Speaker 1: The adventure of the Priory School. We have had some
Speaker 1: dramatic entrances and exits upon our small stage at Baker Street,
Speaker 1: but I cannot recollect anything more sudden and startling than
Speaker 1: the first appearance of Thornycroft Huxtable M A pH d
Speaker 1: et Ce. His card, which seemed too small to carry
Speaker 1: the weight of his academic distinctions, preceded him by a
Speaker 1: few seconds. And then he entered himself, so large, so pompous,
Speaker 1: and so dignified, that he was the very embodiment of
Speaker 1: self possession and solidity. And yet his first action, when
Speaker 1: the door had closed behind him, was to stagger against
Speaker 1: the table. Whence he slipped down upon the floor. And
Speaker 1: there was that majestic figure, prostrate and insensible, upon our
Speaker 1: bare skin hearth rug we had sprung to our feet,
Speaker 1: And for a few moments we stared in silent amazement
Speaker 1: at this ponderous piece of wreckage, which told of some
Speaker 1: sudden and fatal storm far out on the ocean of life.
Speaker 1: Then Holmes hurried with a cushion for his head, and
Speaker 1: I with brandy for his lips. The heavy white face
Speaker 1: was seamed with lines of trouble. The hanging pouches under
Speaker 1: the closed eyes were leaden in color. The loose mouth
Speaker 1: drooped dolorously at the corners. The rolling chins were unshaven.
Speaker 1: Collar and shirt bore the grime of a long journey,
Speaker 1: and the hair bristled unkempt from the well shaped head.
Speaker 1: It was a sorely stricken man who lay before us.
Speaker 1: What is it, Watson asked Holmes. Absolute exhaustion, possibly mere
Speaker 1: hunger and fatigue, said I, with my finger on the
Speaker 1: thready pulse, where the stream of life trickled thin and small.
Speaker 1: Return ticket from Mackleton in the north of England, said Holmes,
Speaker 1: drawing it from the watch pocket. It is not twelve
Speaker 1: o'clock yet he has certainly been an early starter. The
Speaker 1: packard eyelids had begun to quiver, and now a pair
Speaker 1: of vacant gray eyes looked up at it. An instant
Speaker 1: later the man had scrambled on to his feet, his
Speaker 1: face crimson with shame. Forgive this weakness, mister Holmes, I
Speaker 1: have been a little overwrought. Thank you. If I might
Speaker 1: have a glass of milk and a biscuit, I have
Speaker 1: no doubt that I should be better. I came personally,
Speaker 1: mister Holmes, in order to ensure that you would return
Speaker 1: with me. I feared that no telegram would convince you
Speaker 1: of the absolute urgency of the case. When you are
Speaker 1: quite restored. I am quite well again. I cannot imagine
Speaker 1: how I came to be so weak. I wish you,
Speaker 1: mister Holmes, to come to Mackleton with me by the
Speaker 1: next train. My friend shook his head. My colleague, doctor Watson,
Speaker 1: could tell you that we are very busy at present.
Speaker 1: I am retained in this case of the Ferrerh's documents,
Speaker 1: and the Abergavenny murder is coming up for trial. Only
Speaker 1: a very important issue could call me from London at
Speaker 1: present important. Our visitor threw up his hands. Have you
Speaker 1: heard nothing of the abduction of the only son of
Speaker 1: the Duke of Holderness? What the late cabinet minister exactly?
Speaker 1: We had tried to keep it out of the papers,
Speaker 1: but there was some rumor in the globe last night.
Speaker 1: I thought it might have reached your ears. Holmes shot
Speaker 1: out his long thin arm and picked out volume H
Speaker 1: in his Encyclopedia of Reference Holderness, sixth Duke k G
Speaker 1: P C. Half the alphabet Baron Beverley, Earl of Carston.
Speaker 1: Dear me, what a list, Lord Lieutenant of Hallamshar since
Speaker 1: nineteen hundred, married Edith, daughter of Sir Charles Appledore eighteen
Speaker 1: eighty eight, heir and only child. Lord salt owns about
Speaker 1: two hundred and fifty thousand acres minerals in Lancashire and Wales.
Speaker 1: Address Carlton House, Terrace, Holderness Hall, Hallamshire, Carston Castle, Bangor, Wales,
Speaker 1: Lord of the Admiralty eighteen seventy two, Chief Secretary of
Speaker 1: State for well Well. This man is certainly one of
Speaker 1: the greatest subjects of the Crown, the greatest and perhaps
Speaker 1: the wealthiest. I am aware, mister Holmes, that you take
Speaker 1: a very high line in professional matters, and that you
Speaker 1: are prepared to work for the work's sake. I may
Speaker 1: tell you, however, that His Grace has already intimated that
Speaker 1: a check for five thousand pounds will be handed over
Speaker 1: to the person who could tell him where his son is,
Speaker 1: and another thousand to him who can name the man
Speaker 1: or men who have taken him. It is a princely offer,
Speaker 1: said Holmes. Watson. I think that we shall accompany doctor
Speaker 1: Huxtable back to the north of England and now, doctor Huxtable,
Speaker 1: when you have consumed that milk, you will kindly tell
Speaker 1: me what has happened, when it happened, how it happened,
Speaker 1: and finally, what doctor Thornycroft Huxtable of the Priory School
Speaker 1: near Mackleton has to do with the matter, and why
Speaker 1: he comes three days after an event. The state of
Speaker 1: your chin gives the date to ask for my humble services.
Speaker 1: Our visitor had consumed his milk and biscuits. The light
Speaker 1: had come back to his eyes and the color to
Speaker 1: his cheeks, as he set himself with great vigor and lucidity.
Speaker 1: To explain the situation, I must inform you, gentlemen, that
Speaker 1: the Priory is a preparatory school of which I am
Speaker 1: the founder and principal. Huxtables side lights on Horace may
Speaker 1: possibly recall my name to your memories. The Priory is,
Speaker 1: without exception, the best and most select preparatory school in England.
Speaker 1: Lord Leverstoke, the Earl of Blackwater, Sir Cathcart's Solmes, they
Speaker 1: all have entrusted their sons to me. But I felt
Speaker 1: that my school had reached its zenith when weeks ago
Speaker 1: the Duke of Holderness sent mister James Wylder, his secretary,
Speaker 1: with intimation that young Lord Saltire, ten years old, his
Speaker 1: only son and heir, was about to be committed to
Speaker 1: my charge. Little did I think that this would be
Speaker 1: the prelude to the most crushing misfortune of my life.
Speaker 1: On May the first, the boy arrived, that being the
Speaker 1: beginning of the summer term. It was a charming youth,
Speaker 1: and he soon fell into our ways. I may tell
Speaker 1: you I trust that I am not indiscreet, but half
Speaker 1: confidences are absurd in such a case that he was
Speaker 1: not entirely happy at home. It is an open secret
Speaker 1: that the Duke's married life had not been a peaceful one,
Speaker 1: and the matter had ended in a separation by mutual consent,
Speaker 1: the Duchess taking up her residence in the south of France.
Speaker 1: This had occurred very shortly before, and the boy's sympathies
Speaker 1: are known to have been strongly with his mother hemoped
Speaker 1: after her departure from Holderness Hall, and it was for
Speaker 1: this reason that the Duke desired to send him to
Speaker 1: my establishment in a fortnight. The boy was quite at
Speaker 1: home with us and was apparently absolutely happy. He was
Speaker 1: last seen on the night of May the thirteenth, that
Speaker 1: is the night of last Monday. His room was on
Speaker 1: the second floor and was approached through another larger room
Speaker 1: in which two boys were sleeping. These boys saw and
Speaker 1: heard nothing, so that it is certain that Young Saltyre
Speaker 1: did not pass out that way. His window was open,
Speaker 1: and there is a stout ivy plant leading to the ground.
Speaker 1: We could trace no footmarks below, but it is sure
Speaker 1: that this is the only possible exit. His absence was
Speaker 1: discovered at seven o'clock on Tuesday morning. His bed had
Speaker 1: been slept in. He addressed himself fully before going off,
Speaker 1: in his usual school suit of black eaton jacket and
Speaker 1: dark gray trousers. There were no signs that anyone had
Speaker 1: entered the room, and it is quite certain that anything
Speaker 1: in the nature of cries or struggle would have been heard,
Speaker 1: since Cornter, the elder boy in the inner room, is
Speaker 1: a very light sleeper. When Lord Saltire's disappearance was discovered,
Speaker 1: I at once called a roll of the whole establishment, boys,
Speaker 1: masters and servants. It was then that we ascertained that
Speaker 1: Lord Saltire had not been alone in his flight. Heidiger,
Speaker 1: the German master, was missing. His room was on the
Speaker 1: second floor at the farther end of the building, facing
Speaker 1: the same way as Lord Saltire's. His bed had also
Speaker 1: been slept in, but he had apparently gone away partly dressed,
Speaker 1: since his shirt and socks were lying on the floor.
