The Hound of the Baskervilles
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Book Description
Curse of Baskerville - A Flashback
Sir Charles was found dead in the yew valley due to heart attack. Fearing for the safety of Sir Charles's nephew Sir Henry, who was coming to London from Canada, Dr. Edward Mortimer appeals for help to Sherlock Holmes. Mortimer reads to Holmes and Watson a description of the origin of the curse written by a descendant of Hugo Baskerville. The curse he believes...
MoreCurse of Baskerville - A Flashback
Sir Charles was found dead in the yew valley due to heart attack. Fearing for the safety of Sir Charles's nephew Sir Henry, who was coming to London from Canada, Dr. Edward Mortimer appeals for help to Sherlock Holmes. Mortimer reads to Holmes and Watson a description of the origin of the curse written by a descendant of Hugo Baskerville. The curse he believes, chases the Baskervilles for centuries, in revenge for the misdeeds of Sir Hugo Baskerville, who lived in an earlier time. According to the legend, Hugo Baskerville, an evil man with a sadistic streak, became infatuated with a yeoman's daughter, kidnapped her and imprisoned her in his bedchamber. She managed to escape while he was talking with his friends. A drunken and furious Hugo cried that he would give his body and soul to the Powers of Evil if he could only overtake her. He rode after her onto the moor, his hunting hounds upon her scent and his friends in pursuit. Sometime later his friends came upon the bodies of Hugo and the girl. She had died from fear and fatigue, while a giant spectral hound stood over Sir Hugo's body. With his friends watching, the hound plucked out Hugo's throat and disappeared into the night.
Present day
Mortimer has deduced that Sir Charles had been waiting for someone at the time of his death. Sir Charles' face was contorted into a ghastly expression. His footprints suggested that he was desperately running from something. It was known that elderly Sir Charles' heart was not strong, and that he planned to go to London the next day. Mortimer also reveals that he observed the footprints "of a gigantic hound" near Sir Charles' body, a fact he did not reveal at the inquest into the death. Intrigued by the case, Holmes meets with Sir Henry, who has arrived from Canada. He is puzzled by an anonymous note delivered to his hotel room, warning him to avoid the moor. The note is composed of letters cut from a newspaper which Holmes recognises as the previous day's Times. Only the word "moor" is handwritten. The sputtering of the pen and the lack of ink suggest the note was written in a hotel. The fact that the letters were cut with small nail scissors suggests a woman, as does the scent of perfume. This last detail Holmes keeps to himself. When Holmes and Watson join Sir Henry at his hotel, they learn one of his new boots has gone missing. No good explanation can be found for the loss.
The ghostly black dog of British folklore.Holmes asked if there were any other relatives besides Henry. Mortimer tells him that Charles had two brothers. Henry is the son of the elder Sir Henry who settled in Canada and raised him in both Canada and the USA. Another brother, Roger, was known to be the family black sheep. A wastrel and inveterate gambler,he "made England too hot to hold him" and left for South America to avoid creditors. He is believed to have died there alone.
Despite the note's warning, Sir Henry insists on visiting Baskerville Hall. As Sir Henry leaves Holmes' Baker Street apartment, Holmes and Dr Watson follow him and spy a man with a fake-looking black beard in a cab also following him. He escapes when chased but Holmes catches the cab number. Holmes then stops in at a messenger office and employs a young boy, Cartwright, to go around to the hotels and look through the wastepaper in search of a cut-up copy of the Times.
By the time they return to the hotel, Sir Henry has had another boot stolen, an old one now. When the first missing boot is discovered before the meeting is over, Holmes begins to realise they must be dealing with a real hound (hence the emphasis on the scent of the used boot). When conversation turns to the man in the cab, Mortimer says that Barrymore, the servant at Baskerville Hall, has a beard, and a telegram is sent to check on his whereabouts. The inheritance is also discussed - while it is a sizable amount, the next in line is James Desmond, an elderly clergyman with little in
Publisher | |
Binding | Kindle Edition (21 editions) |
Reading Level | Uncategorized
|
# of Pages | N/A |
ISBN-10 | B00472O5Q2 |
Publication Date | 10/12/2010 |
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