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he grazed his cattle on these slopes and he learned to dig for tin when the bronze sword began to supersede the stone axe . look at the great trench in the opposite hill . that is his mark . yes you will find some very singular points about the moor dr . watson . oh excuse me an instant ! it is surely cyclopides .
go back ! go straight back to london instantly .
why should i go back ?
i can not explain . but for gods sake do what i ask you . go back and never set foot upon the moor again .
but i have only just come .
man man ! can you not tell when a warning is for your own good ? go back to london ! start tonight ! get away from this place at all costs ! hush my brother is coming ! not a word of what i have said . would you mind getting that orchid for me among the marestails yonder ? we are very rich in orchids on the moor though of course you are rather late to see the beauties of the place .
halloa beryl !
well jack you are very hot .
yes i was chasing a cyclopides . he is very rare and seldom found in the late autumn . what a pity that i should have missed him !
you have introduced yourselves i can see .
yes . i was telling sir henry that it was rather late for him to see the true beauties of the moor .
why who do you think this is ?
i imagine that it must be sir henry baskerville .
no no only a humble commoner but his friend . my name is dr . watson .
we have been talking at cross purposes
why you had not very much time for talk
i talked as if dr . watson were a resident instead of being merely a visitor it can not much matter to him whether it is early or late for the orchids . but you will come on will you not and see merripit house ?
queer spot to choose is it not ? and yet we manage to make ourselves fairly happy do we not beryl ?
quite happy
it certainly did cross my mind that it might be a little dullless for you perhaps than for your sister .
no no i am never dull
we have books we have our studies and we have interesting neighbours . dr . mortimer is a most learned man in his own line . poor sir charles was also an admirable companion . we knew him well and miss him more than i can tell . do you think that i should intrude if i were to call this afternoon and make the acquaintance of sir henry ?
i am sure that he would be delighted .
then perhaps you would mention that i propose to do so . we may in our humble way do something to make things more easy for him until he becomes accustomed to his new surroundings . will you come upstairs dr . watson and inspect my collection of lepidoptera ? i think it is the most complete one in the southwest of england . by the time that you have looked through them lunch will be almost ready .
i have run all the way in order to cut you off dr . watson i had not even time to put on my hat . i must not stop or my brother may miss me . i wanted to say to you how sorry i am about the stupid mistake i made in thinking that you were sir henry . please forget the words i said which have no application whatever to you .
but i cant forget them miss stapleton i am sir henrys friend and his welfare is a very close concern of mine . tell me why it was that you were so eager that sir henry should return to london .
a womans whim dr . watson . when you know me better you will understand that i can not always give reasons for what i say or do .
no no . i remember the thrill in your voice . i remember the look in your eyes . please please be frank with me miss stapleton for ever since i have been here i have been conscious of shadows all round me . life has become like that great grimpen mire with little green patches everywhere into which one may sink and with no guide to point the track . tell me then what it was that you meant and i will promise to convey your warning to sir henry .
but what is the danger ?
you know the story of the hound ?
i do not believe in such nonsense .
but i do . if you have any influence with sir henry take him away from a place which has always been fatal to his family . the world is wide . why should he wish to live at the place of danger ?
because it is the place of danger . that is sir henrys nature . i fear that unless you can give me some more definite information than this it would be impossible to get him to move .
i can not say anything definite for i do not know anything definite .
i would ask you one more question miss stapleton . if you meant no more than this when you first spoke to me why should you not wish your brother to overhear what you said ? there is nothing to which he or anyone else could object .
my brother is very anxious to have the hall inhabited for he thinks it is for the good of the poor folk upon the moor . he would be very angry if he knew that i have said anything which might induce sir henry to go away . but i have done my duty now and i will say no more . i must go back or he will miss me and suspect that i have seen you . goodbye !
did the boy deliver it into your own hands ?
no i was in the boxroom at the time and my wife brought it up to me .
did you answer it yourself ?
no i told my wife what to answer and she went down to write it .
i could not quite understand the object of your questions this morning sir henry i trust that they do not mean that i have done anything to forfeit your confidence ?
i knew that barrymore walked about nights and i had a mind to speak to him about it two or three times i have heard his steps in the passage coming and going just about the hour you name .
perhaps then he pays a visit every night to that particular window
perhaps he does . if so we should be able to shadow him and see what it is that he is after . i wonder what your friend holmes would do if he were here .
i believe that he would do exactly what you now suggest he would follow barrymore and see what he did .
then we shall do it together .
but surely he would hear us .
the man is rather deaf and in any case we must take our chance of that . well sit up in my room tonight and wait until he passes .
what are you coming watson ?
that depends on whether you are going on the moor
yes i am .
well you know what my instructions are . i am sorry to intrude but you heard how earnestly holmes insisted that i should not leave you and especially that you should not go alone upon the moor .
my dear fellow holmes with all his wisdom did not foresee some things which have happened since i have been on the moor . you understand me ? i am sure that you are the last man in the world who would wish to be a spoilsport . i must go out alone .
you would have thought the middle of that prairie a fairly safe place for a man to be private but by thunder the whole countryside seems to have been out to see me do my wooingand a mighty poor wooing at that ! where had you engaged a seat ?
i was on that hill .
quite in the back row eh ? but her brother was well up to the front . did you see him come out on us ?
yes i did .
did he ever strike you as being crazythis brother of hers ?
i cant say that he ever did .
i dare say not . i always thought him sane enough until today but you can take it from me that either he or i ought to be in a straitjacket . whats the matter with me anyhow ? youve lived near me for some weeks watson . tell me straight now ! is there anything that would prevent me from making a good husband to a woman that i loved ?
i should say not .
he cant object to my worldly position so it must be myself that he has this down on . what has he against me ? i never hurt man or woman in my life that i know of . and yet he would not so much as let me touch the tips of her fingers .
did he say so ?
i dont say now that he isnt a crazy man i cant forget the look in his eyes when he ran at me this morning but i must allow that no man could make a more handsome apology than he has done .
did he give any explanation of his conduct ?
what are you doing here barrymore ?
nothing sir . it was the window sir . i go round at night to see that they are fastened .
on the second floor ?
yes sir all the windows .
look here barrymore we have made up our minds to have the truth out of you so it will save you trouble to tell it sooner rather than later . come now ! no lies ! what were you doing at that window ?
i was doing no harm sir . i was holding a candle to the window .
and why were you holding a candle to the window ?
dont ask me sir henrydont ask me ! i give you my word sir that it is not my secret and that i can not tell it . if it concerned no one but myself i would not try to keep it from you .
he must have been holding it as a signal let us see if there is any answer .
there it is !
no no sir it is nothingnothing at all ! i assure you sir
move your light across the window watson ! see the other moves also ! now you rascal do you deny that it is a signal ? come speak up ! who is your confederate out yonder and what is this conspiracy that is going on ?
it is my business and not yours . i will not tell .
then you leave my employment right away .
very good sir . if i must i must .
and you go in disgrace . by thunder you may well be ashamed of yourself . your family has lived with mine for over a hundred years under this roof and here i find you deep in some dark plot against me .
no no sir no not against you !
we have to go eliza . this is the end of it . you can pack our things
oh john john have i brought you to this ? it is my doing sir henryall mine . he has done nothing except for my sake and because i asked him .
speak out then ! what does it mean ?
my unhappy brother is starving on the moor . we can not let him perish at our very gates . the light is a signal to him that food is ready for him and his light out yonder is to show the spot to which to bring it .