal from the moor has left the area. No one has seen him for two weeks. It is hard to believe he could survive so long. The people who live in the area are relieved.

Sir Henry and I worried about the Stapletons. They live far from help. But Mr. Stapleton would not let our groom, Perkins, stay with them for safety.

Sir Henry is very interested in Miss Stapleton. It is easy to understand. She is a beautiful and interesting woman. Her brother, Mr. Stapleton, is a mystery. He seems to have a lot of control over her. He appears to be a cold man, but I feel he has strong feelings inside.

Mr. Stapleton took us to the place where the Baskerville legend began. It was a sad, grey place. Sir Henry asked him if he believed in the legend, and Mr. Stapleton did not say no.

We had lunch at their house, and Sir Henry and Miss Stapleton got to know each other. They seem to like each other. They will have dinner at the Hall tonight. I have seen Mr. Stapleton look unhappy when Sir Henry gives his sister attention. He does not seem to want their friendship to grow into love.

Dr. Mortimer had lunch with us the other day. He is an enthusiast[32] for old things. The Stapletons came, and Dr. Mortimer showed us where Sir Charles died. It is a long, dark path with high walls of cut bushes. I remembered Holmes's theory and tried to imagine what happened.

I have met another neighbor, Mr. Frankland. He is an old man who loves to fight legal battles. He has a lot of lawsuits. He is also looking for the escaped criminal with his telescope from the roof of his house.

You wanted to know about the Barrymores. I told Sir Henry that the telegram you sent did not prove if Barrymore was here. Sir Henry asked Barrymore himself. Barrymore said his wife got the telegram and gave it to him.

I believe Mrs. Barrymore is hiding a deep sadness. I heard her crying the first night, and I have seen her with red eyes since. I wonder if she has a secret or if her husband is cruel to her.

Something happened last night that makes me very suspicious. I was awake around two in the morning. I heard someone walking very quietly past my room. I got up and saw Barrymore. He was walking with a candle. He looked very strange and sneaky. He went into an empty room.

I followed him. He was standing by the window, looking out at the moor with the candle in his hand. He looked like he was waiting for something. Then he put out the light and went back to his room.

After, I heard a key turn in a lock. I do not know what it means, but there is a secret in this house. Sir Henry and I have a plan based on what I saw last night. My next letter will be interesting.

Chapter IX:

October 15th

My Dear Holmes,

Events are happening fast. In my last letter, I told you about Barrymore at the window. Now, I have more surprising news.

The next morning, I looked at the room where Barrymore was. The window faces the moor. It has the best view. This means he was looking for someone or something on the moor. I thought it might be a love affair. The man is handsome, and his wife seems sad.

I told Sir Henry what I saw. He was not surprised. He had heard Barrymore walking at night too. He said, "We must follow him tonight to see what he is doing." I agreed. We would sit in his room and wait.

Sir Henry is making big changes to the Hall. He is bringing in workers to fix and furnish[33] the house. He also seems to be in love with Miss Stapleton. But their relationship is not going smoothly.

Today, Sir Henry went out alone. I was worried. I followed him and found him on the moor with Miss Stapleton. They were talking seriously.

I then saw her brother, Mr. Stapleton, with his butterfly net. He was running toward them. He started shouting at them. He was very angry. Sir Henry seemed to be explaining, but Stapleton would not listen. Miss Stapleton looked upset. Stapleton told her to leave with him, and she did. Sir Henry looked very sad.

I went to talk to Sir Henry. He was angry but also confused. He told me that Stapleton had stopped him from touching his sister. She told him that the place was dangerous and he should leave. Sir Henry said he had offered to marry her, and that was when her brother came.

Later that day, Mr. Stapleton came to apologize. He said he was so worried about losing his sister that he lost his temper. He asked Sir Henry to wait for three months before talking about love. Sir Henry agreed. So, one mystery is solved.

The other mystery is the Barrymores. The night after our failed watch, Sir Henry and I tried again. We waited silently. At two in the morning, we heard a step. It was Barrymore.

We followed him quietly. He went to the same empty room and crouched by the window with a candle. His face was tense.

Sir Henry walked in. Barrymore looked terrified[34]. He said he was just checking the windows.

Sir Henry said, "Tell us the truth."

Barrymore said it was not his secret. I took the candle and held it up to the window. In the distance, a small yellow light appeared.

