Hound of the Baskervilles Timeline of Events
Chapter 1: The book begins with Watson looking at a cane left in his office by an unknown person and
Sherlock Holmes is sitting with his back to him.
Chapter 2: Mortimer shows Watson and Holmes a manuscript which was dated 1742 Baskerville Hall.
This reveals the Baskerville curse. The curse said that Hugo Baskerville reigned over the Baskerville
mansion and became obsessed with a young girl who he kidnapped. The girl finally escaped, but Hugo
spoke with the devil and released his hounds to find her. Hugo’s friends wandered upon him and the
girl, both dead. Word is that Hugo had just had his throat ripped out by a black beast, so Mortimer
reports that the hound haunts the family and has recently killed Sir Charles Baskerville. Mortimer admits
that Charles poor health was a result of his fear of the family curse and says that he saw footprints of a
giant hound.
Chapter 3: Holmes asked Mortimer for more details. The paw prints showed that the dog didn’t
approach the body, and Mortimer thinks the death was supernatural evil. Mortimer came to ask Holmes
what to do with Sir Henry, who was arriving soon. Holmes tells him to bring Sir Henry to his office.
Watson returns to his office finding it thick with smoke.
Chapter 4: Mortimer and Henry Baskerville arrive at Holmes and Watson’s office. Sir Henry had received
an anonymous letter telling to keep away from the moor if he valued his life. Holmes concludes that the
writer must be following him. Also, when Henry got out a pair of boots, one was missing. Holmes tells
Henry about the curse of the Baskervilles. Holmes gets further into the mystery. The stakeout reveals a
stranger in a cab who runs away when Watson sees him.
Chapter 5: Holmes arrives at Sir Henry’s hotel to find out that the watcher has not settled into the hotel.
Sir Henry is very angry that another one of his boots has been stolen; Holmes thinks that the thieves
may have something to do with the case. Holmes, Watson, Henry, and Mortimer talk about Sir Henry’s
idea to go to Devonshire. Holmes asks is anyone in Devonshire has a full black beard, and Mr. Barrymore
fits the description of the suspect. While they are leaving the office, Henry discovers the first boot he
lost. Holmes and Watson soon find out that Barrymore is in Devonshire. They then talk to the cab driver
from the previous chapter, and he says that the fare called himself Sherlock Holmes and told him to do
what the detectives saw. The third piece of the mystery has snapped.
Chapter 6: Watson, Mortimer, and Henry set off on the trip. The group is met by two police officers who
are looking for Selden, a murderer who has escaped from prison. They arrive at Baskerville Hall learning
that Mortimer will head home for dinner and that the Barrymore’s plan to leave Henry’s service when
he gets settled. The Barrymore’s say that they are never comfortable in the Hall, and say that they plan
to establish a business with the money inherited from Sir Charles. That night, Watson hears a women
sobbing.
Chapter 7: The next morning, Watson tells Sir Henry that he heard someone crying and Henry heard it
too. When they ask Barrymore about the incident, the butler gets very flustered and Watson sees the
woman’s red eyes. Watson assumes that Barrymore was the stranger with the beard in London. He then
learns that his telegram to the butler was delivered to Mrs. Barrymore instead. On his way home, Mr.
Stapleton of Merripit House introduces himself and says he will walk him home. Stapleton asks about Sir
Henry, but Watson doesn’t tell him anything about the case. Watson then meets Miss Stapleton who
tells him to go back to London and not to say anything to her brother. It turns out that she thought
Watson was Sir Henry. He leaves and on his way home he sees Miss Stapleton who tells him to forget
her warning. She tries to play off her outburst and says she is just concerned about the curse and
doesn’t want to contradict her brother, who wants a charitable Baskerville in residence.
Chapter 8: From this point on, Watson says that the story will be told as it is being reported to Holmes,
in letter form. Watson describes the escaped murderer and the relationship between Sir Henry and Miss
Stapleton. He says that Mr. Stapleton doesn’t approve of Sir Henry’s interest in his sister. He tells about
his meeting with another man, Mr. Frankland of Lafter Hall who enjoys suing people for the fun of it.
Watson mentions that the telegram didn’t make it to Barrymore, and Barrymore admits that he didn’t
receive anything. That night, Watson sees Barrymore with a candle lurking down the hallway. He goes
up to the window, like he is signaling to someone, lets out a moan, and blows the candle out. Later, he
hears a key turning into the lock, but doesn’t see anything.
Chapter 9: Watson determines that the window has the best view of the moor, and he thinks that
Barrymore is having an affair with another woman, which would explain his wife’s crying at night.
Watson plans a night to catch Barrymore. Meanwhile, Watson sees Henry and Miss Stapleton. As Henry
tries to kiss her, Mr. Stapleton arrives yelling at Henry. Later, he apologizes for his behavior to Henry.
