The Hound of the Baskervilles [antikvár]

THE HOUNDOF THEBASKERVILLESSIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLEIntroductionVery rarely in the history of fiction has an author been obliged because of public clamor and appeals to revive a character whom he has conveniently killed off. Such was the case with A. Conan Doyle's universally admired creation, Sherlock Holmes, who in his encounter in "The Final Problem" with ex-Professor Moriarty, mathematical celebrity and Napoleon of crime, is presumably dragged to his death at Reichenbach Falls. Doyle wrote to a friend: "I couldn't revive him if I would, at least not for years, for I had such an overdose of him . . . that the name gives me a sickly feeling to this day." But the public would give him no peace even thoiigh The Hound of the Baskervilles was to appear as an early adventure of Sherlock Holmes. A. Conan Doyle bowed to the public will and resurrected Holmes nine years later, in 1902, in "The Adventure of the Empty House."Actually, Conan Doyle disposed of Holmes not for the reason given, but because he regarded the narratives as a lower stratum of literary achievement. Conan Doyle, the incurable romanticist who was to embrace spiritualism in later life, hoped to achieve literary immortality with such works as Sir Nigel and The White Company, re-creations in the Scott tradition of the Middle Ages. Unfortunatelyor fortunatelyauthors cannot choose the works that posterity will acclaim, and it is the creation of Sherlock Holmes that establishes Doyle's fame. Many a young reader is1Chapter 1 MR. SHERLOCK HOLMESMr. Sherlock Holmes, who was usually very late in the mornings, save upon those not infrequent occa'sions when he was up all night, was seated at the breakfast table. I stood upon the hearth-rug and picked up the stick which our visitor had left behind him the night before. It was a fine, thick piece of wood, bulbous-headed, of the sort which is known as a "Penang lawyer." Just under the head was a broad silver band, nearly an inch across. "To James Mortimer, M.R.C.S., from his friends of the C.C.H.," was engraved upon it, with the date "1884." It was just such a stick as the old-fashioned family practitioner used to carrydignified, solid, and reassuring."Well, Watson, what do you make of it?"Holmes was sitting with his back to me, and I had given him no sign of my occupation."How did you know what I was doing? I believe you have eyes in the back of your head.""I have, at least, a well-polished, silver-plated coffee-pot in front of me," said he. "But, tell me, Watson, what do you make of our visitor's stick? Since we have been so imfortunate as to miss him and have no notion of his errand, this accidental souvenir becomes of importance. Let me hear you reconstruct the man by an examination of it.""I think," said I, following as far as I could the methods of my companion, "that Dr. Mortimer is a successful, elderly medical man, well-esteemed, since those who know him give him this mark of their appreciation.""Good!" said Holmes. "Excellent!""I think, also that the probability is in favour of his being a country practitioner who does a great deal of his visiting oh foot.""Why so?""Because this stick, though originally a very handsome one, has been so knocked about that I can hardly imagine a town practitioner carrying it. The thick iron ferrule is worn down, so it is evident that he has done a great amount of walking with it.""Perfectly sound!" said Holmes."And then again, there is the 'friends of the C.C.H.' I should guess that to be the Something Hunt, the local hunt to whose members he has possibly given some surgical assistance, and which has made him a small presentation in return.'^"Really, Watson, you excel yourself," said Holmes, pushing back his chair and lighting a cigarette. "I am bound to say that9