Teatime with Jane: The hound of the Baskerville (A. Conan Doyle)
In the story, the old and noble Baskerville family is threatened by a curse: “A great, black beast, shaped like a hound, yet larger than any hound that ever mortal eye has rested upon” terrorizes and kills any family member who comes to live at the Baskerville estate. As the story opens, the hound seems to have claimed its latest victim, Sir Charles Baskerville. Henry, the new heir to the estate, is set to take up residence the next day. A friend of the family, Dr. Mortimer, comes to consult the famous Sherlock Holmes in his rooms at 221b Baker Street, though he confesses he doesn’t know if the case is more suitable “for a detective or a priest.