May 27, 2025 • 28 mins
In the eerie Baskerville Hall, a baronet is found dead under mysterious circumstances. Could his death be the consequence of a centuries-old family curse, believed to be carried out by a supernatural hound? Join the iconic detective duo, Holmes and Watson, as they delve into the enigmatic death of Sir Charles Baskerville, racing against time to protect the new baronet from a similar ominous fate.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter fifteen of The Hound of the Basquervilles. This is
a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
Read by Richard Ryman, Chapter fifteen A retrospection. It was
(00:24):
the end of November, and Holmes and I sat upon
a raw and foggy night, on either side of blazing fire.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
In our sitting room in Bicker Street.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Since the tragic upshot of our visit to Devonshire, he
had been engaged in two affairs of the utmost importance,
in the first of which he had exposed the atrocious
conduct of Colonel Upwood in connection with the famous card
scandal of the Nonferile Club, while in the second he
had defended the unfortunate Mademoiselle Montprincierre from the charge of
(00:59):
murder which hung over her in connection with the death
of her step daughter, Mademoiselle Carrere, the young lady, who,
as it will be remembered, was found six months later
alive and married in New York. My friend was in
excellent spirits over the success which had attended a succession
of difficult and important cases, so that I was able
(01:22):
to induce him to discuss the details of the Baskerville mystery.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
I had waited.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Patiently for the opportunity, for I was aware that he
would never permit cases to overlap, and that his clear
and logical mind would not be drawn from its present
work to dwell upon memories of the past. Sir Henry
and doctor Mortimer were, however, in London on their way
to that long voyage which had been recommended for the
(01:50):
restoration of his shattered nerves. They had called upon us
that very afternoon, so that it was natural that the
subject should come up for discussion. The whole course of events,
said Holmes, from the point of view of the man
who called himself Stapleton, was simple and direct, although to us,
(02:11):
who had no means in the beginning of knowing the
motives of his actions and could only learn part of
the facts, it all appeared exceedingly complex. I have had
the advantage of two conversations with Missus Stapleton, and the
case has now been so entirely cleared up that I
am not aware that there is anything which has remained
(02:31):
a secret to us. You will find a few notes
upon the matter under the heading b in my index
list of cases.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Perhaps you would kindly give me.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
A sketch of the course of events from memory. Certainly,
though I cannot guarantee that I carry all the facts
in my mind, intense mental concentration has a curious way
of blotting out what has passed. The barrister, who has
his case set, his fingers ends, and is able to
(03:02):
argue with an expert upon his own subject, finds that
a week or two of the courts will drive it
all out of his head. Once more. So each of
my cases, this place is the last, and Mademoiselle Carrere
has blurred my recollection of Baskerville Hall. Tomorrow, some other
little problem may be submitted to my notice, which will
(03:24):
in turn dispossess the fair French lady and the infamous upward.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
So far as the case.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
Of the Hound goes, however, I will give you the
course of events as nearly as I can, and you
will suggest anything which I may have forgotten. My inquiry
show beyond all question that the family portrait did not lie,
and that this fellow was indeed of Baskerville. He was
(03:50):
a son of that Roger Baskerville, the young brother of
Sir Charles, who fled with a sinister reputation to South America,
where he was said to have died unmarried. He did,
as a matter of fact, Mary, and had one child.
This fellow, whose real name is the same as his father's,
(04:11):
he married Beryl Garcia, one of the beauties of Costa Rica,
and having purloined a considerable sum of public money, he
changed his name to Vandeleur and fled to England, where
he established a school in the east of Yorkshire. His
reason for attempting this special line of business was that
(04:33):
he had struck up an acquaintance with a consumptive tutor
upon the voyage home, and that he had used this
man's ability to make the undertaking a success. Fraser, the
tutor died, however, and the school, which had begun well,
sent from disrepute into infamy. The Vandeleurs found it convenient
(04:55):
to change their name to Stapleton, and he brought the
remains of his fortune, his schemes for the future, and
his taste for entomology to the south of England. I
learned at the British Museum that he was a recognized
authority upon the subject, and that the name of van
Delere has been permanently attached to a certain moth, which
(05:16):
he had, in his Yorkshire days, been the first to describe.
We now come to that portion of his life which
has proved to be of such intense interest to us.
The fellow had evidently made inquiry and found that only
two lives intervened between him and a valuable estate. When
(05:37):
he went to Devonshire. His plans were I believe exceedingly hazy,
but that he meant mischief from the first is evident
from the way in which he took his wife with him.
In the character of his sister, the idea of using
her as a decoy was clearly already in his mind,
Though he may not have been certain how the details
(05:57):
of his plot were to be arranged, he meant in
the end to have the estate, and he was ready
to use any tool or run any.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Risk for that end.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
His first act was to establish himself as near to
his ancestral home as he could, and his second was
to cultivate a friendship with Sir Charles Baskerville and with
the neighbors. The baronet himself told him about the family hound,
and so prepared the way for his own death. Stapleton,
(06:31):
as I will continue to call him, knew that the
old man's heart was weak, and that a shock would
kill him. So much he had learned from Doctor Mortimer.
