I found that they had set up house-keeping together at this
place on the line that she had to pass for the station.
I kept my eye on her after that, for I knew there was some
devilry in the wind. I saw them from time to time, for I
was anxious to know what they were after. Two days ago
Woodley came up to my house with this cable, which showed
that Ralph Smith was dead. He asked me if I would stand by
the bargain. I said I would not. He asked me if I would
marry the girl myself and give him a share. I said I would
willingly do so, but that she would not have me. He said,
'Let us get her married first, and after a week or two she
may see things a bit different.' I said I would have
nothing to do with violence. So he went off cursing, like
the foul-mouthed blackguard that he was, and swearing that
he would have her yet. She was leaving me this week-end,
and I had got a trap to take her to the station, but I was
so uneasy in my mind that I followed her on my bicycle.
She had got a start, however, and before I could catch her
the mischief was done. The first thing I knew about it was
when I saw you two gentlemen driving back in her dog-cart."
Holmes rose and tossed the end of his cigarette into the
grate. "I have been very obtuse, Watson," said he. "When
in your report you said that you had seen the cyclist as
you thought arrange his necktie in the shrubbery, that
alone should have told me all. However, we may
congratulate ourselves upon a curious and in some respects
a unique case. I perceive three of the county constabulary
in the drive, and I am glad to see that the little ostler
is able to keep pace with them; so it is likely that
neither he nor the interesting bridegroom will be
permanently damaged by their morning's adventures.
I think, Watson, that in your medical capacity you might wait
upon Miss Smith and tell her that if she is sufficiently
recovered we shall be happy to escort her to her mother's
home. If she is not quite convalescent you will find that
a hint that we were about to telegraph to a young
electrician in the Midlands would probably complete the
cure. As to you, Mr. Carruthers, I think that you have
done what you could to make amends for your share in an
evil plot. There is my card, sir, and if my evidence can
be of help to you in your trial it shall be at your disposal."
In the whirl of our incessant activity it has often been
difficult for me, as the reader has probably observed, to
round off my narratives, and to give those final details
which the curious might expect. Each case has been the
prelude to another, and the crisis once over the actors
have passed for ever out of our busy lives. I find,
however, a short note at the end of my manuscripts dealing
with this case, in which I have put it upon record that
Miss Violet Smith did indeed inherit a large fortune,
and that she is now the wife of Cyril Morton, the senior
partner of Morton & Kennedy, the famous Westminster
electricians. Williamson and Woodley were both tried for
abduction and assault, the former getting seven years and
the latter ten. Of the fate of Carruthers I have no
record, but I am sure that his assault was not viewed very
gravely by the Court, since Woodley had the reputation of
being a most dangerous ruffian, and I think that a few
months were sufficient to satisfy the demands of justice.
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{------------------- End of Text -----------------------}
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{------------------ Textual Notes ----------------------}
{1} {_menage_: there is a forward (/) accent over the first e.}
{---------------- End Textual Notes --------------------}
{-------------------------------------------------------}
{PRIO, Rev 4, 1/17/96 rms, 4th proofing}
{Source: The Strand Magazine, 27 (Feb. 1904)}
{Etext prepared by Roger Squires
[email protected]}
{Braces({}) in the text indicate textual end-notes}
{Underscores (_) in the text indicate italics}
V. -- The Adventure of the Priory School.
WE have had some dramatic entrances and exits upon our
small stage at Baker Street, but I cannot recollect
anything more sudden and startling than the first
appearance of Dr. Thorneycroft Huxtable, M.A., Ph.D., etc.
His card, which seemed too small to carry the weight
of his academic distinctions, preceded him by a few seconds,
and then he entered himself -- so large, so pompous, and so
dignified that he was the very embodiment of self-possession
and solidity. And yet his first action when the door had
closed behind him was to stagger against the table, whence
he slipped down upon the floor, and there was that majestic
figure prostrate and insensible upon our bearskin hearthrug.
We had sprung to our feet, and for a few moments we stared
in silent amazement at this ponderous piece of wreckage,
which told of some sudden and fatal storm far out on the
ocean of life. Then Holmes hurried with a cushion for his
head and I with brandy for his lips. The heavy white face
was seamed with lines of trouble, the hanging pouches under
the closed eyes were leaden in colour, the loose mouth
drooped dolorously at the corners, the rolling chins were
unshaven. Collar and shirt bore the grime of a long journey,
and the hair bristled unkempt from the well-shaped head.
It was a sorely-stricken man who lay before us.
"What is it, Watson?" asked Holmes.
"Absolute exhaustion -- possibly mere hunger and fatigue,"
said I, with my finger on the thready pulse, where the
stream of life trickled thin and small.
"Return ticket from Mackleton, in the North of England,"
said Holmes, drawing it from the watch-pocket.
"It is not twelve o'clock yet. He has certainly been
an early starter."
