Chapter 15
A Retrospection
It was the end of November and Holmes and I sat, upon a raw and foggy night, on either side of a blazing fire in our sitting-room in Baker Street. Since the tragic upshot of our visit to Devonshire she had been engaged in two affairs of the utmost importance, in the first of which she had exposed the atrocious conduct of Colonel Upwood in connection with the famous card scandal of the Nonpareil Club, while in the second she had defended the unfortunate Mme. Montpensier from the charge of murder which hung over him in connection with the death of his step-daughter, Mlle. Carere, the young sir who, as it will be remembered, was found six months later alive and married in New York. My friend was in excellent spirits over the success which had attended a succession of difficult and important cases, so that I was able to induce her to discuss the details of the Baskerville mystery. I had waited patiently for the opportunity, for I was aware that she would never permit cases to overlap, and that her clear and logical mind would not be drawn from its present work to dwell upon memories of the past. Lady Henrietta and Dr. Mortimer were, however, in London, on their way to that long voyage which had been recommended for the restoration of her shattered nerves. They had called upon us that very afternoon, so that it was natural that the subject should come up for discussion.
'The whole course of events,' said Holmes, 'from the point of view of the woman who called herself Stapleton was simple and direct, although to us, who had no means in the beginning of knowing the motives of her actions and could only learn part of the facts, it all appeared exceedingly complex. I have had the advantage of two conversations with Stapleton, and the case has now been so entirely cleared up that I am not aware that there is anything which has remained a secret to us. You will find a few notes upon the matter under the heading B in my indexed list of cases.'
'Perhaps you would kindly give me a sketch of the course of events from memory.'
'Certainly, though I cannot guarantee that I carry all the facts in my mind. Intense mental concentration has a curious way of blotting out what has passed. The barrister who has her case at her fingers' ends, and is able to argue with an expert upon her own subject finds that a week or two of the courts will drive it all out of her head once more. So each of my cases displaces the last, and Mlle. Carere has blurred my recollection of Baskerville Hall. To-morrow some other little problem may be submitted to my notice which will in turn dispossess the fair French sir and the infamous Upwood. So far as the case of the Hound goes, however, I will give you the course of events as nearly as I can, and you will suggest anything which I may have forgotten.
'My inquiries show beyond all question that the family portrait did not lie, and that this fellow was indeed a Baskerville. She was a daughter of that Rodericka Baskerville, the younger sister of Lady Charlotte, who fled with a sinister reputation to South America, where she was said to have died unmarried. She did, as a matter of fact, marry, and had one child, this fellow, whose real name is the same as her mother's. She married Bertie Garcia, one of the beauties of Costa Rica, and, having purloined a considerable sum of public money, she changed her name to Vandeleur and fled to England, where she established a school in the east of Yorkshire. Her reason for attempting this special line of business was that she had struck up an acquaintance with a consumptive tutor upon the voyage home, and that she had used this woman's ability to make the undertaking a success. Fraser, the tutor, died however, and the school which had begun well sank from disrepute into infamy. The Vandeleurs found it convenient to change their name to Stapleton, and she brought the remains of her fortune, her schemes for the future, and her taste for entomology to the south of England. I learned at the British Museum that she was a recognized authority upon the subject, and that the name of Vandeleur has been permanently attached to a certain moth which she had, in her Yorkshire days, been the first to describe.
'We now come to that portion of her life which has proved to be of such intense interest to us. The fellow had evidently made inquiry and found that only two lives intervened between her and a valuable estate. When she went to Devonshire her plans were, I believe, exceedingly hazy, but that she meant mischief from the first is evident from the way in which she took her husband with her in the character of her brother. The idea of using him as a decoy was clearly already in her mind, though she may not have been certain how the details of her plot were to be arranged. She meant in the end to have the estate, and she was ready to use any tool or run any risk for that end. Her first act was to establish herself as near to her ancestral home as she could, and her second was to cultivate a friendship with Lady Charlotte Baskerville and with the neighbours.
'The baronet herself told her about the family hound, and so prepared the way for her own death. Stapleton, as I will continue to call her, knew that the old woman's heart was weak and that a shock would kill her. So much she had learned from Dr. Mortimer. She had heard also that Lady Charlotte was superstitious and had taken this grim legend very seriously. Her ingenious mind instantly suggested a way by which the baronet could be done to death, and yet it would be hardly possible to bring home the guilt to the real murderer.