Speaker 1: He had undoubtedly let himself down by the ivy, for
Speaker 1: we could see the marks of his feet where he
Speaker 1: had landed on the lawn. His bicycle was kept in
Speaker 1: a small shed beside this lawn, and it also was gone.
Speaker 1: It had been with me for two years and came
Speaker 1: with the best references. But he was a silent, morose man,
Speaker 1: not very popular either with masters or boys. No trace
Speaker 1: could be found of the fugitives, and now on Thursday
Speaker 1: morning we are as ignorant as we were on Tuesday.
Speaker 1: Inquiry was of course made at once at Holderness Hall,
Speaker 1: it is only a few miles away, and we imagined
Speaker 1: that in some sudden attack of homesickness, he had gone
Speaker 1: back to his father, but nothing had been heard of him.
Speaker 1: The Duke is greatly agitated, and as to me, you
Speaker 1: have seen yourselves the state of nervous prostration to which
Speaker 1: these suspense and the responsibility have reduced me. Mister Holmes,
Speaker 1: If ever you put forward your full powers. I implore
Speaker 1: you to do so now, for never in your life
Speaker 1: could you have a case which is more worthy of them.
Speaker 1: Sherlock Holmes had listened with the utmost intentness to the
Speaker 1: statement of the unhappy schoolmaster. His drawn brows and the
Speaker 1: deep furrow between them showed that he needed no exhortation
Speaker 1: to concentrate all his attention upon a problem which, apart
Speaker 1: from the tremendous interests involved, must appeal so directly to
Speaker 1: his love of the complex and the unusual. He now
Speaker 1: drew out his note book and drotted down one or
Speaker 1: two memoranda. You have been very remiss in not coming
Speaker 1: to me sooner, said he severely. You start me on
Speaker 1: my investigation with a very serious handicap. It is inconceivable,
Speaker 1: for example, that this ivy and this lawn would have
Speaker 1: yielded nothing to an expert observer. I am not to
Speaker 1: blame mister Holmes. His grace was extremely desirous to avoid
Speaker 1: all public scandal. He was afraid of his family on
Speaker 1: happiness being dragged before the world. He has a deep
Speaker 1: horror of anything of the kind. But there has been
Speaker 1: some official investigation, yes, sir, and it has proved most disappointing.
Speaker 1: An apparent clue was at once obtained, since a boy
Speaker 1: and a young man were reported to have been seen
Speaker 1: leaving a neighboring station by an early train. Only last
Speaker 1: night we had news that the couple had been hunted
Speaker 1: down in Liverpool, and they proved to have no connection
Speaker 1: whatever with the matter in hand. Then it was that,
Speaker 1: in my despair and disappointment, after a sleepless night, I
Speaker 1: came straight to you by the early train. I suppose
Speaker 1: the local investigation was relaxed while this false clue was
Speaker 1: being followed up. It was entirely dropped, so that three
Speaker 1: days have been wasted. The affair has been most deplorably handled.
Speaker 1: I feel it and admit it. And yet the problem
Speaker 1: should be capable of ultimate solution. I shall be very
Speaker 1: happy to look into it. Have you been able to
Speaker 1: trace any connection between the missing boy and this German master?
Speaker 1: None at all? Was he in the master's class? No,
Speaker 1: he never exchanged a word with him, so far as
Speaker 1: I know. That is certainly very singular. Had the boy
Speaker 1: a bicycle? No? Was any other bicycle missing? No? Is
Speaker 1: that certain? Quite well? Now, you do not mean to
Speaker 1: seriously suggest that this German rode off upon a bicycle
Speaker 1: in the dead of night, bearing the boy in his arms.
Speaker 1: Certainly not? Then what is the theory in your mind?
Speaker 1: The bicycle may have been a blind, It may have
Speaker 1: been hidden somewhere, and the pair gone off on foot.
Speaker 1: Quite so, But it seems rather an absurd blind, does
Speaker 1: it not? Were there other bicycles in this shed several
Speaker 1: would he not have hidden a couple had he desired
Speaker 1: to give the idea that they had gone off upon them?
Speaker 1: I suppose he would. Of course he would. The blind
Speaker 1: theory won't do. But the incident is an admirable starting
Speaker 1: point for an investigation. After all, a bicycle is not
Speaker 1: an easy thing to conceal or to destroy. One other question,
Speaker 1: did anyone call to see the boy on the day
Speaker 1: before he disappeared? No? Did he get any letters? Yes?
Speaker 1: One letter from whom from his father? Do you open
Speaker 1: the boy's letters? No? How do you know it was
Speaker 1: from the father? The coat of arms was on the envelope,
Speaker 1: and it was addressed in the Duke's peculiar stiff hand. Besides,
Speaker 1: the Duke remembers having written when had he a letter
Speaker 1: before that? Not? For several days? Had he ever won
Speaker 1: from France. No, never, you see the point of my questions.
Speaker 1: Of course, either the boy was carried off by force
Speaker 1: or he went of his own free will. In the
Speaker 1: latter case, you would expect that some prompting from outside
Speaker 1: would be needed to make so young a lad do
Speaker 1: such a thing. If he has had no visitors, that
Speaker 1: prompting must have come in letters. Hence, I try to
Speaker 1: find out who were his correspondents. I fear I cannot
Speaker 1: help you much. His only correspondence, so far as I know,
Speaker 1: was his own father, who wrote to him on the
Speaker 1: very day of his disappearance. Were the relations between father
Speaker 1: and son very friendly? His Grace is never very friendly
Speaker 1: with anyone. He is completely immersed in large public questions
Speaker 1: and is rather inaccessible to all ordinary emotions. He was
Speaker 1: always kind to the boy in his own way, But
Speaker 1: the sympathies of the latter were with the mother. Yes,
Speaker 1: did he say so? No? The Duke then, good Evan? No?
Speaker 1: Then how could you know? I have had some confidential
Speaker 1: talks with mister James Wilder, is Grace's secretary. It was
Speaker 1: he you gave me the information about Lord Saltire's feelings.
Speaker 1: I see by the way that last letter of the Duke's.
Speaker 1: Was it found in the boy's room after he was gone? No,
Speaker 1: he had taken it with him. I think, mister Holmes,
Speaker 1: it is time that we were leaving for Euston. I
Speaker 1: will order a four wheeler. In a quarter of an hour,
Speaker 1: we shall be at your service. If you are telegraphing home,
Speaker 1: mister Huxtable, it would be well to allow the people
Speaker 1: in your neighborhood to imagine that the inquiry is still
Speaker 1: going on in Liverpool or wherever else. That red herring
Speaker 1: led your pack. In the meantime, I will do a
Speaker 1: little quiet work at your own doors. And perhaps the
Speaker 1: scent is not so cold, but the two old hounds
Speaker 1: like Watson and myself may get a sniff at it.
Speaker 1: That evening found us in the cold, bracing atmosphere of
Speaker 1: the peak country in which doctor Huxtable's famous school is situated.
Speaker 1: It was all already dark when we reached it. A
Speaker 1: card was lying on the hall table, and the butler
Speaker 1: whispered something to his master, who turned to us with agitation.
Speaker 1: In every heavy feature, the Duke is here, said he.
Speaker 1: The Duke and mister Wylder are in the study. Come, gentlemen,
Speaker 1: and I will introduce you. I was, of course familiar
Speaker 1: with the pictures of the famous statesman, but the man
Speaker 1: himself was very different from his representation. He was a
Speaker 1: tall and stately person, scrupulously dressed, with a drawn, thin
Speaker 1: face and a nose which was grotesquely curved and long.
Speaker 1: His complexion was of a dead pallor, which was more
Speaker 1: startling by contrast with a long, dwindling beard of vivid
Speaker 1: red which flowed down over his white waistcoat, with his
Speaker 1: watch chain gleaming through its fringe. Such was the stately
Speaker 1: presents who looked stonily at us from the center of
Speaker 1: Doctor huxtable hearth rug. Beside him stood a very young
Speaker 1: man whom I understood to be Wilder, the Private Secretary.
Speaker 1: He was small, nervous, alert, with intelligent, light blue eyes
Speaker 1: and mobile features. It was he who, at once, in
Speaker 1: an incisive and positive tone, opened the conversation. I called
Speaker 1: this morning, Doctor Huxtable, too late to prevent you from
Speaker 1: starting for London. I learned that your object was to
Speaker 1: invite mister Sherlock Holmes to undertake the conduct of this case.
Speaker 1: His grace is surprised, Doctor Huxtable, that you should have
Speaker 1: taken such a step without consulting him when I learned
Speaker 1: that the police had failed. His Grace is by no
Speaker 1: means convinced that the police have failed. But surely, mister Wilder,
Speaker 1: you are well aware, doctor Huxtable, that his Grace is
Speaker 1: particularly anxious to avoid all public scandal. He prefers to
Speaker 1: take as few people as possible into his confidence. The
Speaker 1: matter can be easily remedied, said the browbeaten doctor, mister
Speaker 1: Sherlock Holmes, and returned to London by the morning train.
