The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, April 2, 1905, Page 1

wav 4 \ | | Qupplement % The Adventure o the A\ Priory School ™ ACONAN DOYLE small, nervous, alert, with intelligeat, light biue eyes and bile features. It was he who at omce, in an incisive and positive tone, opened “I called this mo: too late to pr for London. I was to invi undertake t His Grace & that you sho ‘without con “When I lear failed—" “His Grace is by no means convinced that the police have failed.” “But surely, Mr. Wilder—" “You are wgll aware, Dr. Huxtable, that his Grac rly anxious to avoid all He prefers to take as few people as pessibie into his _confidence. “The matter can be casily remedied,” said the brow-beaten doctor; “Mr. Sherlock Holmes can return to London by the morning train.” ou from starting that your object herlock Holmes to t of this case Dr. Huxtable, ken such a step m at the police had = 8L to occupy Whether I roof or of the of course, for you to t the unfortunate doc- t stage of indecision, he was rescued by the deep, voice of the red-bearded ch booned out like a dinmer- ging. “I agree with Mr. Wiider, Dr. Hux- table, that you would have done wisely to consalt me. But since Mr. Holmes has already been taken into our confi- dence, it would indeed be absurd that we should not avail ourselves of his services. Far from going to the inm, Mr. Holmes, I shouldsbe pleased if you would come and stay with me.at Hold- “I thank your Grace. For the pur- poses of my Investigation I think it would be wiser for me to remain at the scene of the mystery.”™ “Just as you like, Mr. Holmes. Any 3 information which Mr. Wilder or I can - gtve you is, of -se, at your disposal.™ “It will probably be necessary for me [ to see you at the Hall,” said Hoimes. “I » uld only ask you now, sir, whether yot have formed any explanation in your own mind as to the mysterious disappearance of your sen?" “No. sir, I have not.” “Excuse me if I allude to that which > you, but I have no al- Do you think that the tad anything to do with the - matt~r?” The great Minister showed percepti- ble _hesitation “I do not t “The other nk so,” he said, at last. st obvious explanation ng rassom. You nand of the sort?” dne more -—estion, your Grace. I understand that you wre to your sen upon the day when this incident occur- red.” o, I wrote upon the day before.” “Exac ly. But he ved it on that day? induced to take such a step?” ertainly not.” Did you post that letter yourself™ The nobleman’s reply was interrupted by his secretary, who broke In with some heat. “His Grace is not in the habit of posting letters himself,” said he. “This letter was laid with others upon the study table, and I myself put them in the post-bag.™ “You are sure this one was among them?” “Yes, I observed it" “How many letters did your Grace write that day ™" “Twenty or thirty. I have a large correspondence.- But surely this I8 somewhat irrelevant?” “Not entirely,” said Holmes “For my own part,” the Duke com= tinued, “I have advised the police to turn their attention to the South of France. I have already said that I do {d Dot believe that the Duchess would en- courage so monstrous-an action, but 5 the lIad had the most wrong-headed . opinions, and it is possible that he may N . - . 3 * have fled to her, aided and abetted by - this German. I think, Dr. Huxtable, that we will now return to the Hall™ - — I could see that there were other very happy to look into it. Have you tigation. After all, a bicycle is not an of his disappearance? Were the rela- time I will do a lttle quiet work at questions which Holmes would have been able to trace any connection be- easy thing to conceal or to destroy. tions between father and son very your own doors, and perhaps the scent wished to put, but the mobleman’s ab- “ o mrrmmar 3rEs L THE MAN CRIED. for exam that this ivy tween the missing and this Ger- One other question. Did any one call to friendly?” is not so cold but that two old hounds rupt manner showed that the interview would nr; t\'Alecx éo‘l‘h{ man master?” . see the boqy on the day before he dis- “His Grace is never very friendly with like Watson and myself may get a sniff was at an end. It was evident that to ert observer. “None at all” appeared?” ° any ome. He is completely immersed in at it his Intensely aristocratic nature this o blame, Mr. Holmes His “Was he in the master's class?™ “No.* large public questions, and is rather in- That evening found us in the cold, discussion of his intimate family af- em: desirous to avoid “No. he never exchanged a word with “Did he get any letters? - “'accessible to all ordinary emotions. Buf bracing atmosphere of the Peak coun- fairs with a stranger was most abhor- lic scandal. He was afraid of him, so far as I know.” Yes, one letter.” he was always kind to the boy in his try, in which Dr. Huxtable’s famous rent, and that he feared lest every fresh mily unheppiness being dragged “That is certainly very singular. Had “From whom?” own way."” school is situated. It was already dark question would throw a flercer light belore the world. He has a deep horror the boy a bicycle?” “From his father.” “But the sympathies of the latter when we reached it. A card was lying .into the discreetly shadowed corners of . w of anything of the kind.” “No,” “Do you open the boys’ letters?” were with the mother?” - on the hall table, and the butler whis- his ducal history. Duke