The Hound of the Baskervilles Chapter 6 Summary

Summary

Sherlock Holmes gives Dr. Watson final instructions at the station: Watson must report facts from the moor, watch the household and neighbours, and keep his revolver. Holmes names likely persons of interest around Sir Henry—Barrymore, the groom, local farmers, Stapleton and his sister, Mr. Frankland—and stresses precautions. Watson, Sir Henry and Dr. Mortimer travel by train and wagonette into Devonshire. The countryside shifts from red earth and hedged fields to the bleak, wind-swept moor; they pass guarded roads because an escaped convict, Selden the Notting Hill murderer, is on the loose, adding to the moor’s menace.

They arrive at Baskerville Hall as dusk falls. The lodge is ruinous but the avenue, iron gates and boars’ heads mark the estate. Sir Henry reacts with keen enthusiasm to his ancestral home while noting its sinister appearance. Barrymore, the butler, and his wife receive them; Barrymore is courteous but shows signs of emotion when discussing Sir Charles’s death and future plans. Watson describes the house: a central ancient block with twin towers, heavy oak beams, ancestral portraits, and gloomy dining quarters contrasted with more modern, brighter bedrooms. After a spare dinner the men retire; Watson surveys the moor by moonlight from his window. In the dead of night Watson is roused by a distinct, muffled sob from somewhere in the house—an intensely private sound that suggests grief or secret distress. He listens for half an hour but hears nothing further, leaving a mysterious, unresolved note at the chapter’s end.

Key events

1. Holmes instructs Watson to report facts and names likely suspects to observe.
2. The party travels into Devon and notes the bleak moor and Selden the escaped convict.
3. Arrival at Baskerville Hall; description of lodge, avenue, and house exterior.
4. Meeting with Barrymore and his wife; discussion of Sir Charles’s death and household changes.
5. Tour of the hall: contrast between ancient, gloomy central rooms and modern bedrooms.
6. At night Watson hears a distinct, muffled sob coming from somewhere in the house.

Analysis

This chapter functions as the novel’s transition from investigation planning to on-site detection: Holmes’s restraint hands narrative responsibility to Watson, who becomes the reader’s eyes and ears on the moor. The chapter sets atmosphere—Baskerville Hall is a character in itself, its architecture, ancestral portraits and dim rooms reinforcing themes of heredity, legacy, and the oppressive weight of the past. The arrival scene contrasts Sir Henry’s modern, practical temperament and eagerness with the house’s ancient gloom, establishing tension between progress and tradition. The mention of the escaped convict Selden intersects two sources of danger—human criminality and supernatural legend—complicating causation and encouraging rational inquiry over simple superstition. Barrymore’s emotional restraint and allusion to Sir Charles’s death introduce domestic mystery and possible divided loyalties among household staff, while Holmes’s selective list of suspects frames future observation priorities.

Narratively, Conan Doyle shifts viewpoint cleanly to Watson’s observant but fallible perspective: descriptive detail builds mood and supplies forensic details Watson will report. The sudden nocturnal sob is a technical device—an interrupted, intimate sound—that punctures the chapter with human sorrow and suggests secrets within the house, creating suspense without explanation. Symbolically, the moor, the iron gates and ancestral portraits act as external manifestations of isolation and inherited burden, while the escaped convict and the missing boot earlier hint at overlapping mundane threats that will require disentangling from the legend of the hound.

Important quotes

“I will not bias your mind by suggesting theories or suspicions, Watson," said he; "I wish you simply to report facts in the fullest possible manner to me, and you can leave me to do the theorizing.”

Sherlock HolmesHolmes instructs Watson to record facts rather than form theories while on the moor, defining Watson’s investigative role.

“I beg, Sir Henry, that you will not go about alone. Some great misfortune will befall you if you do.”

Sherlock HolmesHolmes warns Sir Henry to avoid the moor at night, stressing imminent danger and the need for caution.

“It was the sob of a woman, the muffled, strangling gasp of one who is torn by an uncontrollable sorrow.”

NarratorWatson is awakened by a clear, intimate sob in the dead of night, ending the chapter on a mysterious, emotional note.

Characters in Chapter 6

• Sir Henry Baskerville
• Dr. James Mortimer
• Dr. John Watson
• Sherlock Holmes
• Mr. Barrymore
• Mrs. Barrymore
• Selden
• Jack Stapleton
• Beryl Stapleton
• Mr. Frankland
• Sir Charles Baskerville
• Hugo Baskerville
• Laura Lyons
• Inspector Lestrade
• Mr. Frankland
• Cartwright