Speaker 1: Hardly that, doctor, hardly that, said Holmes in his blandest voice.
Speaker 1: This northern air is invigorating and pleasant. So I propose
Speaker 1: to spend a few days upon your moors, and to
Speaker 1: occupy my mind as best I may. Whether I have
Speaker 1: the shelter of your roof or of the village inn,
Speaker 1: is of course for you to decide. I could see
Speaker 1: that the unfortunate doctor was in the last stage of indecision,
Speaker 1: from which he was rescued by the deep, sonorous voice
Speaker 1: of the red bearded Duke, which boomed out like a
Speaker 1: dinner gone. I agree with mister Wilder, doctor Huxtable, that
Speaker 1: you would have done wisely to consult me. But since
Speaker 1: mister Holmes has already been taken into your confidence. It
Speaker 1: would indeed be absurd that we should not avail ourselves
Speaker 1: of his services. Far from going to the inn, mister Holmes,
Speaker 1: I should be pleased if you would come and stay
Speaker 1: with me at Holderness Hall. I thank your grace for
Speaker 1: the purposes of my investigation. I think that it would
Speaker 1: be wiser for me to remain at the scene of
Speaker 1: the mystery, just as you like, mister Holmes. Any information
Speaker 1: which mister Wylder or I can give you is, of
Speaker 1: course at your disposal. It will probably be necessary for
Speaker 1: me to see you at the hall, said Holmes. I
Speaker 1: would only ask you, now, sir, whether you have formed
Speaker 1: any explanation in your own mind as to the mysterious
Speaker 1: disappearance of your son. No, sir, I have not excuse
Speaker 1: me if I allude to that which is painful to you,
Speaker 1: But I have no alternative. Do you think that the
Speaker 1: Duchess had anything to do with the matter? The Great
Speaker 1: Minister showed perceptible hesitation. I do not think so, he said.
Speaker 1: At last. The other most obvious explanation is that the
Speaker 1: child has been kidnapped for the purpose of levying ransom.
Speaker 1: You have not had any demand of the sort. No, sir,
Speaker 1: one more question, your grace. I understand that you wrote
Speaker 1: to your son upon the day when this occurred. No,
Speaker 1: I wrote upon the day before exactly, but he received
Speaker 1: it on that day. Yes. Was there anything in your
Speaker 1: letter which might have unbalanced him or induced him to
Speaker 1: take such a step, No, sir, certainly not. Did you
Speaker 1: post that letter yourself? The nobleman's reply was interrupted by
Speaker 1: his secretary, who broke in with some heat. His Grace
Speaker 1: is not in the habit of posting letters himself, said he.
Speaker 1: This letter was laid with others upon the study table,
Speaker 1: and I myself put them in the postbag. You are
Speaker 1: sure this one was among them? Yes, I observed it.
Speaker 1: How many letters did your grace write that day? Twenty
Speaker 1: or thirty? I have a large correspondence, But surely this
Speaker 1: is somewhat irrelevant, Not entirely, said Holmes. For my own part,
Speaker 1: said the Duke. I have advised the police to turn
Speaker 1: their attention to the south of France. I have already
Speaker 1: said that I do not believe that the Duchess would
Speaker 1: encourage so monstrous an action. That the lad had the
Speaker 1: most wrong headed opinions and it is possible that he
Speaker 1: may have fled to her aided and abetted by this German.
Speaker 1: I think, doctor Huxtable, that we will now return to
Speaker 1: the hall. I could see that there were other questions
Speaker 1: which Holmes would have wished to put, but the nobleman's
Speaker 1: abrupt manner showed that the interview was at an end.
Speaker 1: It was evident that to his intensely aristocratic nature, this
Speaker 1: discussion of his intimate family affairs with a stranger was
Speaker 1: most abhorrent, and that he feared lest every fresh question
Speaker 1: would throw a fiercer light into the discreetly shadowed corners
Speaker 1: of his ducal history. When the nobleman and his secretary
Speaker 1: had left, my friend flung himself at once, with characteristic eagerness,
Speaker 1: into the investigation. The boy's chamber was carefully examined and
Speaker 1: yielded nothing, so gave the absolute conviction that it was
Speaker 1: only through the window that he could have escaped. The
Speaker 1: German master's room, and effects gave no further clue. In
Speaker 1: his case, a trailer of ivy had given way under
Speaker 1: his weight, and we saw, by the light of a
Speaker 1: lantern the mark on the lawn where his heels had
Speaker 1: come down, that one dint in the short green grass
Speaker 1: was the only material witness left of this inexplicable nocturnal flight.
Speaker 1: Sherlock Holmes left the house alone and only returned after eleven.
Speaker 1: He had obtained a large ordnance map of the neighborhood,
Speaker 1: and this he brought into my room, where he laid
Speaker 1: it out on the bed, and having balanced the lamp
Speaker 1: in the middle of it, he began to smoke over it,
Speaker 1: and occasionally to point out objects of interest with the
Speaker 1: reeking amber of his pipe. This case grows upon me,
Speaker 1: Watson said he There are decidedly some points of interest
Speaker 1: in connection with it. In this early stage. I want
Speaker 1: you to realize those geographical features which may have a
Speaker 1: good deal to do with our investigation. Look at this map.
Speaker 1: This dark square is the priory school. I'll put a
Speaker 1: pin in it now. This line is the main road.
Speaker 1: You see that it runs east and west past the school.
Speaker 1: And you see also that there is no side road
Speaker 1: for a mile either way. If these two folk passed
Speaker 1: away by road, it was this road exactly by a
Speaker 1: singular and happy chance. We are able to some extent
Speaker 1: to check what passed along this road during the night
Speaker 1: in question. At this point where my pipe is now resting.
Speaker 1: A county constable was on duty from twelve to six.
Speaker 1: It is as you perceive the first cross road on
Speaker 1: the east side. This man declares that he was not
Speaker 1: absent from his post for an instant, and he is
Speaker 1: positive that neither boy nor man could have gone that
Speaker 1: way unseen. I have spoken with this policeman to night,
Speaker 1: and he appears to me to be a perfectly reliable person.
Speaker 1: That blocks this end we have now to deal with
Speaker 1: the other. There is an inn here, the Red Bull,
Speaker 1: the landlady of which was ill. She had sent to
Speaker 1: Mackleton for a doctor, but he did not arrive until morning,
Speaker 1: being absent. At another case, the people at the inn
Speaker 1: were alert all night awaiting his coming, and one or
Speaker 1: other of them seems to have continually had an eye
Speaker 1: upon the road. They declare that no one passed. If
Speaker 1: their evidence is good, then we are fortunate enough to
Speaker 1: be able to block the west, and also to be
Speaker 1: able to say that the fugitives did not use the
Speaker 1: road at all. But the bicycle I objected quite so
Speaker 1: we will come to the bicycle presently to continue our reasoning.
Speaker 1: If these people did not go by the road, they
Speaker 1: must have traversed the country to the north of the
Speaker 1: house or to the south of the house. That is certain.
Speaker 1: Let us weigh the one against the other. On the
Speaker 1: south of the house is as you perceive, a large
Speaker 1: district of arable land cut up into small fields, with
Speaker 1: stone walls between them. There I admit that a bicycle
Speaker 1: is impossible. We can dismiss the idea. We turn to
Speaker 1: the country on the north. Here there lies a grove
Speaker 1: of trees marked as the Ragged Shore, and on the
Speaker 1: farther side stretches a great rolling moor, Lower Gilmore, extending
Speaker 1: for ten miles and sloping gradually upward. Here at one
Speaker 1: side of this wilderness is Holderness Hall, ten miles by road,
Speaker 1: but only six across the moor. It is a peculiarly
Speaker 1: desolate plain. A few more farmers have small holdings where
Speaker 1: they rear sheep and cattle. Except these, the plover and
Speaker 1: the curlew are the only inhabitants. Until you come to
Speaker 1: the Chesterfield high Road. There is a church. There, you
Speaker 1: see a few cottages and an inn. Beyond that the
Speaker 1: hills become precipitous. Surely it is here to the north
Speaker 1: that our quest must lie. But the bicycle, I persisted. Well, well,
Speaker 1: said Holmes impatiently. A good cyclist does not need a
Speaker 1: high road. The moor is intersected with paths, and the
Speaker 1: moon was at the full Hello, what is this? There
Speaker 1: was an agitated knock at the door, and an instant afterwards,
Speaker 1: Doctor Huxtable was in the room. In his hand he
Speaker 1: held a blue cricket cap with a white chevron on
Speaker 1: the peak. At last we have a clue, he cried,
Speaker 1: Thank Heaven, At last we are on the dear boy's track.
