How we cite our quotes: (Chapter. Paragraph)
Quote #10
As we watched it the fog-wreaths came crawling round both corners of the house and rolled slowly into one dense bank on which the upper floor and the roof floated like a strange ship upon a shadowy sea. Holmes struck his hand passionately upon the rock in front of us and stamped his feet in his impatience.
"If he isn't out in a quarter of an hour the path will be covered. In half an hour we won't be able to see our hands in front of us." (14.30-1)
Holmes is about as clever and cunning as they come, but there are still limits to what he can do. He can't personally stop the fog from rolling in over the moors, even though it may be enough to ruin his ambush of Stapleton. This detail reminds us that, even in a story that values cleverness and intellect, there are still things that you just can't plan for or control, even if you are Sherlock Holmes.