CHAPTER ONE

Mr Sherlock Holmes

M
r Sherlock Holmes, who was usually very late in
the mornings, save upon those not infrequent oc-
casions when he stayed 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 be-
fore. 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, MRCS, from his friends of the CCH,’ was engraved
upon it, with the date ‘1884’. It was just such a stick as the
old-fashioned family practitioner used to carry—dignified,
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.’

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 THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES MR SHERLOCK HOLMES

‘I have, at least, a well-polished, silver-plated coffee-pot in luminous, but you are a conductor of light. Some people with-
front of me,’ said he. ‘But, tell me, Watson, what do you make out possessing genius have a remarkable power of stimulat-
of our visitor’s stick? Since we have been so unfortunate as to ing it. I confess, my dear fellow, that I am very much in your
miss him and have no notion of his errand, this accidental sou- debt.’
venir becomes of importance. Let me hear you reconstruct He had never said as much before, and I must admit that
the man by an examination of it.’ his words gave me keen pleasure, for I had often been piqued
‘I think,’ said I, following so far as I could the methods of by his indifference to my admiration and to the attempts
my companion, ‘that Dr Mortimer is a successful, elderly which I had made to give publicity to his methods. I was
medical man, well-esteemed, since those who know him give proud, too, to think that I had so far mastered his system as to
him this mark of their appreciation.’ apply it in a way which earned his approval. He now took the
‘Good!’ said Holmes. ‘Excellent!’ stick from my hands and examined it for a few minutes with
‘I think also that the probability is in favour of his being his naked eyes. Then with an expression of interest, he laid
a country practitioner who does a great deal of his visiting down his cigarette, and, carrying the cane to the window, he
on foot.’ looked over it again with a convex lens.
‘Why so?’ ‘Interesting, though elementary,’ said he, as he returned to
‘Because this stick, though originally a very handsome one, his favourite corner of the settee. ‘There are certainly one or
has been so knocked about that I can hardly imagine a town two indications upon the stick. It gives us the basis for several
practitioner carrying it. The thick iron ferrule is worn down, deductions.’
so it is evident that he has done a great amount of walking ‘Has anything escaped me?’ I asked with some self-
with it.’ importance. ‘I trust that there is nothing of consequence
‘Perfectly sound!’ said Holmes. which I have overlooked?’
‘And then again, there is the “friends of the CCH”. I should ‘I am afraid, my dear Watson, that most of your conclu-
guess that to be the Something Hunt, the local hunt to whose sions were erroneous. When I said that you stimulated me I
members he has possibly given some surgical assistance, and meant, to be frank, that in noting your fallacies I was occasion-
which has made him a small presentation in return.’ ally guided towards the truth. Not that you are entirely wrong
‘Really, Watson, you excel yourself,’ said Holmes, pushing in this instance. The man is certainly a country practitioner.
back his chair and lighting a cigarette. ‘I am bound to say that And he walks a good deal.’
in all the accounts which you have been so good as to give of ‘Then I was right.’
my own small achievements you have habitually underrated ‘To that extent.’
your own abilities. It may be that you are not yourself ‘But that was all.’

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 THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES MR SHERLOCK HOLMES

‘No, no, my dear Watson, not all—by no means all. I would in the hospital and yet not on the staff he could only have
suggest, for example, that a presentation to a doctor is more been a house-surgeon or a house-physician—little more than
likely to come from a hospital than from a hunt, and that a senior student. And he left five years ago—the date is on the
when the initials “CC” are placed before that hospital the stick. So your grave, middle-aged family practitioner vanishes
words “Charing Cross” very naturally suggest themselves.’ into thin air, my dear Watson, and there emerges a young
‘You may be right.’ fellow under thirty, amiable, unambitious, absent-minded,
‘The probability lies in that direction. And if we take this and the possessor of a favourite dog, which I should de-
as a working hypothesis we have a fresh basis from which to scribe roughly as being larger than a terrier and smaller than
start our construction of this unknown visitor.’ a mastiff.’
‘Well, then, supposing that “CCH” does stand for “Charing I laughed incredulously as Sherlock Holmes leaned back in
Cross Hospital”, what further inferences may we draw?’ his settee and blew little wavering rings of smoke up to the
‘Do none suggest themselves? You know my methods. ceiling.
Apply them!’ ‘As to the latter part, I have no means of checking you,’
‘I can only think of the obvious conclusion that the man said I, ‘but at least it is not difficult to find out a few particu-
has practised in town before going to the country.’ lars about the man’s age and professional career.’
‘I think that we might venture a little farther than this. From my small medical shelf I took down the Medical
Look at it in this light. On what occasion would it be most Directory and turned up the name. There were several
probable that such a presentation would be made? When Mortimers, but only one who could be our visitor. I read his
would his friends unite to give him a pledge of their good record aloud.
will? Obviously at the moment when Dr Mortimer withdrew ‘Mortimer, James, MRCS, 1882, Grimpen, Dartmoor,
from the service of the hospital in order to start in practice for Devon. House-surgeon, from 1882 to 1884, at Charing Cross
himself. We know there has been a presentation. We believe Hospital. Winner of the Jackson prize for Comparative
there has been a change from a town hospital to a country Pathology, with essay entitled “Is Disease a Reversion?”
practice. Is it, then, stretching our inference too far to say that Corresponding member of the Swedish Pathological Society.
the presentation was on the occasion of the change?’ Author of “Some Freaks of Atavism” (Lancet, 1882). “Do We
‘It certainly seems probable.’ Progress?” (Journal of Psychology, March, 1883). Medical
‘Now, you will observe that he could not have been on the Officer for the parishes of Grimpen, Thorsley, and High
staff of the hospital, since only a man well-established in a Barrow.’
London practice could hold such a position, and such a one ‘No mention of that local hunt, Watson,’ said Holmes
would not drift into the country. What was he, then? If he was with a mischievous smile, ‘but a country doctor, as you very