Speaker 1: It is his cap. Where was it found? In the
Speaker 1: van of the gypsies who camped on the moor the
Speaker 1: left on Tuesday to day? The police traced them down
Speaker 1: and examined their caravan. This was found. How do they
Speaker 1: account for it? They shuffled and lied, said that they
Speaker 1: found it on the moor on Tuesday morning. They know
Speaker 1: where he is the rascals. Thank goodness, they are all
Speaker 1: safe under lock and key. Either the fear of the
Speaker 1: law or the Duke's purse will certainly get out of
Speaker 1: them all that they know. So far, so good, said Holmes,
Speaker 1: when the doctor had at last left the room. It
Speaker 1: at least bears out the theory that it is on
Speaker 1: the side of the Lower Gilmore that we must hope
Speaker 1: for results. The police have really done nothing locally save
Speaker 1: the arrest of these gypsies. Look here, Watson, there is
Speaker 1: a water course across the moor. You see it marked
Speaker 1: here in the map. In some parts it widens into
Speaker 1: a morass. This is particularly so in the region between
Speaker 1: Holderness Hall and the school. It is vain to look
Speaker 1: elsewhere for tracks in this dry weather, but at that
Speaker 1: point there is certainly a chance of some record being left.
Speaker 1: I will call you early to morrow morning, and you
Speaker 1: and I will try if we can throw some little
Speaker 1: light upon the mystery. The day was just breaking when
Speaker 1: I woke to find the long, thin form of homes
Speaker 1: by my bedside. He was fully dressed and had apparently
Speaker 1: already been out. I have done the lawn and the
Speaker 1: bicycle shed, said he. I have also had a rumble
Speaker 1: through the ragged shore. Now, Watson, there is Koco ready
Speaker 1: in the next room. I must beg you to hurry,
Speaker 1: for we have a great day before us. His eyes shone,
Speaker 1: and his cheek was flushed with the exhilaration of the
Speaker 1: master workman who sees his work lie ready before him.
Speaker 1: Very different homes, this active, alert man from the introspective
Speaker 1: and pallid dreamer of Baker Street. I felt, as I
Speaker 1: looked upon that supple figure, alive with nervous energy, that
Speaker 1: it was indeed a strenuous day that awaited us, and
Speaker 1: yet it opened in the blackest disappointment. With high hopes,
Speaker 1: we struck across the peat Russet Moor, intersected with a
Speaker 1: thousand sheep paths, until we came to the broad light
Speaker 1: green belt which marked the morass between us and holderness. Certainly,
Speaker 1: if the lad had gone homeward, he must have passed this,
Speaker 1: and he could not pass it without leaving his traces.
Speaker 1: But no sign of him or the German could be seen.
Speaker 1: With a darkening face, my friend strode along the margin, eagerly,
Speaker 1: observant of every muddy stain upon the mossy surface. Sheep
Speaker 1: marks there were in profusion, and at one place, some
Speaker 1: miles down, cows had left their tracks. Nothing more check
Speaker 1: number one, said Holmes, looking gloomily over the rolling expanse
Speaker 1: of the moor. There is another morass down yonder, and
Speaker 1: a narrow neck between. Hello, Hello, what have we here?
Speaker 1: We had come on a small black ribbon of pathway.
Speaker 1: In the middle of it, clearly marked on the sodden
Speaker 1: soil was the track of a bicycle. Hurrah, I cried,
Speaker 1: we have it. But Holmes was shaking his head, and
Speaker 1: his face was puzzled and expectant rather than joyous. A bicycle, certainly,
Speaker 1: but not the bicycle, said he, I am familiar with
Speaker 1: forty two different impressions left by tires. This, as you perceive,
Speaker 1: is a dunlop with a patch upon the outer cover.
Speaker 1: Hidigger's tires were Palmers, leaving longitudinal stripes aveling. The mathematical
Speaker 1: master was sure upon the point. Therefore, it is not
Speaker 1: Hidigger's track. The boys then, possibly if we could prove
Speaker 1: a bicycle to have been in his possession, But this
Speaker 1: we have utterly failed to do. This track, as you perceive,
Speaker 1: was made by a rider who was going from the
Speaker 1: direction of the school, or towards it. No, no, my
Speaker 1: dear Watson. The more deeply sunk impression is, of course
Speaker 1: the hind wheel upon which the weight rests. You perceive
Speaker 1: several places where it has passed across and obliterated the
Speaker 1: more shallow mark of the front one. It was undoubtedly
Speaker 1: heading away from the school. It may or may not
Speaker 1: be connected with our inquiry, but we will follow it
Speaker 1: backwards before we go any farther. We did so, and
Speaker 1: at the end of a few hundred yards lost the tracks.
Speaker 1: As we emerged from the boggy portion of the moor,
Speaker 1: following the path backwards, we picked out another spot where
Speaker 1: a spring trickled across it. Here once again was the
Speaker 1: mark of the bicycle, though nearly obliterated by the hoofs
Speaker 1: of cows. After that there was no sign, but the
Speaker 1: path ran right on into ragged shaw, the wood which
Speaker 1: backed on to the school. From this wood the cycle
Speaker 1: must have emerged. Holmes sat down on a boulder and
Speaker 1: rested his chin in his hands. I had smoked two
Speaker 1: cigarettes before he moved. Well, well, said he at last,
Speaker 1: It is of course possible that a cunning man might
Speaker 1: change the tires of his bicycle in order to leave
Speaker 1: unfamiliar tracks. A criminal who was capable of such a
Speaker 1: thought is a man whom I should be proud to
Speaker 1: do business with. We will leave this question undecided and
Speaker 1: hark back to our morass again, for we have left
Speaker 1: a good deal unexplored. We continued our systematic survey of
Speaker 1: the edge of the sodden portion of the moor, and
Speaker 1: soon our perseverance was gloriously rewarded. Right across the lower
Speaker 1: part of the bog lay a miry path. Holmes gave
Speaker 1: a cry of delight as he approached it. An impression
Speaker 1: like a fine bundle of telegraph wires ran down the
Speaker 1: center of it. It was the Palmer tires. Here is hair, hidigger,
Speaker 1: sure enough, cried Holmes exultantly. My reasoning seems to have
Speaker 1: been pretty sound. Watson, I congratulate you, but we have
Speaker 1: a long way still to go. Kindly walk clear of
Speaker 1: the path. Now let us follow the trail. I fear
Speaker 1: that it will not lead very far. We found, however,
Speaker 1: as we advanced, that this portion of the moor is
Speaker 1: intersected with soft patches, and though we frequently lost sight
Speaker 1: of the track, we always succeeded in picking it up
Speaker 1: once more. Do you observe, said Holmes, that the rider
Speaker 1: is now undoubtedly forcing the pace. There can be no
Speaker 1: doubt of it. Look at this impression where you get
Speaker 1: both tires clear. The one is as deep as the other.
Speaker 1: That can only mean that the rider is throwing his
Speaker 1: weight on to the handle bar as a man does
Speaker 1: when he is sprinting. By jove, he has had a fall.
Speaker 1: There was a broad, irregular smudge covering some yards of
Speaker 1: the track. Then there were a few footmarks, and the
Speaker 1: tire reappeared once more. A side slip, I suggested, Holmes
Speaker 1: held up a crumpled branch of flowering gauze. To my horror,
Speaker 1: I perceived that the yellow blossoms were all dabbled with
Speaker 1: crimson on the path too, and among the heather were
Speaker 1: dark stains of clotted blood. Bad, said Holmes. Bad stand clear, Watson,
Speaker 1: not an unnecessary footstep? What do I read here? He
Speaker 1: fell wounded, He stood up, He remounted, He proceeded. But
Speaker 1: there is no other track cattle on this side path.
Speaker 1: He was surely not gored by bull. Impossible, But I
Speaker 1: see no traces of anyone else. We must push on,
Speaker 1: buttson surely, with stains as well as the track to
Speaker 1: guide us. He cannot escape us. Now our search was
Speaker 1: not a very long one. The tracks of the tire
Speaker 1: began to curve fantastically upon the wet and shining path. Suddenly,
Speaker 1: as I looked ahead, the gleam of metal caught my
Speaker 1: eye from amid the thick gorse bushes. Out of them
Speaker 1: we dragged a bicycle palmer tired, one pedal bent, and
Speaker 1: the whole front of it horribly smeared and slobbered with blood.
Speaker 1: On the other side of the bushes a shoe was projecting.
Speaker 1: We ran round, and there lay the unfortunate rider. He
Speaker 1: was a tall man, full bearded with spectacles, one glass
Speaker 1: of which had been knocked out. The cause of his
Speaker 1: death was a frightful blow upon the head, which had
Speaker 1: crushed in part of his skull. That he could have
Speaker 1: gone on after receiving such an injury said much for
Speaker 1: the vitality and courage of the man. He wore shoes
Speaker 1: but no socks, and his open coat disclosed a night
Speaker 1: shirt beneath it. It was undoubtedly the German. Master. Holmes
Speaker 1: turned the body over reverently and examined it with great attention.
