Ι told Sir Henry about Laura Lyons,and that I wanted to speak to her as soon as possible.Then I went to her house in Newtown.

A maid took me into the sitting room,where a very pretty lady with dark hair was working at a typewriter.I told her who I was,and that I had met her father.

'I have no contact with my father,'she said.' He gave me no help when I was in trouble.Sir Charles Baskerville and some other kind people helped me when I was poor and hungry.'

'It is about Sir Charles that I have come to see you,'I said.'I want to know if you ever wrote to him and asked him to meet you.'

She looked very,angry,and her face went white.

'What a question!'she said.'What right have you to ask me about my private life?But the answer is “no”.'

'Surely you are not remembering clearly,'I said.'I think you wrote to him on the day that he died.And your letter said: “Please,please,burn this letter,and be at the gate by ten o'clock.”'

For a moment I thought she was going to faint.Then she said in a low oice:'I asked Sir Charles to tell nobdy.'

'You must not think that Sir Charles spoke to anyone about you,'I said.' He put the letter on the fire,but not all of it was burnt.Now,did you write that letter to him?'

'Yes,'she said.'Why should I be ashamed of writing to him?I wanted him to help me.I learned that he was going to London early on the following day,so I asked him to meet me before he went.I could not go to the Hall earlier that day.'

'But why did you ask him to meet you in the garden instead of in the house?'I asked.

'Do you think it would be sensible for a woman to go at that time of night into the house of an unmarried man?'she asked.

'Well,what happened when you got there?'I asked.

'I didn't go,'she replied.

'Mrs Lyons!'

'I tell you I did not go.Something happened that stopped me from going.I can't tell you what it was.'

'Mrs Lyons,' I said.' If you did not see Sir Charles,you must tell me why.If you do not,it will look very bad for you if I have to go to the police with this new piece of information about the letter.'

Mrs Lyons thought for a moment,and then she said:' I see that I must tell you.Perhaps you know that I married a man who was very cruel to me.I hate him and I wanted to get a divorce.But a divorce is expensive,and I had no money.I thought that if Sir Charles heard my sad story,he would help me to get a divorce.'

'Then why didn't you go to see Sir Charles?'I asked her.

'Because I got help from someone else,'she said.

'Why didn't you write to Sir Charles and tell him?'

' I was going to,but I saw in the newspaper the next morn ing that he had died.'

I asked Mrs Lyons a number of other questions,but she did not change her story,whatever I asked her.I was sure that she was telling the truth.I could check two important parts of the story.If they were right,there could be no doubt that she was telling the truth.I could check that she had begun to get her divorce at about the time of Sir Charles' death.I could also check that she had not been to Baskerville Hall on the night of Sir Charles' death.

But I was not sure that she had told me the whole truth.Why had she nearly fainted when I had told her about the let ter? That was not completely explained by the story she had told me.

I had discovered all I could for the moment.I left her,and went to search for more information in a different place.