From now on, I will copy the letters to Sherlock Holmes that were placed on the table in front of me according to the sequence of events. Although one of them has been lost, I believe that what I have copied now has nothing to do with the real situation.

It's a big discrepancy. I still have a very clear memory of these depressing events, but letters can always explain my feelings and doubts more accurately at the time.

Dear Holmes:

The letters I have sent and the telegrams I have sent have no doubt kept you abreast of all that is happening in this most desolate and desolate of places. The longer one lives here, the more deeply the magical aspect of the marsh becomes apparent.

Penetrating the soul, it is so vast and possesses such frightening magic. Once you reach the center of the moor, you will not see a trace of the modern British Industrial Revolution. However, on the other hand, you are in

The residences and fruits of labor of prehistoric humans can be found everywhere here. As you stroll, you will be surrounded by the residences of these human ancestors who have been forgotten by modern people, as well as their tombs and thick stone pillars. These stone pillars are probably theirs.

The temple is located. When you find those huts made of gray rocks on the mottled hillside, you will forget the era you are in. Suppose you actually find a body emerging from the low doorway.

A native with animal skins and loose hair, flint arrows on the bow strings he holds tightly, you will feel that his appearance is more natural than you are here. What is strange is that this is always the poorest land.

They actually live in such densely packed areas. I am not an archaeologist, but I can imagine that they are a race that does not like fierce fighting and is bullied by others. They are forced to accept that other races are unwilling to settle in this land.

Premises.

Obviously, these have nothing to do with what you sent me to work here, and may be boring to a most practical person like you. I still clearly remember that when I talked about it,

Your cold attitude when it comes to the scientific question of whether the sun revolves around the earth or the earth revolves around the sun. So, let me go back to the matter about Sir Henry!

If you haven't received any report from me in the past few days, it's because nothing important that deserves reporting has ever happened. However, a rather shocking event happened later, and now I will report it to you truthfully.

Go ahead! As a first step, I want you to understand some other factors related to the entire situation.

One of them is the fugitive Seldan in the swamp that I rarely mentioned. Now, it is completely believed that he has disappeared without a trace.

You can finally breathe a sigh of relief. It has been two weeks since Seldan escaped. During this period, no one has seen him or heard any news about him. It is indeed not easy to imagine that he

During this period of time, he can insist on staying in the swamp. Of course, from the perspective of hiding, it is very easy for him. Any small stone house can be used as his hiding place.

However, unless he can hunt the sheep in the swamp, he will have nothing to eat. So, I think he has escaped far away, and the people can sleep a little more peacefully.

.

We have four strong men living together here, so we can take better care of ourselves. But, to be honest, I feel a little uneasy when I think about the Stapleton family. They live in a

In an isolated and helpless area within a few kilometers, the family only has an old male servant, a maid, and two brothers and sisters, and Stapleton is not a strong man. If the fugitive Seldan breaks into their home, he will be killed.

In the hands of such a desperado, they would really be helpless! Sir Henry and I were very concerned about their situation, and even suggested that the groom Perkins should accompany them, but Stapleton disagreed.

.

In fact, our new friend, the baronet, has shown a strong interest in our female neighbor, Miss Stapleton. This is not surprising, for a man as active as he is, in such a situation.

It was a dull and dull place, and Miss Stapleton was a beautiful beauty. She had a tropical exoticism about her, which was in contrast to her brother Stapleton's coldness and insensitivity to emotion.

, forming a sharp contrast. However, Stapleton also makes people feel that there is a burning emotion hidden deep in his heart. He has the power to influence his sister, because I have seen her many times in the conversation.

Sometimes, she kept looking at her brother, as if she needed to ask for his approval for everything she said. I believe that Stapleton treated her well. His eyes were shining, and his lips were thin, but they looked firm. These things

Characteristics often show that he is arbitrary or has a rough personality. I think you will find Stapleton an interesting research subject!

On the first day, Stapleton came to visit Sir Henry. The next morning, he took the two of us to check out the place where Hugo, the dissolute ancestor of the Bathcowell family, was said to have died. Walking in the swamp

We walked for several kilometers before we got there. The area was desolate and miserable, and it was easy to recall the story and legend. In the middle of two rocky hills, we found a short ravine. Along this ravine

Walking through, we arrived at a grassy and open space with white cotton grass everywhere. Two large rocks stood in the center of the space, the tops of which had been weathered into pointed shapes, much like the worn tusks of huge beasts.