"It is a signal!" I said.

Barrymore refused to say who his friend was. Sir Henry said he would have to leave. Just then, Mrs. Barrymore came in. She was very upset.

"It is my doing," she said. "My brother, the escaped convict[35], is on the moor. The light is a signal for him. We bring him food."

The convict's name was Selden. He was a very bad man. Sir Henry told the Barrymores to go to their room, and we would talk in the morning.

Sir Henry and I looked at each other. The convict was a danger to everyone. We decided to go out and catch him. We armed[36] ourselves and went out into the night.

A cold wind blew. We heard a long, deep howl. "What is that?" Sir Henry asked, his face white.

"It is the sound of the Hound of the Baskervilles," I said. He was very afraid. But he said, "We came to get our man, and we will do it."

We walked toward the light. We found a candle hidden behind rocks. We waited. Soon, we saw a man's face. He was dirty and looked like an animal. He saw us and ran. We ran after him, but he was too fast. We stopped to catch our breath, and that's when we saw something strange.

The moon was low in the sky. Behind a jagged rock, a tall, thin man appeared. He was very still, looking out at the moor. It was not the convict. The man was dressed like a gentleman. He was the same height as Sherlock Holmes. He stood there for a few minutes, looking around. Then, as if he knew someone was watching, he turned and went behind the rock. We went to the place where he had been, but he was gone.

"Was that him?" Sir Henry asked.

"Who?" I said.

"That figure. The man we saw when we left London. The man who has been following us."

I did not have an answer. The man's face was hidden in the shadows, but I knew it was not a person I knew. I had a strong feeling that this was not a good person.

We went back to the Hall. I was too tired to think. When I got to my room, I felt very alone and afraid. There were so many mysteries here: the moaning on the moor, the escaped criminal, the strange man we had just seen, and the dark secret of the Barrymores. What did it all mean? And who was the strange man on the moor? I felt more than ever that I was in the middle of a great evil. I wished I could solve these puzzles. My head hurt from thinking about it all. I decided to sleep, but the image of the man on the moor stayed in my mind.

Chapter X:

The following is an entry from my diary:

It is October 16th. The weather is sad and rainy. I feel a great worry in my heart, a feeling of danger.

I am worried for good reason. Many things have happened. Sir Charles died just as the old story said he would. People say they have heard a strange dog on the moor. I have heard the sound myself two times. It is impossible that it is a supernatural dog, but I have heard a cry that sounds like a hound.

Then there is the man from London. He followed us in a cab, and a letter warned Sir Henry. Was he a friend or an enemy? Could he be the strange man I saw on the moor?

That man on the moor was tall, taller than Stapleton, and thinner than Frankland. I think he is a stranger who has followed us from London. I must find him. I will not tell Sir Henry my plans. He is already very worried about the sounds on the moor.

This morning, Barrymore asked to talk with Sir Henry. He was angry because we tried to catch his brother-in-law.

"You should not have hunted him," Barrymore said. "We told you his secret. The poor man has enough problems."

Sir Henry said, "You only told us because we made you. He is a danger to people here."

Barrymore asked us not to tell the police. He said his brother-in-law would leave the country in a few days. We agreed not to tell anyone, as long as he left.

Then Barrymore gave us some new information. "I have something to tell you about Sir Charles," he said. "He was at the gate to meet a woman."

Sir Henry and I were shocked. "A woman?" Sir Henry asked.

"Yes. Her name began with L.L." Barrymore said. He told us that his wife found a burned letter. It said, "Please burn this letter, and be at the gate by ten o'clock." It was signed "L.L."

We do not know who this woman is. I will write to Holmes and tell him. This new information must be important.

The next day, it rained all day. The moor was wet and dark. I thought of the convict, and the strange man on the moor. What was he doing out there? I walked outside in the rain to the place where I saw him. He was not there.

Dr. Mortimer came by in his cart and gave me a ride home. He was worried because his small dog had disappeared on the moor.

I asked him if he knew a woman with the initials L.L. He thought for a moment. "There is Laura Lyons," he said. "Her initials are L.L., but she lives in Coombe Tracey."

He told me she was Mr. Frankland's daughter. She married a bad man and her father did not help her. Some people, including Sir Charles, helped her start a typing business.

I plan to go to Coombe Tracey tomorrow to talk to her. This might be an important clue.

