Main characters
Sherlock Holmes
A famous private detective
Dr Watson
His friend and assistant
Sir Charles Baskerville
A wealthy man who has just died – the owner of Baskerville Hall
Sir Henry Baskerville
Sir Charles’s nephew – the new owner of Baskerville Hall
Dr Mortimer
Sir Charles Baskerville’s doctor, friend and neighbour
Stapleton
A butterfly collector and a neighbour of Sir Charles Baskerville
Miss Stapleton
Stapleton’s beautiful sister
Frankland
A rich old man and a neighbour of Sir Charles Baskerville
Barrymore
Sir Charles Baskerville’s butler
Mrs Barrymore
Barrymore’s wife and housekeeper at Baskerville Hall
Laura Lyons
Frankland’s daughter
Selden
A murderer who has escaped from prison on Dartmoor
Lestrade
A Scotland Yard detective and friend of Sherlock Holmes
Chapter 1
Mr Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes usually got up very late. This morning, however,
he was already sitting at the table when I came down for breakfast. I
stood in front of the fire and picked up the walking stick that a visitor
had left behind the night before. It was a good thick piece of wood
with a broad silver band near the top. On it was written:
‘To Dr James Mortimer, from his friends of the C.C.H.’ There was
also the date, ‘1884.’ It was the kind of stick that family doctors used
to carry. Strong, well-made and reassuring.1
‘Well, Watson, what do you make of2 it? We were out when this
visitor called. We have no idea why he came to see us. The stick is
our only clue3. What can you tell about the owner by looking at it?’
1 reassuring adjective making you feel less worried
2 make of phrasal verb understand [situation etc.]
3 clue noun, countable piece of information etc. that helps someone solve
a mystery, crime etc.
I tried to follow Holmes’s methods. ‘I think Dr Mortimer is a
successful, elderly doctor. And he must be well-liked because he was
given this stick as a present.’
‘Excellent, Watson.’
‘I also think he’s a country doctor and he visits his patients on
foot.’
‘Why?’
‘Because the stick is very scratched.4 The owner has clearly done
a lot of walking. It’s a good quality stick but it’s too scruffy5 for a
London doctor.’
‘Good thinking,’ said Holmes.
‘And then there are the letters C.C.H. The letter H probably stands
for “hunt”.6 Perhaps he’s the doctor for a local hunt. They gave him
the stick because they were grateful for his help.’
‘Really, Watson, I’m impressed,’ said Holmes, lighting a cigarette.
‘You’re better than you think. You’re always too modest.7 You
know, you’re a great help to me.’
He’d never praised8 my abilities before and I felt quite proud of
myself. He took the stick from my hands and examined it for a few
4 scratched verb, transitive mark or damage the surface of something
with a sharp object
5 scruffy adjective untidy or dirty in appearance
6 hunt noun, countable group of people who chase animals, especially
foxes, for sport. In the UK, chasing foxes with horses was a very popular
sport for rich people in the 19th century
7 modest adjective not telling everybody about your achievements
minutes. Then he put down his cigarette and took it over to the
window. He looked at it through his magnifying glass.9
‘An interesting object, but not very challenging. We can easily
make several deductions.’10
8 praise verb, transitive saying that you think somebody or something is
good; showing you admire somebody or something
9 magnifying glass noun, countable piece of glass (lens) that makes
things look bigger
10 deduction noun, countable knowledge that you get from logical thought
‘Did I miss something?’ I asked in surprise. ‘I was sure I’d
thought of everything.’
‘I’m afraid, my dear Watson, that most of your deductions were
quite wrong. When I said you were a great help, I meant that your
mistakes helped me to find the truth. However, it’s true that the man
is a country doctor and that he walks a lot.’
‘So I was right.’
‘Yes. But those were your only correct deductions.’
‘I got nothing else right?’
‘I regret to say no, my dear Watson. For example, I would suggest
that the stick was given to the doctor by a hospital, not a hunt, and
the letters C.C.H. stand for Charing Cross Hospital.’11
‘You may be right.’