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astutely observed. I think that I am fairly justified in my infer- tall, thin man, with a long nose like a beak, which shot out be-
ences. As to the adjectives, I said, if I remember right, amiable, tween two keen, grey eyes, set closely together and sparkling
unambitious, and absent-minded. It is my experience that it is brightly from behind a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. He was
only an amiable man in this world who receives testimonials, clad in a professional but rather slovenly fashion, for his frock-
only an unambitious one who abandons a London career for the coat was dingy and his trousers frayed. Though young, his long
country, and only an absent-minded one who leaves his stick back was already bowed, and he walked with a forward thrust
and not his visiting-card after waiting an hour in your room.’ of his head and a general air of peering benevolence. As he
‘And the dog?’ entered his eyes fell upon the stick in Holmes’s hand, and he
‘Has been in the habit of carrying this stick behind his ran towards it with an exclamation of joy.
master. Being a heavy stick the dog has held it tightly by the ‘I am so very glad,’ said he. ‘I was not sure whether I had
middle, and the marks of his teeth are very plainly visible. The left it here or in the Shipping Office. I would not lose that
dog’s jaw, as shown in the space between these marks, is too stick for the world.’
broad in my opinion for a terrier and not broad enough for a ‘A presentation, I see,’ said Holmes.
mastiff. It may have been—yes, by Jove, it is a curly-haired ‘Yes, sir.’
spaniel.’ ‘From Charing Cross Hospital?’
He had risen and paced the room as he spoke. Now he ‘From one or two friends there on the occasion of my
halted in the recess of the window. There was such a ring of marriage.’
conviction in his voice that I glanced up in surprise. ‘Dear, dear, that’s bad!’ said Holmes, shaking his head.
‘My dear fellow, how can you possibly be so sure of that?’ Dr Mortimer blinked through his glasses in mild
‘For the very simple reason that I see the dog himself on astonishment.
our very doorstep, and there is the ring of its owner. Don’t ‘Why was it bad?’
move, I beg you, Watson. He is a professional brother of yours, ‘Only that you have disarranged our little deductions. Your
and your presence may be of assistance to me. Now is the dra- marriage, you say?’
matic moment of fate, Watson, when you hear a step upon the ‘Yes, sir. I married, and so left the hospital, and with it all
stair which is walking into your life, and you know not hopes of a consulting practice. It was necessary to make a
whether for good or ill. What does Dr James Mortimer, the home of my own.’
man of science, ask of Sherlock Holmes, the specialist in ‘Come, come, we are not so far wrong, after all,’ said
crime? Come in!’ Holmes. ‘And now, Dr James Mortimer—’
The appearance of our visitor was a surprise to me, since ‘Mister, sir, Mister—a humble MRCS.’
I had expected a typical country practitioner. He was a very ‘And a man of precise mind, evidently.’

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‘A dabbler in science, Mr Holmes, a picker up of shells on extraordinary problem. Recognizing, as I do, that you are the
the shores of the great unknown ocean. I presume that it is second highest expert in Europe—’
Mr Sherlock Holmes whom I am addressing and not—’ ‘Indeed, sir! May I inquire who has the honour to be the
‘No, this is my friend Dr Watson.’ first?’ asked Holmes, with some asperity.
‘Glad to meet you, sir. I have heard your name mentioned ‘To the man of precisely scientific mind the work of
in connection with that of your friend. You interest me very Monsieur Bertillon must always appeal strongly.’
much, Mr Holmes. I had hardly expected so dolichocephalic ‘Then had you not better consult him?’
a skull or such well-marked supra-orbital development. ‘I said, sir, to the precisely scientific mind. But as a practi-
Would you have any objection to my running my finger along cal man of affairs it is acknowledged that you stand alone. I
your parietal fissure? A cast of your skull, sir, until the original trust, sir, that I have not inadvertently—’
is available, would be an ornament to any anthropological ‘Just a little,’ said Holmes. ‘I think, Dr Mortimer, you
museum. It is not my intention to be fulsome, but I confess would do wisely if without more ado you would kindly tell
that I covet your skull.’ me plainly what the exact nature of the problem is in which
Sherlock Holmes waved our strange visitor into a chair. you demand my assistance.’
‘You are an enthusiast in your line of thought, I perceive,
sir, as I am in mine,’ said he. ‘I observe from your forefinger
that you make your own cigarettes. Have no hesitation in
lighting one.’
The man drew out paper and tobacco and twirled the one
up in the other with surprising dexterity. He had long, quiv-
ering fingers as agile and restless as the antennae of an insect.
Holmes was silent, but his little darting glances showed me
the interest which he took in our curious companion.
‘I presume, sir,’ said he at last, ‘that it was not merely for
the purpose of examining my skull that you have done me the
honour to call here last night and again today?’
‘No, sir, no; though I am happy to have had the oppor-
tunity of doing that as well. I came to you, Mr Holmes,
because I recognize that I am myself an unpractical man, and
because I am suddenly confronted with a most serious and

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