第 九 章 · The Light upon the Moor [Second Report of Dr. Watson]

. The Light upon the Moor [Second Report of Dr. Watson]

Baskerville Hall, Oct. 15th.

MY DEAR HOLMES,

If I was compelled to leave you without much news during the

early days of my mission you must acknowledge that I am making up

for lost time, and that events are now crowding thick and fast

upon us. In my last report I ended upon my top note with

Barrymore at the window, and now I have quite a budget already

which will, unless I am much mistaken, considerably surprise you.

Things have taken a turn which I could not have anticipated. In

some ways they have within the last forty-eight hours become much

clearer and in some ways they have become more complicated. But I

will tell you all and you shall judge for yourself.

Before breakfast on the morning following my adventure I went

down the corridor and examined the room in which Barrymore had

been on the night before. The western window through which he had

stared so intently has, I noticed, one peculiarity above all

other windows in the house—it commands the nearest outlook on to

the moor. There is an opening between two trees which enables one

from this point of view to look right down upon it, while from

all the other windows it is only a distant glimpse which can be

obtained. It follows, therefore, that Barrymore, since only this

window would serve the purpose, must have been looking out for

something or somebody upon the moor. The night was very dark, so

that I can hardly imagine how he could have hoped to see anyone.

It had struck me that it was possible that some love intrigue was

on foot. That would have accounted for his stealthy movements and

also for the uneasiness of his wife. The man is a

striking-looking fellow, very well equipped to steal the heart of

a country girl, so that this theory seemed to have something to

support it. That opening of the door which I had heard after I

had returned to my room might mean that he had gone out to keep

some clandestine appointment. So I reasoned with myself in the

morning, and I tell you the direction of my suspicions, however

much the result may have shown that they were unfounded.

But whatever the true explanation of Barrymore’s movements might

be, I felt that the responsibility of keeping them to myself

until I could explain them was more than I could bear. I had an

interview with the baronet in his study after breakfast, and I

told him all that I had seen. He was less surprised than I had

expected.

“I knew that Barrymore walked about nights, and I had a mind to

speak to him about it,” said he. “Two or three times I have heard

his steps in the passage, coming and going, just about the hour

you name.”

“Perhaps then he pays a visit every night to that particular

window,” I suggested.

“Perhaps he does. If so, we should be able to shadow him and see

what it is that he is after. I wonder what your friend Holmes

would do if he were here.”

“I believe that he would do exactly what you now suggest,” said