Later, Barrymore brought me coffee. I asked him if his brother-in-law was still on the moor. He said he hoped not. But then he said something that surprised me.

"The convict told me there is another man on the moor," Barrymore said. "He lives in the old stone huts[37]. He is a gentleman, and he has a boy who brings him food."

I looked out the window at the dark moor. I thought about a gentleman living in a stone hut in the rain. What hatred could make a man live in a place like that? I decided I would find the answer to this mystery soon.

Chapter XI:

On October 18th, I felt like I had to do something. I had two important facts. The first was that a woman named Laura Lyons had an appointment with Sir Charles on the night he died. The second was that the strange man on the moor lived in one of the old stone huts. With these facts, I felt it was my duty[38] to find out more.

I told Sir Henry what I had learned, but he stayed behind while I went alone to Coombe Tracey. I found Mrs. Laura Lyons in her office. She was a beautiful woman, but her face also seemed hard and angry.

I asked her about Sir Charles. She told me he had helped her. Then I asked if she had written to him. She was angry but finally said yes. I asked if she had asked him to meet her on the night of his death. Her face went pale, and she was silent. I told her I knew she had written a letter asking him to meet her at ten o'clock at the gate.

She admitted that she had written the letter to ask for money. She needed it to get away from her bad husband. She was going to meet Sir Charles, but something stopped her at the last minute. She would not say what it was. She also said she didn't write to him again because she heard he was dead the next day. Her story sounded real, but I still felt she was hiding something.

I felt sad and confused. I needed to find the man on the moor. I knew he was in one of the old stone huts. But there were hundreds of them. I decided to start my search at Black Tor, where I had seen him before.

On my way, I met Mr. Frankland, the old man who loves lawsuits. He was very happy because he had won two cases. He told me he could help the police find the convict, but he would not because the police had not been nice to him.

He said he watched the moor with his telescope every day. He saw a boy taking food to a man on the moor. This was the man I was looking for, not the convict! I pretended not to care so he would tell me more. He showed me the boy through his telescope. I saw a small boy carrying a bundle. He disappeared over a hill.

I left Frankland and went to the hill. I found a circle of stone huts. One of them had a roof. I felt sure this was where the man lived. I went inside. The hut was empty, but there were signs that someone lived there: a blanket, a fire pit, and some food. My heart leaped when I saw a piece of paper. It said: "Dr. Watson has gone to Coombe Tracey."

My secret was not a secret. This man was watching me, not Sir Henry. He had a great plan, and I was caught in it.

I decided to wait. I hid in the dark hut. The sun began to set. I sat and waited for the man to return. I heard footsteps, then a voice said, "It is a lovely evening, my dear Watson. I really think that you will be more comfortable outside than in."

I knew that voice. It was Sherlock Holmes. I was not alone after all.

Chapter XII:

For a moment, I could not believe what I was hearing. It was Sherlock Holmes's voice. I was so happy and surprised to see him! He was thin and tired, but his eyes were full of life. He was dressed like a tourist.

"I am so glad to see you," I said.

He was also surprised to see me. He had not known I would find his hiding place. He said he knew it was me when he saw the cigarette stub[39] I had thrown down.

I told him I was sure I had found a criminal, and he laughed. "Excellent, Watson," he said. He had seen me before, during the convict hunt. He said he knew I would search for him. I told him I had learned about him from Mr. Frankland.

Holmes said, "We have both been looking into this case. When we put our information together, we will have the answers."

I asked him why he had kept his presence a secret. I felt a little hurt. Holmes explained that he did it for my safety. If I had known he was there, I might have made a mistake. His being a secret part of the case was the best way to catch the criminal. He had a boy, Cartwright, helping him. Holmes said that my reports were not wasted and that he read them.

We went into the hut because it was getting dark and cold. I told him about my visit to Mrs. Laura Lyons. He said it was very important. He then told me that the lady who was called Miss Stapleton was actually Mr. Stapleton's wife. Holmes had found out by finding out about Stapleton's past as a schoolmaster. The woman was posing as his sister to get closer to Sir Henry.

"It is Stapleton who is our enemy!" I said. "And the warning letter must have come from his wife!"

Holmes said that this was true. He believed that Stapleton's plan was murder. "My plans are almost ready," he said. "But we must be careful. He might act before we are ready."

