Calico Classics Illustrated: Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of Baskervilles
I nodded tentatively Thus your elderly country doctor transforms into a young man under thirty He is absent minded and has a beloved dog that is larger than a terrier but smaller than a mastiff At this Holmes leaned back and gazed at the ceiling Since the doctor had left his card I pulled out a medical directory and looked up his name It showed that he was all the things Holmes said though I still could see no reason to deduce that he had a dog and mentioned as much The dog has carried the stick Holmes said The marks are clear on the wood Thus the dog must be large enough to bear a heavy stick and we can see by the bite width that it could not be a beast as large as a mastiff In fact it is a curly-haired spaniel Now how could you possibly know that I asked I see him on our doorstep with his owner Now let us see what Dr James Mortimer the 8
man of science asks of Sherlock Holmes the specialist in crime Come in The man who entered was very tall and thin with a long nose like a beak His gray eyes were closely set and sparkled brightly behind a pair of gold-rimmed glasses His frock coat was dingy and his trousers were frayed As soon as he spotted his stick in Holmes’s hand he ran toward it with an exclamation of joy I am delighted that you found my stick he said A presentation I see Holmes said Yes from friends at Charing Cross on the occasion of my marriage Oh Holmes said shaking his head I nearly smiled to see him proved wrong in a small deduction Yes sir I married and so left the hospital to begin a consulting practice and make a home of my own I presume that I am addressing Mr Sherlock Holmes and this would be He looked at me then 9
This is my friend Dr Watson Glad to meet you sir he said with enthusiasm I’ve heard your name mentioned in connection with Mr Holmes Holmes invited the doctor to sit and asked why he had come I am suddenly confronted with a most serious problem and as you are the second highest expert in Europe Indeed sir May I inquire who has the honor to be the fi rst Holmes asked with some temper To the man of precisely scientifi c mind the work of Monsieur Bertillon must always appeal strongly Then perhaps you should consult him But my problem is more practical than scientifi c and in practical affairs you stand alone I trust I have not accidentally Just a little Holmes said Perhaps it would be best if you explained your problem 10
2 The Curse of the Baskervilles I have something I wish to read to you Dr Mortimer said Something from the early-eighteenth century manuscript in your pocket Holmes asked The doctor looked startled How do you know its age I see an inch or two of it above the line of your pocket I would be a poor expert if I could not give the date of a document within a decade or two after seeing it for several minutes Holmes said I put the date at 1730 The exact date is 1742 Dr Mortimer drew it from his pocket This family paper was given to me several months ago by Sir 11
