Dear Holmes:

If in the early days of taking on this task, I was helpless and failed to provide you with much valuable information, then you should know that now, I am trying to find ways to make up for the wasted time.

Moreover, events are happening more frequently and more complexly around us now. At the end of my previous report, I ended with Barrymore standing at the window observing the swamp. If I am right

Well, today I have information that will surprise you. Things have changed beyond my expectation. In several ways, things have become a lot clearer in the past 48 hours; however,

From other aspects, it seems to have become more complicated. Now, I will tell you all the situations, and you can sort out and judge by yourself!

After I had discovered the strange incident connected with Barrymore, and before breakfast the next day, I went through the corridor and looked carefully into the room where he had been the night before. There was the west window through which Barrymore had looked intently out.

, I discovered the difference from the other windows in the room - this window opened towards the marsh, overlooking the marsh from here, and the closest; from here you can pass through the gap between two trees.

The entire marsh can be seen, but only a little bit can be seen in the distance from other windows. Therefore, I can infer that Barrymore must be looking for something or someone on the marsh. To achieve this purpose, the only way

This window was the most suitable. Because it was very dark that night, it was hard for me to imagine that he could find anyone. It suddenly occurred to me that this might be some kind of extramarital affair he was engaging in, which might explain his sneakiness.

The relationship between actions and his wife's sobs. He is a handsome man who can make country women fall in love with him, so my idea seems to have some basis. After I returned to my bedroom, I heard the sound of the lock opening again.

, it was very possible that he went out for an appointment. So the next morning, I started to investigate and deliberate carefully. Although the results proved that my suspicion seemed to be unreasonable, I still wanted to report my suspicion to you.

Whatever the explanation for Barrymore's strange behavior, it was a heavy burden on me to keep silent until I knew it. So I told Sir Henry the situation after breakfast when I went to his study. But

After hearing this, he was not as surprised as I thought.

"I have known for a long time that Barrymore moves about at night, and I have wanted to talk to him about it," he said. "On at least three occasions I heard his footsteps walking up and down the corridor at exactly the time you mentioned.

That’s pretty much it.”

"So, maybe he goes to that window every night?" I said.

"Perhaps so. If so, we can follow him and see what he is doing. I really can't guess what Mr. Holmes would do if he were here."

"I am sure he will take the positive action you suggest," I said. "Holmes will follow Barrymore and see what he does."

"Then let's do it together!"

"But Barrymore will probably hear what we're doing."

"Barrymore is a little deaf, and, no matter what, we must seize this opportunity. We will sit together in my bedroom tonight and wait for him to make his move." Sir Henry rubbed his hands excitedly. It was obvious that he liked this kind of thing. Taking risks to relieve the loneliness of his life in the swamp.

Sir Henry has been in contact with the architect who had drawn up the plans for Sir Charles, the builders from London, the decorators and furniture merchants from Primoth, so it may not be long before we see this Earth-shaking changes had taken place. It was obvious that our young friend had big dreams and was determined to work hard and restore the reputation of his ancient family at any cost. After the villa was repaired, refreshed and rearranged , all that is needed is a mistress. From certain indications, we can clearly see that this can easily be achieved if Miss Stapleton is willing. Sir Henry's obsession with the beautiful female neighbor, It is something I rarely see among other men. However, under the current circumstances, the progress of their love is not as smooth as I expected. For example, the calm surface of the sea of ​​love is unexpected today The waves were disrupted and caused great trouble to our young friend.

After Sir Henry had finished talking to me, he put on his hat and prepared to go out, and, of course, I prepared to go out.

"Doctor Watson, are you going out too?" he asked, looking at me strangely.

"That depends on whether you want to go to the swamp." I said.

"Yes, I'm going to the swamp," he said.

"Oh, you know that I have received instructions from Holmes. I'm sorry that I have hindered you, but you have also heard how Holmes solemnly insisted that I should not leave you, especially that you should not go to the swamp alone. Go."

Sir Henry, with a smile on his face, touched my shoulder. "My dear friend!" Wonderful things. Doctor Watson, do you understand what I mean? I believe that you will never be willing to be a person who hinders the good things of others. I must go out on my own!"

This incident put me in a very difficult position. I didn't know what to say to him or what to do. Before I could make up my mind, our young friend had already picked up his cane and went out.