Suddenly, we heard a terrible scream from the moor. It was a cry of fear and pain. We ran towards the sound. We heard the cry again, and another sound—a deep, low growl.

"The hound!" Holmes cried. "Come, Watson, come! If we are too late!"

We ran as fast as we could. We heard one last yell and then a thud[40]. We stopped and listened. It was silent. "We are too late," Holmes said, his face white. "He has beaten us."

We ran to the place where the sound came from. We saw a man on the ground. He had fallen over the rocks. The light from Holmes's match showed us the man's face and clothes. We saw the red tweed[41] suit that Sir Henry was wearing.

"It is Sir Henry!" I cried. I felt very sad and shocked. I blamed myself for leaving him.

Then Holmes cried out and looked at the body again. "It is not the baronet!" he said, laughing. "It is the convict! He has a beard!"

We looked closer. It was Selden, the convict. The tweed suit was Sir Henry's old clothes that he had given to the Barrymores. The hound had been trained to attack anyone who wore Sir Henry's clothes. Selden had been wearing them and had been killed.

Stapleton then came over to us. He was surprised to see us but acted normal. He saw the dead man and pretended to be shocked. He said he was looking for Sir Henry and that he heard a cry. We did not tell him about the hound. He thought the man had fallen and broken his neck. He then found out that Holmes was there. Holmes pretended that he was not successful in the case.

Holmes and I went back to the Hall. I wanted to arrest Stapleton right away, but Holmes said we could not. We had no proof. We had to wait.

"We have no case yet," he said. "We have to get more evidence." He told me he had a plan for the next day. He also told me not to tell Sir Henry about the hound. Sir Henry was going to have dinner with the Stapletons the next day, and we needed him to be calm. I was supposed to go with him, but Holmes told me to stay behind.

When we got back to the Hall, Holmes told me he would not hide anymore. He would join the case openly.

Chapter XIII:

Sir Henry was not surprised to see Sherlock Holmes. He had expected Holmes to come. Holmes and I explained what we knew, but we did not tell him everything. First, I had to tell Barrymore and his wife that the convict, Selden, was dead. Barrymore's wife was very sad.

"I have stayed in the house all day," said Sir Henry. "I kept my promise not to go out alone. Stapleton asked me to come to his house, but I said no."

Holmes smiled. "You are lucky," he said. He explained that Selden had died while wearing Sir Henry's old clothes. This was a lucky thing for everyone, since it meant no one was in trouble with the police.

"So, have you learned anything about the case?" Sir Henry asked.

"Yes," said Holmes. "I have a lot more information, but I need your help. You must do exactly what I tell you, without asking why."

Sir Henry agreed. Holmes then looked at the portraits on the wall. They were pictures of the Baskerville family. One of them was of Hugo Baskerville, the bad man from the old story. Holmes stared at the portrait for a long time. Later, when Sir Henry had gone to his room, Holmes came back to the picture with a candle. He covered part of the picture with his hand.

"Good heavens!" I said.

The face in the picture looked exactly like Stapleton. Holmes had discovered that Stapleton was a Baskerville! He had found a missing link in the case.

"We have him, Watson," Holmes said. "He is as helpless as one of his butterflies. We will catch him tomorrow."

The next morning, Holmes told me his plan. He had already sent a report about Selden's death to the police. He also told Sir Henry that we had to go to London for a few days. Sir Henry was upset because he would be alone.

"You must trust me," Holmes told him. "You can tell the Stapletons we are going to London, and you must stay here."

I was also surprised. It did not make sense to leave at such an important time. But I trusted Holmes. We drove to the train station in Coombe Tracey. Holmes sent a boy named Cartwright back to London with a message for Lestrade, a policeman from Scotland Yard. The message told Lestrade to come to the moor and help us.

Holmes and I then went to see Mrs. Laura Lyons again. He told her we thought Sir Charles was murdered. We also told her that Mr. Stapleton's "sister" was really his wife.

Mrs. Lyons was shocked and angry. "His wife!" she cried. "He lied to me. He promised to marry me if I got a divorce!"

Holmes showed her a picture of Stapleton and his wife. Mrs. Lyons now knew Stapleton had tricked her. She was so angry that she told us everything. She said Stapleton had made her write the letter to Sir Charles. He told her that Sir Charles would pay for her divorce. After she sent the letter, Stapleton told her not to go to the meeting. He said he would pay for the divorce himself. He had tricked her to get Sir Charles to the gate.