Speaker 1: He then sat in deep thought for a time, and
Speaker 1: I could see by his ruffled brow that this grim
Speaker 1: discovery had not, in his opinion, advanced us much in
Speaker 1: our inquiry. It is difficult to know what to do,
Speaker 1: Watson said. He At last, my own inclinations are to
Speaker 1: push this inquiry on, for we have already lost so
Speaker 1: much time that we cannot afford to waste another hour.
Speaker 1: On the other hand, we are bound to inform the
Speaker 1: police of the discovery and to see that this poor
Speaker 1: fellow's body is looked after. I could take a note back,
Speaker 1: but I need your comory and assistance. Wait a bit,
Speaker 1: there is a fellow cutting peat up yonder. Bring him
Speaker 1: over here and he will guide the police. I brought
Speaker 1: the peasant cross, and Holmes dispatched the frightened man with
Speaker 1: a note to doctor Huxtable. Now, Watson said he we
Speaker 1: have picked up two clues this morning. One is the
Speaker 1: bicycle with the palm attire, and we see what that
Speaker 1: has led to. The Other is the bicycle with the
Speaker 1: patched dunlop. Before we start to investigate that, let us
Speaker 1: try to realize what we do know, so as to
Speaker 1: make the most of it and to separate the essential
Speaker 1: from the accidental. First of all, I wish to impress
Speaker 1: upon you that the boy is certainly left of his
Speaker 1: own free will. He got down from his window, and
Speaker 1: he went off either alone or with some one, that
Speaker 1: is sure, I assented. Well, now let us turn to
Speaker 1: this unfortunate German master. The boy was fully dressed when
Speaker 1: he fled. Therefore, he foresaw what he would do. But
Speaker 1: the German went without his socks. He certainly acted on
Speaker 1: very short notice. Undoubtedly why did he go, because from
Speaker 1: his bedroom window he saw the flight of the boy.
Speaker 1: Because he wished to overtake him and bring him back.
Speaker 1: He seized his bicycle, pursued the lad, and in pursuing him,
Speaker 1: met his death. So it would seem now I come
Speaker 1: to the critical part of my argument. The natural action
Speaker 1: of a man in pursuing a little boy would be
Speaker 1: to run after him. He would know that he could
Speaker 1: overtake him. But the German does not do so. He
Speaker 1: turns to his bicycle. I am told that he was
Speaker 1: an excellent cyclist. He would not do this if he
Speaker 1: did not see that the boy had some swift means
Speaker 1: of escape the other bicycle. Let us continue our reconstruction.
Speaker 1: He meets his death five miles from the school, not
Speaker 1: by a bullet markue, which even a lad might conceivably discharge,
Speaker 1: but by a savage blow dealt by a vigorous arm.
Speaker 1: The lad then had a companion in his flight, and
Speaker 1: the flight was a swift one, since it took five
Speaker 1: miles before an expert cyclist could overtake them. Yet we
Speaker 1: survey the ground round the scene of the tragedy, what
Speaker 1: do we find? A few cattle tracks, nothing more. I
Speaker 1: took a wide sweep round, and there is no path
Speaker 1: within fifty yards. Another cyclist could have had nothing to
Speaker 1: do with the actual murder, nor were there any human footmarks. Holmes,
Speaker 1: I cried, this is impossible. Admirable, he said, a most
Speaker 1: illuminating remark. It is impossible, as I stated, and therefore
Speaker 1: I must in some respect have stated it wrong. Yet
Speaker 1: you saw for yourself. Can you suggest any fallacy? He
Speaker 1: could not have fractured his skull in a fall in
Speaker 1: a morass? Watson, I'm at my wits end. Tut, Tut.
Speaker 1: We have solved some worse problems. At least we have
Speaker 1: plenty of material if we can only use it. Come then, and,
Speaker 1: having exhausted the palmer, let us see what the dunlop
Speaker 1: with the patched cover has to offer us. We picked
Speaker 1: up the track and followed it onward for some distance,
Speaker 1: But soon the more rose into a long heather tufted curve,
Speaker 1: and we left the water course behind us. No further
Speaker 1: help from tracks could be hoped for at the spot
Speaker 1: where we saw the last of the Dunlop tire. It
Speaker 1: might equally have led to Holderness Hall, the stately towers
Speaker 1: of which rose some miles to our left, or to
Speaker 1: a low gray village which lay in front of us
Speaker 1: and marked the position of the Chesterfield high Road. As
Speaker 1: we approached thee forbidding and squalid in with the sign
Speaker 1: of a gamecock above the door, Holmes gave a sudden
Speaker 1: groan and clutched me by the shoulder to save himself
Speaker 1: from falling. He had had one of those violent strains
Speaker 1: of the ankle which leave a man helpless. With difficulty,
Speaker 1: he limped up to the door, where a squat, dark,
Speaker 1: elderly man was smoking a black clay pipe. How are you,
Speaker 1: mister Reuben Hayes, said Holmes, Who are you? And how'd
Speaker 1: you get my name? So pat the countryman answered, with
Speaker 1: a suspicious flash of a pair of cunning eyes. Well,
Speaker 1: it's printed on the board above your head. It's easy
Speaker 1: to see a man who is master of his own house.
Speaker 1: I suppose you haven't such a thing as a carriage
Speaker 1: in your stables. No I have not. I can hardly
Speaker 1: put my foot to the ground. Don't put it to
Speaker 1: the ground. But I can't walk well, then hop Mister
Speaker 1: Reuben Hays's manner was far from gracious, but Holmes took
Speaker 1: it with admirable good humor. Look here, my man, said he.
Speaker 1: This is really rather an awkward fix for me. I
Speaker 1: don't mind how I get on. Neither do I said
Speaker 1: the morose landlord. The matter is very important. I would
Speaker 1: offer you a sovereign for the use of a bicycle.
Speaker 1: The landlord pricked up his ears. Where do you want
Speaker 1: to go to? Holderness hall fowls of the Duke, I suppose,
Speaker 1: said the Landlord, surveying our mud stained garments with ironical eyes.
Speaker 1: Holmes laughed good naturedly. He'll be glad to see us anyhow,
Speaker 1: Why because we bring him news of his lost son.
Speaker 1: The Landlord gave a very visible start. What you're on
Speaker 1: his track? He has been heard of in Liverpool. They
Speaker 1: expect to get him every hour. Again, A swift change
Speaker 1: passed over the heavy, unshaven face. His manner was suddenly genial.
Speaker 1: I've less reason to wish the Duke well than most men,
Speaker 1: said he, for I was head coachman once, and cruel
Speaker 1: Baddie treated me. It was him that sacked me without
Speaker 1: a character on the word of a lying corn chandler.
Speaker 1: But I'm glad to hear that the young lord was
Speaker 1: heard of in Liverpool, and I'll help you to take
Speaker 1: the news to the hall. Thank you, said Holmes. We'll
Speaker 1: have some food first, then you can bring round the bicycle.
Speaker 1: I haven't got a bicycle, Holmes held up a sovereign.
Speaker 1: I tell you, man that I haven't got one. I'll
Speaker 1: let you have two horses as far as the hall
Speaker 1: well well, said Holmes. We'll talk about it when we've
Speaker 1: had something to eat. When we were left alone in
Speaker 1: the stone flagged kitchen, it was astonishing how rapidly that
Speaker 1: sprained ankle recovered. It was nearly nightfall, and we had
Speaker 1: eaten nothing since early morning, so that we spent some
Speaker 1: time over our meal. Holmes was lost in thought, and
Speaker 1: once or twice he walked over to the window and
Speaker 1: stared earnestly out. It opened onto a squalid courtyard. In
Speaker 1: the far corner was a smithy, where a grimy lad
Speaker 1: was at work. On the other side were the stables.
Speaker 1: Holmes had sat down again after one of these excursions
Speaker 1: when he suddenly sprang out of his chair with a
Speaker 1: loud exclamation by heavens. Watson, I believe that I've got it,
Speaker 1: he cried, Yes, yes, it must be so. Watson. Do
Speaker 1: you remember seeing any cow tracks to day? Yes, several where,
Speaker 1: well everywhere. They were at the morass, and again on
Speaker 1: the path, and again near where poor Heidegger met his death. Exactly. Well, now, Watson,
Speaker 1: how many cows did you see on the moor? I
Speaker 1: don't remember seeing any. Strange Watson, that we should see
Speaker 1: tracks all along our line, but never a cow on
Speaker 1: the whole more very strange, Watsnay, yes it is strange. Now, Watson,
Speaker 1: make an effort throw your mind back. Can you see
Speaker 1: those tracks upon the path? Yes? I can. Can you
Speaker 1: recall that the tracks were sometimes like that, Watson, he
Speaker 1: arranged a number of bread crumbs in a certain fashion,
Speaker 1: and sometimes like this he arranged them again, and occasionally
Speaker 1: like this. Can you remember that? No? I cannot, but
Speaker 1: I can. I could swear to it. However, we will
Speaker 1: go back at our leisure and verify it. What a
Speaker 1: blind beetle I have been not to draw my conclusion,
Speaker 1: and what is your conclusion? Only that it is a
Speaker 1: remarkable cow which walks, canters and gallops by George Watson.
