not shown up at the Merripit House. They claim not to have heard the hound and attribute Selden’s death to insanity from the pressure of remaining hidden.
Holmes also uses the opportunity to pretend that he will be returning to London the next day. They then go their separate ways, Holmes going with Watson back
to the Hall. We heard nothing of the kind, said I.
And what is your theory of this poor fellows death? I have no doubt that anxiety and exposure have driven him off his
head. He has rushed about the moor in a crazy state and eventually fallen over here and broken his neck.
That seems the most reasonable theory, said Stapleton, and he gave a sigh which I took to indicate his relief. What do you think about it,
Mr. Sherlock Holmes? My friend bowed his compliments.
You are quick at identification, said he. We have been expecting you in these parts since Dr. Watson came
down. You are in time to see a tragedy. Yes, indeed. I have no doubt that my friends explanation will cover
the facts. I will take an unpleasant remembrance back to London with me to-morrow.
Oh, you return to-morrow? That is my intention.
3.4 The Analysis of Falling Action
The falling action is the part of the plot where obstacles stand in the way of the protagonist achieving his goal. Conflicts or contradictions occur, performed or
imposed upon the characters reach the point of peak intensity. In here, The storys climax has occurred. The hero has reached his goal, whatever his goal may have
been. He climbed the mountain, he won the heart of the girl of his dreams, he won the big game or he found the buried treasure. But the story isnt over yet.
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There is still have no case against Stapleton, including a motive, but Holmes has a plan, and is still confident that Mrs. Lyons holds further useful
information. Holmes tells Watson not to tell Sir Henry about the hound because he wants the baronet to keep the dinner with the Stapletons; Watson however
must get out of it to aid in the deception that they are returning to London and be
on hand for the execution of the rest of the plan.
Mrs. Barrymore is upset at hearing news of Selden’s death but Mr. Barrymore takes it with much more relief. The risk he ran is further lessened
because there are no features on the clothes to allow them to be traced back. For his part, Sir Henry is glad to see Holmes and agrees to do as he says without
question. The baronet has already behaved according to instructions, when he declined the invitation from Stapleton and remained at home instead, a decision
that saved his life. As they eat a late supper, the line of family portraits catches Holmes’s
attention, one in particular, which Sir Henry identifies as Hugo Baskerville from 1647. Later on that night, the detective uses his arm to cover the hat and hair, and
Watson sees that the resemblance to Stapleton is unmistakable. As a member of the Baskerville line, there is now a motive for Stapleton’s actions.
Do you see anything there? I looked at the broad plumed hat, the curling love-locks, the white
lace collar, and the straight, severe face which was framed between them. lt was not a brutal countenance, but it was prim hard, and stern,
with a firm-set, thin-lipped mouth, and a coldly intolerant eye. Is it like anyone you know?
There is something of Sir Henry about the jaw. Just a suggestion, perhaps. But wait an instant He stood upon a
chair, and, holding up the light in his left hand, he curved his right arm over the broad hat and round the long ringlets.
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Good heavens I cried in amazement. The face of Stapleton had sprung out of the canvas.
Early the next morning, the detective tells the authorities of Selden’s death and Cartwright of the change of events, so that he does not worry. When he sees
Sir Henry, Holmes tells him that he and Watson will be returning to London and to be sure to pass on the message to the Stapletons. He also later has Cartwright
send a telegram from London pretending to be him so that Stapleton will really believe that the detective and his assistant have left. Holmes also instructs Sir
Henry to walk home on the straight path on the moor upon departing from dinner at Merripit House that night.
At the train station to send Cartwright off to London, Holmes receives a telegram from Lestrade an Inspector from Scotland Yard, saying that he will be
coming down, as requested, at 5:40. Then they pay a visit to Mrs. Lyons. When Holmes tells her that Stapleton is actually a married man named Vandeleur, she is
ready to admit to the course of events.
You will take this train to town, Cartwright. The moment you arrive you will send a wire to Sir Henry Baskerville, in my name, to say
that if he finds the pocketbook which I have dropped he is to send it by registered post to Baker Street.
Stapleton had dictated the letter to Sir Charles under the premise of getting money for her divorce. Then he apparently changed his mind, insisting that he
would find someway to pay for it himself and dissuading her from keeping the appointment. When news of Sir Charles’s death came out, Stapleton kept her quiet
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out of her feelings for him and fear of the suspicious circumstances. She never had any intention of harming Sir Charles.
Holmes and Watson leave Mrs. Lyons after her confession and meet Lestrade at the station. Then they all have dinner, before Holmes’s plans for
uncovering “the biggest thing for years” gets underway.
3.5 The Analysis of Resolution