Holmes said, "You are lucky to be alive. You were very close to danger."

We had our case. Stapleton had planned the murder and used Mrs. Lyons to help him.

Lestrade arrived at the station. Holmes told him that we had a big case. "We have two hours," Holmes said. "Let's get some dinner. Then, Lestrade, we will show you Dartmoor."

Chapter XIV:

Holmes liked to keep his plans a secret. This made me nervous, but I trusted him. We drove back to the moor in a rented car. The cold wind on our faces told me we were close to the end of our adventure. We stopped near Merripit House, where Sir Henry was having dinner with Stapleton. Holmes, Lestrade, and I got out of the car.

"Are you ready?" Holmes asked Lestrade.

Lestrade smiled and showed us his gun. We were all ready.

Holmes told us to be quiet. We moved to some rocks about two hundred yards from the house. We were hidden. I crept closer to the house to look inside. I saw Sir Henry and Stapleton in the dining room. They were talking. I also saw Stapleton go outside to a small building. I heard a key turn and some noises. Then, Stapleton went back inside.

A thick, white fog was coming towards us from the Grimpen Mire. Holmes was worried. The fog would make it hard for us to see.

"It's moving fast," he said. "Sir Henry must come out of the house before the fog covers the path. If not, our plan is in danger."

We waited. The stars were bright above us, but the fog was getting closer and closer to the house. The golden light from the dining room window was now a little blurry.

"He must come out soon!" Holmes said.

We heard footsteps. A man came out of the fog. It was Sir Henry. He looked around, nervous. He walked past us, and we stayed hidden.

Suddenly, Holmes cried out. "Look! It's coming!"

A huge, black dog came out of the fog. It was a terrifying sight. Its eyes and mouth glowed with fire. Lestrade yelled and fell to the ground. I was so scared I could not move. The dog leaped towards Sir Henry.

But we did not let it pass. Holmes and I fired our guns at the creature. It gave a horrible cry but kept going. Holmes ran after it faster than I have ever seen a man run. I followed him.

The dog caught Sir Henry and pulled him to the ground. Then, Holmes shot the dog five times. It fell to the ground. The great hound was dead.

Sir Henry was alive but had fainted. We helped him, and he slowly woke up. He was scared but not hurt. The dog was huge. Its mouth and eyes were covered in a glowing substance.

"It is phosphorus[42]," Holmes said. "A clever trick. It was meant to look like a demon dog."

We left Sir Henry on the rocks and went to Merripit House. We had to find Stapleton. We went into the house. It was empty. We searched everywhere. We heard a noise behind a locked door. Lestrade broke the door open. We saw a woman tied up. It was Mrs. Stapleton.

We untied her. She was bruised and looked terrible. She told us that her husband had treated her badly. She had helped him because she loved him, but now she knew he had used her.

"Where is he?" Holmes asked.

"He has fled to the old tin mine[43] in the mire[44]," she said. "He has a secret path to get there, but the fog is thick. He cannot see the path."

We could not go after him in the fog. We took Sir Henry and Mrs. Stapleton back to Baskerville Hall.

The next morning, the fog was gone. Mrs. Stapleton led us to the path. She showed us the way through the dangerous mud. It was a hard walk, and the mud tried to pull us down. Then, we found something: a muddy old boot. It was Sir Henry's missing boot. Stapleton had used it to set the hound on the track. He must have thrown it away as he ran.

We never saw Stapleton again. We believe he fell into the mire and was swallowed by the mud. Holmes said that the mire was a fitting grave for such a cruel man. We went to the island where Stapleton kept the hound. There we saw a kennel, bones, and the skeleton of Dr. Mortimer's lost dog.

Holmes said that Stapleton had used the stories of the hell-hound to frighten Sir Charles and to kill anyone who got in his way. But in the end, his own creation was his downfall.

Chapter XV:

In our London apartment on a cold night, Holmes and I talked about the case of the Baskervilles. Holmes was happy because he had just solved two other cases. He was ready to talk about the mystery of the hound.

"The whole plan was simple for Stapleton," Holmes said. "He was a Baskerville, the son of Sir Charles's brother, Rodger. He was thought to be dead, but he was alive. He had a wife, not a sister, and they changed their name to Stapleton."