After I have reconsidered the matter, I have a pang of conscience, and if, as I imagine, something bad should happen to me if I have allowed Sir Henry to leave my protection, I must not I will not come back to you to confess to you. To be honest, when I thought of this, my face turned red. Maybe it was not too late to chase our young friend, so I immediately headed towards Merripit Stapleton Set off in the direction of my residence.

I hurriedly chased him along the road as fast as I could. It wasn't until I reached the fork of the swamp trail that I saw our young friend there. Because I was afraid of taking the wrong path, I climbed up first. I climbed a small hillside, and from the hillside, I could look down at everything.

It was the hill which cut into the gloomy quarry. From there I immediately sighted Sir Henry, walking along the moor path, about a quarter of a mile from me, with a woman by his side, besides Sir Henry. Who else could it be besides Miss Templeton? It was obvious that there was a tacit understanding between the young man and woman and they had agreed to meet. They walked slowly side by side while whispering closely. I saw, Miss Stapleton made decisive gestures with her hands, as if she meant what she said; Sir Henry listened attentively, and once or twice shook his head as if he could not agree. I stood. Looking at the two of them among the rocks, I was not sure what to do next. It would be obviously absurd to follow them and interrupt their intimate conversation, and my duty required that Sir Henry should be in my sight at all times. Nai. Oh, tracking people is really a hateful job. Even so, besides observing him from the hillside and explaining it to him afterwards for peace of mind, is there any better way for me to do it? Indeed, if there was a sudden incident at that time, The danger threatens him. I am too far away from him and there is no time to help. But I believe that you and I must be in the same opinion. In such an embarrassing situation, action is difficult, and there is nothing I can do anymore. There are other good ways.

Sir Henry and Miss Stapleton stopped again, standing there talking attentively. Suddenly, I discovered that I was not the only one following their date. I saw a green thing at a glance.

Moving in the air, and taking a closer look, it became clear that the green thing was mounted on the top of a pole, and the person holding the pole was walking on the uneven road. It turned out that it was Stapleton holding his

Butterfly net. He was much closer to the young people than I was, and he walked quickly in their direction. At this moment, Sir Henry suddenly pulled Miss Stapleton close to him, put his arms around her, and she

Then I tried to free myself from his arms, and her face was hidden to the side. He lowered his head to face her, but she raised a hand in protest. Then I found that they jumped and separated, and they were in a panic.

Turning around, it turned out that Stapleton had disturbed the good things of the young people. He ran towards the young people wildly, the butterfly net swinging behind him. He was angry in front of the young people.

I had to stamp my feet and wave, but I couldn’t imagine what his intention was at first. Upon closer inspection, Stapleton seemed to be scolding Sir Henry. Sir Henry explained, but Stapleton not only refused to accept it, but also became

He was furious, while his sister stood proudly and silently beside him. Finally, Stapleton turned around and waved to his sister imperiously. After she looked at Sir Henry with some hesitation, she said:

Her brother left together. Stapleton's gesture showed that he was equally displeased with his sister. Sir Henry stood for a short time looking after them, and then walked slowly back along the way. He bowed his head

He shook his head and looked very depressed.

I didn’t know what was going on, but I felt deeply ashamed that I had no choice but to spy on the intimate scene of the young couple. I ran down the hillside and met Sir Henry at the foot of the hill.

His face was red with anger and his eyebrows were furrowed, like a man who was exhausted and at a loss.

"God! Doctor Watson, where did you fall from?" he said, "Did you actually follow me here?"

I explained to him how I felt I couldn't stay home alone, how I tracked him, and how I saw everything that happened.

The young baronet looked at me with angry eyes for a long time. Finally, my confession diluted his anger, and he let out a somewhat disappointed laugh.

"Originally, I thought that the center of the plain was a good place that was hard to find!" he said, "but, God! It seemed like the whole town came to see my proposal - and it was such a bad proposal.

!Where is your location?"

"On that hillside."

"It turns out that you are sitting far away in the back row! However, her brother ran to the front row. Did you see him chasing us?"

"Yes, I saw it."

"Did you see him acting crazy - her good brother?" "I didn't see that."

"I want to say that he was not crazy at all. Until today, I always thought that he was a sane person. However, please believe me, it is either me or him. There is always one to wear.

A straitjacket for tying up a madman. But what’s wrong with me? You’ve been with me for a few weeks now, Dr. Watson, and tell me frankly, what’s wrong with me that makes me incompetent for the woman I love?

Where is your good husband?"