He had heard also that Sir Charles was superstitious, and
had taken this grim legend very seriously. His ingenious mind
instantly suggested a way by which the baronet could be
(06:53):
done to death, and yet it would be hardly possible
to bring home the guilt of the real murderer. Having
conceived the idea, he proceeded to carry it out with
considerable finesse. An ordinary schema would have been content to
work with a savage hound. The use of artificial means
(07:15):
to make the creature diabolical was a flash of genius
upon his part. The dog he bought in London from
Ross and Mangles, the dealers in Fulham Road. It was
the strongest and most savage in their possession. He brought
it down by the North Devon line and walked a
great distance over the moor, so as to get it
(07:36):
home without exciting any remarks.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
He had already on.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
His insect hunts, learned to penetrate the grimpen miya, and
so had found a safe hiding place for the creature.
Here he kinneled it and waited his chance. But it
was some time coming. The old gentleman could not be
decoyed outside of his ground at night. Several times Stapleton
(08:03):
lurked about with his hound, but without avail. It was
during these fruitless quests that he, or rather his ally,
was seen by peasants, and that the legend of the
demon dog received a new confirmation. He had hoped that
his wife might lure Sir Charles to his ruin, but
(08:24):
here she proved unexpectedly independent. She would not endeavor to
entangle the old gentleman in a sentimental attachment which might
deliver him over to his enemy threats, and even I
am sorry to say blows refused to move her. She
(08:44):
would have nothing to do with it, and for a
time Stapleton was at a deadlock. He found a way
out of his difficulties through the chance that Sir Charles,
who had conceived of friendship for him, made him the
minister of charity in the case of this unfortunate woman,
Missus Laura Lyons. By representing himself as a single man,
(09:09):
he acquired complete influence over her, and he gave her
to understand that in the event of her obtaining a
divorce from her husband, he would marry her. His plans
were suddenly brought to a head by his knowledge that
Sir Charles was about to leave the hall on the
advice of Doctor Mortimer, with whose opinion he himself pretended
(09:31):
to coincide. He must act at once, or his victim
might get beyond his power. He therefore put pressure upon
Missus Lyons to write this letter imploring the old man
to give her an interview on the evening before his
departure for London. He then, by a specious argument, prevented
(09:52):
her from going, and so had the.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Chance for which he had waited.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Driving back in the evening from Coombe Tracey, he was
in time to get his hound, to treat it with
his infernal heat, and to bring the beast round to
the gate, at which he had reason to expect that
he would find the old gentleman waiting.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
The dog, incited by.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
Its master, sprang over the wicket gate and pursued the
unfortunate baronet, who fled screaming down the yew alley.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
In that gloomy.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
Tunnel, it must indeed have been a dreadful sight to
see that huge black creature with its flaming jaws and
bleazing eyes, bounding after its victim. He fell dead at
the end of the alley from hot disease and terror.
The hound had kept upon the grassy border while the
(10:46):
baronet had run down the path, so that no track
but the man's was visible. On seeing him lying still,
the creature had probably approached to sniff at him, but
finding him dead, had turned away again. It was then
that it left the print, which was actually observed by
doctor Mortimer. The hound was called off and hurried away
(11:08):
to its lair in the grimp and Maya, and the
mystery was left, which puzzled the authorities, alarmed the countryside,
and finally brought the case within the scope of our observation.
So much for the death of Sir Charles Basterville, you
perceived the devilish cunning of it, For really it would
(11:30):
be almost impossible to make a case.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Against the real murderer.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
His only accomplice was one who could never give them away,
and the grotesque, inconceivable nature of the device only served
to make it more effective. Both of the women concerned
in the case, Missus Stapleton and Missus Laura Lyons were
left with a strong suspicion against Stapleton. Missus Stapleton knew
(11:56):
that he had designs upon the old Man and also
of the existence of the hound. Missus Lyons knew neither
of these things, but had been impressed by the death
occurring at the time of an uncanceled appointment, which was
only known to him. However, both of them were under
his influence and he had nothing to fear from them.
(12:19):
The first half of his task was successfully accomplished, but
the more difficult still remained. It is possible that Stapleton
did not know of the existence of an heir in Canada.