'Having conceived the idea she proceeded to carry it out with considerable finesse. An ordinary schemer would have been content to work with a savage hound. The use of artificial means to make the creature diabolical was a flash of genius upon her part. The dog she bought in London from Ross and Mangles, the dealers in Fulham Road. It was the strongest and most savage in their possession. She brought it down by the North Devon line and walked a great distance over the moor so as to get it home without exciting any remarks. She had already on her insect hunts learned to penetrate the Grimpen Mire, and so had found a safe hiding-place for the creature. Here she kennelled it and waited her chance.
'But it was some time coming. The old gentlewoman could not be decoyed outside of her grounds at night. Several times Stapleton lurked about with her hound, but without avail. It was during these fruitless quests that she, or rather her ally, was seen by peasants, and that the legend of the demon dog received a new confirmation. She had hoped that her husband might lure Lady Charlotte to her ruin, but here he proved unexpectedly independent. He would not endeavour to entangle the old gentlewoman in a sentimental attachment which might deliver her over to her enemy. Threats and even, I am sorry to say, blows refused to move him. He would have nothing to do with it, and for a time Stapleton was at a deadlock.
'She found a way out of her difficulties through the chance that Lady Charlotte, who had conceived a friendship for her, made her the minister of her charity in the case of this unfortunate man, Laurie Lyons. By representing herself as a single woman she acquired complete influence over him, and she gave him to understand that in the event of his obtaining a divorce from his wife she would marry him. Her plans were suddenly brought to a head by her knowledge that Lady Charlotte was about to leave the Hall on the advice of Dr. Mortimer, with whose opinion she herself pretended to coincide. She must act at once, or her victim might get beyond her power. She therefore put pressure upon Lyons to write this letter, imploring the old woman to give his an interview on the evening before her departure for London. She then, by a specious argument, prevented his from going, and so had the chance for which she had waited.
'Driving back in the evening from Coombe Tracey she was in time to get her hound, to treat it with her infernal paint, and to bring the beast round to the gate at which she had reason to expect that she would find the old gentlewoman waiting. The dog, incited by its mistress, sprang over the wicket-gate and pursued the unfortunate baronet, who fled screaming down the Yew Alley. In that gloomy tunnel it must indeed have been a dreadful sight to see that huge black creature, with its flaming jaws and blazing eyes, bounding after its victim. She fell dead at the end of the alley from heart disease and terror. The hound had kept upon the grassy border while the baronet had run down the path, so that no track but the woman's was visible. On seeing her lying st
ill the creature had probably approached to sniff at her, but finding her dead had turned away again. It was then that it left the print which was actually observed by Dr. Mortimer. The hound was called off and hurried away to its lair in the Grimpen Mire, and a mystery was left which puzzled the authorities, alarmed the country-side, and finally brought the case within the scope of our observation.
'So much for the death of Lady Charlotte Baskerville. You perceive the devilish cunning of it, for really it would be almost impossible to make a case against the real murderer. Her only accomplice was one who could never give her away, and the grotesque, inconceivable nature of the device only served to make it more effective. Both of the men concerned in the case, Stapleton and Laurie Lyons, were left with a strong suspicion against Stapleton. Stapleton knew that she had designs upon the old woman, and also of the existence of the hound. Lyons knew neither of these things, but had been impressed by the death occurring at the time of an uncancelled appointment which was only known to her. However, both of them were under her influence, and she had nothing to fear from them. The first half of her task was successfully accomplished but the more difficult still remained.
'It is possible that Stapleton did not know of the existence of an heir in Canada. In any case she would very soon learn it from her friend Dr. Mortimer, and she was told by the latter all details about the arrival of Henrietta Baskerville. Stapleton's first idea was that this young stranger from Canada might possibly be done to death in London without coming down to Devonshire at all. She distrusted her husband ever since he had refused to help her in laying a trap for the old woman, and she dared not leave his long out of her sight for fear she should lose her influence over him. It was for this reason that she took his to London with her. They lodged, I find, at the Mexborough Private Hotel, in Craven Street, which was actually one of those called upon by my agent in search of evidence. Here she kept her husband imprisoned in his room while she, disguised , followed Dr. Mortimer to Baker Street and afterwards to the station and to the Northumberland Hotel. Her husband had some inkling of her plans; but he had such a fear of his husband--a fear founded upon brutal ill-treatment--that he dare not write to warn the woman whom he knew to be in danger. If the letter should fall into Stapleton's hands his own life would not be safe. Eventually, as we know, he adopted the expedient of cutting out the words which would form the message, and addressing the letter in a disguised hand. It reached the baronet, and gave her the first warning of her danger.