"In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with you."

"Her brother will not resent my social status. Therefore, he must hate me because of my major flaws. What flaws do I have that he can object to? Among the people I have known in this life, whether

I have never offended a woman or a man easily, but her brother almost refused to allow me to touch her fingertips."

"Did Mr. Stapleton say anything like that?"

Such a case? Much more than that! Let me tell you, Dr. Watson, although Belial and I have only known each other for a few weeks, from the beginning, I felt as if she was created by God for me;

And she thought so too - she felt very happy when she was with me. I swear to God that a woman's eyes are more powerful than her words. But her brother never let us be alone together.

Only today was the first time I had the opportunity to talk to Beilier alone. She was very happy to date me, but after meeting me, she was unwilling to talk about the love between her and me. She repeatedly

Repeat, this is a dangerous place, and she will never be happy unless I get out of here.

I told Belle: Ever since I met her, I am no longer in a hurry to leave here. If she really wants me to leave, the only way is for her to leave with me.

I said a lot of words and proposed to Belial, but before she could answer, her brother ran towards us, looking like a madman. His face turned pale with anger, and his light-colored eyes

Anger also aroused. He asked me what happened to Belial, how could I do something to make her unhappy? Do I think that because I think I am a baronet with a high status, I can do whatever I want? If he is not her brother,

I had no difficulty at all in dealing with him. At that time, I only told her brother that I was not ashamed of my love with Beilier, and that I also hoped that I could be her husband. I spoke like this

It didn't make the situation any better, so I started to get angry later. When I answered his question, I might have gone too far because Beilier was still standing nearby! You have also seen the ending, Beilier and

Her brother left with her, and I was simply bewildered. Dr. Watson, if you could tell me what was going on, I would be very grateful to you.

At that time, although I tried to put forward my own explanation, to be honest, even I did not really understand the reason. In terms of Sir Henry's property, identity, age, appearance and character, his courtship

The conditions are all the best. Apart from the misfortunes surrounding his family, I can't find any flaws that are disadvantageous to him. What is surprising is that the brother did not consider his sister's wishes at all and treated her.

The pursuer gave such a rude rejection. Miss Stapleton actually made no protest in this situation.

In the afternoon of the same day, Stapleton came to apologize in person, which put all the speculations in Sir Henry's and my mind to rest. He came to apologize for his bad attitude in the morning. In Sir Henry's study, the two of them

After a long meeting, the emotional rift was ironed out, and the results can be seen in our decision to go to Merripit for dinner next week.

Sir Henry explained to me after Stapleton had left.

"I'm not saying that he is not crazy now," he said. "I will never forget the look in his eyes when he ran towards me and Belle this morning. But I have to admit that no one can apologize like this.

He is so perfect and leaves no trace."

"Has he ever given any explanation for his behavior this morning?"

He said that Belial was everything in his life. This was a natural thing, and I was very happy that he valued Belial so much. The brother and sister had always lived together, and as he said, they

He is a person who is afraid of loneliness. Only Bei Lier is there to comfort him, so when he thinks about losing her, he feels very scared.

"He said that he had not originally thought that I had fallen in love with Belial, but when he witnessed the fact with his own eyes and felt that I might have snatched my sister away from him, he was so shocked that he

He could no longer take responsibility for his words and deeds. He felt very sorry for what happened in the morning, and he also realized that he had tied the life of a beautiful woman like Belial to him for the sake of personal feelings. This was so

Ignorance and selfishness. If Belial had to leave him, he would be willing to marry her to a neighbor like me, rather than marry his sister to someone else. But no matter what, it is a heavy burden for him.

It's a blow, so he still needs some time to mentally prepare for this thing to happen. If I agree to put this matter aside temporarily in the next quarter, during this period I will just cultivate and cultivate my relationship with Beilier.

If he wants her friendship without asking for her love, he will no longer object. On this point, I agreed, and the matter was settled."

In a series of small mysteries, we figured out a solution. Just like when we were struggling desperately in the swamp, we hit the bottom somewhere. Now we understand why Stapleton

So disgusted was he with his sister's suitor, even a most advantaged man like Sir Henry.

Now I turn to another clue drawn out of the confusion. This is the secret of the sobs that night, and of Mrs. Barrymore's tear-stained face, and of her husband's going to the west window.

.Congratulate me, dear Holmes, you should say that I have lived up to your entrustment, and you will not regret the trust you gave me when you sent me here! Sir Henry and I have completely solved these things after a night of hard work.