‘It’s very likely. And if that’s true, your other deductions about
our visitor are also wrong so we’ll have to make some new ones.’
‘Very well, if C.C.H. does stand for Charing Cross Hospital, what
else can we tell about him?’
‘Have you no idea? You know my methods. Use them!’
‘I can only guess the man worked in London before he moved to
the country.’
‘I think we can say more than that. Ask yourself, why the stick
was given to him. When would his friends decide to give him a
11 Charing Cross Hospital large general hospital in West London,
founded 1818
present? Obviously, it was when he left the hospital to start his own
practice.’12
‘I suppose that’s possible.’
‘He can’t have been a senior doctor at the hospital. Why would a
senior doctor give up an excellent job in London and start a practice
in the country? He would not. Therefore we can deduce13 he must
have been a junior doctor. A house surgeon,14 in fact. Only a little
more important than a senior student. He left five years ago – the
date is on the stick. Your suggestion that he’s a middle-aged family
doctor seems unlikely. Instead, we should think of a young man,
under thirty. He’s also friendly, not very ambitious15 and forgetful.
He has a dog too, a favourite dog. Not a small dog, but smaller than a
mastiff.’16
I laughed out loud with amazement.17 Sherlock Holmes leaned
back in his chair and blew a smoke ring up to the ceiling. ‘Of course,
I can’t prove my deductions about the dog, but it’s easy to check the
details of his age and career.’
12 practice noun, countable a doctor's business; the office where a
doctor or a group of doctors see patients
13 deduce verb, transitive to know something after thinking carefully about
the facts
14 house surgeon noun, countable junior doctor in a UK hospital who
has just qualified and is getting further work experience
15 ambitious adjective wanting very much to be successful, rich etc.
16 mastiff noun, countable large, very strong dog
17 amazement noun, uncountable great surprise
I took down the Medical Directory from the bookcase and looked
up the name Mortimer. There were several but only one could be our
visitor. I read it out aloud.18
‘Mortimer, James, qualified as surgeon, 1882. House-surgeon,
Charing Cross Hospital, 1882 – 1884. Medical Officer for the
villages of Grimpen, Thorsley, and High Barrow, Devonshire.’19
‘No mention of the hunt, Watson,’ said Holmes with a smile. ‘But
a country doctor, as you correctly noticed.’
‘How do you know he’s friendly, forgetful and not ambitious?’
‘Only a friendly man would receive a fine present such as this,
only a forgetful man would leave his walking stick here and only an
unambitious man would give up a career in London for one in the
country.’
‘And the dog?’
‘The dog walks behind him carrying the stick. You can see the
teeth marks in the middle. The jaw20 is quite wide but not wide
enough for a mastiff. It may have been…no, it must have been a
curly-haired spaniel.’21
18 aloud adverb say or read something so other people can hear
19 Devonshire place name a county (large administrative region) in the
south west of England. Usually the short form, Devon, is used nowadays.
20 jaw noun, countable part of the face where the teeth grow
21 spaniel noun, countable medium-sized dog with long brown or black
hair and large ears
He’d been walking up and down the room as he spoke. Now he
stopped by the window. Something outside seemed to have caught
his attention.
‘How can you be so sure it’s a spaniel?’
‘For the simple reason I can see the dog on our doorstep22 right
now. There’s the bell ringing. Don’t leave, Watson, please. This man
is a fellow doctor and you may be able to help me. Listen! He’s
coming up the stairs. Now what does Dr James Mortimer, the man of
science, want from Mr Sherlock Holmes, the crime specialist?’
Dr Mortimer looked quite different from the man I’d imagined. He
was tall and thin with a long nose and intelligent grey eyes. He wore
gold glasses and the usual clothes of a doctor but he wasn’t very tidy.
As soon as he entered, he saw the walking stick and ran over with a
cry of joy.
‘I wasn’t sure if I’d left it here or in the shipping office,’ he said.