In any case, he would very soon learn it from
his friend doctor Morbar, and he was told by the
(12:40):
latter all details about the arrival of Henry Baskerville. Stapleton's
first idea was that this young stranger from Canada might
possibly be done to death in London without coming down
to Devonshire at all. He distrusted his wife ever since
she had refused to help him elaying a trap for
(13:01):
the old Man, and he dared not leave her long
out of his sight for fear he should lose his
influence over her. It was for this reason that he
took her to London with him. They lodged I find
at the Mexborough Private Hotel in Craven Street, which was
actually one of those called upon by my agent in
(13:24):
search of evidence.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
Here he kept his.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
Wife imprisoned in her room, while he, disguised in a beard,
followed doctor Mortimer to Baker Street, and afterwards to the
station and to the Northumberland Hotel. His wife had some
inkling of his plans, but she had such a fear
of her husband, a fear founded upon brutal ill treatment,
(13:48):
that she dared not write to warn the man whom
she knew to be in danger. If the letter should
fall into Stapleton's hands, her own life would not be safe. Eventually,
as we know, she adopted the expedient of cutting out
the words which would form the message and addressing the
(14:08):
letter in a disguised hand. It reached the Baronet and
gave him the first warning of his danger.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
It was very.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Essential for Stapleton to get some article of Sir Henry's attire,
so that in case he was driven to use the dog,
he might always have the means of setting him upon
his track. With characteristic promptness and audacity, he set about
this at once, and we cannot doubt that the boots
(14:39):
or chambermaid of the hotel was well bribed to help
him in his design. By chance, however, the first boot
which was procured for him was a new one, and
therefore useless for his purpose. He then had to return
it and obtained another. A most instructive incident, since it
(14:59):
proved moved conclusively to my mind that we were dealing
with a real hound, as no other supposition could explain
this anxiety to obtain an old boot, and this indifference
to a new one. The more entree and grotesque an
incident is, the more carefully it deserves to be examined.
(15:21):
And the very point which appears to complicate a case
is when duly considered and scientifically handled, the one which
is most likely to elucidate it. Then we had the
visit from our friends next morning, shadowed always by Stapleton
in the cab. From his knowledge of our rooms and
(15:43):
of my appearance, as well as from his general conduct,
I am inclined to think that Stapleton's career of crime
has been, by no means limited to this single Baskerville affair.
It is suggestive that during the last three years there
have been four considerable burglaries in the West Country, for
(16:03):
none of which was any criminal ever arrested. The last
of these, at Folkestone Court in May, was remarkable for
the cold blooded pistoling of the page who surprised the
mossed and solitary burglar. I cannot doubt that Stapleton recruited
his waning resources in this fashion, and that for years
(16:25):
he has been a desperate and dangerous man. We had
an example of his readiness of resource that morning when
he got away from us so successfully, and also of
his audacity in sending back my own name to me
through the cabman. From that moment he understood that I
(16:45):
had taken over the case in London, and that therefore
there was no chance for him there. He returned to
Dartmoor and awaited the arrival of the Baronet. What moment
said I, you have no doubt describe the secrets of
events correctly, But there is one point which you have
(17:06):
left unexplained. What became of the owl when its master
was in London. I have given some attention to this matter,
and it is undoubtedly of importance. There can be no
question that Stapleton had a confidant, though it is unlikely
that he ever placed himself in his power by sharing
(17:29):
all his plans with him. There was an old man
servant at mary pet House whose name was Anthony. His
connection with the Stapletons can be traced for several years,
as far back as the schoolmastering days, so that he
must have been aware that his master and mistress were
really Hustand and wife. This man has disappeared and has
(17:54):
escaped from the country. It is suggestive that Anthony is
not a common name in England, while Antonio is so
in all Spanish or Spanish American countries.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
The man, like.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
Missus Stapleton herself, spoke good English, but with a curious
lisping accent. I have myself seen this old man crossed
the grip and Mire by the path which Stapleton had
marked out. It is very probable therefore, that, in the
absence of his master, it was he who cared for
(18:28):
the hound, though he may never have known the purpose
for which the beast was used. The Stapletons then went
down to Devonshire, whither they were soon followed by Sir
Henry and you. One word now as to how I
stood myself at that time. It may possibly recur to
(18:49):
your memory that when I examined the paper upon which
the printed words were fastened, I made a close inspection
for the water mark. In doing so, I held it
with it in a few inches of my eyes, and
was conscious of a faint smell of the scent known
as white jessamine. There are seventy five perfumes which it
(19:12):
is very necessary that a criminal expert should be able
to distinguish from each other, and cases have more than
once within my own experience, depended upon their prompt recognition.
The scent suggested the presence of a lady, and already
my thoughts began to turn towards the Stapletons. Thus I
had made certain of the hound and had guessed at
(19:35):
the criminal before ever we went to the West Country.
It was my game to watch Stapleton. It was evident, however,
that I could not do this if I were with you,
since he would be keenly on his guard. I deceived everybody,
therefore yourself included, and I came down secretly when I
was supposed to be in London. Life hardships were not
(19:58):
so great as you imagine, though such trifling details must
never interfere with the investigation of a case. I stayed
for the most part at coombe Tracy, and only used
the hut upon the moor when it was necessary to
be near the scene of action. Cartwright had come down
with me, and in his disguise as a country boy,
(20:20):
he was of great assistance to me. I was dependent
upon him for food and clean linen when I was
watching Stapleton. Cartwright was frequently watching you, so that I
was able to keep my hand upon all the strings.