This scene is indeed consistent with the tragic scene in the story. Sir Henry was very interested and asked Stapleton many times whether he really believed that the devil might interfere with human affairs. When Sir Henry answered the question, he seemed to

He didn't care, but it was obvious that he took it seriously in his heart. Stapleton answered very carefully, and it was easy to see that he tried to speak as little as possible, as if considering the negative impact on Sir Henry's mood, he

He was not willing to fully express his opinions. He told us about some similar incidents and said that some families had suffered interference from the devil. Therefore, he tried his best to make us feel that his views on this matter were also true.

Just like ordinary people.

On the way home, Sir Henry and I were invited by Stapleton to have lunch at Merripit. This was how Sir Henry and Miss Stapleton met. As soon as he saw her, he was strongly attracted to her, and I

I dare say that this kind of love comes from both men and women. On our way home, he kept mentioning her. From that day on, Sir Henry and I met with the Stapleton brothers and sisters almost every day. Today they

When the brother and sister had dinner together at Bascowell Hall, they discussed the issue of inviting us to Merripit next week. Most people would definitely think that if such a natural pair got married, Stapleton would definitely do it.

I like it, but, on the contrary, I have seen many times that whenever Sir Henry paid the slightest attention to his sister, his face showed extremely strong disgust. There is no doubt that Stapleton is very fond of his sister.

Yes, without her, his life will definitely be very lonely, but if he actually hinders his sister's beautiful marriage because of this, it would be too selfish. I am sure that Stapleton does not want his sister to marry Sir Henry

The close friendship which developed into love, I have repeatedly observed, was that he went to great lengths to avoid giving the young couple any opportunity of being alone together. You have directed me never to let Sir Henry go out alone, but amid our various other difficulties

On top of that, coupled with the issue of love between a man and a woman, it becomes a tricky situation. If I carry out your orders resolutely and thoroughly, then I will probably become an unpopular person.

That day—Thursday, to be precise—Dr. Mortimer dined with us. He was overjoyed because he had unearthed a rare prehistoric human skull from an ancient tomb in Longgang. I

I have never seen such an enthusiastic person who is so passionate about scientific research. Later, the Stapleton brothers and sisters also came. At Sir Henry's request, Dr. Mortimer took us to the water pine lane.

We explained the general course of the tragedy that occurred on the night of Sir Charles's sudden death. The walk seemed dreary and long, between two rows of tall, neatly trimmed hedges, a path of cedars, with two sides on either side.

There is a long and narrow lawn, at the end of which is a dilapidated pavilion. The small door opening to the marsh is in the middle, where Sir Charles once left his cigar ashes. It is a white wooden door with a

There is a bolt on the door, and beyond is the vast marshland. I still remember your inference on this matter, and I tried to imagine in my mind what happened. It may be that as Sir Childs stood there, he discovered something

A strange and frightening thing crossed the swamp and ran toward him. The thing frightened him so much that he ran wildly until he died of fear and exhaustion.

Sir Charles ran along that long dark passage. But why did he run? Was it because he saw a sheepdog on the marsh? Or was it because he found the silent, demonic black big dog?

Where are the hounds? Who is playing tricks on them? Is it the fair-skinned and clever Barrymore who is hiding something about what he knows? All of this seems strange, but I always feel vaguely

, there is a shadow of sin behind it.

Since I wrote to you last time, I have met another neighbor of Bathcowell Manor, Mr. Frankland of Lyford Manor. His residence is about 6.4 kilometers south of us. He is

An impetuous old man with silver hair and a red face. He has a special obsession with British law and has spent a lot of money on participating in lawsuits. He goes to court just to get participation.

The pleasure of litigation, as for looking at the problem from the perspective of the plaintiff or the defendant, is the same to him. No wonder he feels that it is really a costly matter! Sometimes, he actually dares to block a road and publicly

He resisted the diocese's orders to give way; sometimes, he even personally demolished the gates of people he disliked and claimed that this place used to be a thoroughfare to refute the plaintiff's trespass lawsuit against him. He was well versed in public rights law.

, old fief rights laws, etc. Sometimes he would use his legal knowledge to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the residents of Fawnworth Village; but sometimes he would use his legal knowledge to oppose these residents. Therefore, what he did was right and wrong.

He is sometimes carried through the streets of the village by the residents who have won the lawsuit, and sometimes his image is made into a straw man and burned by the residents who have lost the lawsuit. It is said that he still has seven unsolved cases in his hands.

Maybe these lawsuits will swallow up the remaining property in his hands. By then, he will be like a wasp whose stinger has been pulled out, and he will no longer be able to do whatever he wants. If he likes the law

Litigation aside, he is a gentle and approachable elder. I just want to talk about him because you specifically asked me to provide you with more information about the residents around Bascoville Manor.