‘I’d hate to lose it.’
‘A present from Charing Cross Hospital?’ asked Holmes.
‘Yes, indeed. A wedding present from a few friends there.’
22 doorstep noun, countable a step in front of the main (front) door to a
building. You would stand on the doorstep to ring the bell or knock on the
door of a house.
‘Oh dear, that’s bad,’ said Holmes, shaking his head.
Dr Mortimer looked at him in surprise. ‘Why bad?’
‘Oh, just that you have spoiled23 our little deductions. You’re
married, you say?’
‘Yes, when I got married, I left the hospital. I gave up my hopes of
a medical career in London so that I could set up home.’
‘Oh well, we weren’t so badly wrong after all,’ said Holmes.
‘Anyway, Dr Mortimer, what can I do for you?’
‘Excuse me, but you are Mr Sherlock Holmes and not…’
23 spoil verb, transitive
make something go badly
‘I am Sherlock Holmes. This is Dr Watson.’
‘Pleased to meet you. I know the two of you often work together.’
‘Do sit down, Dr Mortimer,’ said Holmes. ‘I see from your fingers
that you roll24 your own cigarettes. Please feel free to smoke.’
The man took out his tobacco and papers and expertly rolled
himself a cigarette.
‘I’ve come to you, Mr Holmes, because I’m faced with a strange
and very serious problem. I know you’re the second highest expert in
Europe…’
‘Oh yes, and who is lucky enough to be the first?’ asked Holmes,
sounding a little irritated.25
‘To a man with an exact, scientific mind, Monsieur Bertillon must
be the first choice.’
‘Then you’d better speak to him.’
‘I said, to a man with an exact and scientific mind. But I’m a
practical man of the world, so you are my first choice. I do hope that
I haven’t…’
24 roll your own cigarettes make your own cigarettes with small pieces of
paper and tobacco and roll the cigarette in your fingers
25 irritated adjective slightly angry or annoyed about something
‘Perhaps you’d better get on with it, Dr Mortimer, and tell me the
facts of the case.’
Summary of chapter 1
Sherlock Holmes and Watson are at home in their flat in Baker
Street. A visitor who called the night before while they were out has
accidentally left his walking stick behind. Watson looks at the stick
and tries to make some deductions about the owner. Holmes then
looks at the stick and shows that most of Watson’s deductions are
wrong. He deduces that the visitor is a young doctor who lives in the
country and has a dog. At that moment, the visitor, Dr Mortimer,
returns.
Chapter 2
The Curse26 of the Baskervilles
‘I have a document in my pocket,’ said Dr Mortimer.
‘I saw it when you entered the room,’ said Holmes.
‘It’s very old.’
‘Early eighteenth century, unless it’s a forgery.’27
‘How do you know that?’
‘I could see it sticking out28 of your pocket. By the look of the
paper, I would put the date around 1730. Perhaps you’ve read my
article on how to tell the age of writing paper?’
‘The exact date is 1742.’ Dr Mortimer took the paper from his
pocket. ‘It was given to me by Sir Charles Baskerville just before his
sudden and sad death three months ago. I was his friend as well as
his doctor. I should tell you he was a very clever and practical man
26 curse noun, countable bad luck caused by magic
27 forgery noun, countable illegal copy intended to trick people
28 stick out phrasal verb not completely inside (his pocket) so part of it
can be seen
and not one to believe in nonsense. However, he took this paper very
seriously29 and prepared himself for the terrible death that he
suffered.’
Holmes took the old document and opened it out on his knee. I
looked over his shoulder at the yellow paper and the faded30 writing.
‘It’s a legend31 about the Baskerville family,’ said Dr Mortimer.
‘Very interesting,’ said Holmes. ‘But I assume the problem you
mentioned is more modern and practical.’
‘Very modern, very practical and extremely urgent. We have to do
something within twenty four hours. But the story is short and it’s an
essential part of this case. Let me read it to you.’
