'Sir Henry is now head of the Baskerville family?'asked Holmes.
'Yes,'said Dr Mortimer.'He is the last of the Baskervilles.The family lawyers contacted him in the USA.He has come to England immediately by ship.He landed this morning.Now,Mr Holmes,what do you advise me to do with him?'
'Why should he not go to the family home?'asked Holmes.
'Because so many Baskervilles who go there die horrible deaths.But Sir Charles'good work must go on.If it doesn't,all the people on the Baskerville lands will be much poorer.If the Baskerville family leaves the Hall,that is what will happen.I don't know what to do.That is why I came to you for advice.'
Holmes though for a little while.Then he said:'You think it is too dangerous for any Baskerville to live at the Hall because of this supernatural hellhound.Well,I think you should go and meet Sir Henry Baskerville.Say nothing to him about this.I shall give you my advice in twentyfour hours.At ten o'clock tomorrow morning,Dr Mortimer,I would like you to bring Sir Henry Baskerville here.'
Dr Mortimer got up from his chair.As he was leaving the room,Holmes said:'One more question,Dr Mortimer.You said that before Sir Charles'death several people saw this strange creature on the moor?'
'Three people did,'said Mortimer.
'Did anyone see it after the death?'
'I haven't heard of anyone.'
'Thank you,Dr Mortimer.Good morning.'
After Mortimer had left us,Holmes sat down in his chair.He looked pleased.He always looked pleased when a case interest ed him.
I knew that he needed to be alone to think about all that he had heard.I went out for the day,and came back to find the room full of thick smoke from Holmes'pipe.
'What do you think of this case?'I asked him.
'It is hard to say.Take,for example,the change in the foot prints.Did Sir Charles walk on his toes down the Alley?Only a stupid person is likely to believe that.The truth is he was run ning—running for his life.He ran until his heart stopped and he fell dead.'
'What was he running from?'I asked.
'That is the difficult question,'said Holmes.'I think he was mad with fear before he began to run.He didn't know what he was doing.That explains why he ran away from the house instead of towards it.He was running away from help.The next question:who was he waiting for that night?And why was he waiting in the Yew Alley and not in the house?'
'You think he was waiting for someone?'
'Sir Charles was old and unwell.We can understand why he took a walk each evening.But why did he stand in the cold,on wet ground,for five or ten minutes?Dr Mortimer cleverly noted the cigar ash,so we know how long Sir Charles stood there.We know that he kept away from the moor,so it's un likely that he waited at the moor gate every evening.I am be ginning to understand some things,Watson.But I'll think no more about it until we meet Dr Mortimer and Sir Henry Baskerville in the morning.Please give me my violin.'
And Holmes began to play his violin.He had done all the thinking he could.Now he needed more details of the case to help him.
摩梯末說出這些話時我感到一陣恐懼。福爾摩斯驚異地向前探著身子坐著，他的兩眼也表明他對這件事真的很感興趣。
“為什么沒有別人看到這些爪印呢？”他問道。
“這些爪印距尸體約二十米之遠，也沒有人想到要查看這么遠的地方，”摩梯末回答道。
“沼地里有許多牧羊犬嗎？”福爾摩斯問道。
“有，但是這絕不是牧羊犬。爪印的確很大——極大。”摩梯末回答道。
“但是它并沒有接近過尸體吧？”
“沒有。”
“那是個什么樣的夜晚？”福爾摩斯問道。
“又潮又冷，盡管并沒真正下雨。”
“把那個小道描述給我聽聽。”
“那個小道是位于兩排長長的水松樹籬之間的一條小路。樹籬是種得很密的矮小的樹種。它們大約有四米高。兩排水松樹籬之間的距離大約為七米。在樹籬中間是一條由小石子鋪就的小道。這條小道大約為三米寬，兩旁都種著草。”
“我想樹籬的某處有一個柵門通道吧，”福爾摩斯說道。
“是的，有一個小門，它通向沼地。”
“樹籬之中還有其他的通道嗎？”
“沒有。”
“因此，要想從水松小道里進出就只能經由莊園或是由開向沼地的柵門啰？”福爾摩斯問道。
“穿過遠處另一頭的涼亭還有一個出口。”
“查爾斯爵士走到那里了嗎？”
“沒有。他倒下的地方距那里約五十米，”摩梯末說道。
“我說，摩梯末醫(yī)生，這點是很重要的。您說您所看到爪印是在小道上而不是在草地上吧？”
“草地上看不到爪印，”摩梯末道。
“是在與開向沼地的柵門同一路邊上嗎？”
“是的。是在與柵門同一路邊上。”
“我發(fā)現(xiàn)這確實有趣。還有一個問題：柵門是關著的嗎？”
“是的。它關著，還鎖上了。”
“門有多高？”福爾摩斯問道。
“剛一米出頭高。”