Situation. Mr. Frankland is very busy now, because he is still an amateur astronomer and has a high-end telescope. However, he is now lying on the roof of his house all day long, observing the swamp with a telescope.

He hopes to find the fugitive Seldan. If he devotes his energy to this matter, then the area will be safe, but according to rumors, he is trying to accuse Dr. Mortimer of digging a private grave without permission.

.Because Dr. Mortimer excavated a Neolithic human skull from the Changgang Tomb. What this Mr. Frankland did did indeed help to relieve the boring and monotonous life here and make our lives more peaceful.

Feel free to have some fun once in a while.

Now that I have introduced you to the fugitives Seldan, Stapleton, Dr. Mortimer, and Mr. Frankland of Lyford Hall, let me tell you some of the most important things about Barrymore.

, as the end of this report, especially the shocking development last night, it is even more worthy of note.

The first, of course, concerns the exploratory telegram you sent from London to confirm whether Barrymore was actually staying at Bathcowell Hall. I have already explained to you that the post office at Greenpen

The director's words showed that this test was fruitless and we could prove nothing. I told Sir Henry about this, but he immediately called Barrymore directly and asked him if he had received it personally.

That telegram. Of course, Barrymore must have said he received it.

"Did that boy named James deliver the telegram to you personally?" asked Sir Henry.

Barrymore seemed very surprised. He thought for a few minutes and said, "No. I was in the cabin upstairs at that time, and the telegram was sent by my wife."

"Did you reply to the telegram in person?"

"No, I told my wife how to reply, and she went downstairs to write the contents of the telegram."

That night, Barrymore raised the issue again. "Master, I'm not sure what the purpose of your raising the question about the telegram was this morning?" he said, "I think the reason why you asked me that was

,Is it because I have done something to make you lose your trust in me?"

Sir Henry had to assure Barrymore that he had absolutely no intention of doing so, and gave him most of his old clothes to reassure him. Because all the new things we bought in London have now been shipped.

It was Mrs. Barrymore who attracted my attention. She was a stout, stout woman, prim and respectable, with an air of almost Puritan gravity. But as I told you, on my first visit here she was

One night, I heard her sobbing. After that, I noticed tears on her face many times, and some deep sadness was devouring her soul.

Sometimes, I wonder if Mrs. Barrymore has any guilt in her heart; sometimes, I suspect that Barrymore may be a family tyrant. I always feel that there is something hidden in this person's character.

There were some special suspicious places, but the adventure last night eliminated all my doubts.

Maybe the thing itself is trivial. You know, I am a very light sleeper, and because I have to be alert at all times in this villa, my sleep is even less solid than in London.

Last night, about two o'clock after midnight, I was awakened by the sound of footsteps walking lightly outside my bedroom. I got up, opened my bedroom door, and looked outside, only to see a long black shadow.

Projected on the floor of the corridor. This is a figure holding a candle in his hand and walking gently along the corridor. He is barefoot and wearing a shirt and trousers. Although only the outline of his body can be seen,

It was clear from his figure that this man was Barrymore. He walked cautiously and slowly, and his whole appearance gave him an indescribable sneaky look.

I once reported to you that the corridor surrounding the hall was cut off by a balcony, but on the other side of the balcony, the corridor continued. I waited until Barrymore was out of sight, then followed him on tiptoe.

When I walked to the balcony, he had already reached the end of the corridor in the distance. I found the candlelight coming from an open door, and I knew that he had entered a house. Because these houses are now empty.

The furnishings and no one were living there, so his actions became even more bizarre. The candlelight was very stable, indicating that he seemed to be standing quietly. I walked lightly, trying not to make any noise, and walked along the corridor.

And looked into the house from the door.

In front of the window, Barrymore was hunched over, holding a candle, and leaned close to the glass of the window. The side of his head was half facing me. When he stared at the dark swamp, his face was a little anxious, but he looked very serious. He

I stood there and stared attentively for a few minutes. Then he let out a long sigh and extinguished the candle with an impatient gesture. I immediately went back to my bedroom quickly. Not long after, I heard his soft voice.

The sound of footsteps returning softly.

After a long time, when I was sleepy, I heard the sound of turning the lock, but I didn't know where the sound came from. I couldn't deduce what these meant, but I thought that in this dark villa

There is a secret thing going on here, and sooner or later we will let the truth surface. I don't want to disturb you with my inferences, because you once asked me to only report the real situation.

This morning, I had a long talk with Sir Henry. Based on my observations last night, he and I have worked out a plan of action. I am not going to talk about this plan yet, but it will certainly enrich my next report.
Chapter completed!