The puckered eyelids had begun to quiver, and now a pair of
vacant, grey eyes looked up at us. An instant later the man
had scrambled on to his feet, his face crimson with shame.
"Forgive this weakness, Mr. Holmes; I have been a little
overwrought. Thank you, if I might have a glass of milk
and a biscuit I have no doubt that I should be better.
I came personally, Mr. Holmes, in order to ensure that you
would return with me. I feared that no telegram would
convince you of the absolute urgency of the case."
"When you are quite restored ----"
"I am quite well again. I cannot imagine how I came to be
so weak. I wish you, Mr. Holmes, to come to Mackleton with
me by the next train."
My friend shook his head.
"My colleague, Dr. Watson, could tell you that we are very
busy at present. I am retained in this case of the Ferrers
Documents, and the Abergavenny murder is coming up for trial.
Only a very important issue could call me from London at present."
"Important!" Our visitor threw up his hands. "Have you
heard nothing of the abduction of the only son of the Duke
of Holdernesse?"
"What! the late Cabinet Minister?"
"Exactly. We had tried to keep it out of the papers,
but there was some rumour in the _Globe_ last night.
I thought it might have reached your ears."
Holmes shot out his long, thin arm and picked out Volume "H"
in his encyclopaedia {1} of reference.
"'Holdernesse, 6th Duke, K.G., P.C.' -- half the alphabet!
'Baron Beverley, Earl of Carston' -- dear me, what a list!
'Lord Lieutenant of Hallamshire since 1900. Married Edith,
daughter of Sir Charles Appledore, 1888. Heir and only
child, Lord Saltire. Owns about two hundred and fifty
thousand acres. Minerals in Lancashire and Wales.
Address: Carlton House Terrace; Holdernesse Hall,
Hallamshire; Carston Castle, Bangor, Wales.
Lord of the Admiralty, 1872; Chief Secretary of State for ----'
Well, well, this man is certainly one of the greatest subjects
of the Crown!"
"The greatest and perhaps the wealthiest. I am aware,
Mr. Holmes, that you take a very high line in professional
matters, and that you are prepared to work for the work's
sake. I may tell you, however, that his Grace has already
intimated that a cheque for five thousand pounds will be
handed over to the person who can tell him where his son is,
and another thousand to him who can name the man, or men,
who have taken him."
"It is a princely offer," said Holmes. "Watson, I think
that we shall accompany Dr. Huxtable back to the North of
England. And now, Dr. Huxtable, when you have consumed
that milk you will kindly tell me what has happened,
when it happened, how it happened, and, finally,
what Dr. Thorneycroft Huxtable, of the Priory School,
near Mackleton, has to do with the matter, and why he comes
three days after an event -- the state of your chin gives the
date -- to ask for my humble services."
Our visitor had consumed his milk and biscuits. The light
had come back to his eyes and the colour to his cheeks as
he set himself with great vigour and lucidity to explain
the situation.
"I must inform you, gentlemen, that the Priory is a
preparatory school, of which I am the founder and
principal. 'Huxtable's Sidelights on Horace' may possibly
recall my name to your memories. The Priory is, without
exception, the best and most select preparatory school
in England. Lord Leverstoke, the Earl of Blackwater,
Sir Cathcart Soames -- they all have entrusted their sons to me.
But I felt that my school had reached its zenith when,
three weeks ago, the Duke of Holdernesse sent Mr. James
Wilder, his secretary, with the intimation that young Lord
Saltire, ten years old, his only son and heir, was about to
be committed to my charge. Little did I think that this would
be the prelude to the most crushing misfortune of my life.
"On May 1st the boy arrived, that being the beginning of
the summer term. He was a charming youth, and he soon fell
into our ways. I may tell you -- I trust that I am not
indiscreet, but half-confidences are absurd in such a
case -- that he was not entirely happy at home. It is an
open secret that the Duke's married life had not been a
peaceful one, and the matter had ended in a separation by
mutual consent, the Duchess taking up her residence in the
South of France. This had occurred very shortly before,
and the boy's sympathies are known to have been strongly
with his mother. He moped after her departure from
Holdernesse Hall, and it was for this reason that the Duke
desired to send him to my establishment. In a fortnight
the boy was quite at home with us, and was apparently
absolutely happy.
"He was last seen on the night of May 13th -- that is, the
night of last Monday. His room was on the second floor,
and was approached through another larger room in which
two boys were sleeping. These boys saw and heard nothing,
so that it is certain that young Saltire did not pass out that
way. His window was open, and there is a stout ivy plant
leading to the ground. We could trace no footmarks below,
but it is sure that this is the only possible exit.
"His absence was discovered at seven o'clock on Tuesday
morning. His bed had been slept in. He had dressed
himself fully before going off in his usual school suit of
black Eton jacket and dark grey trousers. There were no
signs that anyone had entered the room, and it is quite
certain that anything in the nature of cries, or a struggle,
would have been heard, since Caunter, the elder boy in the
inner room, is a very light sleeper.