Speaker 1: It was no brain of a country publican that thought
Speaker 1: out such a blind as that. The coast seems to
Speaker 1: be clear, save for that lad in the smithy. Let
Speaker 1: us slip out and see what we can see. There
Speaker 1: were two rough haired, unkempt horses in the tumble down stable.
Speaker 1: Holmes raised the hind leg of one of them and
Speaker 1: laughed aloud. Old shoes, but newly shod, Old shoes, but
Speaker 1: new nails. This case deserves to be a classic. Let
Speaker 1: us go across to the smithy. The lad continued his
Speaker 1: work without regarding us. I saw Holmes's eye darting to
Speaker 1: right and left among the litter of iron and wood
Speaker 1: which was scattered about the floor. Suddenly, however, we heard
Speaker 1: a step behind us, and there was the landlord, his
Speaker 1: heavy eyebrows drawn over his savage eyes, his swarthy features
Speaker 1: convulsed with passion. He held a short metal headed stick
Speaker 1: in his hand, and he advanced in so menacing a
Speaker 1: fashion that I was right glad to feel the revolver
Speaker 1: in my pocket. You infernal spies. The man cried, what
Speaker 1: are you doing there? Why, mister Reuben Hayes, said Holmes coolly,
Speaker 1: One might think that you were afraid of our finding
Speaker 1: something out. The man mastered himself with a violent effort,
Speaker 1: and his grim mouth loosened into a false laugh, which
Speaker 1: was more menacing than his frown. You're welcome to all
Speaker 1: you can find out in my smithy, said he. But
Speaker 1: look here, mister, I don't care for folks poking about
Speaker 1: my place without my leave. So the sooner you pay
Speaker 1: your score and get out of this, the better I
Speaker 1: shall be pleased. All right, mister Hayes, No harm meant,
Speaker 1: said Holmes. We have been having a look at your horses.
Speaker 1: But I think i'll walk. After all. It's not far,
Speaker 1: I believe, not more than two miles to the hall gates.
Speaker 1: That's the road to the left. He watched us with
Speaker 1: sullen eyes until we had left his premises. We did
Speaker 1: not go very far along the road, for Holmes stopped
Speaker 1: the instant that the curve hid us from the landlord's view.
Speaker 1: We were warm as the children say at that inn,
Speaker 1: said he. I seemed to grow colder every step that
Speaker 1: I take away from it. No, no, I can't possibly
Speaker 1: leave it. I am convinced, said I that this Reuben
Speaker 1: Hays knows all about it. A more self evident villain.
Speaker 1: I never saw. Oh he impressed you in that way,
Speaker 1: did he? There are the horses, There is the smithy. Yes,
Speaker 1: it is an interesting place, this fighting cock. I think
Speaker 1: we shall have another look at it in an unobtrusive way.
Speaker 1: The long sloping hillside dotted with gray limestone boulders stretched
Speaker 1: behind us. We had turned off the road and were
Speaker 1: making our way up the hill when, looking in the
Speaker 1: direction of holderness Hall, I saw a sight coming swiftly along.
Speaker 1: Get down, Watson, cried Holmes, with a heavy hand upon
Speaker 1: my shoulder. We had hardly sunk from view when the
Speaker 1: man flew past us on the road, amid a rolling
Speaker 1: cloud of dust, I caught a glimpse of a pale,
Speaker 1: agitated face, a face with horror in every lineament, the
Speaker 1: mouth open, the eyes staring wildly in front. It was
Speaker 1: like some strange caricature of the dapper James Wylder, whom
Speaker 1: we had seen the night before. The Duke's secretary cried, Holmes, Come, Watson,
Speaker 1: let us see what he does. We scrambled from rock
Speaker 1: to rock, until in a few moments we had made
Speaker 1: our way to a point from which we could see
Speaker 1: the front door of the Inn. Wilder's bicycle was leaning
Speaker 1: against the wall beside it. No one was moving about
Speaker 1: the house, nor could we catch a glimpse of any
Speaker 1: faces at the windows. Slowly the twilight crept down as
Speaker 1: the sun sank behind the high towers of Holderness Hall.
Speaker 1: Then in the gloom we saw the two side lamps
Speaker 1: of a trap light up in the stable yard of
Speaker 1: the Inn, and shortly afterwards heard the rattle of hoofs
Speaker 1: as it wheeled out into the road and tore off
Speaker 1: at a furious pace in the direction of Chesterfield. What
Speaker 1: do you make of that, Watson Holmes whispered, It looks
Speaker 1: like a flight a single man in a dog cart,
Speaker 1: so far as I could see, well, it certainly was
Speaker 1: not mister James Wilder, For there he is at the door.
Speaker 1: A red square of light had sprung out of the darkness.
Speaker 1: In the middle of it was the black figure of
Speaker 1: the Secretary. His head advanced peering out into the night.
Speaker 1: It was evident that he was expecting some one. Then
Speaker 1: at last there were steps in the road. A second
Speaker 1: figure was visible for an instant against the light. The
Speaker 1: door shut and all was black once more. Five minutes later,
Speaker 1: a lamp was lit in a room upon the first floor.
Speaker 1: It seems to be a curious class of custom that
Speaker 1: is done by the fighting cock, said Holmes. The bar
Speaker 1: is on the other side. Quite so these are what
Speaker 1: one may call the private guests. Now, what in the
Speaker 1: world is mister James Wilder doing in that den at
Speaker 1: this hour of night? And who is the companion who
Speaker 1: comes to meet him? There, come, Watson, we must really
Speaker 1: take a risk and try to investigate this a little
Speaker 1: more closely. Together we stole down to the road and
Speaker 1: crept across to the door of the inn. The bicycle
Speaker 1: still leaned against the wall. Holmes struck a match, and
Speaker 1: he held it to the back wheel, and I heard
Speaker 1: him chuckle as the light fell upon the patched dunlop tire.
Speaker 1: Up above us was the lighted window. I must have
Speaker 1: a peep through that, Watson. If you bend your back
Speaker 1: and support yourself upon the wall, I think that I
Speaker 1: can manage an instant. Later, his feet were on my shoulder,
Speaker 1: but he was hardly up before he was down again. Come,
Speaker 1: my friend, said he. Our day's work has been quite
Speaker 1: long enough. I think that we have gathered all that
Speaker 1: we can. It's a long walk to the school, and
Speaker 1: the sooner we get started, the better. He hardly opened
Speaker 1: his lips during that weary trudge across the moor, nor
Speaker 1: would he enter the school when he reached it, but
Speaker 1: went on to Mackleton's station, whence he could send some telegrams.
Speaker 1: Late at night I heard him consoling Doctor Huxtable, prostrated
Speaker 1: by the tragedy of his master's death. And later still
Speaker 1: he entered my room as alert and vigorous as he
Speaker 1: had been when he started. In the morning. All goes well,
Speaker 1: my friend said he. I promise that before to morrow
Speaker 1: evening we shall have reached the solution of the mystery.
Speaker 1: At eleven o'clock next morning, my friend and I were
Speaker 1: walking up the famous yew avenue of Holderness Hall. We
Speaker 1: were ushered through the magnificent Elizabethan doorway and into his
Speaker 1: grace's study. There we found mister James Wilder, demure and courtly,
Speaker 1: but with some trace of that wild terror of the
Speaker 1: night before, still lurking in his furtive eyes and in
Speaker 1: his twitching features. You have come to see his grace.
Speaker 1: I am sorry, but the fact is that the Duke
Speaker 1: is far from well. He has been very much upset
Speaker 1: by the tragic news. We received a telegram from doctor
Speaker 1: Huxtable yesterday afternoon which told us of your discovery. I
Speaker 1: must see the Duke, mister Wilder, but he is in
Speaker 1: his room. Then I must go to his room. I
Speaker 1: believe he is in his bed. I will see him there.
Speaker 1: Holmes's cold and inexorable manner showed the secretary that it
Speaker 1: was useless to argue with him. Very good, mister Holmes,
Speaker 1: I will tell him that you are here. After an
Speaker 1: hour's delay, the great nobleman appeared. His face was more
Speaker 1: cadaverous than ever, his shoulders had rounded, and he seemed
Speaker 1: to me to be an altogether older man than he
Speaker 1: had been the morning before. He greeted us with a
Speaker 1: stately courtesy, and seated himself at his desk, his red
Speaker 1: beard streaming down on the table. Well, mister Holmes, said he,
Speaker 1: But my friend's eyes were fixed upon the secretary, who
Speaker 1: stood by his master's chair. I think your Grace that
Speaker 1: I could speak more freely in mister Wylder's absence. The
Speaker 1: man turned a shade paler and cast a malignant glance
Speaker 1: at Holmes. If your Grace wishes, yes, yes, you'd better
Speaker 1: go now. Mister Holmes, what have you to say? My
Speaker 1: friend waited until the door had closed behind the retreating secretary.
