Chapter II The curse of the Baskervilles
«I have in my pocket a manuscript,» said Dr. James Mortimer.
«I observed it as you entered the room,» said Holmes.
«It is an old manuscript.»
«Early eighteenth century, unless it is a forgery.»
«How can you say that, sir?»
«You have presented an inch or two of it to my examination all the time that you have been talking. It would be a poor expert who could not give the date of a document within a decade or so. You may possibly have read my little monograph upon the subject. I put that at 1730.»
«The exact date is 1742.» Dr. Mortimer drew it from his breast- pocket. «This family paper was committed to my care by Sir Charles Baskerville, whose sudden and tragic death some three months ago created so much excitement in Devonshire.
I may say