Holmes leaned back in his chair, put his finger-tips together, and
closed his eyes. Dr Mortimer turned the paper to the light and started
to read:
29 take something seriously phrase believe something is serious,
important or dangerous and needs your attention
30 faded adjective less strong in colour because of age or sunlight
31 legend noun, countable old story about things that happened long
ago, usually not true
‘The story of the Hound32 of the Baskervilles was told to
me by my father, and it was told to him by his father, my
grandfather. I am writing it here as I believe it is true and its
purpose is to teach a moral lesson. Do not, therefore, be
afraid, but live a good life. Try not to make the same
mistakes that your ancestors33 made so that our family will
not suffer as they have in the past.
32 hound noun, countable dog used for hunting
33 ancestor noun, countable a member of your family who lived long ago
‘At the time of the Great Civil War,34 Baskerville Hall
was owned by Sir Hugo Baskerville. He was a wild and
terrible man who did not believe in God and had no morals.
He was also so cruel that his name was feared all over the
west of England. This Sir Hugo was attracted to the daughter
of a farmer who rented land from him. However, the young
girl was respectable and God-fearing35 and she kept away
from him.
‘One Christmas, Sir Hugo and some of his friends rode
out to her father’s farm and kidnapped36 her while her father
and her brothers were away. They took her back to
Baskerville Hall and locked her in a bedroom. Then Sir
Hugo and his friends started drinking downstairs in the great
hall.37
‘The poor girl was terrified.38 She heard Sir Hugo and his
friends shouting and swearing39 as they got drunker and
drunker. In the end she opened the window and managed to
34 English Civil War war in England, 1642-9, between supporters and
enemies of King Charles I
35 god-fearing adjective (old-fashioned) well-behaved because you
believe in God
36 kidnap verb, transitive take and hold somebody illegally and ask for
money to release them
37 hall noun, countable (here) the main room for eating and meeting
people in a castle or old country house
38 terrified adjective very frightened
39 swear verb, intransitive to use bad (offensive) language
escape by climbing down the thick ivy40 that grew on the
walls of the house. Then she started to run across the moor 41
back to her father’s farm.
‘Soon afterwards, Sir Hugo left his friends and came
upstairs to see his beautiful prisoner. When he found she had
gone, he became mad with anger. He ran downstairs to the
hall and jumped onto the table, knocking over the plates and
glasses. He shouted that he would give his soul42 to the
Devil if only he could catch the girl. This was too much for
most of his friends. They listened to his terrible words in
shock. But one of them was more wicked43 or more drunk
than the others. He said they should set the dogs after her.
‘When Sir Hugo heard this, he ran out of the house and
told the servants to get his horse ready. Then he let the dogs
out and threw them the young
40 ivy noun, uncountable plant with dark green leaves that climbs up the
walls of buildings
41 moor noun, countable wild, open country, unsuitable for farming and
having few trees
42 soul noun, countable (religion) the part of a person that goes to heaven
or hell after they die
43 wicked adjective very, very bad; evil; deliberately bad
girl’s handkerchief44 so they would know her smell. Without
waiting for his friends, he set off across the moor in the
moonlight with the dogs howling45 for her blood. For a while
his friends stood staring46 into the night. They were so
shocked they didn’t know what to do. Then they realised
what was going to happen and got onto their horses to try
and stop Sir Hugo.
44 handkerchief noun, countable small piece of cloth used for cleaning
nose and eyes
45 howl verb, intransitive make a long loud sound; dogs, wolves, the wind
and people, can howl
46 stare verb, intransitive look at somebody or something very directly
‘After a few kilometres they met a shepherd47 and asked
him if he’d seen anyone. The man was apparently so afraid
he could hardly speak. At last he said he’d seen the poor girl
with the hounds chasing her. “But I saw something far worse
than that,” he told them. “Sir Hugo passed me on his black
horse. Running silently behind him was the biggest and most
terrifying48 black hound you have ever seen.”