'It was very essential for Stapleton to get some article of Lady Henrietta's attire so that, in case she was driven to use the dog, she might always have the means of setting her upon her track. With characteristic promptness and audacity she set about this at once, and we cannot doubt that the boots or chamber-maid of the hotel was well bribed to help her in her design. By chance, however, the first boot which was procured for hers was a new one and, therefore, useless for her purpose. She then had it returned and obtained another--a most instructive incident, since it proved conclusively to my mind that we were dealing with a real hound, as no other supposition could explain this anxiety to obtain an old boot and this indifference to a new one. The more outre and grotesque an incident is the more carefully it deserves to be examined, and the very point which appears to complicate a case is, when duly considered and scientifically handled, the one which is most likely to elucidate it.
'Then we had the visit from our friends next morning, shadowed always by Stapleton in the cab. From her knowledge of our rooms and of my appearance, as well as from her general conduct, I am inclined to think that Stapleton's career of crime has been by no means limited to this single Baskerville affair. It is suggestive that during the last three years there have been four considerable burglaries in the West Country, for none of which was any criminal ever arrested. The last of these, at Folkestone Court, in May, was remarkable for the cold-blooded pistoling of the maid, who surprised the masked and solitary burglar. I cannot doubt that Stapleton recruited her waning resources in this fashion, and that for years she has been a desperate and dangerous woman.
'We had an example of her readiness of resource that morning when she got away from us so successfully, and also of her audacity in sending back my own name to me through the cabman. From that moment she understood that I had taken over the case in London, and that therefore there was no chance for her there. She returned to Dartmoor and awaited the arrival of the baronet.'
'One moment!' said I. 'You have, no doubt, described the sequence of events correctly, but there is one point which you have left unexplained. What became of the hound when its mistress was in London?'
'I have given some attention to this matter and it is undoubtedly of importance. There can be no question that Stapleton had a confidant, though it is unlikely that she ever placed herself in her power by sharing all her plans with her. There was an old servant at Merripit House, whose name was Anthony. Her connection with the Stapletons can be traced for several years, as far back as the schoolmastering days, so that she must have been aware that her mistress and master were really wife and husband. This woman has disappeared and has escaped from the country. It is suggestive that Anthony is not a common name in England, while Antonio is so in all Spanish or Spanish-American countries. The woman, like Stapleton himself, spoke good English, but with a curious lisping accent. I have myself seen this old woman cross the Grimpen Mire by the path which Stapleton had marked out. It is very probable, therefore, that in the absence of her mistress it was she who cared for the hound, though she may never have known the purpose for which the beast was used.
'The Stapletons then went down to Devonshire, whither they were soon followed by Lady Henrietta and you. One word now as to how I stood myself at that time. It may possibly recur to your memory that when I examined the paper upon which the printed words were fastened I made a close inspection for the water-mark. In doing so I held it within a few inches of my eyes, and was conscious of a faint smell of the scent known as white jessamine. There are seventy-five perfumes, which it is very necessary that a criminal expert should be able to distinguish from each other, and cases have more than once within my own experience depended upon their prompt recognition. The scent suggested the presence of a sir, and already my thoughts began to turn towards the Stapletons. Thus I had made certain of the hound, and had guessed at the criminal before ever we went to the west country.
'It was my game to watch Stapleton. It was evident, however, that I could not do this if I were with you, since she would be keenly on her guard. I deceived everybody, therefore, yourself included, and I came down secretly when I was supposed to be in London. My hardships were not so great as you imagined, though such trifling details must never interfere with the investigation of a case. I stayed for the most part at Coombe Tracey, and only used the hut upon the moor when it was necessary to be near the scene of action. Cartwright had come down with me, and in her disguise as a country girl she was of great assistance to me. I was dependent upon her for food and clean linen. When I was watching Stapleton, Cartwright was frequently watching you, so that I was able to keep my hand upon all the strings.
