The Hound of the Baskervilles Chapter 2 Summary

Summary

Dr. James Mortimer visits Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson with a manuscript and a recent newspaper account connected to the Baskerville family. Mortimer explains that he was Sir Charles Baskerville’s medical attendant and friend; he produces an old family paper dated 1742 which tells the legend of Hugo Baskerville, a cruel ancestor who hunts a maid across the moor and is seized and killed by a gigantic, hellish hound. Holmes inspects the manuscript and dates it by its typography and language. Mortimer reads the narrative aloud, emphasizing its warning about the family curse and advising prudence when crossing the moor at night.

After the manuscript, Mortimer reads a contemporary Devon County Chronicle account of Sir Charles Baskerville’s recent, mysterious death. The article summarizes the inquest verdict that Sir Charles died of natural causes related to a heart condition but notes strange details: his nightly habit of walking the yew alley, his footprints changing to walking on his toes after passing the moor-gate, and the unsettling local superstitions that threaten to leave Baskerville Hall untenanted. Mortimer then gives Holmes the private facts he omitted from the inquest—Sir Charles was obsessively afraid of the family legend, had been visibly terrified on at least one occasion, and Mortimer himself found fresh footprints at the scene that were not human. He concludes with a quiet, chilling revelation: the prints he saw were those of a gigantic hound. Holmes shows measured interest and asks for the private facts that Mortimer has withheld from public record, setting up the investigation's practical stakes and linking the old legend to a current mystery.

Key events

1. Dr. Mortimer brings Holmes a manuscript dated 1742 and reads the Baskerville family legend.
2. The manuscript recounts Hugo Baskerville’s abduction of a maiden and his death at the jaws of a monstrous hound.
3. Mortimer reads a recent newspaper report summarizing Sir Charles Baskerville’s mysterious death and the coroner’s verdict.
4. Mortimer reveals Sir Charles’s obsessive fear of the family legend and a recent frighting sighting on the drive.
5. Mortimer discloses that he found fresh footprints near Sir Charles’s body and identifies them as those of a gigantic hound.
6. Holmes expresses professional interest and asks Mortimer for the private details he withheld from the inquest.

Analysis

This chapter performs crucial world-building and tonal work: it links an archaic family legend with a modern, apparently rational coroner’s verdict, creating the central tension of rational investigation versus popular superstition. The frame—Mortimer reading an old manuscript to Holmes and Watson—allows Doyle to present the gothic backstory in period language while keeping Holmes in his role as the voice of scientific detachment. The manuscript itself functions as a mythic origin story, introducing a symbolic monstrous hound that stands for inherited guilt, violent passion, and the lingering power of the past. Mortimer’s contemporary account and his confession about the footprints push the legend into the realm of immediate danger and practical investigation, giving the plot a compelling, urgent hook.

Narratively, the chapter contrasts two kinds of evidence: the folkloric, emotional testimony of the manuscript and the newspaper/inquest record framed as official, objective fact. This contrast foreshadows the novel’s sustained play between superstition and rational explanation. Mortimer’s reticence about publicizing certain facts shows the social stakes—how reputation and fear shape community behavior—and it positions Holmes as the necessary rational interpreter. The chapter also deepens character: Mortimer emerges as scientifically minded but personally affected; Sir Charles is shown as a man ruined by fear; Holmes remains analytical, intrigued but skeptical. The closing image—the footprints of a 'gigantic hound'—is a vivid, ambiguous clue that propels the plot while preserving dread and uncertainty.

Important quotes

“"I have in my pocket a manuscript," said Dr. James Mortimer.”

Dr. James MortimerOpens the chapter and introduces the old family document that contains the Baskerville legend.

“"To a collector of fairy tales."”

Sherlock HolmesHolmes’s dismissive reaction to the archaic legend, showing his skeptical, scientific stance.

“"Mr. Holmes, they were the footprints of a gigantic hound!"”

Dr. James MortimerMortimer’s dramatic private revelation linking the ancient legend to the recent, mysterious death of Sir Charles.

Characters in Chapter 2

• Hugo Baskerville
• Jack Stapleton
• Sherlock Holmes
• Mr. Frankland
• Mrs. Barrymore
• Sir Henry Baskerville
• Sir Charles Baskerville
• Dr. James Mortimer
• Dr. John Watson
• Mr. Barrymore
• The Hound