Speaker 1: The fact is your Grace, said he, that my colleague,
Speaker 1: doctor Watson, and myself had an assurance from doctor Huxtable
Speaker 1: that a reward had been offered in this case. I
Speaker 1: should like to have this confirmed from your own lips. Certainly,
Speaker 1: mister Holmes. It amounted, if I am correctly informed, of
Speaker 1: five thousand pounds to any one who will tell you
Speaker 1: where your son is exactly, and another thousand to the
Speaker 1: man who will name the person or persons who keep
Speaker 1: him in custody exactly. Under the latter heading is included,
Speaker 1: no doubt, not only those who may have taken him away,
Speaker 1: but also those who conspire to keep him in his
Speaker 1: present position. Yes, yes, cried the Duke impatiently. If you
Speaker 1: do your work well, mister Sherlock Holmes, you will have
Speaker 1: no reason to complain of niggardly treatment. My friend rubbed
Speaker 1: his thin hands together with an appearance of avidity, which
Speaker 1: was a surprise to me, who knew his frugal tastes.
Speaker 1: I fancy that I see your Grace's check book upon
Speaker 1: the table, said he. I should be glad if you
Speaker 1: would make me out a check for six thousand pounds.
Speaker 1: It would be as well, perhaps for you to cross it.
Speaker 1: The Capital and County's Bank, Oxford Street branch are my agents.
Speaker 1: His grace sat very stern and upright in his chair,
Speaker 1: and looked stonily at my friend. Is this a joke,
Speaker 1: mister Holmes? It is hardly a subject for pleasantry, not
Speaker 1: at all, your grace. I was never more earnest in
Speaker 1: my life. What do you mean then? I mean that
Speaker 1: I have earned the reward. I know where your son is,
Speaker 1: and I know some at least of those who are
Speaker 1: holding him. The Duke's beard had turned more aggressively red
Speaker 1: than ever against his ghastly white face. Where is he,
Speaker 1: he gasped? He is, or was last night at the
Speaker 1: Fighting Cock Inn, about two miles from your park gate.
Speaker 1: The Duke fell back in his chair. And whom do
Speaker 1: you accuse? Sherlock Holmes's answer was an astounding one. He
Speaker 1: stepped swiftly forward and touched the Duke upon the shoulder.
Speaker 1: I accuse you, he said, And now, your grace, I'll
Speaker 1: trouble you for that check. Never shall I forget the
Speaker 1: Duke's appearance as he sprang up and clawed with his hands,
Speaker 1: like one who is sinking into an abyss. Then, with
Speaker 1: an extraordinary effort of aristocratic self command, he sat down
Speaker 1: and sank his face in his hands. It was some
Speaker 1: minutes before he spoke. How much do you know? He
Speaker 1: asked at last, without raising his head. I saw you
Speaker 1: together last night. Does any one else beside your friend know?
Speaker 1: I have spoken to no one. The Duke took a
Speaker 1: pen in his quivering fingers and opened his check book.
Speaker 1: I shall be as good as my word, mister Holmes.
Speaker 1: I am about to write your check, however unwelcome the
Speaker 1: information which you have gained may be to me. When
Speaker 1: the offer was made, I little thought the turn which
Speaker 1: events might take. But you and your friend are men
Speaker 1: of discretion, mister Holmes. I hardly understand your grace. I
Speaker 1: must put it plainly, mister Holmes. If only you two
Speaker 1: know of this incident, there is no reason why it
Speaker 1: should go any farther. I think twelve thousand pounds is
Speaker 1: the sum that I owe you? Is it not? But
Speaker 1: Holmes smiled, Dan shook his head. I fear your grace
Speaker 1: that matters can hardly be arranged so easily. There is
Speaker 1: the death of this schoolmaster to be accounted for. But
Speaker 1: James knew nothing of that. You cannot hold him responsible
Speaker 1: for that. It was the work of this brutal Ruffian,
Speaker 1: whom he had the misfortune to employ. I must take
Speaker 1: the view, your grace, that when a man embarks upon
Speaker 1: a crime, he is morally guilty of any other crime
Speaker 1: which may spring from it. Moraleie, mister Holmes, no doubt
Speaker 1: you are right, but surely not in the eyes of
Speaker 1: the law. A man cannot be condemned for a murder
Speaker 1: at which he was not present, and which he loathes
Speaker 1: and bores as much as you do. The instant that
Speaker 1: he heard of it, he made a complete confession to me.
Speaker 1: So filled was he with horror and remorse, he lost
Speaker 1: not an hour in breaking entirely with the murderer. Oh,
Speaker 1: mister Holmes, you must save him. You must save him.
Speaker 1: I tell you that you must save him. The Duke
Speaker 1: had dropped the last attempt at self command, and was
Speaker 1: pacing the room with a convulsed face and with his
Speaker 1: clenched hands raving in the air. At last he mastered
Speaker 1: himself and sat down once more at his desk. I
Speaker 1: appreciate your conduct in coming here before you spoke to
Speaker 1: any one else, said he. At least we may take
Speaker 1: counsel how far we can minimize this hideous scoundal. Exactly,
Speaker 1: said Holmes, I think, your Grace, that this can only
Speaker 1: be done by absolute frankness between us. I am disposed
Speaker 1: to help your Grace to the best of my ability,
Speaker 1: but in order to do so, I must understand to
Speaker 1: the last detail how the matter stands. I realize that
Speaker 1: your words applied to mister James Wilder, and that he
Speaker 1: is not the murderer. No, the murderer has escaped. Sherlock
Speaker 1: Holmes smiled demurely. Your Grace can hardly have heard of
Speaker 1: any small reputation which I possess, or you would not
Speaker 1: imagine that it is so easy to escape me. Mister
Speaker 1: Reuben Hayes was arrested at Chesterfield on my information at
Speaker 1: eleven o'clock last night. I had a telegram from the
Speaker 1: head of the local police before I left the school
Speaker 1: this morning. The Duke leaned back in his chair and
Speaker 1: stared with amazement at my friend. You seem to have
Speaker 1: powers that are hardly human, said he. So Reuben Hays
Speaker 1: is taken. I am right glad to hear of it,
Speaker 1: if it will not react upon the fate of James,
Speaker 1: your secretary, No, sir, my son, it was Holmes's turn
Speaker 1: to look astonished. I confess that this is entirely new
Speaker 1: to me, Your grace, I must beg you to be
Speaker 1: more explicit. I will conceal nothing from you. I agree
Speaker 1: with you that complete frankness, however painful it may be,
Speaker 1: to me, is the best policy in this desperate situation
Speaker 1: to which James's foley and jealousy have reduced us. When
Speaker 1: I was a very young man, mister Holmes, I loved
Speaker 1: with such a love as comes only once in a lifetime.
Speaker 1: I offered the lady marriage, but she refused it on
Speaker 1: the grounds that such a match might mar my career.
Speaker 1: Had she lived, I would certainly never have married any
Speaker 1: one else. She died and left this one child, whom
Speaker 1: for her sake I have cherished and cared for. I
Speaker 1: could not acknowledge the paternity to the world, but I
Speaker 1: gave him the best of educations, and since he came
Speaker 1: to manhood, I have kept him near my person. He
Speaker 1: surmised my secret and has presumed ever since upon the
Speaker 1: claim which he has upon me, and upon his power
Speaker 1: of provoking a scandal which would be abhorrent to me.
Speaker 1: His presence had something to do with the unhappy issue
Speaker 1: of my marriage. Above all, he hated my young legitimate
Speaker 1: heir from the first, with a persistent hatred. You may
Speaker 1: well ask me why under these circumstances I still kept
Speaker 1: James under my roof. I answer that it was because
Speaker 1: I could see his mother's face in his and that
Speaker 1: for her dear sake, there was no end to my
Speaker 1: long suffering. All her pretty ways too, there was not
Speaker 1: one of them which he could not suggest and bring
Speaker 1: back to my memory. I could not send him away,
Speaker 1: but I feared so much lest he should do Arthur,
Speaker 1: that is Lord Saltire, a mischief, that I despatched him
Speaker 1: for safety to Doctor Huxtable's school. James came into contact
Speaker 1: with this fellow Hayes, because the man was a tenant
Speaker 1: of mine, and James acted as agent. The fellow was
Speaker 1: a rascal from the beginning, but in some extraordinary way
Speaker 1: James became intimate with him. He had always a taste
Speaker 1: for low company. When James determined to kidnap Lord Saltire,
Speaker 1: it was of this man's service that he availed himself.
