The Hound of the Baskervilles, novel by Arthur Conan Doyle - Summary

The Hound of the Baskervilles

Arthur Conan Doyle

(Summary)

👉 The beginning of the main event and the case

The speculation of Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes about a cane left on Baker Street reveals the cutting power of Sherlock Holmes as well as the identity of a country doctor who came to London to seek Holmes' help. After the death of Sir Charles Baskerville, the only heir to Dr. Mortimer's estate is in London to pick up Sir Henry Baskerville. The death of Sir Charles from an apparent heart attack seems suspicious to Dr. Mortimer, as the expression on his face indicates that he died in panic. According to a legend, Baskervilles was terrified by a hellhound who, a few generations ago, hit and killed an ancestor known for his adultery. Dr. Mortimer thinks that perhaps Sir Charles was the victim of a hunter-gatherer hunt, as shouts were heard on nearby Moore.

Holmes rejected the theory as a myth born of superstition. When Dr. Mortimer reveals that he has found the footprints of a giant predator next to his body, Holmes becomes curious and agrees to meet Sir Henry.

However, Sir Henry is regarded to be legal heir of Baskerville's property, as the son of Sir Charles' middle brother. When Dr. Mortimer and his entourage arrived at Baker Street the next morning, Sir Henry revealed that he had received a warning at the hotel. It was a note consisting mostly of words cut from a newspaper. Examining the piece of paper, Holmes creates a profile of the potential author. Sir Henry further mentioned that he was missing a new boot. Despite such ominous and intriguing events, Sir Henry is determined to take possession of Baskerville Hall. As Sir Henry and Dr. Mortimer leave Baker Street, Holmes and Watson follow them, noticing that a bearded man is following them in a cab. They chase the cab, but the man escapes.

At lunch, Dr. Mortimer reveals that the butler at Baskerville Hall in Barrymore has a beard. They find the lost boot in Sir Henry's hotel room, but now another single boot, this time one of an old, worn brown pair is gone.

Holmes agreed to take the case but claimed that he could not accompany Sir Henry to Baskerville Hall because other lawsuits kept him in London. Instead he sent Dr. Watson with instructions not to leave Sir Henry's side and to return the detailed report.

👉 Scenes from ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’

Upon arrival in Devonshire, Watson learns that a criminal, Selden, has escaped from prison and is presumed to be hiding in Moore. As they make their way from the train station to Baskerville Hall, the dark moor slowly replaces the beautiful countryside. They arrive at Baskerville Hall after dark, an ominous and depressing monument, where Barrymore greets them.

That first night Watson heard a woman crying. Watson notices Mrs. Barrymore's red and swollen eyes, yet Barrymore claims she was not crying. This lie and the fact that Barrymore has a beard like the one that Sir Henry followed in London make Watson suspicious.

Watson investigated the land and neighbors of Baskerville Hall. He ran with Jack Stapleton, a naturalist who lives at nearby Merripit House. They talk about the death of Sir Charles and the danger of the Grimpen Mire, a stretched mud that could swallow a man or an animal, when they are interrupted by a scream. Stapleton dismisses the Hound legend and suggests that the term comes from a rare bird. When he chases a butterfly with his net, his sister, Beryl Stapleton, an exotic beauty arrives. He falsely assumes that Watson asks Sir Henry and him to leave. When Stapleton returns and introduces them correctly, he does not accept his warning to his brother.

When Sir Henry met Beryl Stapleton, he was shocked. Watson follows them when they meet for a walk and sees Sir Henry persuading him. Stapleton shows up and Watson reacts with unreasonable anger, because he's a good catch to his sister and Sir Henry. Later that day Stapleton came to Baskerville Hall and apologized for his annoyance and invited Sir Henry for dinner.

The next night Watson heard footsteps outside his house and hinted that Barrymore had disappeared into a room with a candle. The next morning Watson investigates the room and realizes that it shows Moore directly. He speculates that Barrymore has an affair and goes to the room to signal to his girlfriend for reunion. Watson shares his discovery with Sir Henry and the twos plan a getaway together. The second night they secretly follow Barrymore to his room and confront him before he realizes anything. The mob calls his wife and she admits that they are pointing to fugitive defendant Selden, who is his younger brother. They provide him with food and Sir Henry's hand-me-down clothing. Henry and Watson came out after the conviction to bring him to justice, but he avoided them. Instead they notice the tall silhouette of a stranger at the tip of a tube.

