The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 127 The Hound of the Baskervilles (8)
"A little walk along the moor path will bring you to Melipe," said he. "Perhaps you can spare an hour, and I should be glad to introduce you to my sister."

It first occurred to me that I should accompany Sir Henry, but then I remembered that his desk was so full of papers and papers that I could not help him, and that Holmes had specifically enjoined me to speak to the people on the moor. to investigate, so I accepted Stapleton's invitation, and together we turned up the lane.

"This moor is a wonderful place," said he, looking round.The undulating hills are like rolling green waves, and the jagged granite peaks are like strange-shaped sprays stirred up by the waves. "You will never tire of the moor. Its marvelous mysteries are beyond your imagination. So vast, so desolate, so mysterious."

"Then you must know all about the moor?"

"I've only lived here two years, and the locals treat me like a newcomer. Sir Childs hadn't been here long when we came. My interest has led me to keep an eye out for everyone in the country. part, so I think few people know more about it than I do."

"Is it hard to figure out the place?"

"It's very difficult. You know, for example, there are several strange-shaped hills protruding from the middle of this large plain in the north. Can you see anything special about it?"

"This is a rare good place to ride the horse and whip the whip."

"Naturally you think so, but so many people have died who have thought this way. Can you see the places where the green grass is densely covered?"

"Yeah, that place looks more fertile than the rest."

Stapleton laughed. "That's the Great Greenpings Mire," he said, "and a little carelessness in there will kill both man and beast. I saw a moor pony run into it yesterday, and Never came out again. After a long time I also saw it sticking its head out of the mud puddle, but eventually got stuck in it. Even in the dry season, it is dangerous to walk through there. After these few autumn rains , all the more terrible. But I can find my way to the center of the quagmire, and come back safe and sound. My God! Another unlucky pony is stuck in it."

At this time, I saw a brown thing rolling up and down in the green grass, twisting its neck and stretching upwards, and then let out a long painful cry. The terrible roar echoed in the swamp, terrified. I was cold all over, but Stapleton seemed to have stronger nerves than I did.

"It's over!" he said. "He's been swallowed up by the mire. Two in two days, and I don't know how many after that. In dry weather, ponies are used to running Go there, but they don't know the difference between a drought and a rain after they get entangled in the mud. The Great Greenping Mire is a terrible place."

"But didn't you say you could go through it easily and return safely?"

"Yes, there is a small path here, only those with agility can walk across it, and I have found this path."

"But why do you want to go into such a terrible place?"

"Ah, do you see that hill over there? It's an island cut off by an ancient mire. If you go there, it's a paradise for rare plants and butterflies."

"I'll try my luck someday."

He suddenly looked at me with a surprised expression on his face. "Please put that aside," he said, "that would be tantamount to me killing you indirectly. I bet you'd have a hard time getting back alive. I got there by memorizing certain intricate landmarks."

"My God!" I exclaimed, "what's that?"

A long, low, and indescribably miserable moan resounded throughout the moor, but it was impossible to tell where it came from.It started as a muffled hum, then turned into a deep growl, then turned into a mournful rhythmic hum again.

Stapleton looked at me curiously. "What a strange place the moor is!" said he.

"What on earth is this?"

"The farmers say it's the hounds of the Baskervilles hunting. I've heard it once or twice before, but never so loudly."

Trembling with terror, I scanned the rolling fields dotted with patches of green groves.In the vast field, there was no movement except for a pair of big crows croaking on the rocky hill behind us.

"You are an educated man, and you don't believe such nonsense?" I said. "Where do you think this strange sound comes from?"

"The quagmire sometimes makes strange noises, the mud sinks or the groundwater rises up, or something else."

"No, no, that's the sound of animals."

"Oh, maybe. Have you ever heard a heron call?"

"No, never heard of it."

"It's a rare bird in England--almost extinct--but it might still be there in the moor. Yes, it wouldn't be surprising if what we'd just heard was the unique call of a heron."

"It's literally the scariest, weirdest sound I've ever heard in my life."

"Yes, it's quite a mysterious place here. Look over the hill, and what do you think it is?"

The whole steep hillside was a circle of gray stones, in at least twenty piles.

"What is that? Is it a sheepfold?"

"No, that was the dwelling of our venerable ancestors. There were many people who lived in the moors in prehistoric times, and since no one has lived there since then, the layout of those stone houses we see is still different from them. They are exactly the same as they were when I was there. Those are their roofless huts. If you go inside out of curiosity, you can see their stove and bed."

"It's almost the size of a town. Since when did people live there?"

