The Adventure at Baskerville Hall & Other Cases

arms, and exclaimed violently, " Damn my investigations!"
    Had he just exclaimed the most vulgar oath ever heard on St. Katharine's docks, I could not have been any more shocked as I stared at him.
    "Damn my investigations," he growled, clearly tried beyond his patience. "And damn the case. Damn the blasted thing to hell. Watson, I did not come down here because of the case and, despite your entirely wrong assumptions, I have not been pursuing my own investigations; the information contained in each of your reports has been entirely new to me. I have been spending all my time–" He cut himself off, scowling and worrying at his lip before bursting out, "Damn it all, I said that I had followed you down here and I meant it."
    "For the case," I persisted, in some confusion. "You have followed me for the case, because you knew I wouldn't succeed."
    He shook his head in emphatic denial. "You've done admirably, my dear fellow; another day or two and I daresay you would have seen the shape of the solution for yourself. No, I came here because I was worried about you."
    Slowly, I searched his face. "You are mocking me, surely. Holmes, really–"
    He caught me once more as I moved. "Watson, please, " he said, sounding anguished. "I swear to you, on all I hold dear, that I have never been more serious in my life. Make no mistake, there is some dark villainy being played out here, and when I thought of you mixed up in it, it was more than I could stand. I did not want to invite myself to the Hall – when you left London you seemed as though you were positively longing for a respite from my presence – but I could not bear to leave you to face danger alone. So I waited only long enough to receive the answer to an enquiry I had sent after your departure, and then I caught the train down here and have been living as you see, in secret, watching over you but not wanting to intrude."
    "'Not wanting to intrude'?" I exclaimed, feeling dazed. "Holmes, I specifically said that it would be best if you could come down to us."
    "But you lingered so long over writing it that I wondered if you really meant it at all," he admitted. "Watson, I am going about this in an entirely disorganised manner. Please do me the favour of sitting down for a moment, and letting me talk to you."
    He drew me towards a conveniently-sized stone block outside the door of his hut, his grip much firmer than his imploring words had been, and when I had seated myself he dropped to his knees before me, muddying his trousers, so that he could look up into my face and there was no possibility of my hiding my expression.
    "Holmes, your–"
    " Hang my clothes," he declared impatiently. "This is much more important. Now, Watson, after what you said just now I feel have to ask: are you still angry with me over the Culverton Smith business?"
    "I have been having thrice-weekly nightmares about it ever since it happened."
    The words fell from my lips almost against my will, as usually I would never permit myself to complain to him, but I could not suppress a small pang of vindication at the way his face tightened. He knew the tricks my sleeping mind could play on me; more than once following my return from Afghanistan he had been obliged to come upstairs and wake me from the throes of a particularly unpleasant dream. The frequency of such nightmares had declined since I had been home but, to my regret, had not disappeared entirely.
    Holmes seized one of my hands between his own and squeezed it tightly. "I am sorry, truly I am. I had no idea that you cared that much for me; I had not allowed myself to hope that perhaps you–"
    He broke off and looked away. I willed myself to remain silent while I watched his obvious agitation, wanting to let him finish whatever he was trying to say. For it was obvious, at least to me, who knew his every change in mood as well as my own.
    He drew a deep breath and visibly steeled himself, beginning firmly, "See here, Watson, I..." before seeming to lose heart and skitter away from the subject at the last minute, saying instead, "From the moment we heard about this case it was clear to me that we were dealing with a ruthless mind who would stop at nothing to gain his ends, and I wanted to ... I thought I had better..."
    "You did not think I could protect Sir Henry on my own," I finished tiredly, weary of all of the evasions. "I see."
    "No, you don't!" With this exclamation of annoyance he leapt to his feet and began pacing. Subtly, I flexed my