Got it figured out.

What I said "after one night's hard work" was, in fact, two nights of hard work, because Sir Henry and I didn't figure out anything on the first night. Sir Henry and I sat in his bedroom until nearly 3 in the morning.

0 a.m., but we heard nothing except the sound of the big clock at the top of the stairs. It was a most pitiful late night. As a result, Sir Henry and I both fell asleep in our chairs. Fortunately, we did not

I didn't give up because of this and decided to try again.

The next night, Sir Henry and I turned down the lamp and sat there in silence, smoking quietly. Time passed surprisingly slowly, but we were like patient hunters, monitoring the traps we had set.

and hoped that some animal would accidentally fall in. The clock struck one o'clock, and then two o'clock. In almost despair, Sir Henry and I almost wanted to give up. At this time, we were sitting on the chairs.

Li sat up straight suddenly, his tired senses became sharp again, and we heard the gentle footsteps in the corridor.

We listened to the footsteps gradually passing by until the sound disappeared. Then, Sir Henry gently opened the door of his bedroom, and we began to follow. Barrymore had turned into the cloister, and everything was dark.

Sir Henry and I tiptoed to the wing on the other side, just in time to see the tall figure with a black beard. He bent down and walked gently through the corridor with his toes, and then walked into the upper room.

The door I had entered the first time. In the darkness, the outline of the doorway was revealed by the candlelight, and a yellow light appeared in the dark corridor. Sir Henry and I walked over with small cautious steps, with all the strength in our bodies.

Before stepping on each floor, we had to test it out. We were barefoot and without shoes, but despite this, the ancient floorboards still creaked softly under our feet. Sometimes it seemed impossible that Barrymore could not hear us.

There was no sound of walking. Fortunately, he was quite deaf, and he was concentrating on what he was doing.

We finally walked to the door, looked in, and saw Barrymore standing hunched in front of the window, holding a candle in his hand, his white and concentrated face pressed against the window glass, talking to me the night before.

What you see is exactly the same.

We did not arrange a follow-up plan in advance, because Sir Henry always believed that the most direct way is always the most natural way. The baronet walked into the door at once, Barrymore was startled, and his face left the window glass,

He took a sharp breath, and stood before us, pale and trembling all over. He looked at Sir Henry, then at me, and on his gray face, a look of terror enveloped his shining eyes.

"What are you doing here, my steward?" asked the baronet. "Nothing... nothing... Master." Barrymore was frightened so much that he hesitated to speak, because the candle in his hand was shaking and the figure was moving.

As the candlelight kept beating, he said: "Master, I walked around at night to see if the windows were all bolted."

"The window on the second floor?"

"Yes, Master. I checked all the windows."

"My steward, I want to tell you!" Sir Henry said seriously: "We have made up our minds to ask you to tell the truth. Therefore, instead of telling it later, it is better for you to tell it early to save us the trouble. Now, you say

Come on! Don't lie! What on earth are you doing in front of that window?"

Barrymore looked at us helplessly, like a man in extreme confusion, fear and pain.

He argued: "Master, there is no harm in doing this. I just held the candle close to the window."

"But why are you holding a candle close to the window?"

"Don't ask me, Master - please don't ask me again! I tell you, Master, this is not my secret, so I cannot explain it. If it has nothing to do with other people, it is my personal matter.

I will never hide it from you."

I suddenly thought of something and snatched the candle from Barrymore's trembling hand.

"He must be using it as a signal," I said to the baronet. "Let's try and see if there is any answer signal."

Like Barrymore, I held a candle and stared outside the dark hole. The moon was blocked by clouds, and I could only vaguely make out the overlapping black tree shadows and the lighter-colored vast swamps. Finally,

I cheered, and in the distance directly opposite the center of the square window frame, a small yellow light spot suddenly appeared, piercing the night.

"There!" I shouted.

"No, Master, that's nothing... nothing!" Barrymore said, "Master, I assure you..."

"Doctor Watson, please move your candle away from the window!" Sir Henry shouted, "Look, the light in the distance has also moved away! You old guy, do you still want to say that it is not a signal? Say

Come out! Who are your accomplices and what conspiracy are you carrying out?"

Barrymore's face actually showed a bold and rude look, and he said: "This is completely my personal matter! It has nothing to do with you! I will definitely not say it!"