"About Neolithic - no exact date."

"What were they doing then?"

"They began to herd cattle on these hillsides. When bronze knives began to take the place of stone axes, they learned to mine tin. Look at the ditches on the opposite hill, and that's the remains of the digging. Yes, Dr. Watson, you'll find the moor Some very special places. Oh, sorry, just a second! Must be the Cyclopedia moth."

Something, be it a fly or a moth, fluttered across the path, and in an instant Stapleton was upon him with extraordinary force and speed.To my astonishment, the little animal flew straight towards the big mire, and my friend, waving his green net, hopped along among the clumps of young trees.He was dressed in gray, and the jerks and zigzags of his movement made him look like a moth himself.I was envious of his agility and abnormal movements, but also afraid that he would stumble in the unpredictable depth of the quagmire. With such complicated emotions, I watched him chase after him.At this moment I heard footsteps, turned around, and saw a woman coming from the side of the road not far from me, coming from the direction where a puff of smoke indicated that Melipe was, because it had been surrounded by the moor. The low spot was covered so I didn't notice it until she got very close.

My intuition told me that this was Miss Stapleton.For there are very few ladies in the moor, and I remember being said she was a beauty.The woman who came to me should indeed be included in the extraordinary category.The difference in appearance between brother and sister is probably not more obvious than the two of them.Miss Stapleton was of fair complexion, with fair hair and gray eyes; she was darker than any dark-skinned girl I had ever seen in England, and she was slim and well-mannered.Her face was proud and beautiful, with well-formed features that would have looked cold were it not for sensitive lips and beautiful black, eager eyes.She had a perfect figure, and she was dressed in rich clothes, like a strange ghost on a silent moor path.When I turned around, she was looking at her brother, and then she walked quickly towards me.I took off my hat and was about to explain a few words, when her words led my thoughts into another way.

"Go back!" said she. "Go back to London at once, and go at once."

I was taken aback and stared at her blankly.Her eyes were blazing, and one foot was slapping the ground impatiently.

"Why should I go back?" I asked.

"I can't explain." Her voice was low, but pleading, with a strange tongue-like voice, "but for God's sake, do as I say, go back, and never Come to the moor."

"But I just came yesterday!"

"You man, you man!" she exclaimed, "can't you hear that this warning is for your own good? Go back to London! Start to-night! Get out of this place at all costs! Shhh, My brother is coming! Don't say a word about what I said. Would you please give me that orchid over there on the sedge? There are many orchids in our swamp, and you are obviously late , I can no longer see the beautiful scenery here."

Stapleton had given up chasing the bug, and came back to us panting and flushed with exhaustion.

"Aha, Belle!" he said.But I don't think the tone of his greeting was warm.

"Oh, Jack, are you hot?"

"Well, I just went after a big cycropedia moth, one of those rare ones in late autumn. What a pity I didn't catch it!" he said casually, but his slick But his small eyes kept looking back and forth between me and the woman's face.

"I can see that you have already introduced yourself."

"Yes, I was telling Sir Henry that he was too late to see the real beauty of the moor."

"Ah, who do you think this is?"

"I think it must be Sir Henry Baskerville."

"No, no," said I; "I am but a lowly common man, Sir's friend, Dr. Watson."

Her expressive face was flushed with chagrin. "We actually started talking about it in a misunderstanding," she said.

"Ah, it's okay, it seems that you haven't chatted for a long time." Her brother still looked at us suspiciously as he spoke.

"I talked to Dr. Watson not as a guest, but as a resident," she said. "It didn't matter to him whether the orchids bloomed sooner or later. Come, you don't want to see us." Is it at Melipe's house?"

It was a short distance away, a deserted and lonely house on the moor, which had been a shepherd's house when it was prosperous, but had been repaired and turned into a new type of dwelling.There were orchards all around, but the trees, like those of the moor, were stunted and badly grown, and an air of gloom hung over the place.We were admitted in by an old, faded footman who looked odd and thin, which suited the house.The inside of the room is very large, neatly and elegantly furnished, from which we can see the style of the lady.I looked out of the window, and the granite-strewn moor rolled up and down towards the distant horizon.I can't help but wonder, what caused this highly educated man and this beautiful lady to live in such a place?
"Surprised at the odd location, isn't it?" he said, as if in answer to a question I was thinking. "But we had a good time, didn't we, Belle."

"Happy," she said.But her tone was strained.