I have already told you that your reports reached me rapidly,
(20:41):
being forwarded instantly from Becker Street to Coomb Tracy. They
were of great service to me, and especially that one
incidentally truthful piece of biography of Stapleton's. I was able
to establish the identity of the man and the woman,
and knew at last exactly how I stood. The case
had been considerably complicated through the incident of the escaped
(21:05):
convict and the relations between him and the Barrymoores. This
also you cleared up in a very effective way.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
Though I had already.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
Come to the same conclusions from my own observations. By
the time that you discovered me upon the moor, I
had a complete knowledge of the whole business, but I
had not a case which could go to a jury.
Even Stapleton's attempt upon Sir Henry that night, which ended
in the death of the unfortunate convict, did not help
(21:37):
us much in proving murder against our man. There seemed
to be no alternative but to catch him red handed,
and to do so we had to use Sir Henry alone,
and apparently unprotected, as a bait. We did so, and
at the cost of a severe shock to our client,
we succeeded in completing our case and driving Stapleton to
(22:01):
his destruction. That Sir Henry should have been exposed to
this is I must confess a reproach to my management
of the case. But we had no means of foreseeing
the terrible and paralyzing spectacle which the beast presented, nor
could we predict the fog which enabled him to burst
(22:22):
upon us at such short notice.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
We succeeded in our.
Speaker 1 (22:26):
Object at a cost which both the specialist and Doctor
Mortimer assure me will be a temporary one. A long
journey may enable our friend to recover not only from
his shattered nerves but also from his wounded feelings. His
love for the lady was deep and sincere, and to
(22:48):
him the saddest part of all this black business was
that he should have been deceived by her. It only
remains to indicate the part which she had played Throughout.
There can be no doubt that Stapleson exercised an influence
over her which may have been love, or may have
been fear, or very possibly both, since they are by
(23:12):
no means incompatible emotions. It was at least absolutely effective
at his command. She consented to pass as his sister,
though he found the limits of his power over her.
When he endeavored to make her the direct accessory to murder.
She was ready to warn Sir Henry so far as
(23:32):
she could without implicating her husband, and again and again
she tried.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
To do so.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
Stapleton himself seems to have been capable of jealousy, and
when he saw the baronet paying court to the lady,
even though it was part of his own plan, still
he could not help interrupting with a passionate outburst, which
revealed the fiery soul which his self contained manner so
cleverly conceived. By encouraging the intimacy, he made it certain
(24:04):
that Sir Henry would frequently come to marry pitt House,
and that he would sooner or later get the opportunity
which he desired. On the day of the crisis, however,
his wife turned suddenly against him. She had learned something
of the death of the convict, and she knew that
the hound was being kept in the outhouse. On the
(24:25):
evening that Sir Henry was coming to dinner, she taxed
her husband with his intended crime, and a furious scene followed,
in which she showed her for the first time that
she had a rival in his love. Her fidelity turned
in an instant to bitter hatred, and he saw that
she would betray him. He tied her up therefore, that
(24:47):
she might have no chance of warning Sir Henry, and
he hoped no doubt that when the whole countryside put
down the baronet's death to the curse of his family,
as they certainly would do, he could win his wife
back to accept an accomplished fact and to keep silent
upon what she knew. In this I fancy that in
(25:09):
any case he made a miscalculation, and that if we
had not been there, his doom would none the less
have been sealed. A woman of Spanish blood does not
condone such an injury so lightly. And now, my dear Watson,
without referring to my notes, I cannot give you a
(25:30):
more detailed account of this curious case. I do not
know that anything essential has been left unexplained. He could
not hope to frighten Sir Henry to death as he had.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
Done the old uncle with his bogey hound.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
The beast was savage and half starved. If its appearance
did not frighten its victim to death, at least it
would paralyze the resistance which.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
Might be offered.
Speaker 1 (25:56):
No doubt, there only remains one difficult If Stapleton came
into the succession, how could he explain the fact that
he the heir, had been living unannounced under another name,
so close to the property. How could he claim it
without causing suspicion an inquiry? It is a formidable difficulty,
(26:21):
and I fear that.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
You ask too much when you expect me to solve it.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
The past and the present are within the field of
my inquiry, but what a man may do in the
future is a hard question to answer. Missus Stapleton has
heard her husband discuss the problem on several occasions. There
were three possible courses. He might claim the property from
South America, establish his identity before the British authorities there,
(26:51):
and so obtain the fortune without ever coming to England
at all. Or he might adopt an elaborate disguise during
a short time that he need be in London. Or again,
he might furnish an accomplice with the proofs and papers,
putting him in as heir and retaining a claim upon
some proportion of his income. We cannot doubt, from what
(27:14):
we know of him, that he would have found some.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
Way out of the difficulty.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
And now, my dear Watson, we have had some weeks
of severe work, and for one evening I think we
may turn our thoughts into more pleasant channels. I have
a box for a late Huguenots.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
Have you heard the day rescues? Might I trouble you? Then?
Speaker 1 (27:39):
To be ready in half an hour, and we can
stop at Marsini's for a little.