Stapleton moved near Baskerville Hall to get the money and land. He heard about the family legend of a devil dog. He learned that Sir Charles had a bad heart and was afraid of the legend. This gave Stapleton a wicked[45] idea. He would use a dog to scare Sir Charles to death.

He bought a large, scary dog in London. He kept it hidden in the Grimpen Mire, an empty and dangerous area of the moor. He covered the dog with a special paint that glowed in the dark. This would make it look like a demon from the legend.

Stapleton tried to use his wife to help him, but she did not want to. She did not want to hurt Sir Charles. So, Stapleton used another person, Mrs. Laura Lyons. He lied to her and told her he would marry her if she got a divorce. He told her to write a letter to Sir Charles. He then stopped her from going to the meeting. This left Sir Charles alone and ready to be attacked.

Stapleton brought the glowing dog to the gate. The dog chased Sir Charles, who was scared to death and died. The dog did not bite him because Sir Charles was already dead from fear. The dog returned to its hiding place.

When Sir Henry arrived, Stapleton began to watch him. He had to get an item from Sir Henry to make the dog follow his scent. He stole one of Sir Henry's boots. The first boot was new, so it would not have Sir Henry's scent on it. Stapleton sent it back and got an old boot. This showed Holmes that a real dog was being used.

Stapleton also brought his wife to London with him. He was afraid she would warn Sir Henry. She did try to warn him by sending the letter made of cut-out words.

Holmes explained that he came to the moor secretly to watch Stapleton. He sent me reports and knew all about the case. When I found his hiding place, he already knew everything.

The plan was to catch Stapleton in the act. We used Sir Henry as bait. The plan almost went wrong because of the fog, and the dog almost killed Sir Henry. We shot the dog and saved Sir Henry. The dog was covered in glowing phosphorus paint.

When we found Stapleton's wife, she was tied up. She said Stapleton had found out she was going to betray[46] him. He was mad and tied her up so she could not warn Sir Henry. She told us he had run away into the Grimpen Mire.

The next day, we searched the mire. We found one of Sir Henry's missing boots. Stapleton had dropped it as he ran. We believe Stapleton fell into the deep mud and died. We found the place where he had kept the dog.

Holmes said that Stapleton was a very clever man. His plan was wicked. He knew Sir Charles's fear of the legend and used it to his advantage.

Holmes and I had worked hard on the case. With everything solved, Holmes suggested we take the night off. We went to a nice dinner and then to a concert.

[1] Silver band: the metal top of a walking stick

[2] Extent: certain amount

[3] Ambitious: with a loto f goals and plans

[4] Spaniel: a small dog

[5] Shepherd: person who takes care of sheep

[6] Moor: hilly area

[7] Footprint: a mark made by someone walking

[8] Enormous: very big

[9] Ash: burnt part

[10] Supernatural: not explained by science

[11] Luminous: bright

[12] Hurried: went fast

[13] Passing: going by

[14] Tragedy: something very sad

[15] Interrupt: stop from doing something

[16] Cab: a vehicle pulled by a horse used as a taxi

[17] Spy: someone secretly watching someone

[18] Desk clerk: person sitting at the front of a hotel

[19] Harm: hurt

[20] Butler: person who takes care of people in a mansion

[21] Telegram: a way of sending messages quickly over a long distance before phones

[22] Clue: evidence that helps explain something

[23] Groom: person who takes care of horses

[24] Naturalist: someone who studies nature

[25] Something that someone remembers or is normal to them

[26] Cariage: a vehicle pulled by a horse

[27] Billiars: games such as pool played with a stick

[28] Cheerful: semingly happy

[29] Pale: very white

[30] Wonder: Think about

[31] Expression: Look on a face

[32] Enthusiast: Someone excited about something

[33] Furnish: to put furniture in a house

[34] Terrified: very afraid

[35] Convict: someone who has been found guilty of a crime

[36] Armed: picked up weapons

[37] Hut: a small simple house

[38] Duty: something you need to do no matter what

[39] The end of a used cigarette

[40] Thud: a loud bang

[41] Tweed: a wool material used for suits

[42] Phosphorous: a chemical that glows

[43] Tin mine: a place where metal (tin) is taken out of the ground

[44] Mire: swamp

[45] Wicked: evil

[46] Betray: do something against someone’s trust