SUMMARY OF HOUND OF BASKERVILLE

When Sir Charles Baskerville is found dead in the alley by

the moor, Dr. Mortimer goes to London to get Sherlock
Holmess help in deciding on the proper course of action
for the new heir. He reads the manuscript about the
family curse, supposedly begun over Hugo Baskervilles
inappropriate actions, and a newspaper article about Sir
Charless death. After this, the doctor reveals that there is
another piece of information-there were footprints of a
hound a short distance from the fallen body. Holmes
questions him over the details, wishing that he could
have been called in earlier to examine the scene, but this
was not possible, given the need for a tenant in the Hall
and in the interest of preserving the doctors scientific
reputation.
It is also told that Sir Charles appeared to be waiting for
someone, though he was an elderly man; that his
footprints showed he had been running away from the
house in his fright; and that his heart was weak, so that
he was to leave for London the next day. Though Holmes
does not believe in the curse himself, he is intrigued by
the case and agrees to meet the next day to discuss it.
Sir Henry (the heir) arrives from Canada and is already a
little shaken. A note warning him to stay away from the
moor was delivered at his hotel, where no one had known
he would be staying. Holmes recognizes the cut-out
letters from the previous days Times; being pressed for
time, the sender had not been able to find the word

moor and had handwritten it. The poor quality of the

pen shows that it was written from a hotel, and the scent
of perfume on the note points to a woman (this latter
piece of evidence Holmes keeps to himself until the end).
Sir Henry has also had a new boot stolen.
Once Sir Henry has been filled in, they make plans to
meet again at the hotel later that day once he has had
time to think, but it is clear that he will insist on going to
Baskerville Hall. Holmes and Watson trail Sir Henry and
Dr. Mortimer on their way back to the hotel, and discover
that a man with a black beard (likely a fake) is following
the pair in a cab. The cab drives off when the man
discovers Holmes has spotted him, but the detective is
able to get the cab number. Holmes then stops in at the
messenger office and employs Cartwright to go around to
the hotels, bribe the employees, and look through the
wastepaper in search of a cut-up copy of the Times.
By the time they go 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 privately realize they must be dealing
with a real hound (hence the emphasis on the scent of
the item). When conversation turns to the man in the cab,
Dr. 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 older man with few interests in
wealth

At the end of the meeting, it is decided that, Holmes

being tied up in London with other cases, Watson will
accompany Sir Henry to the Hall and report back in detail.
Later that evening, telegrams from Cartwright (who was
unable to find the newspaper) and Baskerville Hall (where
Barrymore apparently is) bring an end to those leads.
Also, a visit from John Clayton, who was driving the cab
with the black-bearded man, is of little help. He does say
that the man told him that he was the detective Holmes,
much to the shock and amusement of the actual Holmes.
Dr. Mortimer, Watson, and Sir Henry set off for
Baskerville Hall the next day. The baronet is excited to
see it and his connection with the land is clear, but the
mood is soon dampened. Soldiers are about the area, on
the lookout for the escaped convict Selden, Barrymore
and his wife want to depart from the area as soon as
convenient, and the Hall is in general a somber place.
Watson has trouble sleeping that night, and hears a
woman crying, though the next morning Barrymore
denies that this could be so. Watson checks with the
postmaster and learns that the telegram was not actually
delivered into the hands of Barrymore, so it is no longer
certain that he was at the Hall, and not in London. On his
way back, Watson meets Stapleton, a naturalist familiar
with the moor even though he has only been in the area
for two years. They hear a moan that the peasants
attribute to the hound, but Stapleton attributes it to the
cry of a bittern, or possibly the bog settling. He then runs
off after a specimen, but Watson is not alone for long

