The Hound of the Baskervilles Part 16 (1/2)

Baskerville Hall, October 13th MY DEAR HOLMES: My previous letters and telegrams have kept you pretty well up to date as to all that has occurred in this er one stays here the more does the spirit of the rim charm When you are once out upon its bosoland 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 ainst the scarred hillsides you leave your own age behind you, and if you were to see a skin-clad, hairya flint-tipped arrow on to the string of his bow, you would feel that his presence there wasis that they should have lived so thickly on what must always have been ine that they were some unwarlike and harried race ere forced to accept that which none other would occupy

All this, however, is foreign to the mission on which you sentto your severely practical mind

I can still remember your complete indifference as to whether the sun moved round the earth or the earth round the sun LetSir Henry Baskerville

If you have not had any report within the last few days it is because up to today there was nothing of i 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 ot right ahich 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 theall that tioes there is no difficulty at all Any one of these stone huts would give hi to eat unless he were to catch and slaughter one of the one, and the outlying farmers sleep the better in consequence

We are four able-bodied ood care of ourselves, but I confess that I have had uneasy ht of the Stapletons They live miles from any help

There are one maid, an old manservant, the sister, and the brother, the latter not a very strong man They would be helpless in the hands of a desperate fellow like this Notting Hill criminal if he could once effect an entrance Both Sir Henry and I were concerned at their situation, and it was suggested that Perkins the grooo 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 tis heavily in this lonely spot to an activeand beautiful wo tropical and exotic about her which forular contrast to her cool and uneives the idea of hidden fires He has certainly a very lance at hi approbation for what she said I trust that he is kind to her There is a dry glitter in his eyes and a firoes with a positive and possibly a harsh nature You would find hi study

He came over to call upon Baskerville on that first day, and the very next end of the wicked Hugo is supposed to have had its origin It was an excursion of some miles across the ested the story We found a short valley between rugged tors which led to an open, grassy space flecked over with the white cotton grass In the reat stones, worn and sharpened at the upper end until they looked like the huge corroding fangs of some monstrous beast In every way it corresponded with the scene of the old tragedy Sir Henry was much interested and asked Stapleton more than once whether he did really believe in the possibility of the interference of the supernatural in the affairs of htly, but it was evident that he was very uarded in his replies, but it was easy to see that he said less than he ht, and that he would not express his whole opinion out of consideration for the feelings of the baronet He told us of similar cases, where families had suffered from some evil influence, and he left us with the impression that he shared the popular view upon the matter

On our way back we stayed for lunch at Merripit House, and it was there that Sir Henry made the acquaintance of Miss Stapleton Froly attracted by her, and I a was not ain on our walk home, and since then hardly a day has passed that we have not seen soht, and there is soine that such a match would be very welcoht a look of the strongest disapprobation in his face when Sir Henry has been paying some attention to his sister

He is much attached to her, no doubt, and would lead a lonely life without her, but it would seeht of selfishness if he were to stand in the way of her e 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 the tete-a-tete By the way, your instructions to o 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 Morti a barrow at Long Down and has got a prehistoric skull which fills hile-minded enthusiast as he! The Stapletons caood 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, dish walls of clipped hedge, with a narrow band of grass upon either side At the far end is an old tuate, where the old gentleate with a latch Beyond it lies the wide moor I remembered your theory of the affair and tried to picture all that had occurred As the oldacross thewhich terrified him so that he lost his wits and ran and ran until he died of sheer horror and exhaustion There was the long, gloo of the moor? Or a spectral hound, black, silent, and ency in the matter?

Did the pale, watchful Barryue, but always there is the dark shadow of crihbour 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 theand is equally ready to take up either side of a question, so that it is no wonder that he has found it a costly aht of way and defy the parish to make him open it At others he ith his own hands tear down soate and declare that a path has existed there fro the owner to prosecute him for trespass He is learned in old e soers of Fernworthy and soainst them, so that he is periodically either carried in triuy, according to his latest exploit He is said to have about seven lawsuits upon his hands at present, which will probably s up the re and leave him harmless for the future

Apart froood-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 e an amateur astronomer, he has an excellent telescope, hich he lies upon the roof of his own house and sweeps the liies to this all would be well, but there are ru 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 froives a little co 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 youdevelopram, 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 orthless and that we have no proof one way or the other I told Sir Henry how the ht fashi+on, had Barryram himself Barrymore said that he had

”Did the boy deliver it into your own hands?” asked Sir Henry

Barrymore looked surprised, and considered for a little time

”No,” said he, ”I was in the box-rooht it up to me”

”Did you answer it yourself?”