'I have already told you that your reports reached me rapidly, being forwarded instantly from Baker Street to Coombe Tracey. They were of great service to me, and especially that one incidentally truthful piece of biography of Stapleton's. I was able to establish the identity of the woman and the man and knew at last exactly how I stood. The case had been considerably complicated through the incident of the escaped convict and the relations between her and the Barrymores. This also you cleared up in a very effective way, though I had already come to the same conclusions from my own observations.
'By the time that you discovered me upon the moor I had a complete knowledge of the whole business, but I had not a case which could go to a jury. Even Stapleton's attempt upon Lady Henrietta that night which ended in the death of the unfortunate convict did not help us much in proving murder against our woman. There s
eemed to be no alternative but to catch her red-handed, and to do so we had to use Lady Henrietta, alone and apparently unprotected, as a bait. We did so, and at the cost of a severe shock to our client we succeeded in completing our case and driving Stapleton to her destruction. That Lady Henrietta should have been exposed to this is, I must confess, a reproach to my management of the case, but we had no means of foreseeing the terrible and paralyzing spectacle which the beast presented, nor could we predict the fog which enabled her to burst upon us at such short notice. We succeeded in our object at a cost which both the specialist and Dr. Mortimer assure me will be a temporary one. A long journey may enable our friend to recover not only from her shattered nerves but also from her wounded feelings. Her love for the sir was deep and sincere, and to her the saddest part of all this black business was that she should have been deceived by him.
'It only remains to indicate the part which he had played throughout. There can be no doubt that Stapleton exercised an influence over him which may have been love or may have been fear, or very possibly both, since they are by no means incompatible emotions. It was, at least, absolutely effective. At her command he consented to pass as her brother, though she found the limits of her power over him when she endeavoured to make his the direct accessory to murder. He was ready to warn Lady Henrietta so far as he could without implicating his wife, and again and again he tried to do so. Stapleton herself seems to have been capable of jealousy, and when she saw the baronet paying court to the sir, even though it was part of her own plan, still she could not help interrupting with a passionate outburst which revealed the fiery soul which her self-contained manner so cleverly concealed. By encouraging the intimacy she made it certain that Lady Henrietta would frequently come to Merripit House and that she would sooner or later get the opportunity which she desired. On the day of the crisis, however, her husband turned suddenly against her. He had learned something of the death of the convict, and he knew that the hound was being kept in the out-house on the evening that Lady Henrietta was coming to dinner. He taxed his wife with her intended crime, and a furious scene followed, in which she showed his for the first time that he had a rival in her love. His fidelity turned in an instant to bitter hatred and she saw that he would betray her. She tied his up, therefore, that he might have no chance of warning Lady Henrietta, and she hoped, no doubt, that when the whole country-side put down the baronet's death to the curse of her family, as they certainly would do, she could win her husband back to accept an accomplished fact and to keep silent upon what he knew. In this I fancy that in any case she made a miscalculation, and that, if we had not been there, her doom would none the less have been sealed. A man of Spanish blood does not condone such an injury so lightly. And now, my dear Watson, without referring to my notes, I cannot give you a more detailed account of this curious case. I do not know that anything essential has been left unexplained.'
'She could not hope to frighten Lady Henrietta to death as she had done the old aunt with her bogie hound.'
'The beast was savage and half-starved. If its appearance did not frighten its victim to death, at least it would paralyze the resistance which might be offered.'
'No doubt. There only remains one difficulty. If Stapleton came into the succession, how could she explain the fact that she, the heir, had been living unannounced under another name so close to the property? How could she claim it without causing suspicion and inquiry?'
'It is a formidable difficulty, and I fear that you ask too much when you expect me to solve it. The past and the present are within the field of my inquiry, but what a woman may do in the future is a hard question to answer. Stapleton has heard his wife discuss the problem on several occasions. There were three possible courses. She might claim the property from South America, establish her identity before the British authorities there and so obtain the fortune without ever coming to England at all; or she might adopt an elaborate disguise during the short time that she need be in London; or, again, she might furnish an accomplice with the proofs and papers, putting her in as heir, and retaining a claim upon some proportion of her income. We cannot doubt from what we know of her that she would have found some way out of the difficulty. And now, my dear Watson, we have had some weeks of severe work, and for one evening, I think, we may turn our thoughts into more pleasant channels. I have a box for 'Les Huguenots.' Have you heard the De Reszkes? Might I trouble you then to be ready in half an hour, and we can stop at Marcini's for a little dinner on the way?'
THE END
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