"Then don't work here anymore!" the baronet threatened him.

"That's great, Master. If I have to leave right away, then I will leave."

"It's very shameful for you to leave like this. God! You should be ashamed. Your family and mine have lived together in this house for a century, and now I find out that you are doing this."

What kind of conspiracy is there to harm me?"

"No, Master, we are not plotting to kill you!" A woman's voice came over.

Barrymore's wife was standing at the door, her face paler and more frightened than her husband's. If it weren't for the frightened expression on her face, her appearance in a skirt and shawl might have looked a bit ridiculous!

"We have to go, Eliza. It's finally over. You go and pack our things," Barrymore said.

She said: "Oh, John! I got you to this point because of me. It's all my doing, Master. It's all my doing. It's all because of me, and because I begged John, he

You just did it for me."

"Then, please tell me, what is the reason?" said the baronet.

"My unfortunate brother is starving and freezing in the swamp. We cannot watch him starve to death at our door. This candlelight tells my brother that we have prepared food, and the light on his side is

Indicate the delivery location."

"So, your brother is..."

"That's the fugitive, young master, the fugitive named Seldan."

"That's the truth, Master." Barrymore said, "I said, it's not my secret, and it's not convenient for me to tell you. But now, you already know, you should understand, even if there is something

The conspiracy is not meant to harm you."

This was the explanation for Barrymore's sneaking around late at night and holding the candle in front of the window. The baronet and I both stared at Barrymore's wife in amazement. Is this possible? This seemingly respectable woman could actually do this.

She has the same mother as Seldan, the most notorious criminal in the country.

"Master, my surname is Seldan, and that is my younger brother. When my younger brother was young, we spoiled him too much. No matter what, the whole family followed his wishes, and he was raised to think that the world is just for him.

He only exists when he feels comfortable, so he can do whatever he wants. After he grew up, he met some vicious friends who did all kinds of evil, so he became even worse, until my mother was sad for him, and he tarnished the reputation of our family.

Because of his continuous crimes, he fell deeper and deeper, and finally reached the point where he was almost sent to the guillotine. If it were not for the mercy of God, he would not have survived. But to me, young master, he will always be the one who raised me as my sister.

The little boy with curly hair. The reason why he dared to escape from the prison boldly was because he knew that I lived here, and I had to help him. One night, he came here tired and hungry.

There were jailers chasing him. What else could I do? John and I brought him in, gave him food, and took good care of him. Later, Master, you arrived. My brother thought that before the news of hunting him passed,

, he went to the swamp, it was safer than anywhere else, so he went there to hide. Every other night, John put a signal in front of the window to see if he was still there. If so,

When there was an answer signal, John sent him some meat, bread and other food. Every day, we looked forward to him flying away, but as long as he was still in the swamp, we couldn't ignore him. The truth is, I am a pious person

As a Christian, Master, you can see that if there is any sin in doing this, it cannot be blamed on John, but on me, because my husband did this for me."

What Barrymore's wife said sounded very sincere, proving that it was all true.

"Barrymore, is this all true?" asked Sir Henry.

"Yes, Master, it is completely true."

"Well, you did your wife a favor, and I can't blame you for that. Forget what I just said! Now, you can go back to your bedroom. We will discuss this matter tomorrow.

.”

After Mr. and Mrs. Barrymore had left, Sir Henry and I looked out of the window again.

He opened the window, and the cold night wind blew on our faces. The small yellow light source was still shining in the dark distance.

"I wonder how Seldan dares to do this," said Sir Henry.

"Perhaps the place where he sends the signal can only be seen from this window." "It's very possible. How far is it from us?" "As far as I can see, he is at the Cleft Mountain."

"It's only about 3.2 kilometers." "I'm afraid it's not that far."

"The place where Barrymore sent the food cannot be too far, and the fugitive is waiting! Doctor Watson, I really want to catch that Seldan."

The same thought as Sir Henry's occurred in my mind. It seems that the Barrymores do not trust us, and their secrets are forced to be exposed. For society, that Seldan is an extremely dangerous person.

, is a heinous guy who should neither be forgiven nor sympathized with. If we take this opportunity to send Seldan back to a place where he can no longer harm society, we will only have fulfilled our due responsibilities.

With his cruel nature, if we ignore him, others may have to pay the price. For example, our neighbors, the Stapleton family, may be attacked by him on any given night, perhaps because of the thought.

