The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-07-13

the breaking point. He had taken TINS
legend which / have read you exceeding
" to heart-so much so that. aithoueh
he would walk in his own grounds. hoth-
ing would induce him TO go cut upon the
! ,nnor at night Incredible as it may APP
lear TO you. Mr.. Holmes, he was non
6.stly convinced tina a dreadful fate over
hing his family and certainly the re
cords which he was able to give OF MS
ancestor were not encouraging. ne
idea of some ghastly presence constantly
haunted him. and on more than one oc-
t,rsion he has asked me whether L had
on my medical journeys at night ever
seen any strange creature or heard the
having of a hound The latter question
he nut 10 me several times. and al
ways with a voice which vibrated with
excitement
II can we'll remember driving up to
his house in the evening, some three
weeks before the fatal event he
CHANGED to be at his hall door. had
descended from my gig and was standing
in front of him. when I saw his eyes
FIX themselves over my shoulder ana
stare past me with an expression OF the
most dreadful horror. ! whsked round
and had lust time to catch a glimpse OF
81 r1ethinE which I took to be large
hack calf passing at the head OF the
c;r;ve So excited and alarmed was he
that 7 was compelled to- go down to the
spot where the animal had been and
look around for IT. 1t was gone, how
over, and the incident appeared to make
the worst impression upon his mind
| shaved with him all the evening. and
II was on that occasion. to explain the
emotion which he had shown, that ne
cCntided to my keeping That narrative
y hich I read to YOU when 1irst came.
/ mention this small episode because 1t
low h1
tragedy which followed but / was con-
vincpd al that time that the matter was
en.i, civ trivial and that his excitement
had no justification.
.It was at my advice that Sir Charles
Vas about TO 80 to London. his heart
was knew. affected. and the constant
an, iety in which he lived. however
chin erical the cause OF 1t m1snI ne was
evidently having a. serious effect upon
his health ] Thought that a few months
among the distractions of town would
send him back a new man. MI. sta
rIeton. a mutual friend who was mucn
concerned at his state of health. was
Of the same opinion. AT the last IN
slant came this terrible catastrophe.
..On the night of Sir Charles death
BARRYMORE the butler. who made the
discovery. sent Perkins. the groom. on
horseback to me- and as was sitting up
late | was able to reach Baskerville Hall
within an hour of the event ] checked
and corrclorated all the facts which
we're mentioned at the inquest. ] FOL
lrwed the footsteps down the 1ew Al
l@y saw the spot at the moor-Sate
where he seemed to have waited, | re-
marked the change in the shape Of the
prints after that point ] noted that there
re,e no other footsteps save those OF
| barrymore on the soft gravel. and finally
/ carefully examined the body which had
not been touched until my arrival. Sir
Charles lay on his face, his arms out.
his fingers dug into the ground. and his
features convulsed with some strong
emotion 10 such an extent that l could
hardly have sworn to his identity. There
VAS certainly no physical injury of any
hind. But one false statement was made
hv barrymore at the inquest. He said
that there were no traces upon the
ground round the body. He did not OBJ
serve any But l did-some little dis
tancc eff but fresh and clear"
IF, otprints?"
"i'ootprints."
"A mans or a woman's?''
DR. Mortimer looked strangely at us
for an instant and his voice sank al