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Jack Stapleton
Laura Lyons is a typist in the nearby town of Coombe Tracey. An impetuous young woman, she soon found herself exiled from her family after marrying a man possibly because she became pregnant out of wedlock. Her husband soon deserted her, leaving Laura to make a living in whatever way she could. Lyons depends on the generosity of others, including Sir Charles Baskerville. Jack Stapleton preys on Laura’s precarious position in society, and her friendship with Charles Baskerville, to enable his murderous plans against Sir Charles. He pretends to want to marry Laura if she can pay for a divorce from the man that deserted her. He suggests that she arrange a meeting with Sir Charles in order to ask him for the necessary money, but demands at the last minute that she not attend the meeting. He sends his bloodthirsty hound in her place. To Laura’s credit, however, she shows an indominable spirit when Sherlock Holmes reveals Stapleton’s plans to her. Rather than the weak, submissive woman that Stapleton assumed her to be, Lyons quickly turns on him and agrees to offer evidence against him in court.
Laura Lyons Quotes in The Hound of the Baskervilles
The The Hound of the Baskervilles quotes below are all either spoken by Laura Lyons or refer to Laura Lyons. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 10 Quotes
Her father refused to have anything to do with her, because she had married without his consent, and perhaps for one or two other reasons as well.
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Chapter 11 Quotes
Mrs. Lyons […] you are taking a very great responsibility and putting yourself in a very false position by not making an absolutely clean breast of all you know. If I have to call in the aid of the police you will find how seriously you are compromised.
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Laura Lyons Character Timeline in The Hound of the Baskervilles
The timeline below shows where the character Laura Lyons appears in The Hound of the Baskervilles. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 10
...makes some inquiries into who “L.L.” might be. Mortimer suggests that it might be Laura Lyons, a typist in nearby Coombe Tracey. Lyons was an acquaintance of Sir Charles, to whom...
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Chapter 11
Watson goes to Coombe Tracey as planned. He finds Laura Lyons to be a difficult witness to interview. She is reluctant to answer any of his...
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At first, Lyons denies asking Sir Charles to meet her. However, when Watson reveals that he knows about...
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Lyons tells Watson that she has lived her entire life in fear that her husband will...
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After writing the letter requesting the meeting, however, Lyons procured funding “from another source.” She never cancelled the meeting, however, and learned of Sir...
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Chapter 12
...Watson does not: first, that Jack Stapleton has engaged in an intimate relationship with Laura Lyons. Second, that Jack and Beryl Stapleton are not sister and brother, as they’ve claimed, but...
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...to be the killer, but Watson readily accepts the premise. When Watson tells Holmes that Lyons wanted to meet with Sir Charles to obtain money for a divorce, the pieces all...
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Chapter 13
...very hard time proving the case in court. He pins his hopes again on Laura Lyons’ testimony.
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The next stop is for Holmes and Watson to meet with Laura Lyons. As Holmes expected, Lyons quickly turns on Jack Stapleton when she finds that he is...
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After securing Lyons’ testimony, Holmes reveals to Watson that they are, in fact, returning to the Dartmoor moor...
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