Barrymore reveals that the day after Sir Charles's death he was sent to L.L. Received a burnt letter from a woman with the initials of the name, requesting an appointment with Sir Charles that night and at which time he died. When Watson goes to investigate the mysterious man on the tube, he rushes to Dr. Mortimer, who advises that L.L. Maybe Laura Lyons, a woman living in nearby Coombe Tracy. When Watson interviewed him, he admitted that he had written the letter and requested an appointment because Sir Charles was going to help him finance his divorce. However, he unexpectedly received help from someone else and did not make an appointment, yet did not cancel it.

On the way back to Baskerville Hall, Watson rushes to Mr. Frankland, who scans Moore with his telescope in search of the fugitive? He believes he saw a young boy and identified him as guessing that he was feeding the culprit. Watson realizes that Frankland did not find the culprit but the mysterious man in the tube. Just then they see the boy walking towards Moore. Watson follows the boy's path to the ruins of a Neolithic stone hut, where he suspects the mysterious man is hiding. Although the area was secluded, Watson found traces of residence, in which the boy was carrying a small bundle of food and a note reported that he, Watson, had gone to Coombe Tracy. Realizing he was the target of the mysterious man, he descended to wait, his pistol drawn.

👉 Sherlock Holmes's contribution to the last moments of the event

The wait is soon over when no one but Sherlock Holmes will be present. He has revealed that he has been in hiding all this time and is continuing his own investigation. Watson, glad to see her but shocked at her deception, reveals to Holmes that Stapleton and his sister are actually husband and wife. Holmes is confidently sure that Stapleton is the killer, yet he needs more time to find a solid motive and relevant evidences to prove it.

Terrible screams interrupted their conversation. They rush to the sound and discover the body of Barrymore's brother-in-law Selden, who was wearing a tweed suit discarded by Sir Henry. A few minutes later they encounter Stapleton, who presumably came to Moore to look for Sir Henry, who did not show up for their dinner appointment.

Back at Baskerville Hall, Holmes examines family portraits and notices a striking resemblance between Sir Hugo and Stapleton. He concludes that Stapleton must be a relative in an attempt to eliminate the heirs so that he can claim Baskerville's fate for himself. Holmes devised a plan to prove his theory. Claiming that he and Watson were returning to London, he told Sir Henry to go to dinner at Merripit House himself, and crossed the Moore on foot and returned home. Sir Henry agreed to follow the instructions.

👉 Revealing the Truth by Sherlock Holmes

In reality Holmes summons Scotland Yard Inspector Lestrade and meets with Laura Lyons. Disappointed to hear Stapleton get married, he admits that Stapleton promised to marry him, wrote a letter to Sir Charles, but then told him he didn't need to make an appointment.

They go to the train station to pick up Leicester, head to Moore, and wait for Sir Henry. The fog goes inside and obscures the view of the path that Sir Henry will take. When Sir Henry came out of the fog, they heard the clapping of a large bird of prey. It looks like a sack that encloses with a drawstring. The hunter came out of the fog and attacked Sir Henry. Holmes and Watson shot and killed the hunter before Sir Henry was injured. Watson discovered phosphorus around the dog's mouth, the purpose of which was to make the dog look hellish and to evoke the legend of the hunter-gatherer hunter in Baskerville.

Back at Merripit House, they find Stapleton's wife tied up. Due to the fog they delayed following Stapleton until the next day, when Beryl Stapleton took their Grimpen Mire to his dormitory. On the way they find Sir Henry's lost boot. The tail of the footprint ends abruptly, indicating that Stapleton was sucked into the mud.

Returning to Baker Street a few weeks later, Sir Henry and Dr. Mortimer set out on a voyage to help Sir Henry recover his health. Holmes provides missing details of the case. Stapleton was the son of Roger Baskerville. He was married to Costa Rican beauty Beryl Garcia. Due to embezzlement allegations, they had to leave South America and come to England, where they opened a school, which ultimately failed. When Stapleton heard of his potential claim to inheritance, he planned to get rid of the heirs standing in his way. He trained a hunter-gatherer to awaken the Baskerville legend. Sir Henry's first boot was taken for his scent, but it was very new, so the second, old boot was taken. Stapleton set the hound on the fugitive defendant, thinking him Sir Henry because he was wearing his old tweed suit. Beryl Stapleton went against her husband to save Sir Henry. The novel ends with Watson and Holmes deciding to have some dinner before heading to the theater.

*****

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