'I think cold and hunger,and his fear that the police would catch him,drove him mad.He ran round the moor in his mad ness,and fell over this edge,'I said.

'Do you agree,Mr Sherlock Holmes?'asked Stapleton.

'You're quick to guess who I am,'said Holmes.

'We're been expecting you ever since Dr Watson arrived.'

'I have no doubt my friend is right about the way Selden died,'said Holmes.'It' s a sad death,but it will not prevent me from returning to London tomorrow.'

'Before you return,will you be able to explain the mysteries that we've experienced here?'

'I am not always as successful as I hope.I need facts,not stories of the supernatural.This hasn' t been a good case for me.

Stapleton looked hard at him,but Holmes had spoken very seriously and his words sounded true.

We covered the body.Then Stapleton turned to go home,and Holmes and I walked towards Baskerville Hall.

'He's a very clever man,and a dangerous enemy,who will be difficult to trap,' said Holmes.' Look how he controlled his disappointment when he found that the dead man was not Sir Henry.'

'I'm sorry that he has seen you,'I said.

'So am I,but there was nothing we could do about it.Now he knows I am here he may be more careful,or he may act more quickly than he planned.'

'Why can't we give him to the police at once?'

'Because we can't prove anything against him.Sir Charles was found dead because his heart failed.Again,tonight we could not prove that there was a hound.Selden died from a fall.We have no case at present.We shall see Mrs Lyons to morrow,and she may help us.But whatever happens,I have my own plan.There will be some danger,but by the end of tomorrow I hope to have won this battle.'

He would say nothing else.

'Are you coming to the Hall?'I asked.

'Yes,'he replied.'There is no reason for me to hide any longer.But one last word,Watson Say nothing of the hound to Sir Henry.Let him think that Selden died from a fall.If he knows about the hound,he will find it harder to face the dan gers of tomorrow.I think you told me in your last letter that he is having dinner with the Stapletons tomorrow evening.'

'And they have invited me,too,'I reminded him.

'Then you must excuse yourself,and he must go alone.That can easily be arranged And now I think we are both ready for some food.'

福尔摩斯开始在沼地上跑了起来，我跟在他的后面。从我们前面的某处又发出了一声绝望的尖叫，然后就是一个东西重重地栽在地上时的那么一声。我们站住了并倾听着。

我看到福尔摩斯把手按在头上。“他已经赢了，华生。我们来得太晚了。我真是发疯了，竟不及早采取行动。而你呢，华生，看到离开我让你保护的那个人会有什么后果了吧。可是，要是最不幸的事情已然发生了的话，那么我们就不能叫斯台普顿给逃脱了。”

我们在黑暗之中朝发出喊叫声的那个地方跑去。我们到了一条岩脊边上，那儿有个很陡的悬崖伸展下去。我们由那里向下看到了一个人。他脸朝下躺在地上。他是头向下摔倒的，头在身体下面窝着，脖子也给折断了。福尔摩斯点着了一根火柴。我们惊恐地看到了一滩血正从他的头颅里冒出来汩汩地流到地上。

我们俩都清楚地记得那个人的衣着。那是一件厚厚的、棕红色的、带有土风色彩的外套。就是亨利爵士在我们第一次在贝克街见到他的那个早上穿着的那一件。我们只看了一眼，那根火柴接着就灭了。我们感到深为悲伤、深为恐怖。

“这个恶棍！这个凶手！我永远也不能原谅自己，我竟离开了他的身旁，让他独自一人呆着，”我愤怒地低声说道。

“我的罪过比你还要深重，”福尔摩斯说道。“因为我正忙于做好破案之前的工作，我竟任这位好人去死。这是我一生中所犯的最大的错误。可是，他为何要从屋里溜到沼地上来呢？我告诉过他，这会要他的命的。现在，亨利爵士及其伯父都已被人谋杀了。苍天在上，过不了另一天我就要诱捕他，虽然他很狡猾。”

我们心情沉重地站在这具血肉模糊的尸体的两侧。接着，福尔摩斯在尸体旁边弯着腰，并且开始动弹它。突然之间，他开始又笑又跳起来。

“看看这张面孔！”他喊叫道，在我后背上击了一下。“此人并非亨利爵士。是塞尔登，那个逃犯。”

我们把死尸翻了过来。无疑是这么一回事。在我与亨利爵士在沼地上追赶塞尔登的那个晚上我曾见过这张脸。然后，我忽然记起了什么，一切都清楚明白了。亨利爵士曾告诉我他如何把自己的旧衣物送给了白瑞摩。我意识到这件外套就是白瑞摩留给塞尔登的那些衣物中的一件，于是便把事情的来由告诉了福尔摩斯。

“那么说，这身衣服导致了这个可怜的人的死。那个猎犬曾让闻过亨利爵士的某件东西，以便它能嗅出他的气味并追踪他。我认为这就是那只鞋子在伦敦的那个旅馆里被偷的原因所在了。如此一来猎犬就循着气味搜寻这个人。可是，有一件事情我不大明白。塞尔登如何知道那猎犬跟在他后面呢？我们知道他跑了很长的一段路。他在摔倒在地之前已尖叫了很长一段时间，我们也能听出他尖叫时正在跑着。因此，他开始跑时那个猎犬还在他的身后很远之处。他是怎么在黑暗之中看到猎犬的呢？在猎犬紧跟他之前他是怎么知道它就在那儿的呢？”

“我回答不上来，”我说道。“但是，还有一事我不大理解。为什么猎犬单单在今晚被放出来在沼地上活动呢？除非是斯台普顿觉得亨利爵士会到那里去，否则他是不会把它放出来的。”

上一页  [1] [2] [3]  下一页