Chapter 10 of the Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir, Arthur
Conan Doyle. This LibriVox recording is in
the public domain. Chapter 10 extract from the
Diary of dr. Watson.
So far I have been able to quote from the reports which I have
forwarded during those early days to Sherlock Holmes.
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 onto those scenes
which are indelibly fixed in every detail upon my memory.
I proceed, then from the morning, which followed are
abortive, Chase of the convict and our other strange
experiences upon the Moor. October sixteenth, 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 more 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 excitement's of the
night, I am conscious myself of a weight at my heart and a
feeling of impending danger ever. in 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 a 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 as it should really be outside.
The ordinary laws of nature a spectral Hound which leads
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 on
Earth, it is common sense. And nothing will persuade me to
believe in such a thing to do. So would be to descend Level of
these poor peasants who are not content with a mere fiend, dog.
But must needs describe him with Hellfire.
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 like and sealed?
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 a fact of the human agency in London.
The man in the cab and the letter, which warns her Henry
against the more This, at least was real, but it might have been
the work for protecting friend as easily as of an enemy.
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 a pond the tour.
It is true that I've had only the one glance at him.
And yet there are some things to which I'm ready to swear.
He is no one whom I have seen down here and I have now met all
the neighbors. The figure was Far taller than
that of Stapleton far, thinner than that of Frankland.
Barrymore, it might possibly have been but we had left him
behind us and I'm certain that he could not have followed us.
A stranger then is still dogging.
Us just as a stranger dogged Us in London with 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 astray. His nerves have been strangely
shaken by that sound upon the Moor.
Or 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 Barrymore 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 under discussion.
After 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 and told us
the secret the butler was standing very pale but very
collected before us Or he may have spoken too warmly.
Sir, said, he and if I have I'm sure that I beg your pardon but
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 told us of your own free
will, there 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 mat is a public danger, there are lonely houses
scattered over the Moor and he is a fellow.
Who would stick at nothing, you would 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
till he's under lock and key. You break into no house sir, or
you give you my solemn word upon it, but he will never trouble
anyone in this country again. Are you sure?
You sir, Henry don't know, very few days.
The necessary arrangements will have been made and he will be on
his way to South America for God's sake.
Sir, are you beg of you? Not to let the police know that
he's still on the more? It given up the chase there and
he can lie, quiet, until a 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 was safely out of the
country, it would relieve the taxpayer of a burden.
But how about the chance of his holding someone up before he
goes? He would not do anything.
So mad sir, we have provided him with all the.
Can one 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 for my art.
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've heard I don't
feel as if I could give the man up so there's an end to it.
Alright 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 her
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 out.
I'd never breathed a word about it yet to Mortal man.
It's about poor sir. Charles's 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 was at the
Gate of the 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 initials
or initials were LL. How do you know this Barrymore?
Well Sir, Henry your uncle had a letter that morning.
He had usually a great many letters, but 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 are you thought no
more of the mire? And never would have done that.
It not been for my wife. Only a few weeks ago she was
cleaning out sir Charles's study.
It has never been touched since his death and she found the
ashes of a burned letter in the back of the great the greater
part of it was charred to Pieces but one little slip the end of a
page untogether and the writing could still be read though.
It was gray on a black background.
It seemed to us to be a 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 was signed the initials ll.
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, are you took no
particular notice of his letters?
And I should not have noticed this one on?
Only happen to come alone and you have no idea who LL 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 conceal. This important information will
sir, it was immediately after that our own trouble came to us.
And then against her, we are both of us very fond of Sir.
Charles, as we, well, might be considering all he has done for
us to write 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, are you thought? No good.
Could come of it, but now you've been kind to us and I feel as if
it would be treating you unfairly not to tell you all
that I know about the matter. Very good Barrymore you can go
when the butler the left us. So Henry turned to me.
Well Watson, what do you think of this new light?
It seems to leave the darkness rather blacker than before.
So I think, but if we can only Trace LL, it should clear up the
help business. We've gained that much.
We know that there's someone who has a fact.
If we can only find her, what do you think we should do?
Let homes know all about it at once.
It'll give him the clue for which 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 homes. It was evident to me as he 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 today. The rain poured down rustling on
the Ivy and dripping from the eaves.
I thought of the convict out upon the Bleak, cold shelterless
more poor devil, whatever his crimes, he's suffered something
to atone for them and then I sort of that other one, the face
in the cab, the figure against the moon, was he also out in
that Deluge? The Unseen Watcher, the man?
Of darkness in the evening. I put on my waterproof and I
walked far upon the sodden more 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 Maya. Now, for, even the Firma plans
are becoming a morass. I found the black tour 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-colored clouds hung low
over the landscape trailing in Gray Ruiz down the sides of the
Fantastic Hills in the distant, Halo, on the left, half hidden
by the missed. 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 driving in his dog-cart
over a rough Moreland track which led from The outlying
Farmhouse of foul Mayer. He's been very attentive to us
and hardly a day has passed that he is not called the hall to see
how we're getting on. He insisted upon my climbing
into his dog-cart and he gave me a lift home.
Would I found him much troubled Over?
The Disappearance of his little spaniel.
It had wandered onto 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 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. Can you then tell me the name of
any woman whose initials are LL? He thought for a few minutes, no
said, he, there are a few Gypsies and laboring 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 LL but she lives in
coombe Tracey. Who is she?
I asked she is Franklin's daughter what old Franklin the
crank exactly. She married an artist named
Lions who came sketching on the more.
He proved to be a black card 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 between the old 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't be more
for his own Affairs are considerably involved.
Whatever she may have deserved when 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 honest,
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 tomorrow 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 mysteries, I'm
certainly developing the wisdom of the serpent for when Mortimer
pressed his questions to An Inconvenient extent I asked him
casually to what type Franklin's skull belonged and so heard
nothing but craniology for the rest of our drive, I have not
lived for years with Sherlock, Holmes for nothing.
I have only one other incident to record upon this tempestuous
and melancholy day. This was my conversation with
Barrymore just now which Give me one more strong card, which I
can play In Due Time. Mortimer, had stayed to dinner,
and he and the baronet played a cart afterwards.
The butler brought me my coffee 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 looking out yonder? Are you don't know sir?
I hope to Heaven that he's gone freeze, brought nothing but
trouble here. I've not heard of him since I
left our food from 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.
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's
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've come here with no object except
to help him. Tell me frankly what is it that
you don't like Barrymore hesitated for a moment.
As if you 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 a more serious Foul
Play somewhere and there's black villainy Brewing to that else.
We're 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 at night.
There's not a man who would cross it after Sundown, if he
was paid for it. Look at this, stranger iding,
out, yonder, 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 quit of it all in the day that surrender.
He's new servants are ready to take.
Take over the whole but about this stranger said, I can you
tell me anything about him? What did Selden say?
Did he find out where he hid? What he was doing?
He saw him once or twice but he's a deep one and gives
nothing away at first. He thought he was the police.
But soon he found that he had some layer 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 Hut's, where
the old folk used to live, but how about is food?
Selden found out that he has got a lad who works for him and
brings all he needs. Are you dare say he goes to
coombe Tracey for. He once.
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 pain at the driving
clouds and at the tossing outline of the Windswept trees,
it is a wild night indoors and what must it be in 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. 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 center of that
problem, which was 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. End of chapter 10.