before Miss Stapleton approaches him. Mistaking him for

Sir Henry, she urgently warns him to leave the area, but
drops the subject when her brother returns. The three
walk to Merripit House (the Stapletons home), and during
the discussion, Watson learns that Stapleton used to run
a school.
Though he is offered lunch and a look at Stapletons
collections, Watson departs for the Hall. Before he gets
far along the path, Miss Stapleton overtakes him and
plays off her warning.
Sir Henry soon meets her and becomes romantically
interested, despite her brothers intrusions. Watson meets
another neighbor, Mr. Frankland, a harmless man whose
primary focus is on lawsuits. Barrymore draws increasing
suspicion, as Watson sees him walk with a candle into an
empty room, hold it up to the window, and then leave.
Realizing that the rooms only advantage is its view out
on the moor, Watson and Sir Henry are determined to
figure out what is going on.
Meanwhile, during the day, Sir Henry continues to pursue
Miss Stapleton until her brother runs up on them and yells
angrily. He later explains to the disappointed baronet that
it was not personal, he was just afraid of losing his only
companion so quickly. To show there are no hard feelings,
he invites Sir Henry to dine with him and his sister on
Friday.
Sir Henry then becomes the person doing the surprising,
when he walks in with Watson on Barrymore, catching

him at night in the room with the candle. He refuses to

answer their questions, since it is not his secret to tell,
but Mrs. Barrymores. She tells them that Selden is her
brother and the candle is a signal to allow him to get
food. When the couple returns to their room, Sir Henry
and Watson go off to find the convict, despite the poor
weather and frightening sound of the hound. They see
Selden by another candle, but are unable to catch him.
Watson notices the figure of another man, but he likewise
gets away.
Barrymore is upset when he finds out that they tried to
capture Selden, but when an agreement is reached to
allow Selden to escape out of the country, he is willing to
repay the favor. He tells them about a mostly-burned
letter asking Sir Charles to be at the gate at the time of
his death. It was signed with the initials L.L. Dr. Mortimer
tells Watson the next day that it could be Laura Lyons,
Franklands daughter who lives in Coombe Tracey. When
Watson goes to talk to her, she admits to writing the
letter after Stapleton told her Sir Charles would be willing
to help her, but says she never kept the appointment.
Frankland has just won two cases and invites Watson in,
as his carriage passes by, to help him celebrate.
Barrymore had previously told Watson that another man
lived out on the moor besides Selden, and Frankland
unwittingly confirms this, when he shows Watson through
his telescope the figure of a boy carrying food off. Watson
departs the house and goes off in that direction. He finds
the dwelling where the unknown man has been staying,

goes in, sees a message reporting on his own activities,

and waits.
Holmes turns out to be the unknown man, keeping his
location a secret so that Watson would not be tempted to
come out and so he would be able to appear on the scene
of action at the critical moment. Watsons reports have
been of much help to him, and he then tells his friend
some of the information hes uncovered-Stapleton is
actually married to the woman passing as Miss Stapleton,
and was also promising marriage to Laura Lyons to get
her cooperation. As they bring their conversation to an
end, they hear a scream, the sounds of a man being
pursued by the hound.
They take off running and when they see the figure, they
mistake it for Sir Henry. As their misery and regret grow,
they realize it is actually Selden, dressed in the baronets
old clothes (which had been given to Barrymore by way of
further apology for distrusting him). Then Stapleton
appears, and while he makes excuses for his presence,
Holmes pretends to be returning to London.
Holmes and Watson return to Baskerville Hall, where over
dinner, the detective realizes the similarity between Hugo
Baskervilles portrait and Stapleton. This provides the
motive in the crime-with Sir Henry gone, Stapleton, the
son of Rodger, could claim the Baskerville fortune. When
they return to Mrs. Lyonss place, they get her to admit to
Stapletons role in the letter setup, and then they go to
meet Lestrade.

Under the threat of advancing fog, Watson, Holmes, and

Lestrade lie in wait outside the Merripit House, where Sir
Henry has been dining. When the baronet leaves and sets
off across the moor, the hound is soon let loose. It really
is a terrible beast, but Holmes and Watson manage to
shoot it before it can hurt Sir Henry. They discover Mrs.
Stapleton imprisoned in the bedroom, and when she is
freed, she tells them of Stapletons hideout deep in
Grimpen Mire. When they head out the next day to look
for him, they are not able to find him, and he is presumed
dead.