Speaker 2 (27:45):
Dinner on the way.
Speaker 1 (27:48):
End of chapter fifteen, end of The Hound of the
Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Chapter fifteen of The Hound of the Basquervilles. This is
a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
Read by Richard Ryman, Chapter fifteen A retrospection. It was
(00:24):
the end of November, and Holmes and I sat upon
a raw and foggy night, on either side of blazing fire.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
In our sitting room in Bicker Street.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Since the tragic upshot of our visit to Devonshire, he
had been engaged in two affairs of the utmost importance,
in the first of which he had exposed the atrocious
conduct of Colonel Upwood in connection with the famous card
scandal of the Nonferile Club, while in the second he
had defended the unfortunate Mademoiselle Montprincierre from the charge of
(00:59):
murder which hung over her in connection with the death
of her step daughter, Mademoiselle Carrere, the young lady, who,
as it will be remembered, was found six months later
alive and married in New York. My friend was in
excellent spirits over the success which had attended a succession
of difficult and important cases, so that I was able
(01:22):
to induce him to discuss the details of the Baskerville mystery.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
I had waited.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Patiently for the opportunity, for I was aware that he
would never permit cases to overlap, and that his clear
and logical mind would not be drawn from its present
work to dwell upon memories of the past. Sir Henry
and doctor Mortimer were, however, in London on their way
to that long voyage which had been recommended for the
(01:50):
restoration of his shattered nerves. They had called upon us
that very afternoon, so that it was natural that the
subject should come up for discussion. The whole course of events,
said Holmes, from the point of view of the man
who called himself Stapleton, was simple and direct, although to us,
(02:11):
who had no means in the beginning of knowing the
motives of his actions and could only learn part of
the facts, it all appeared exceedingly complex. I have had
the advantage of two conversations with Missus Stapleton, and the
case has now been so entirely cleared up that I
am not aware that there is anything which has remained
(02:31):
a secret to us. You will find a few notes
upon the matter under the heading b in my index
list of cases.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Perhaps you would kindly give me.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
A sketch of the course of events from memory. Certainly,
though I cannot guarantee that I carry all the facts
in my mind, intense mental concentration has a curious way
of blotting out what has passed. The barrister, who has
his case set, his fingers ends, and is able to
(03:02):
argue with an expert upon his own subject, finds that
a week or two of the courts will drive it
all out of his head. Once more. So each of
my cases, this place is the last, and Mademoiselle Carrere
has blurred my recollection of Baskerville Hall. Tomorrow, some other
little problem may be submitted to my notice, which will
(03:24):
in turn dispossess the fair French lady and the infamous upward.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
So far as the case.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
Of the Hound goes, however, I will give you the
course of events as nearly as I can, and you
will suggest anything which I may have forgotten. My inquiry
show beyond all question that the family portrait did not lie,
and that this fellow was indeed of Baskerville. He was
(03:50):
a son of that Roger Baskerville, the young brother of
Sir Charles, who fled with a sinister reputation to South America,
where he was said to have died unmarried. He did,
as a matter of fact, Mary, and had one child.
This fellow, whose real name is the same as his father's,
(04:11):
he married Beryl Garcia, one of the beauties of Costa Rica,
and having purloined a considerable sum of public money, he
changed his name to Vandeleur and fled to England, where
he established a school in the east of Yorkshire. His
reason for attempting this special line of business was that
(04:33):
he had struck up an acquaintance with a consumptive tutor
upon the voyage home, and that he had used this
man's ability to make the undertaking a success. Fraser, the
tutor died, however, and the school, which had begun well,
sent from disrepute into infamy. The Vandeleurs found it convenient
(04:55):
to change their name to Stapleton, and he brought the
remains of his fortune, his schemes for the future, and
his taste for entomology to the south of England. I
learned at the British Museum that he was a recognized
authority upon the subject, and that the name of van
Delere has been permanently attached to a certain moth, which
(05:16):
he had, in his Yorkshire days, been the first to describe.
We now come to that portion of his life which
has proved to be of such intense interest to us.
The fellow had evidently made inquiry and found that only
two lives intervened between him and a valuable estate. When
(05:37):
he went to Devonshire. His plans were I believe exceedingly hazy,
but that he meant mischief from the first is evident
from the way in which he took his wife with him.
In the character of his sister, the idea of using
her as a decoy was clearly already in his mind,
Though he may not have been certain how the details
(05:57):
of his plot were to be arranged, he meant in
the end to have the estate, and he was ready
to use any tool or run any.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Risk for that end.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
His first act was to establish himself as near to
his ancestral home as he could, and his second was
to cultivate a friendship with Sir Charles Baskerville and with
the neighbors. The baronet himself told him about the family hound,
and so prepared the way for his own death. Stapleton,
(06:31):
as I will continue to call him, knew that the
old man's heart was weak, and that a shock would
kill him. So much he had learned from Doctor Mortimer.