"I once ran a school," said Stapleton, "in the North, a job that would have seemed dull to a man of my character, but was able to be with young people, to help and develop them." , and use personal conduct and ideals to influence their hearts, which is very valuable to me. But our luck is bad, a serious infectious disease occurred in the school, three boys died, after this blow Well, the school never came back up, and I lost most of my funds. But I could have forgotten about this misfortune if it hadn't been for not being able to be with those lovely kids anymore. Botany has a strong interest, and here I have found an inexhaustible source of material for my study, and my sister shares my love for the study of nature. All this, Dr. Watson, at When you looked at the moor outside our window, it got into your head, and it showed in your face."

"I do think that life here might be a little dull for your sister, and maybe a little better for you."

"No, no, I'm never bored," she said quickly.

"We have books, we have our studies, and we have interesting neighbours. Dr. Mortimer is the most learned man in his trade! Poor Sir Childs is good company. We are He knows a great deal, and misses him inexpressibly. Do you think I should take the liberty of calling on Sir Henry this afternoon?"

"I dare say he will be delighted to see you."

"Then it would be best if you mentioned to him that I intend to call on him. Perhaps we can do something to make him acquainted with the place sooner, before he becomes accustomed to it. Would you like, Dr. Watson?" Go upstairs and see my collection of Lepidoptera? I think that is the most complete collection that can be found in the South West of England. By the time you are done, lunch will be almost ready gone."

And now I am anxious to go back and see my client.The gloomy moor, the hapless pony in the mire, and the hideous noise associated with the frightful legend of the Hound of the Baskervilles all colored my brain with melancholy.Over these more or less vague impressions floated Miss Stapleton's clear and definite warning.The manner in which she spoke at the time was so sincere that I could not doubt that there must be a solid reason behind the warning.I declined all entreaties to stay for lunch, and immediately set off on my way back by the weedy path I had come on.

Those who know the terrain seem bound to find a shortcut, and I had not yet reached the main road when I saw Miss Stapleton sitting on a rock beside the path.She had a beautiful blush from the strenuous exercise, and she had her hands on her hips.

"I have come here at once to stop you, Dr. Watson," said she, "and I have not even had time to put on my hat. I must not stay here long, or my brother will be killed in my absence." Feeling lonely. I want to apologize to you for the foolish mistake I made when I took you for Sir Henry. Please forget what I said, it has nothing to do with you .”

"But I cannot forget, Miss Stapleton," said I, "that I am a friend of Sir Henry's, and I am very concerned for his safety. Tell me why you are so eager to think that Sir Henry should return to London." ?”

"It's just a woman's whim, Dr. Watson. When you get to know me better, you'll realize that I don't always have an account of what I do or say."

"No, no. I remember that trembling tone of yours, and I remember the look in your eyes. Oh, please tell me frankly, Miss Stapleton, that as soon as I got here I was surrounded by doubts. Life has become like the Greenpings Mire, with little patches of bushes everywhere, where a man gets stuck in the mud, and no guide can show him a way out. Tell me, what on earth do you mean, I promise You must convey your warning to Sir Henry."

A look of indecision flashed across her face for a moment, but her eyes became determined again when she answered me.

"You think too much, Dr. Watson," she said. "My brother and I were shocked when we heard the news of Sir Childs' death. We were very close to the old man, because he loved to wear Moor came to our house for a walk. He was deeply affected by the curse that hung over his family. After this tragedy, I naturally felt that the fear he displayed was not without reason. Now I was concerned when another member of the family came to live here, and I felt that a warning should be given of the danger that might befall him. That's all I wanted to convey to him."

"But what is the danger you speak of?"

"Do you know the legend of the Hound?"

"I don't believe this nonsense."

"But I believe it. If you can still influence Sir Henry, please take him away from their family's doom. The world is big, and there is a place to live everywhere. Why is he willing to live in this dangerous place? Woolen cloth?"

"He came and lived here because it was a dangerous place, Sir Henry's character is like that. Unless you can give me something more specific than that, I'm afraid it won't make much sense to get him out of here." easy."

"I can't say anything specific anymore because I don't know anything specific."

"I'm going to ask you one more question, Miss Stapleton. If that's what you said to me, why didn't you let your brother hear you? There's nothing in it that deserves him or anyone else. Where people object."

"My brother wished very much that the estate should be taken up, because he thought it would do some good to the poor people on the moor. He might be very angry if he knew what I said that might make Sir Henry go away. Now I have done my duty, and I will say no more. I must go back, or he will not see me, and suspect that I have come to meet you. Good-bye!" She turned and walked away, and within a few minutes I was lost among the rocks, and I hurried back to Baskerville Hall with a vague terror.

(End of this chapter)