Outside, the sun was sinking low and the west was blazing with scarlet and gold. The whole place looked sweet and mellow and peaceful in the evening light, Inside, I sat nervously in the dark of the hut waiting patiently for the stranger to come home.
And then, at last, I heard him. I heard the noise of his boots on the rocks coming closer and closer and closer. I sat in the darkest part of the hut, with the gun held tight in my hand. I wanted to see him before he could see me. There was a long pause which showed that he had stopped. Then, once more the footsteps approached and a shadow fell across the opening of the hut.
“It’s a lovely evening, my dear Watson,” said a well- known voice. “I really think that you will be more comfortable outside than in.”
1. Who is the narrator? Where was he/she?
2. Why did the narrator go to that place?
3. What are the things the narrator found in that place?
4. Whose was the ‘well-known voice’?
5. How did the person of the ‘well-known voice’ come to know who was ‘in’?
Answers:
1. The narrator is Dr Watson. He is in a stone hut on the hill.
2. Dr Watson thought that the man might be responsible for all the mysterious things happening on the moor. So he wanted to find him.
3. Dr Watson found some blankets rolled in a waterproof, ashes of a fire heaped up in a grate, some cooking utensils, half a bucket of water. There was a flat stone on which there were some tinned food and bread. under it there was a sheet of paper with ‘Dr Watson has gone to Combe Tracey ‘written on it.
4. The well-known voice was that of Sherlock Holmes.
5. Holmes found a stub of a cigarette with the label, Bradley, Oxford street, and understood that Watson was inside the stone hut.
Read the passage given below. Then answer the questions that follow it.
“As you know I married in haste and later regretted it. I had heard that if certain expenses were paid, I could get my freedom. This meant a lot to me, so I thought of asking for Sir Charles’ help. I wrote to him making an appointment. But finally I did not go as I received help in the interval from another source,” she said.
1. Who is the speaker? Whom did he/she marry in haste?
2. How did he/she suffer because of his/her hasty decision?
3. What did the person mean by ‘freedom’? What were the expenses to be paid?
4. What kind of help did the person expect from Sir Charles? How did Sir Charles suffer when the appointment was not kept?
5. Who is the listener?
Answers:
1. The speaker is Mrs Laura Lyons. She married an artist in haste.
2. Her husband deserted her and her father refused to support her as she had married against his wish.
3. By ‘freedom’ she meant divorce from her husband. She had to pay him an amount to get her divorce.
4. She wanted financial help from Sir Charles for her divorce. Sir Charles died when he came to the moor gate as per her request.
5. Dr Watson is the listener.
Read the passage given below. Then answer the questions that follow it.
The woman’s story seemed true enough and all my questioning could not shake her. It was unlikely that she was lying about her not going to Baskerville Hall; as such a trip would not have been a secret. But something in her manner told me she was hiding some information. If everything were so simple and innocent, why should I have to force it out of her? For the moment I could not proceed in the matter, so my thoughts went to the man on the hill. If I could find him many of my questions would be answered.
1. Who is the woman referred to?
2. Why might she want to lie about a visit to Baskerville Hall?
3. What made the narrator think that the woman was hiding something from him?
4. What was the information that the woman was hiding?
5. Why does the narrator think that the man on the hill could help in the matter?
Answers:
1. The woman referred to is Laura Lyons.
2. She might lie about her visit to Baskerville Hall for the fear of being suspected regarding Sir Charles’ death.
3. Since she had to be threatened and forced to give information, since she didn’t volunteer information, Watson felt that she was hiding something.
4. The woman had hidden the fact that Stapleton had told her to write the letter and then convinced her not to go there.
5. Dr.Watson felt that the man on the hill was following them and observing all the happenings on the moor secretly. So he thought that the man would know all about the happenings there and so, could help them in the matter.
Important questions from the chapter:
1. What information does Dr. Watson get from Laura Lyons?
A: Laura Lyons was defiant at first, but then informed Watson that she had married an artist against her father’s wish, but regretted it later.
She got acquainted with Sir Charles through Mr. Stapleton. She approached Sir Charles for financial assistance as she wanted to divorce her husband.
She wrote a letter to him requesting him to meet her at the gate at 10’o clock. But she did not keep the appointment as she received help from another source.
Watson felt that she was holding back something from him because if she had told him all the truth then there was nothing to hesitate in it. He would not have to force it from her.
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