of H “But there has been some official In- W28 any other bicycle missing?” “No.” :'!;" 5 pered something to his master, who When the nobleman and N{-ecm:ry er, his secretary, vestigation?” “No.” “How do you know-it was from the 'Dld_‘hn say so?” turned to us with agitation In every had 1-ft, ry friend tunz “wmself at 3 thet young Lord “Yes, sir, and it has proved very dis- “Is that certain?” father?” *“No.' . beavy feature. . once with characteristic eagerness into - , his only son and appointing. An ‘apparent clew was at “‘Quite.” “The coat of arms was on the en- “The Duke, then?” “The Duke is here,” said he. “The the investigation. be committed to once obtained, since a boy and a young ““Well, now, you do not mean to seri- velope, and it was addressed in the :‘Good heavens, no! o Duke and Mr. Wilder are in the study. The boy's chamber was carefully ex- I think that this man were reported to have been seen OUSly suggest that this German rode off Duke’s peculiar stiff “hand. Mel.: _'mun how could you know? Come, gentlemen, and I will introduce amined and yielded nothing save the to the most leaving a neighboring station by an UPOD a bicycle in the dead of the night, the Duke remembers having written. "I bave had some confidentlal talks you. absolute conmviction that it was only my life early train. Only last night we had beering the boyv in his arms?"” “When had he a letter before that?” ‘with Mr. James Wilder,. his Grace’s I was, of course, familiar with the through the window that he.could have arrived, that be- news that the couple had been hunted '‘Certainly not.” “Not for. several days.” " secretary. It was he who gave me the pictures of the famous statesman, but escaped. The German master's room ning of the summer term. down in Livorpool, and they prove to “Then what is the theory in your “Had he ever one from France?’ information about Lord Saltire’s feel- the man himself was very different and effects gave no further clew. In rming youth, and he soon have no connection whatever with the mind?” “No, never.” B ings.’ from his representation. He was a tall his case a tmle? of ivy had given way t ur ways. 1 may tell you— matter It hand. Then it was that In “The bicycle may have been a blind. “You see the point of my questions, “I see. By the way, that last letter and stately person, scrupulously dress- under his weight. and we saw by the 4 that 1 am not indiscreet, but despair and disappointment, after a It may have been hidden somewhere, of course. Either the boy was carried of the Duke's—was it found in the boy’s ed. 'with a drawn face, and a nose light of a lantern the mark om the - es are absurd In such e sleepless night, I came stralght to you and the pair gome off on foot.” oft by force or he went of his.own free room after he was gone?” . Which was grotesquely curved and long. lawn where his heels had come down. he was not entirely happy at by the early train.” v “Quite so, but it seems rather an ab- will. In the latter case, you would ex- *No, he had" taken it with him. I His complexion was of a dead pallor, That one dint in the short, green grass "3t is an open secret that the “I suppose local investigation was surd blind, does it not? Were there pect that some prompting from outside think, Mr. Hoimes, it is time that we which was miore startling by contrast was the only material witness left of ke's ¥ jed Mfe had mot been a relaxed while this faise clew was being other bicycles in this shed?” would -be needed to make so young.a were leaving for Euston. with a lon” dwindling beard of vivid this inexplicable nocturnal flight e, and the matter had ended followed up?” “Several.” 1ad do such a thing. If he has had no “I will order a four-wheeler. In a red, which flowed down over his white Sherlock Holmes left the house alone, n by mutual consent, the. “It was entirely dropped.” “Would he not have hidden a couple visitors, that prompting must quarter of an hour we shall be at your waistcoat, with his watch chain gleam- and cnly returned after 11 He had ob- ng up her residence in the “So that three days have been had nie desired to give the idea that come in letters; hence I try to service. If you are telegraphing home, ing through its fringe. Such was the tained a large ordnance map of wce. This had occurred wasted. The affair has been most de- they had gone off upon them?” who were his correspondents.” the Mr. Huxtable, it would be well to allow stately presence who looked stonily at neighborhood. and this he brought h&: neighborhood to im- us in . fore, and the boy’s sym- plorably handied.” suppose he would.” “ fear 1 cannot help you m: from the center of Dr. Huxtable’s my room, where ke Jaid it out om e k:.ov\ne[ukl:s\‘e been strong- “I feel it, and admit it “Of course he would. The blind the- only correspondent, so far as'I » agine that the inquiry is still going on hearthrug. Beside him stood.a very bed, and, having balanced the lamp .smc‘zher]l‘;ll:&ewedmzrhfl “And yet the problem should be ca- ory won't do. But the incident is an was own father.” . in"Liverpool, or wherever else that red man, whom I understood to be the middle of it, he began to smoke il , the private secretary. He was over it, and cccasionally to point out — s - _— - e =3 his 2sse Hall, and pable of ultimate solution, I shail be admirable startipg-peint for an inves- - *Who wrote to him .on-the very day h-‘u‘hcmun. In the mean-