He had heard also that Sir Charles was superstitious, and
had taken this grim legend very seriously. His ingenious mind
instantly suggested a way by which the baronet could be
(06:53):
done to death, and yet it would be hardly possible
to bring home the guilt of the real murderer. Having
conceived the idea, he proceeded to carry it out with
considerable finesse. An ordinary schema would have been content to
work with a savage hound. The use of artificial means
(07:15):
to make the creature diabolical was a flash of genius
upon his part. The dog he bought in London from
Ross and Mangles, the dealers in Fulham Road. It was
the strongest and most savage in their possession. He brought
it down by the North Devon line and walked a
great distance over the moor, so as to get it
(07:36):
home without exciting any remarks.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
He had already on.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
His insect hunts, learned to penetrate the grimpen miya, and
so had found a safe hiding place for the creature.
Here he kinneled it and waited his chance. But it
was some time coming. The old gentleman could not be
decoyed outside of his ground at night. Several times Stapleton
(08:03):
lurked about with his hound, but without avail. It was
during these fruitless quests that he, or rather his ally,
was seen by peasants, and that the legend of the
demon dog received a new confirmation. He had hoped that
his wife might lure Sir Charles to his ruin, but
(08:24):
here she proved unexpectedly independent. She would not endeavor to
entangle the old gentleman in a sentimental attachment which might
deliver him over to his enemy threats, and even I
am sorry to say blows refused to move her. She
(08:44):
would have nothing to do with it, and for a
time Stapleton was at a deadlock. He found a way
out of his difficulties through the chance that Sir Charles,
who had conceived of friendship for him, made him the
minister of charity in the case of this unfortunate woman,
Missus Laura Lyons. By representing himself as a single man,
(09:09):
he acquired complete influence over her, and he gave her
to understand that in the event of her obtaining a
divorce from her husband, he would marry her. His plans
were suddenly brought to a head by his knowledge that
Sir Charles was about to leave the hall on the
advice of Doctor Mortimer, with whose opinion he himself pretended
(09:31):
to coincide. He must act at once, or his victim
might get beyond his power. He therefore put pressure upon
Missus Lyons to write this letter imploring the old man
to give her an interview on the evening before his
departure for London. He then, by a specious argument, prevented
(09:52):
her from going, and so had the.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Chance for which he had waited.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Driving back in the evening from Coombe Tracey, he was
in time to get his hound, to treat it with
his infernal heat, and to bring the beast round to
the gate, at which he had reason to expect that
he would find the old gentleman waiting.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
The dog, incited by.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
Its master, sprang over the wicket gate and pursued the
unfortunate baronet, who fled screaming down the yew alley.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
In that gloomy.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
Tunnel, it must indeed have been a dreadful sight to
see that huge black creature with its flaming jaws and
bleazing eyes, bounding after its victim. He fell dead at
the end of the alley from hot disease and terror.
The hound had kept upon the grassy border while the
(10:46):
baronet had run down the path, so that no track
but the man's was visible. On seeing him lying still,
the creature had probably approached to sniff at him, but
finding him dead, had turned away again. It was then
that it left the print, which was actually observed by
doctor Mortimer. The hound was called off and hurried away
(11:08):
to its lair in the grimp and Maya, and the
mystery was left, which puzzled the authorities, alarmed the countryside,
and finally brought the case within the scope of our observation.
So much for the death of Sir Charles Basterville, you
perceived the devilish cunning of it, For really it would
(11:30):
be almost impossible to make a case.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Against the real murderer.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
His only accomplice was one who could never give them away,
and the grotesque, inconceivable nature of the device only served
to make it more effective. Both of the women concerned
in the case, Missus Stapleton and Missus Laura Lyons were
left with a strong suspicion against Stapleton. Missus Stapleton knew
(11:56):
that he had designs upon the old Man and also
of the existence of the hound. Missus Lyons knew neither
of these things, but had been impressed by the death
occurring at the time of an uncanceled appointment, which was
only known to him. However, both of them were under
his influence and he had nothing to fear from them.
(12:19):
The first half of his task was successfully accomplished, but
the more difficult still remained. It is possible that Stapleton
did not know of the existence of an heir in Canada.