The next night, Watson and Henry follow Barrymore to the window. When Sir Henry confronts him, he is
bewildered and tries to make up excuses. Mrs. Barrymore comes in and explains that the light on the
moor is a signal from the escaped murderer who is her brother. Henry and Watson go out to capture the
convict when they hear a wolf. As they continue, Watson moves in to kill the convict but he escapes.
Chapter 10: First, Watson determines to find out what the man knows and if he is the same person who
warned them in London. Second, Sir Henry talks to Barrymore about the chase of Selden. Barrymore
says that he is waiting for a ship to arrive for South America. Also, Sir Charles went the gate on the night
he died, and Mrs. Barrymore found a note signed L.L. requesting the late-night meeting. Watson learns
from Mortimer that Laura Lyons, who lives in Coombe Tracey, married an artist against her family’s will
and they have abandoned her ever since. Third, Watson learns that Selden has seen him too.
Chapter 11: Watson makes his way to Coombe Tracey. He meets Laura Lyons in hopes to get some
information about Sir Charles death. She admits that he supported her financially and that she wrote
him. When Watson asks for more, she seems that she had very little to do with him. Laura finally admits
to writing the letter in the previous chapter, but she says she missed the late-night meeting. On
Watson’s way home, he runs into Mr. Frankland and goes to have a drink with him. Watson realizes that
he has seen the man on the moor, as well. Just then, someone appears on the moor who appears to be
a little boy. Watson immediately heads to the moor finding the stranger’s house and decides to wait for
him to return. He discovers a note that says he has gone to Coombe Tracey when suddenly he hears
footsteps and is greeted by someone.
Chapter 12: Holmes is the man greeting Watson. Holmes tells Watson that he hid so the enemies
wouldn’t know he was directly involved in the case. Watson learns that Laura and Mr. Stapleton are in a
relationship and that Beryl, the lady pretending to be Stapleton’s sister is his wife. They can now
conclude that Stapleton is the enemy. He used his wife/sister to get at Sir Henry and Laura and used
Laura to lure Charles onto the moor. They hear a scream on the moor and they discover Sir Henry’s body
or what appears to be a body in his clothes. Barrymore has given clothes to the convict. The hound
sniffed Henry’s boot in London and attacked the right clothes of the wrong man. Stapleton shows up
and immediately assumes that Henry is the dead man.
Chapter 13: Holmes has hope for his meeting tomorrow with Laura. He tells Watson not to tell Henry of
Selden’s death and that he and Henry were to go to Stapleton’s the next day. Holmes sees a portrait on
the wall that is Hugo Baskerville. The next day, Holmes removed Selden’s body and tells Sir Henry to
keep his dinner plans with Stapleton. Holmes tells Sir Henry that he is going to London. Meanwhile,
Holmes and Watson tell Laura of Stapleton’s secret marriage. Laura then confesses. Stapleton offered to
marry her if she got divorced, which would require Sir Charles assistance. Stapleton wrote Laura’s letter
to Charles and forced her to miss the meeting, telling her that he would pay the price.
Chapter 14: Holmes and Watson hide behind the rocks to observe Sir Henry and Mr. Stapleton.
Stapleton heads outside and a thick fog emerges and spreads across the moor. They will not be able to
see Henry’s walk home or protect him when the hound attacks. They hear the hound, and it appears to
be a fire-breathing beast. Holmes shoots the beast and it attacks Henry at the throat. He manages to kill
the hound before it’s too late. Sir Henry has no injuries, but they find Mrs. Stapleton bound and gagged.
Mrs. Stapleton tells them that her husband hid in the Grimpen mire, which was where he kept his
hound. They decide the fog is too thick to find the enemy. The next day, they search through the mire.
They do not find any of Stapleton’s footprints and they conclude that the Grimpen mine engulfed him.
Chapter 15: Henry and Mortimer get the rundown of the case. Stapleton was the son of Roger
Baskerville, Charles brother who moved to South America and was pronounced dead. Stapleton, or Sir
Roger Baskerville Jr., lived in South America and married Beryl as his sister. He fled to England, changed
his name and established a school. When the school collapsed, Roger headed to Devonshire where he
heard of his stake in a large inheritance. He became friends with Sir Charles and heard of the myth of
the hound and his bad heart. To get Charles out alone on the moor, Stapleton tried to get his wife to
help but she refused. He met Laura Lyons and he told her that he would marry her if she got a divorce.
He made her miss the late night meeting and unleashed his hound. Laura defended him out of love.
When Henry arrived, Stapleton took his wife with him to London where he trailed Sir Henry and she
tried to warn him. On the night that Henry came over to the Stapleton’s house, Mrs. Stapleton found
out that her husband had the hound in the outhouse, so she confronted him. He told her about his
relationship with Laura, and he tied her up and gagged her. Henry and Mortimer head off for a vacation.