解説　場面 132「村からの帰り道」

It seemed hopeless to pursue the inquiry any farther, but it was clear that in spite of Holmes's ruse we had no proof that Barrymore had not been in London all the time. Suppose that it were so—suppose that the same man had been the last who had seen Sir Charles alive, and the first to dog the new heir when he returned to England. What then? Was he the agent of others or had he some sinister design of his own? What interest could he have in persecuting the Baskerville family? I thought of the strange warning clipped out of the leading article of the Times. Was that his work or was it possibly the doing of someone who was bent upon counteracting his schemes? The only conceivable motive was that which had been suggested by Sir Henry, that if the family could be scared away a comfortable and permanent home would be secured for the Barrymores. But surely such an explanation as that would be quite inadequate to account for the deep and subtle scheming which seemed to be weaving an invisible net round the young baronet. Holmes himself had said that no more complex case had come to him in all the long series of his sensational investigations. I prayed, as I walked back along the grey, lonely road, that my friend might soon be freed from his preoccupations and able to come down to take this heavy burden of responsibility from my shoulders.

これ以上調べても無駄に思えたが、ホームズの策略にもかかわらず、バリモアがずっとロンドンにいた可能性を否定する証拠はないことが明らかだった。もしそうだったら。チャールズ卿を生きて見た最後の男と、新しい相続人がイングランドへ戻った時に最初に尾行した男が、同一人物だったら。それで、どうなる。誰かの手先なのか、自分自身に何か不吉な計画があるのか。バスカヴィル家を苦しめて、彼にどんな利益があるのか。私は『タイムズ』の論説から切り抜かれた奇妙な警告を思った。あれも彼の仕業か、それとも彼の計画を食い止めようとする誰かの仕事なのか。考えられる動機は、ヘンリー卿の言ったものだけだった。一族を怖がらせて遠ざければ、バリモア夫妻に快適な永住の家が確保できるということだ。だが、若い準男爵の周りに見えない網を織り上げているような、深く巧妙な企てを説明するには、それでは明らかに不十分だった。ホームズ自身、これまでの目覚ましい調査の長い列の中でも、これ以上複雑な事件はなかったと言っていた。灰色の寂しい道を歩いて戻りながら、友が早く手の離せない仕事から解放され、こちらへ来て、この重い責任の荷を私の肩から下ろしてくれるよう祈った。