This made the baronet want to take such a risk!

"Then, I'll go too." I said.

"Take your revolver and put on your high-top leather shoes. The sooner we start, the better. Seldan will probably put out the lights and run away."

In less than 5 minutes, we were out the door and began our expedition. Amidst the whisper of the autumn wind and the rustling of fallen leaves, we quickly passed through the dark bushes. The night air was filled with thick moisture.

And the smell of decay. The moon occasionally peeked out from the gaps in the clouds to shine, and the clouds were flying in the sky. When we just walked to the swamp, it started to drizzle, and the light source was still shining there.

"Do you have a weapon?" I asked.

"There is a whip," said the baronet.

"We must rush towards him quickly. It is said that he is a desperado. We must catch him by surprise and catch him before he can resist."

"I say, Doctor Watson," said Sir Henry, "what advice would Mr. Holmes have if we did this? In such a dark night, when the power of evil is in full force."

As if to answer his words, a strange roar suddenly came from the vast and miserable marsh. It was exactly the kind of sound I had heard on the edge of the Great Greenpen Mire. This sound traveled through the darkness with the wind.

In the night sky, there was first a long and deep roar, then a high-pitched howl, and then another tragic scream, which suddenly disappeared. Strange roars came out one after another, harsh and frightening.

, the whole space in front of us was in commotion. Sir Henry grabbed my sleeve nervously, his face was a little pale in the dark.

"God, what is this, Dr. Watson?"

"I don't know. But it's a sound coming from the swamp. I heard it last time."

The sound had disappeared, and a deathly silence surrounded us. We stood and listened, but heard nothing.

"Dr. Watson," Sir Henry said, "is this... the roar of a demonic hound?"

I felt that all the blood in my body was cold. There was a pause in his words, indicating that he had developed a fear.

"What do they call this sound?" asked Sir Henry. "They? Who are they?"

"Common people!"

"Oh, they are all uneducated people, why bother what they call this sound."

"Tell me, Dr. Watson, what did they say?"

I hesitated for a while, unable to escape the question, and said, "They say this is the roar of the Bascoville hound."

Sir Henry murmured to himself for a while, and was silent for a short time.

"It should be the hunting dog." He finally said, "But the sound seems to be coming from a few miles away. I think it seems to be over there."

"It's hard to say where it came from."

"The sound follows the wind, rising and falling. Isn't it from the direction of the Great Green Basin?"

"Exactly."

"Oh, it's over there. Doctor Watson, don't you think that's the roar of a hunting dog? I'm not a child. You don't have to be afraid. Just tell the truth."

"The last time I heard it, I was with Stapleton. He said it was probably the sound of a strange bird."

"No, that must be the roar of a hunting dog. God! Is there any truth in the story? Doctor Watson, you don't believe it, do you?"

"I absolutely don't believe it!"

"In the City of London, this matter can be regarded as a joke, but here, standing in this dark swamp, listening to such a terrible roar, it is completely different. After my uncle died, after

Not far from where he fell, there were hound tracks, all of which were put together. Dr. Watson, I don't think I'm as timid as a mouse, but that roaring sound really made the blood drain from my body.

It's solidified, please touch my hand."

When I touched his hand, it was as cold as stone.

"You will be fine tomorrow." I comforted him.

"I think I can no longer stop that roar from infiltrating deeply into my brain. What do you think we should do now?"

"Let's go home, okay?"

"Now, I will never go back! We are out to capture Seldan, and we must continue. We search for the fugitive, but maybe the big devil-like hunting dog is tracking us. Come! Even if all the devils in the caves come

Even if we come into the swamp, we must persevere to the end.”

In the darkness, we moved forward slowly and unsteadily. Surrounding us were the jagged and dark mountain shadows. The yellow light source was still shining steadily in front of us. In such a dark night, there was no distance closer than the light.

What’s even more deceptive is that sometimes, the light seems to be far away on the horizon; sometimes, it seems to be only a few meters away from us. However, we finally discovered where it was placed, and only then did we know the distance.

Very close. A candle was flowing with wax. It was embedded in a stone crevice, with rocks on both sides sheltering it. In this way, it could not only avoid the wind, but also protect other areas except Bascoville Manor.

We couldn't see it. A protruding granite stone blocked us. We hunched over it and looked at the candlelight as a signal from the top of the stone. A candle was burning in the center of the swamp, but there was nothing around it.