In any case, he would very soon learn it from
his friend doctor Morbar, and he was told by the
(12:40):
latter all details about the arrival of Henry Baskerville. Stapleton's
first idea was that this young stranger from Canada might
possibly be done to death in London without coming down
to Devonshire at all. He distrusted his wife ever since
she had refused to help him elaying a trap for
(13:01):
the old Man, and he dared not leave her long
out of his sight for fear he should lose his
influence over her. It was for this reason that he
took her to London with him. They lodged I find
at the Mexborough Private Hotel in Craven Street, which was
actually one of those called upon by my agent in
(13:24):
search of evidence.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
Here he kept his.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
Wife imprisoned in her room, while he, disguised in a beard,
followed doctor Mortimer to Baker Street, and afterwards to the
station and to the Northumberland Hotel. His wife had some
inkling of his plans, but she had such a fear
of her husband, a fear founded upon brutal ill treatment,
(13:48):
that she dared not write to warn the man whom
she knew to be in danger. If the letter should
fall into Stapleton's hands, her own life would not be safe. Eventually,
as we know, she adopted the expedient of cutting out
the words which would form the message and addressing the
(14:08):
letter in a disguised hand. It reached the Baronet and
gave him the first warning of his danger.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
It was very.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Essential for Stapleton to get some article of Sir Henry's attire,
so that in case he was driven to use the dog,
he might always have the means of setting him upon
his track. With characteristic promptness and audacity, he set about
this at once, and we cannot doubt that the boots
(14:39):
or chambermaid of the hotel was well bribed to help
him in his design. By chance, however, the first boot
which was procured for him was a new one, and
therefore useless for his purpose. He then had to return
it and obtained another. A most instructive incident, since it
(14:59):
proved moved conclusively to my mind that we were dealing
with a real hound, as no other supposition could explain
this anxiety to obtain an old boot, and this indifference
to a new one. The more entree and grotesque an
incident is, the more carefully it deserves to be examined.
(15:21):
And the very point which appears to complicate a case
is when duly considered and scientifically handled, the one which
is most likely to elucidate it. Then we had the
visit from our friends next morning, shadowed always by Stapleton
in the cab. From his knowledge of our rooms and
(15:43):
of my appearance, as well as from his general conduct,
I am inclined to think that Stapleton's career of crime
has been, by no means limited to this single Baskerville affair.
It is suggestive that during the last three years there
have been four considerable burglaries in the West Country, for
(16:03):
none of which was any criminal ever arrested. The last
of these, at Folkestone Court in May, was remarkable for
the cold blooded pistoling of the page who surprised the
mossed and solitary burglar. I cannot doubt that Stapleton recruited
his waning resources in this fashion, and that for years
(16:25):
he has been a desperate and dangerous man. We had
an example of his readiness of resource that morning when
he got away from us so successfully, and also of
his audacity in sending back my own name to me
through the cabman. From that moment he understood that I
(16:45):
had taken over the case in London, and that therefore
there was no chance for him there. He returned to
Dartmoor and awaited the arrival of the Baronet. What moment
said I, you have no doubt describe the secrets of
events correctly, But there is one point which you have
(17:06):
left unexplained. What became of the owl when its master
was in London. I have given some attention to this matter,
and it is undoubtedly of importance. There can be no
question that Stapleton had a confidant, though it is unlikely
that he ever placed himself in his power by sharing
(17:29):
all his plans with him. There was an old man
servant at mary pet House whose name was Anthony. His
connection with the Stapletons can be traced for several years,
as far back as the schoolmastering days, so that he
must have been aware that his master and mistress were
really Hustand and wife. This man has disappeared and has
(17:54):
escaped from the country. It is suggestive that Anthony is
not a common name in England, while Antonio is so
in all Spanish or Spanish American countries.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
The man, like.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
Missus Stapleton herself, spoke good English, but with a curious
lisping accent. I have myself seen this old man crossed
the grip and Mire by the path which Stapleton had
marked out. It is very probable therefore, that, in the
absence of his master, it was he who cared for
(18:28):
the hound, though he may never have known the purpose
for which the beast was used. The Stapletons then went
down to Devonshire, whither they were soon followed by Sir
Henry and you. One word now as to how I
stood myself at that time. It may possibly recur to
(18:49):
your memory that when I examined the paper upon which
the printed words were fastened, I made a close inspection
for the water mark. In doing so, I held it
with it in a few inches of my eyes, and
was conscious of a faint smell of the scent known
as white jessamine. There are seventy five perfumes which it
(19:12):
is very necessary that a criminal expert should be able
to distinguish from each other, and cases have more than
once within my own experience, depended upon their prompt recognition.
The scent suggested the presence of a lady, and already
my thoughts began to turn towards the Stapletons. Thus I
had made certain of the hound and had guessed at
(19:35):
the criminal before ever we went to the West Country.
It was my game to watch Stapleton. It was evident, however,
that I could not do this if I were with you,
since he would be keenly on his guard. I deceived everybody,
therefore yourself included, and I came down secretly when I
was supposed to be in London. Life hardships were not
(19:58):
so great as you imagine, though such trifling details must
never interfere with the investigation of a case. I stayed
for the most part at coombe Tracy, and only used
the hut upon the moor when it was necessary to
be near the scene of action. Cartwright had come down
with me, and in his disguise as a country boy,
(20:20):
he was of great assistance to me. I was dependent
upon him for food and clean linen when I was
watching Stapleton. Cartwright was frequently watching you, so that I
was able to keep my hand upon all the strings.