‘The drunken men didn’t believe the shepherd and rode
on. However, soon their skins turned cold when they saw Sir
Hugo’s black horse come running across the moor. It rode
straight past them and they saw there was no one in the
saddle.49 The men were very afraid and rode close together.
They carried on although none of them would have
continued if he’d been alone. At last they found Sir Hugo’s
hounds. They were standing in a little group at the top of a
narrow valley. Although they were the biggest and strongest
dogs he had, they were too afraid to go any further.
‘Sir Hugo’s friends stopped their horses and the three
bravest of them rode down into the valley to have a look.
After a while it opened out into a wide clearing. There were
47 shepherd noun, countable somebody who looks after sheep
48 terrifying adjective very frightening
49 saddle noun, countable seat on a horse's back, usually made of
leather (also a seat for a bicycle)
two large stones that had been put there in prehistoric50
times. The moon was now shining brightly and they saw the
poor girl lying dead of fear and exhaustion.51 But it was not
the sight of her body that frightened them. Nor was it the
sight of Sir Hugo, lying near her. What turned their blood to
ice was the thing that was standing over Sir Hugo, biting at
his throat. It was a huge black hound, but larger than any
dog that anyone has ever seen. As they sat there, watching in
horror52, it tore Sir Hugo’s throat out and then turned to face
them. Its eyes were shining and its teeth dripping53 with
blood. The three of them screamed with fear and rode away
across the moor as fast as they could. One of them died the
same night as a result of what he’d seen. The other two were
never the same again.
50 prehistoric adjective before written history
51 exhaustion noun, uncountable extreme tiredness or physical
weakness
52 horror noun, uncountable strong feeling of shock and fear
53 drip verb, intransitive when liquid falls from something in small drops
‘That was the first appearance of the Hound of the
Baskervilles which has haunted54 our family ever since. I
have written this down so that you shall know what
happened. What is known is less frightening than that which
is not.
54 haunt verb, transitive
person
when a ghost or spirit returns to visit a place or a
You will also know that many of our family have died
suddenly, violently or mysteriously55 since then. We must
trust in God that he will not continue to punish us for what
was done in the past. Meanwhile, I strongly warn you not to
cross the moor after dark when the powers of evil are at their
strongest.’
When Dr Mortimer had finished reading he pushed his glasses
onto his forehead and stared across at Sherlock Holmes. Holmes
yawned and threw the end of his cigarette into the fire.
‘Well?’ he said.
‘Don’t you think it’s interesting?’
‘To someone who collects fairy tales.’56
Dr Mortimer took a newspaper out of his bag. ‘Here’s something a
little more recent. This is from the local newspaper for May 14th. It’s
a report of the death of Sir Charles Baskerville, who had died a few
days earlier.’
Holmes sat up to pay attention as Mortimer put on his glasses
again and started to read:
55 mysterious adjective strange; full of secrets; not understood or
explained
56 fairy tale noun, countable children's stories, often involving magic
‘The recent sudden death of Sir Charles Baskerville has
shocked the whole community. He had only lived here for
two years but he was loved and respected by everyone for
his kind and generous character. Sir Charles was very
wealthy as result of his investments in South Africa. He had
no children and he wanted the local people to share his
wealth. He had already spent a huge amount on schemes for
local improvements.
The circumstances of his death were not made entirely
clear by the inquest.57 However, it is clear that he died of
natural causes and there is no sign of foul play.58 We know
from the evidence59 of his doctor, Mr James Mortimer, that
Sir Charles was suffering from heart disease. Sir Charles was
a widower60 and lived alone at Baskerville Hall with his
servants, a couple named Barrymore. The events of the night
of his death are simple. On the fourth of May, he told the
Barrymores he planned to travel to London the next day.