There were no traces of life, which was indeed strange - just an upward yellow flame and the illuminated rocks next to it.

"What shall we do now?" the baronet asked softly. I said softly: "Wait. Seldan must be nearby. Let's see if we can find him."

As soon as I finished speaking, I spotted him. From behind the rock near the candle, a frightening yellow face poked out - a beast-like face, full of flesh, extremely dirty, and a long beard.

Thick and stiff, with messy hair, he looked like a savage in an ancient cave. The candlelight below him illuminated his pair of small, cunning eyes, peeping left and right in the darkness, like a cunning man who had heard the movement of a hunter.

of beast.

Obviously, there are signs that have aroused Seldan's suspicion. Maybe he has some secret code with Barrymore, but we don't know. Maybe he has other reasons to feel that something is not good, because, I heard from him

There was a look of fear on that vicious face. Considering that at any moment he could hide from the light, disappear or hide in the endless darkness, I jumped forward, and the baronet followed me.

At this moment, Seldan scolded us and threw a stone at us. The stone smashed into pieces on the big stone blocking us. When he jumped up and turned around to run, the moonlight just happened to shine through the cracks in the clouds.

I shot it down, and I saw his short, fat, strong figure at a glance. The baronet and I rushed over the hilltop, and Seldan quickly descended from the hillside. Along the way, he used his goat-like dexterity to

The movement was bouncing up and down on the rocks. If I had shot him from a long distance with the revolver, I would have probably crippled him, but the purpose of bringing the gun was just for self-defense, not to shoot an unarmed guy.

The baronet and I both moved quickly and had a certain amount of training, but it soon became clear to us that there was no hope of catching up with Seldan. Under the flickering moonlight, we could still see for a long time.

Him, until he turned into a small dot moving quickly among a pile of rocks on the side of a distant hill. We chased and chased until we were exhausted, and the distance between us became wider and wider. We chased him until we were exhausted.

I just sat down on two big rocks and gasped, watching him disappear into the distance.

At this moment, the strangest and unexpected thing happened. We had stood up from two large rocks, were about to give up the hopeless pursuit, and were about to turn back to the manor. The moon hung low in the sky on the right, and there was a flower.

The spire of the granite hill was highlighted by the lower half of the full moon. In front of the bright background, I spotted the figure of a man. He stood on the top of the hill like a dark bronze statue. Don’t think

This is an illusion, dear Holmes. I must say that I have never seen anything so clearly in my life! According to my initial observation, it was a tall and thin man. He stood on two legs.

Slightly apart, with his arms crossed and his head lowered, he seemed to be thinking about something while facing the peat and rock-covered vast wilderness in front of him. Perhaps he was the elf of that terrible area. He was not Seldan, he was far away from the criminal.

The place of escape was relatively far away, and his figure was much taller than Seldan. I couldn't help but shout and pointed him out to Sir Henry. When I turned around and grabbed the baron's arm, the man disappeared.

At that time, the granite spire still covered the lower half of the moon, but there was no trace of the bronze statue-like man on the top.

Originally, I wanted to go in that direction and reconnoiter the rocky hills, but the distance was not close. The baronet's nerves were still shaking after hearing the roar that reminded him of the terrible stories and legends of his family.

, Therefore, he has no intention of taking any more risky actions. He did not find the bronze statue-like man on the top of the rock. Therefore, he is still unable to understand the feeling given by that man's strange appearance and majestic air.

.

"A gaoler," said Sir Henry. "They have been seen all over the marshes since Seldan's escape."

Perhaps the baronet's explanation is correct, but I will not be convinced without further proof. Today, Sir Henry and I are going to send a telegram to the people of Princestown telling them where to find the fugitive.

.It is a pity that we failed to successfully capture Seldan. This was the adventure we experienced last night.

You must admit, my dear Holmes, that I have done a good job in reporting to you. In all that I have told you, there are many instances where I am undoubtedly beside the point, but I always feel that

, it’s better to let me tell you all the true facts I know, and let you summarize and sort out what is the best way to help you draw the correct conclusion! Of course, we have made progress, as far as Barrymore is concerned

As far as we are concerned, we have discovered the motive for his behavior, which has clarified many issues in the entire case. However, the mysterious swamp and the strange residents there are still puzzling. Maybe in the next report

Here, I will be able to clarify this point a little bit. The best way is for you to come here in person. In any case, within a few days, you will receive my report letter again.
Chapter completed!