The Hound of the Baskervilles, Chapter 3 summary
Chapter 3 of 15 · 12 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 3, Sherlock Holmes questions Dr. Mortimer about Sir Charles Baskerville’s death and agrees to consider how to protect the arriving heir, Sir Henry Baskerville. After studying a map, Holmes argues that Sir Charles runs in terror and probably waits for someone beforehand, shifting attention toward a possible human explanation.
What happens
- Dr. Mortimer describes enormous animal tracks, the locked moor gate, and cigar ash showing that Sir Charles pauses there.
- Mortimer reports three sightings of a frightening creature and asks whether Sir Henry should occupy his ancestral home.
- Holmes asks Mortimer to bring Sir Henry the next morning and withhold discussion until Holmes considers the matter.
- Watson spends the day at his club while Holmes studies a detailed map and considers the evidence alone.
- Holmes interprets Sir Charles’s changed footprints as running and suggests that his pause at the gate indicates an expected meeting.
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In this chapter
What to notice
Holmes refuses to treat the supernatural as the first explanation. His method keeps the inquiry focused on evidence despite Mortimer’s fear.
Quick check
What suggests that Sir Charles waits near the moor gate?
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