The Hound of the Baskervilles Page #4

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our neighbors. - Oh, yes, sir.

How is Sir Henry?

He's very well, thank you.

We were a bit worried he might

decide not to come here.

After the rumors that followed

the sad death of Sir Charles,

has Mr. Sherlock Holmes

come to any conclusion yet?

I really can't say.

Well, is he going to honor us

with a visit?

I haven't the slightest idea.

But if I can be of any help,

I do hope you'll call upon me.

I know this place pretty well.

Thank you, but I don't think

I shall be needing any help.

Wonderful place, this moor.

From a scientist point of view,

there's nothing like it.

Vast, barren, mysterious.

You see those

bright green spots over there?

Seems a little more fertile

than the rest.

"Fertile."

That's the Great Grimpen Mire.

One false step means death.

Only yesterday one of the

moor ponies wandered into it.

It turned me sick with horror

to see it struggling.

And the sound of its screams-

What's that?

Oh, that.

Well, the people around here

say it's the hound.

Surely you don't

believe such rut.

Bogs make queer noises, or

perhaps it's a bittern booming.

A bittern?

Yes, it's a very rare bird,

practically extinct,

if anything is extinct

on the moor.

Stop, stop!

Look out, stop!

That was a voice.

A woman's voice!

Thank heavens, you heard me!

Another few yards

you'd have been into that mire.

Looks innocent, doesn't it?

But only yesterday

a little moor pony got into it,

and that was the end of it.

Well, thank you

for shouting at me.

- Your Sir Henry?

- Yes.

I suppose I should say welcome,

Sir Henry,

but I'm afraid

it wouldn't be sincere.

Oh, that's understandable.

A stranger coming here and taking

the place of someone you were fond of.

Oh, it's not that, I..

No, Tell me what is it?

Sounds silly, I know, but..

Oh, it's not that

ridiculous hound legend?

I never used to believe those

things till I came to live down here.

But you do now.

You're rich.

You can go anywhere you want to.

There are so many other places

to live in the world,

interesting places.

Just now, I find this place

very interesting.

- Why hello, Beryl.

- Hello.

- Oh, Dr. Watson, my stepsister

Miss Stapleton. - How do you do?

How do you do?

Hello, Doctor.

- And this, I'm sure must be..

- Oh, Sir Henry, my brother.

- How are you?

- I was just telling Dr. Watson

how delighted we are

you decided to come here.

I'm here, and to stay.

Oh, that's splendid.

You know, it's been quite dull

around here since the Hall's been closed.

It's wide open now, especially

to friends of my uncle.

You must both come

and dine with me.

You must come to us first.

Yes, what about tomorrow night,

you and Dr. Watson?

We'll invite the neighbors

over to meet you.

Of course, you already know

Dr. Mortimer.

The only other one's

old Mr. Frankland.

Who's he?

Wait till you meet him,

Sir Henry

He'll bring suit against you,

I warn you.

- What on earth for?

- He'll find something.

Suing people

is a passion with him.

I'll look forward

to meeting him.

- All right, tomorrow night then.

- Thank you.

And thank you again for rescuing me.

- Good-bye.

- Good-bye.

And were it not a personal

insult to Sir Henry.

I would have never have

come here this evening.

Oh, but why, Mr. Frankland?

As a stickler for convention.

I'm not in the habit of

breaking bread with my host

on the eve of prosecuting him.

Great heavens, what crime

have I committed now?

A most gruesome one,

Mr. Stapleton,

that of body snatching.

What?

You're a body snatcher, sir,

a ghoul, a despoiler of graves!

Oh, come, come, Mr. Frankland,

that's a very serious charge.

Oh, Beryl, refill Mr. Frankland's

glass, will you.

Thank you, my dear.

And an excellent

vintage it is too.

- But if you're implying that I'm

tipsy, sir! - Oh, of course he's not.

Tell us more, Mr. Frankland.

Whose body has Mr. Stapleton

been snatching?

According to my evidence, sir,

Mr. Stapleton was seen digging among

the old stone huts in the moor,

and removed from there a skull.

Oh, that!

A most interesting relic,

Sir Henry, of Neolithic man.

I'll show it to you after dinner.

Nonetheless, sir,

you removed it from the grave

without the consent

of the next of kin,

and according to British law,

that constitutes body snatching.

Deny that if you can.

But what good will it do you

to prosecute Mr. Stapleton?

None sir, I have no interest

in the matter.

I act entirely from

a sense of public duty.

If you care to drop by my house someday

and take a tippler of wine with me,

I'll be glad to tell you a thing

or two about everybody here.

About him, prowling the

Grimpen Mire at night,

and why he takes her with him.

Oh, there's no secret about us.

As you know,

I dabble a bit in the occult.

Mrs. Mortimer has very strong

mediumistic qualities.

She finds the old caves

in the moor

particularly conducive

to psychic phenomena.

Very interesting.

Have you ever tried to communicate

with my uncle since his death?

Oh yes, on several occasions,

but with no success.

But if my wife would consent

to a sance tonight

while you, Sir Henry,

are present, we might..

No, no, James,

not tonight, please.

Perhaps some other time.

Shall we have coffee

in the drawing room?

If you and Dr. Watson would care

to see my little collection.

- Oh, yes, the skulls.

- Yes, they're in here.

Yes, I would like to very much.

Quite a museum.

Oh, a very modest little collection.

But this one really is

quite a treasure.

You'll observe its

unusual cranial index.

Gentleman, gentleman,

my wife has consented!

She's agreed to a sance!

- Splendid.

- Oh, fine.

Please come at once!

Now, then, if you'll all get chairs

and arrange yourselves naturally,

comfortably here by the fire

As Shakespeare says,

"You can call spirits

from the vastly deep,

but will they answer?"

They won't answer

scoffers are skeptics!

If that's your attitude,

Mr. Frankland,

perhaps you wouldn't

mind leaving us.

I'm sure Mr. Frankland

didn't mean to doubt.

Of course I doubt,

and I ask you to keep a civil

tongue in your head, Dr. Mortimer.

Ordering me out

from under the roof of my host

is grounds for a

very nasty little lawsuit!

Oh, come now, Mr. Frankland,

sit down by me.

Now, tonight we may communicate

with Sir Charles,

find out what he

feared so greatly,

what he was running away from.

Now, Jennifer,

you sit here, please.

Sir Henry, here.

- Would you please put out

those lights? - Certainly.

Stapleton, that light please.

Dr. Watson.

Now, would you all keep quiet,

and sit quite naturally.

Sir Henry, your hand, please?

Sir Charles,

can you speak to us?

Let us know if you're present.

There are things

that only you can explain.

Speak to us, Sir Charles,

if you're here.

There are things that

only you can tell us.

Sir Charles,

can you speak to us?

Let us know if you're present.

There are things

that only you can tell us.

Speak to us, Sir Charles,

if you're here.

There are things

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