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.

摩梯末说出这些话时我感到一阵恐惧。福尔摩斯惊异地向前探着身子坐着，他的两眼也表明他对这件事真的很感兴趣。

“为什么没有别人看到这些爪印呢？”他问道。

“这些爪印距尸体约二十米之远，也没有人想到要查看这么远的地方，”摩梯末回答道。

“沼地里有许多牧羊犬吗？”福尔摩斯问道。

“有，但是这绝不是牧羊犬。爪印的确很大——极大。”摩梯末回答道。

“但是它并没有接近过尸体吧？”

“没有。”

“那是个什么样的夜晚？”福尔摩斯问道。

“又潮又冷，尽管并没真正下雨。”

“把那个小道描述给我听听。”

“那个小道是位于两排长长的水松树篱之间的一条小路。树篱是种得很密的矮小的树种。它们大约有四米高。两排水松树篱之间的距离大约为七米。在树篱中间是一条由小石子铺就的小道。这条小道大约为三米宽，两旁都种着草。”

“我想树篱的某处有一个栅门通道吧，”福尔摩斯说道。

“是的，有一个小门，它通向沼地。”

“树篱之中还有其他的通道吗？”

“没有。”

“因此，要想从水松小道里进出就只能经由庄园或是由开向沼地的栅门啰？”福尔摩斯问道。

“穿过远处另一头的凉亭还有一个出口。”

“查尔斯爵士走到那里了吗？”

“没有。他倒下的地方距那里约五十米，”摩梯末说道。

“我说，摩梯末医生，这点是很重要的。您说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。

“是在与开向沼地的栅门同一路边上吗？”

“是的。是在与栅门同一路边上。”

“我发现这确实有趣。还有一个问题：栅门是关着的吗？”

“是的。它关着，还锁上了。”

“门有多高？”福尔摩斯问道。

“刚一米出头高。”

“那么说，任何人都能爬过去啰？”

“是的。”

“你在栅门处看到了什么痕迹？”

“查尔斯爵士似乎在那里站了五至十分钟，”摩梯末说道。“我之所以知道这个，是因为他抽的那支雪茄是点着的，烟蒂处还曾两次掉下烟灰。”

“太妙了，”福尔摩斯道。“此人是位好侦探，华生。”

“查尔斯爵士在他所站的那一小片路面上到处都留下了自己的脚印。我看不出其他痕迹。”

歇洛克·福尔摩斯生气地用手敲了敲自己的膝盖。

“我想亲自去仔细查看一番这些事情，”他说道。“唉，摩梯末医生，你为何当时不马上叫我去呢？”

“福尔摩斯先生，连世上最好的侦探对有些事情也是无能为力的。”摩梯末说道。

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