How we cite our quotes: (Chapter. Paragraph)
Quote #7
"This paste in the tin is no doubt the luminous mixture with which the creature was daubed. It was suggested, of course, by the story of the family hell-hound, and by the desire to frighten old Sir Charles to death. […] It was a cunning device, for, apart from the chance of driving your victim to his death, what peasant would venture to inquire too closely into such a creature should he get sight of it, as many have done, upon the moor? I said it in London, Watson, and I say it again now, that never yet have we helped to hunt down a more dangerous man than he who is lying yonder"—he swept his long arm towards the huge mottled expanse of green-splotched bog…
Here is Holmes' final assessment of Stapleton, that, "never yet have we helped to hunt down a more dangerous man." What do you think makes Stapleton appear so particularly dangerous to Holmes? What do you think of Stapleton's methods—do they strike you as being more daring or dangerous than other criminals in detective stories you've read? Did you ever truly believe that Holmes might fail in his fight against Stapleton?
Quote #8
It was the end of November, and Holmes and I sat, upon a raw and foggy night, on either side of a blazing fire in our sitting-room in Baker Street. Since the tragic upshot of our visit to Devonshire he had been engaged in two affairs of the utmost importance, in the first of which he had exposed the atrocious conduct of Colonel Upwood in connection with the famous card scandal of the Nonpareil Club, while in the second he had defended the unfortunate Mme. Montpensier from the charge of murder which hung over her in connection with the death of her step-daughter, Mlle. Carere, the young lady who, as it will be remembered, was found six months later alive and married in New York. (15.1)
Of course, these cases of Colonel Upwood and Mme. Montpensier do not actually exist anywhere in the Holmes canon. Watson is just giving us the impression that Holmes is always off tirelessly working on the side of justice, even when Watson isn't recording his adventures. What's more, these references to other cases make us feel as though Holmes is everywhere, part of the fabric of life in Victorian London.
Quote #9
Here he kept his wife imprisoned in her room while he, disguised in a beard, followed Dr. Mortimer to Baker Street and afterwards to the station and to the Northumberland Hotel. His wife had some inkling of his plans; but she had such a fear of her husband—a fear founded upon brutal ill-treatment—that she dare not write to warn the man whom she knew to be in danger. If the letter should fall into Stapleton's hands her own life would not be safe. Eventually, as we know, she adopted the expedient of cutting out the words which would form the message, and addressing the letter in a disguised hand. It reached the baronet, and gave him the first warning of his danger. (15.13)
This passage shows why we might have more sympathy for Beryl than we do for Laura: she's physically abused. She actually fears for her life if her efforts to save Sir Henry reached her husband's ears. On the other hand, Laura's abandonment by her husband and father make her seem pretty desperate, too.