That evening, he went out into the garden to smoke a cigar61
and take a short walk as usual. He never returned. Mr
57 inquest noun, countable official inquiry to find out how somebody died
58 foul play noun, uncountable dishonest behaviour
59 evidence noun, uncountable information that shows that something is
true or not true
60 widower noun, countable a man whose wife has died
61 cigar noun, countable rolled tobacco leaves used for smoking; like a
fat, brown cigarette but made without paper
Barrymore, found the door of the house open and became
worried so he lit a lamp and went to look for his master.
‘It had rained earlier in the day and Sir Charles’s’
footprints62 could easily be seen in the garden. There was a
path from the house to a gate which leads out onto the moor.
It was clear that Sir Charles had walked along this path,
stopped half way and waited for a short time. Then he had
continued along the path and his body was discovered at the
far end. There is one fact that has not been explained.
Barrymore said at the inquest that Sir Charles’s footprints
looked different for the second part of his walk, after he
stopped and it looked as if he was walking on tiptoe.63
‘When the body was examined there were no signs of
violence, although he had a terrible expression on his face. It
was so awful that Dr Mortimer could hardly recognise him.
However, this is not unusual when people die of heart
attacks. The post-mortem64 confirmed that Sir Charles had
been suffering from heart disease. This is just as well65, of
62 footprint noun, countable the marks left by someone's feet in soft
earth, sand, snow etc.
63 tiptoe noun, countable with only your toes on the ground
64 post-mortem noun, countable official medical examination of a dead
person to find out how they died
65 just as well phrase good or convenient in this situation
course. Especially when you consider the silly rumours66 that
have surrounded the Baskerville family in the past.
Everybody wants Sir Charles’s heir67 to live at Baskerville
Hall and continue the good work he was doing. Sir Charles’s
next of kin68 is Mr Henry Baskerville, the son of Sir
Charles’s younger brother. He is apparently in America and
he has been informed of the death of his uncle and of his
own good fortune.’
Dr Mortimer put the newspaper down. ‘Those are all the facts that
are known to the public,’ he said.
‘Thank you,’ said Sherlock Holmes. ‘There are certainly some
interesting features to this case. I remember reading about it in the
newspaper at the time. However, I was busy investigating a little
matter for the Pope69 and had no time to follow it up. You say these
are all the facts known to the public?’
‘Yes.’
‘Then tell me the private ones.’ He leaned back and put his finger
tips together in his usual way. Dr Mortimer removed his glasses and
66 rumour noun, countable news or story that quickly passes from one
person to another; it may be true or untrue
67 heir noun, countable somebody who receives money or property from
somebody when they die
68 next of kin noun, uncountable somebody's closest relative - usually a
parent, child, brother or sister
69 the Pope title person who is head of the Roman Catholic Church
polished them. Then he took a deep breath and put them back on his
nose.
‘I’ve told nobody else what I’m going to tell you now. That’s
because I’m a man of science and I have no time for superstition.70
Furthermore, I didn’t want to see Baskerville Hall empty because
people have been frightened away by silly stories. However, I can
tell you the whole truth.
‘Very few people live on the moor. For this reason I saw a lot of
Sir Charles Baskerville. The only other educated people apart from
myself and Sir Charles are Mr Frankland of Lafter Hall and Mr
Stapleton the butterfly71 collector.
‘Sir Charles was a quiet man but we got to know each other as I
was his doctor and he was ill. We spend many pleasant evenings
together talking about his adventures in Africa. For the last few
months it became clear to me that Sir Charles was under a lot of
stress. He believed the legend of the Baskervilles and although he
would walk in his own garden, nothing would make him walk alone
on the moor at night.
‘You may find this strange, but he really believed that some
terrible death was waiting for him. The story of the hound had
affected him and the records of his ancestors’ deaths made him sure
that it was waiting to get him as soon as it got the chance. He asked
70 superstition noun, countable a belief that is based on magic or
tradition rather than science
71 butterfly noun, countable flying insect with large, coloured wings
me many times if I’d ever seen any strange animals on the moor
when I’d been out visiting patients at night, or heard the barking72 of
a hound.
