‘That was three months ago,’ said Dr Mortimer. ‘The
newspaper reported his death, but it did not report all
the facts.’
‘Was there something strange about his death?’ asked
Sherlock Holmes.
‘I am not certain,’ said Dr Mortimer. ‘There was a story
about a curse on the Baskerville family. Sir Charles believed
this old story.’
‘A curse?’ I asked. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Here is the story,’ said Dr Mortimer. He took a large
piece of paper out of his pocket. ‘Please read this. It is the
story of the Curse of the Baskervilles.’
Holmes took the paper and read it. ‘It is called The
Hound of the Baskervilles,’ he said. He showed me the paper.
This is what it said:
In the year 1645, Sir Hugo Baskerville was the owner
of Baskerville Hall. Sir Hugo was a cruel man who did not
believe in God. Every day he went out hunting and drinking
with a gang of wild friends.
A farmer on Dartmoor had a beautiful daughter. Sir
Hugo wanted to marry the girl, but she was afraid of him.
The girl’s father told Sir Hugo to stay away from his farm.
Sir Hugo was very angry.
One day, when the farmer was working in his fields, Sir
Hugo rode to the farm with his friends. They caught the girl
and took her to Baskerville Hall.
The poor girl was terrified. Sir Hugo locked her in a
bedroom. Then he started drinking with his gang. When
he was drunk, he became more wild and cruel. He shouted
at his men and hit them.
The frightened girl waited until it was dark. Then she
opened a window and escaped from Baskerville Hall.