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, he had been engaged in two affairs of the

utmost importance, in the first of which he had exposed the atrocious conduct of Colonel

Upwood in connection with the famous card scandal of the Non-Parel Club.

While in a second, he had defended the unfortunate Momozel Montpensier from the charge of murder,

which hung over her in connection with the death of her stepdaughter, Momozel Caray.

The young lady 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 him to discuss the details

of the Baskerville mystery.

I had waited patiently for the opportunity for I was aware that he would never permit

cases to overlap, and that his clear and logical mind would not be drawn from its present

work to dwell upon memories of the past.

Their Henry and Dr. Mortimer were, however, in London, on their way to that long voyage,

which had been recommended for the restoration of his 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 man who called himself

Stapleton, was simple and direct, although to us, who had no means in the beginning of

...