‘I clearly remember going to visit him one evening about three
weeks before his death. He came out of the front door just as I
arrived. I went up to speak to him but at that moment he seemed to
see something behind me. He stared over my shoulder with a look of
horror in his eyes. I turned round quickly to see what it was, and I
glimpsed73 something like small black cow running past the end of
the path. He was in a terrible state of fear and I had to go with him to
the place where the animal had passed and look around for it.
However, there was no sign of it. I stayed with him all evening and
later, at dinner, he told me the story of the hound of the Baskervilles
that I have told you. I didn’t think it mattered at the time but when
you think about what happened later, it becomes more important.
72 bark verb, intransitive short loud sound make by a dog
73 glimpse verb, transitive see something for a very short time
‘I was the one who advised Sir Charles to go to London. The
worry and stress that he was suffering from was clearly very bad for
him. I thought a few days in London would do him some good. Mr
Stapleton, our other friend down here on Dartmoor,74 agreed with
me.
‘On the night that Sir Charles died, it was Barrymore who found
the body. He sent a servant to fetch me. I hadn’t gone to bed and I
was able to reach Baskerville Hall within an hour. I was, therefore,
able to check for myself all the facts that were mentioned at the
inquest. I saw that Sir Charles had walked down the path towards
the gate. I saw the place where he’d obviously stopped for a minute
and I noticed how his footprints were different after that.
‘I carefully examined his body, which hadn’t been moved. He lay
on his face with his arms stretched out and his fingers digging into
the ground. His face had a terrible expression so that I could hardly
recognise him. But there was no sign of any injury. However, I
should tell you that Barrymore said one thing at the inquest that was
untrue. He said that there weren’t any marks on the ground near the
body. But there were – I saw them. They were a little way from the
body but they were fresh and clear.’
‘Footprints?’
74 Dartmoor place name a wild, lonely place (moor) in the west of
England where there are few houses or farms. Conan Doyle liked this
location for his stories. His short story about a racehorse, Silver Blaze, also
takes place there.
‘Yes, footprints.’
‘A man's or a woman's?’
Dr Mortimer gave us a strange look for a second and then, in a
whisper,75 he answered.
‘Mr Holmes, they were the footprints of an enormous hound!’
75 whisper noun, countable a very quiet voice. (Also verb, transitive and
intransitive speak very quietly.)
Summary of chapter 2
Dr Mortimer shows Holmes and Watson an old document from
the 18th century. He explains it was given to him by his friend and
neighbour, Sir Charles Baskerville, who has recently died. The
document tells a legend about Sir Charles’s family, who live in an
old mansion on Dartmoor, Baskerville Hall. According to the
legend, at the time of the English Civil War, the head of the family
was a man called Sir Hugo Baskerville. He was cruel and wicked and
one night he kidnapped a young girl who he was attracted to. He took
her to Baskerville Hall and locked her in a room. Then he got drunk
with his friends.
The girl escaped by climbing out of a window. Sir Hugo was so
angry that he got his horse and hounds and started to chase her
across the moor. His friends were worried and followed him.
Eventually they came to a lonely valley and found the girl dead.
Nearby a huge black hound was standing over Sir Hugo, who was
lying on the ground. While they watched, it tore his throat out and
killed him. Ever since, the Baskerville family have been haunted by
the hound and many of members of the family have died
mysteriously.
Dr Mortimer then reads a newspaper article about the death of Sir
Charles Baskerville. He explains that Sir Charles believed in the
legend of the hound and was afraid he would become the latest
victim. Dr Mortimer says he advised Sir Charles to go to London for
a short break. On the night before he left, he went for a walk in his
garden alone after dinner. His butler, Barrymore, found him lying on
the ground dead some time later with a terrible expression on his
face. He had died of a heart attack. His footprints showed that he
had walked along the garden path and stopped by a gate. The shape
of the footprints changed after he passed the gate. Dr Mortimer says
that he examined Sir Charles’s body and the place where he fell
shortly after his death. Near the body was the footprint of an
enormous hound.