Speaker 1: You remember that I wrote to Arthur upon that last day. Well,
Speaker 1: James opened the letter and inserted a note asking Arthur
Speaker 1: to meet him in a little wood called the Ragged Shore,
Speaker 1: which is near to the school. He used the Duchess's name,
Speaker 1: and in that way got the boy to come. That
Speaker 1: evening James bicycled over. I'm telling you what he has
Speaker 1: himself confessed to me, And he told Arthur, whom he
Speaker 1: met in the wood, that his mother longed to see him,
Speaker 1: that she was awaiting him on the moor, and that
Speaker 1: if he would come back into the wood at midnight,
Speaker 1: he would find a man with a horse who would
Speaker 1: take him to her. Poor Arthur fell into the trap.
Speaker 1: He came to the appointment and found this fellow Hays,
Speaker 1: with a lead pony. Arthur mounted and they set off together.
Speaker 1: It appears, though this James only heard yesterday that they
Speaker 1: were pursued, that Hayes struck the pursuer with his stick,
Speaker 1: and that the man died of his injuries. Hayes brought
Speaker 1: Arthur to his public house, the Fighting Cock, where he
Speaker 1: was confined in an upper room under the care of
Speaker 1: Missus Hayes, who is a kindly woman, but entirely under
Speaker 1: the control of her brutal husband. Well, mister Holmes, that
Speaker 1: was the state of affairs when I first saw you
Speaker 1: two days ago. I had no more idea of the
Speaker 1: truth than you. You will ask me what was James's
Speaker 1: motive in doing such a deed. I answer that there
Speaker 1: was a great deal which was unreasoning and fanatical in
Speaker 1: the hatred which he bore my heir. In his view,
Speaker 1: he should himself have been heir of all my estates,
Speaker 1: and he deeply resented those social laws which made it impossible.
Speaker 1: At the same time, he had a definite motive. Also,
Speaker 1: he was eager that I should break the entail, and
Speaker 1: he was of opinion that it lay in my power
Speaker 1: to do so. He intended to make a bargain with
Speaker 1: me to restore Arthur if I would break the entail
Speaker 1: and so make it possible for the estate to be
Speaker 1: left to him by will. He knew well that I
Speaker 1: should never willingly invoke the aid of the police against him.
Speaker 1: I say that he would have proposed such a bargain
Speaker 1: to me, but it did not actually do so, for
Speaker 1: events moved too quickly for him, and he had not
Speaker 1: time to put his plans into practice. What brought all
Speaker 1: this wicked scheme to wreck was your discovery of this
Speaker 1: man Heidigger's dead body. James, while seized with horror at
Speaker 1: the news it came to us yesterday as we sat
Speaker 1: together in this study, doctor Huxtable had sent a telegram.
Speaker 1: James was so overwhelmed with grief and agitation that my suspicions,
Speaker 1: which had never been entirely absent, rose instantly to a certainty,
Speaker 1: and I taxed him with the deed. He made a
Speaker 1: complete voluntary confession. Then he implored me to keep his
Speaker 1: secret for three days longer, so as to give his
Speaker 1: wretched accomplice a chance of saving his guilty life. I yielded,
Speaker 1: as I have always year to his prayers, and instantly
Speaker 1: James hurried off to the fighting cock to warn Hayes
Speaker 1: and give him the means of flight. I could not
Speaker 1: go there by daylight without provoking comment, But as soon
Speaker 1: as night fell I hurried off to see my dear Arthur.
Speaker 1: I found him safe and well, but horrified beyond expression
Speaker 1: by the dreadful deed he had witnessed. In deference to
Speaker 1: my promise, and much against my will, I consented to
Speaker 1: leave him there for three days under the charge of
Speaker 1: Missus Hayes, since it was evident that it was impossible
Speaker 1: to inform the police where he was without telling them
Speaker 1: also who was the murderer, And I could not see
Speaker 1: how that murderer could be punished without ruined to my
Speaker 1: unfortunate James. You asked for frankness, mister Holmes, and I
Speaker 1: have taken you at your word, For I have now
Speaker 1: told you everything without an attempt at circumlocution or concealment.
Speaker 1: Do you, in turn be as frank with me? I will,
Speaker 1: said Holmes. In the first place, your Grace, I am
Speaker 1: bound to tell you that you have placed yourself in
Speaker 1: a most serious position in the eyes of the law.
Speaker 1: You have condoned a felony, and you have aided the
Speaker 1: escape of a murderer. For I cannot doubt that any
Speaker 1: money which was taken by James Wylder to aid his
Speaker 1: accomplice in his flight came from your Grace's purse. The
Speaker 1: Duke bowed his assent. This is indeed a most serious matter.
Speaker 1: Even more culpable in my opinion, your Grace is your
Speaker 1: attitude towards your younger son. You leave him in this
Speaker 1: den for three days under solemn promises. What are promises
Speaker 1: to such people as these? You have no guarantee that
Speaker 1: he will not be spirited away again to humor your
Speaker 1: guilty elder son. You have exposed your innocent younger son
Speaker 1: to imminent and unnecessary danger. It was a most unjust
Speaker 1: justifiable action. The proud Lord of Holderness was not accustomed
Speaker 1: to be so rated in his own ducal hall. The
Speaker 1: blood flushed into his high forehead, but his conscience held
Speaker 1: him dumb. I will help you, but on one condition only.
Speaker 1: It is that you'll ring for the footman, and let
Speaker 1: me give such orders as I like. Without a word,
Speaker 1: the Duke pressed the electric bell. A servant entered. You
Speaker 1: will be glad to hear, said Holmes, that your young
Speaker 1: master is found. It is the Duke's desire that the
Speaker 1: carriage shall go at once to the fighting cock inn
Speaker 1: to bring Lord Saltire home. Now, said Holmes, when the
Speaker 1: rejoicing Lackey had disappeared, Having secured the future, we can
Speaker 1: afford to be more lenient with the past. I am
Speaker 1: not in an official position, and there is no reason,
Speaker 1: so long as the ends of justice are served, why
Speaker 1: I should disclose all that I know as to Hayes,
Speaker 1: I say nothing. The gallows awaits him, and I would
Speaker 1: do nothing to save him from it. What he will
Speaker 1: divulge I cannot tell. But I have no doubt that
Speaker 1: your Grace could make him understand that it is to
Speaker 1: his interest to be silent. From the police point of view,
Speaker 1: he will have kidnapped the boy for the purpose of
Speaker 1: ransom if they do not themselves find it out. I
Speaker 1: see no reason why I should prompt them to take
Speaker 1: a broader point of view. I would warn your Grace, however,
Speaker 1: that the continued presence of mister James Wilder in your
Speaker 1: household can only lead to misfortune. I understand that mister Holmes,
Speaker 1: and it is already settled that he shall leave me
Speaker 1: forever and go to seek his fortune in Australia. In
Speaker 1: that case, your Grace, since you have yourself stated that
Speaker 1: any unhappiness in your married life was caused by his presence,
Speaker 1: I would suggest that you make such amends as you
Speaker 1: can to the Duchess, and that you try to resume
Speaker 1: those relations which have been so unhappily interrupted. There Also,
Speaker 1: I have arranged, mister Holmes, I wrote to the Duchess
Speaker 1: this morning in that case, said Holmes, rising, I think
Speaker 1: that my friend and I can congratulate ourselves upon several
Speaker 1: most happy results from our little visit to the north.
Speaker 1: There is one other small point upon which I desire
Speaker 1: some light. This fellow Hayes, had trod his horses with
Speaker 1: shoes which counterfeited the tracks of cows. Was it from
Speaker 1: mister Wilder that he learned so extraordinary a device? The
Speaker 1: Duke stood in thought for a moment, with a look
Speaker 1: of intense surprise on his face. Then he opened a
Speaker 1: door and showed us into a large room furnished as
Speaker 1: a museum. He led the way to a glass case
Speaker 1: in a corner, and pointed to the inscription. These shoes,
Speaker 1: it ran, were dug up in the moat of Holderness Hall.
Speaker 1: They are for the use of horses, but they are
Speaker 1: shaped below with a cloven foot of iron, so as
Speaker 1: to throw pursuers off the track. They are supposed to
Speaker 1: have belonged to some of the marauding barons of Holderness
Speaker 1: in the Middle Ages. Holmes opened the case, and, moistening
Speaker 1: his finger, he passed it along the shoe. A thin
Speaker 1: film of recent mud was left upon his skin. Thank you,
Speaker 1: said he, as he replaced the glass. It is the
Speaker 1: second most interesting object that I have seen in the North,
Speaker 1: and the first. Holmes folded up his check and placed
Speaker 1: it carefully in his note book. I am a poor man,
Speaker 1: said he as he patted it affectionately and thrust it
Speaker 1: into the depths of his inner pocket. M