I have already told you that your reports reached me rapidly,
(20:41):
being forwarded instantly from Becker Street to Coomb Tracy. They
were of great service to me, and especially that one
incidentally truthful piece of biography of Stapleton's. I was able
to establish the identity of the man and the woman,
and knew at last exactly how I stood. The case
had been considerably complicated through the incident of the escaped
(21:05):
convict and the relations between him and the Barrymoores. This
also you cleared up in a very effective way.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
Though I had already.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
Come to the same conclusions from my own observations. By
the time that you discovered me upon the moor, I
had a complete knowledge of the whole business, but I
had not a case which could go to a jury.
Even Stapleton's attempt upon Sir Henry that night, which ended
in the death of the unfortunate convict, did not help
(21:37):
us much in proving murder against our man. There seemed
to be no alternative but to catch him red handed,
and to do so we had to use Sir Henry alone,
and apparently unprotected, as a bait. We did so, and
at the cost of a severe shock to our client,
we succeeded in completing our case and driving Stapleton to
(22:01):
his destruction. That Sir Henry should have been exposed to
this is I must confess a reproach to my management
of the case. But we had no means of foreseeing
the terrible and paralyzing spectacle which the beast presented, nor
could we predict the fog which enabled him to burst
(22:22):
upon us at such short notice.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
We succeeded in our.
Speaker 1 (22:26):
Object at a cost which both the specialist and Doctor
Mortimer assure me will be a temporary one. A long
journey may enable our friend to recover not only from
his shattered nerves but also from his wounded feelings. His
love for the lady was deep and sincere, and to
(22:48):
him the saddest part of all this black business was
that he should have been deceived by her. It only
remains to indicate the part which she had played Throughout.
There can be no doubt that Stapleson exercised an influence
over her which may have been love, or may have
been fear, or very possibly both, since they are by
(23:12):
no means incompatible emotions. It was at least absolutely effective
at his command. She consented to pass as his sister,
though he found the limits of his power over her.
When he endeavored to make her the direct accessory to murder.
She was ready to warn Sir Henry so far as
(23:32):
she could without implicating her husband, and again and again
she tried.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
To do so.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
Stapleton himself seems to have been capable of jealousy, and
when he saw the baronet paying court to the lady,
even though it was part of his own plan, still
he could not help interrupting with a passionate outburst, which
revealed the fiery soul which his self contained manner so
cleverly conceived. By encouraging the intimacy, he made it certain
(24:04):
that Sir Henry would frequently come to marry pitt House,
and that he would sooner or later get the opportunity
which he desired. On the day of the crisis, however,
his wife turned suddenly against him. She had learned something
of the death of the convict, and she knew that
the hound was being kept in the outhouse. On the
(24:25):
evening that Sir Henry was coming to dinner, she taxed
her husband with his intended crime, and a furious scene followed,
in which she showed her for the first time that
she had a rival in his love. Her fidelity turned
in an instant to bitter hatred, and he saw that
she would betray him. He tied her up therefore, that
(24:47):
she might have no chance of warning Sir Henry, and
he hoped no doubt that when the whole countryside put
down the baronet's death to the curse of his family,
as they certainly would do, he could win his wife
back to accept an accomplished fact and to keep silent
upon what she knew. In this I fancy that in
(25:09):
any case he made a miscalculation, and that if we
had not been there, his doom would none the less
have been sealed. A woman of Spanish blood does not
condone such an injury so lightly. And now, my dear Watson,
without referring to my notes, I cannot give you a
(25:30):
more detailed account of this curious case. I do not
know that anything essential has been left unexplained. He could
not hope to frighten Sir Henry to death as he had.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
Done the old uncle with his bogey hound.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
The beast was savage and half starved. If its appearance
did not frighten its victim to death, at least it
would paralyze the resistance which.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
Might be offered.
Speaker 1 (25:56):
No doubt, there only remains one difficult If Stapleton came
into the succession, how could he explain the fact that
he the heir, had been living unannounced under another name,
so close to the property. How could he claim it
without causing suspicion an inquiry? It is a formidable difficulty,
(26:21):
and I fear that.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
You ask too much when you expect me to solve it.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
The past and the present are within the field of
my inquiry, but what a man may do in the
future is a hard question to answer. Missus Stapleton has
heard her husband discuss the problem on several occasions. There
were three possible courses. He might claim the property from
South America, establish his identity before the British authorities there,
(26:51):
and so obtain the fortune without ever coming to England
at all. Or he might adopt an elaborate disguise during
a short time that he need be in London. Or again,
he might furnish an accomplice with the proofs and papers,
putting him in as heir and retaining a claim upon
some proportion of his income. We cannot doubt, from what
(27:14):
we know of him, that he would have found some.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
Way out of the difficulty.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
And now, my dear Watson, we have had some weeks
of severe work, and for one evening I think we
may turn our thoughts into more pleasant channels. I have
a box for a late Huguenots.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
Have you heard the day rescues? Might I trouble you? Then?
Speaker 1 (27:39):
To be ready in half an hour, and we can
stop at Marsini's for a little.
Speaker 2 (27:45):
Dinner on the way.
Speaker 1 (27:48):
End of chapter fifteen, end of The Hound of the
Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
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