The evening world. Newspaper, March 11, 1905, Page 11

OAAARAAARARAARAAAAAA DAA A AAAARN RAN) Price 1 Cent Including Special Color Supplement } on The Adventure. of the Priory Scho BY SIR 4. CONAN DOYLE, ———— (Copyright. 1904, bv A. Conan Doyle and Collier's W eekly, (Copyright, 1905, by Moo lure Phillips & 00.) oT have had some dra- Matic 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, Thorneyeroft Huxtable, M.A, Ph. D, &, His card, which seemed too small to carry the welght 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 tho door had closed behind him, was to stagger against the table, whence he slipped down upon the, floor, and there 8 that majestic figure prostrate and insensible upon our bearskin hearth rug, We had sprung to our feet, and for a few moments we stared in silent amaze- ment at this ponderous plece of wreckage, which told of some sudden and fatal storm far out on the ocean of life, Then Holmes hurried with @ 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 clored eyes were leaden in color, the loose mouth drooped dolorously at the cor- ners, the rolling chins were unshaven, Collar and shirt bore the grime of a long journef, and the hair bristled unkempt from the well-shaped hoad, It was a gorely stricken man who lay before us. “What {s 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 Fngland,” said Holmes, drawing it from the watch-pocket, “Tt 1s not 12 o'clock yet. He has certainly been an early starter.” The puckered eyelids had begun to quiver, and now a pair of vacant, gray eyes looked up at us, An instant later the man had scrambled on to his feot, 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, T have no doubt that I should be better, I came personally, Mr. Holmes, in order to Insure 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”—— “Tam quite well again. I cannot imagine how I came to he so weak, I wish you, Mr. Holmes, to come to Mackleton with me by the next train,” friend shook his head, 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 ts 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 abdue- tion of the only son of the Duke of Holdernesse?” The New Sherlock Holmes Adventures Next Saturday Sixth Story of the Series’ ‘The Mystery of Black Peter 4) “What! the late Cabinet Minister?” “Exactly. We hed tried to keep it out of the papers, but there was some) rumor 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 ‘eney- clopedia of reference, Ri “‘Holdernesse, Sixth Duke, K, G., P. C.’half the alphabet!, “Biron thrill, Hari of Carston’—dear me, what 2 Hatt ‘Lord Lieutenant of Hallamshire 1900, Married Edith, daughter of ‘Sir Charles Appledore, 1888, Heir and on , child, Lord Saltire. Owns about 260,000 acres. Minerals in Lancashire and Wales, A * Address: Carlton House-Terrage; Holdernesse Hall, Hallameshire; Caraton' Castle, | oy a 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, ye take a very high line In professional matters, and that you are prepared to for the work's sake, I may tell you, however, that His Grace has already inti ~ that a check for five thousand pounds will be handed over to the: beret who {It'te a princely: offer,” anid Holmes, “Watson, I think that we shall) " S pany Dr. Huxtable back to the North of England, And now, Dr, Huxtable, ou have consumed that milk you will kindly tell me what has happened, happened, how {t happened, and Mmally what Dr, Thorneycroft Huxtable, of: Priory School, near Mackleton, has to do with the matter and why he comes th days after an event—the state of your chin gives the date—to ask for my bul services,” i } Our visitor had consumed his milk and biscuits, The light had come b his eyes and the color to his cheeks, as he set himself -with great bas to explain the situation, “I must inform you, gentlemen, that the priory is a propasieone school, which I am the founder and principal,’ ‘Huxtable's Sidelights on Horaée’ / possibly recall my name'to your mémories, The priory is, without exception, boat and most select preparatory school in Hngland, Lord Leverstoke, the Bart Blackwater, Sir Cathcart Soames—they ‘all have intrusted their sons ‘to. me,,; felt that my school had reached {tszenith:, when, three weeks ago, the Du Holdernesse sent Mr. James Wilder, his/decretary, with the intimation that Lord Saltire, ten years’ old, his-only gon dha: heir, was about to be" committed my. charge, Little did I think that this wouk be the prelude to the moat ing misfortune of my fife, n May 1 the boy ‘arrived, that being the beginning of the summer a. He was a charming youth, and he soon fell into our ways, I may tell you trul It that T am not indiscreet, but half-confidences are absurd in sucl& case—that. was not entirely happy at home. It ie an open secret that the Duke's married I had not been a peaceful one, and the matter had ended in a separation by mu donsent, the Duchess taking up her residence in the South of France, This. occurred very shortly before, and the boy's sympathies are known, to dave, b strongly with his mother, He moped after her departure trom Holdernesse Hall i was for this reason that the Duke desired to send him to my establishment,’ In @ 1 night the boy was quite at home with us, and was apparently absolutely happy, “He was last seen on the night of May 13—that is, the night of last Monday, His roo n was on the second floor and was approached through another larger room, in which tw 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. plang Jeading to the ground, We could trace no ROOT Rs below, but it is fue that his: is only possible exit, “His absence was discovered at 7 o'clock on Tuesday morning, His bea had been si in. He had dressed himself fully before going off in hie usta}, ‘school sult of black’ jacket and'dark gray trousers, There were’ no sighs’ that addy one ‘had‘ertered’ the oor, and it is quite certain that anything in the nature of cries or a struggle would EY: deen) heard, since Caunter, the elder boy in the Inner room, is a very light sleeper: ’ Vhen Lord Saltire's disappearance was discovered, I at once called a toil “ot the} whole establishment—boys, masters and servants, It was then that we ascertalned’ that) Lord Saltire had not been alone in his filght, Heldegger, the German master, was missé| ing. His room was on the second floor at the farther end of the building, facing the sami way as Lord Saltire's, His bed had also been slept in; but he had apparently gone at partly dressed, since his shirt and socks were lying on the floor, He had undoubtedly himself down by the lvy, 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 algo 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 found of the fugitives; and now, on Thursday morning, we are as ignorant as wo were On Tuesday, Inquiry was, of course, made at once at Holdernesse Hall, It‘isonly @ few i! away, and we Imagined that, In some sudden attack of homesickness, he had gone -back ha Bi