"When Lord Saltire's disappearance was discovered I at once
called a roll of the whole establishment, boys, masters,
and servants. It was then that we ascertained that Lord
Saltire had not been alone in his flight. Heidegger,
the German master, was missing. His room was on the second
floor, at the farther end of the building, facing the same
way as Lord Saltire's. His bed had also been slept in;
but he had apparently gone away partly dressed, since his shirt
and socks were lying on the floor. He had undoubtedly let
himself down by the ivy, for we could see the marks of his
feet where he had landed on the lawn. His bicycle was kept
in a small shed beside this lawn, and it also was gone.
"He had been with me for two years, and came with the best
references; but he was a silent, morose man, not very
popular either with masters or boys. No trace could be
found of the fugitives, and now on Thursday morning we are
as ignorant as we were on Tuesday. Inquiry was, of course,
made at once at Holdernesse Hall. It is only a few miles
away, and we imagined that in some sudden attack of
home-sickness he had gone back to his father; but nothing
had been heard of him. The Duke is greatly agitated -- and
as to me, you have seen yourselves the state of nervous
prostration to which the suspense and the responsibility
have reduced me. Mr. Holmes, if ever you put forward your
full powers, I implore you to do so now, for never in your
life could you have a case which is more worthy of them."
Sherlock Holmes had listened with the utmost intentness to
the statement of the unhappy schoolmaster. His drawn brows
and the deep furrow between them showed that he needed no
exhortation to concentrate all his attention upon a problem
which, apart from the tremendous interests involved, must
appeal so directly to his love of the complex and the unusual.
He now drew out his note-book and jotted down one or two
memoranda.
"You have been very remiss in
not coming to me sooner,"
said he, severely. "You start me on my investigation with
a very serious handicap. It is inconceivable, for example,
that this ivy and this lawn would have yielded nothing to
an expert observer."
"I am not to blame, Mr. Holmes. His Grace was extremely
desirous to avoid all public scandal. He was afraid
of his family unhappiness being dragged before the world.
He has a deep horror of anything of the kind."
"But there has been some official investigation?"
"Yes, sir, and it has proved most disappointing.
An apparent clue was at once obtained, since a boy and a young
man were reported to have been seen leaving a neighbouring
station by an early train. Only last night we had news
that the couple had been hunted down in Liverpool, and they
prove to have no connection whatever with the matter in
hand. Then it was that in my despair and disappointment,
after a sleepless night, I came straight to you by the
early train."
"I suppose the local investigation was relaxed while this
false clue was being followed up?"
"It was entirely dropped."
"So that three days have been wasted. The affair has been
most deplorably handled."
"I feel it, and admit it."
"And yet the problem should be capable of ultimate solution.
I shall be very happy to look into it. Have you been able
to trace any connection between the missing boy and this
German master?"
"None at all."
"Was he in the master's class?"
"No; he never exchanged a word with him so far as I know."
"That is certainly very singular. Had the boy a bicycle?"
"No."
"Was any other bicycle missing?"
"No."
"Is that certain?"
"Quite."
"Well, now, you do not mean to seriously suggest that this
German rode off upon a bicycle in the dead of the night
bearing the boy in his arms?"
"Certainly not."
"Then what is the theory in your mind?"
"The bicycle may have been a blind. It may have been
hidden somewhere and the pair gone off on foot."
"Quite so; but it seems rather an absurd blind, does it not?
Were there other bicycles in this shed?"
"Several."
"Would he not have hidden _a couple_ had he desired to give
the idea that they had gone off upon them?"
"I suppose he would."
"Of course he would. The blind theory won't do.
But the incident is an admirable starting-point for an
investigation. After all, a bicycle is not an easy thing
to conceal or to destroy. One other question.
Did anyone call to see the boy on the day before he disappeared?"
"No."
"Did he get any letters?"
"Yes; one letter."
"From whom?"
"From his father."
"Do you open the boys' letters?"
"No."
"How do you know it was from the father?"
"The coat of arms was on the envelope, and it was addressed
in the Duke's peculiar stiff hand. Besides, the Duke
remembers having written."
"When had he a letter before that?"
"Not for several days."
"Had he ever one from France?"
"No; never.
"You see the point of my questions, of course. Either the
boy was carried off by force or he went of his own free
will. In the latter case you would expect that some
prompting from outside would be needed to make so young a
lad do such a thing. If he has had no visitors, that
prompting must have come in letters. Hence I try to find
out who were his correspondents."
"I fear I cannot help you much. His only correspondent,
so far as I know, was his own father."
"Who wrote to him on the very day of his disappearance.
Were the relations between father and son very friendly?"
"His Grace is never very friendly with anyone.
He is completely immersed in large public questions,
and is rather inaccessible to all ordinary emotions.