ly presence who
looked stonily at us from the centre of dr. huxtable's
hearthrug. beside him stood a very young man, whom i
understood to be wilder, the private secretary. he was
small, nervous, alert, with intelligent, light-blue eyes
and mobile features. it was he who at once, in an incisive
and positive tone, opened the conversation.
"i called this morning, dr. huxtable, too late to prevent
you from starting for london. i learned that your object
was to invite mr. sherlock holmes to undertake the conduct
of this case. his grace is surprised, dr. huxtable, that
you should have taken such a step without consulting him."
"when i learned that the police had failed ----"
"his grace is by no means convinced that the police have
failed."
"but surely, mr. wilder ----"
"you are well aware, dr. huxtable, that his grace is
particularly anxious to avoid all public scandal.
he prefers to take as few people as possible into his
confidence."
"the matter can be easily remedied," said the brow-beaten
doctor; "mr. sherlock holmes can return to london by the
morning train."
"hardly that, doctor, hardly that," said holmes, in his
blandest voice. "this northern air is invigorating and
pleasant, so i propose to spend a few days upon your moors,
and to occupy my mind as best i may. whether i have the
shelter of your roof or of the village inn is, of course,
for you to decide."
i could see that the unfortunate doctor was in the last
stage of indecision, from which he was rescued by the deep,
sonorous voice of the red-bearded duke, which boomed out
like a dinner-gong.
"i agree with mr. wilder, dr. huxtable, that you would have
done wisely to consult me. but since mr. holmes has
already been taken into your confidence, it would indeed be
absurd that we should not avail ourselves of his services.
far from going to the inn, mr. holmes, i should be pleased
if you would come and stay with me at holdernesse hall."
"i thank your grace. for the purposes of my investigation
i think that it would be wiser for me to remain at the
scene of the mystery."
"just as you like, mr. holmes. any information which
mr. wilder or i can give you is, of course, at your disposal."
"it will probably be necessary for me to see you at the hall,"
said holmes. "i would only ask you now, sir,
whether you have formed any explanation in your own mind
as to the mysterious disappearance of your son?"
"no, sir, i have not."
"excuse me if i allude to that which is painful to you,
but i have no alternative. do you think that the duchess
had anything to do with the matter?"
the great minister showed perceptible hesitation.
"i do not think so," he said, at last.
"the other most obvious explanation is that the child
has been kidnapped for the purpose of levying ransom.
you have not had any demand of the sort?"
"no, sir."
"one more question, your grace. i understand that you
wrote to your son upon the day when this incident occurred."
"no; i wrote upon the day before."
"exactly. but he received it on that day?"
"yes."
"was there anything in your letter which might have
unbalanced him or induced him to take such a step?"
"no, sir, certainly 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 is somewhat irrelevant?"
"not entirely," said holmes.
"for my own part," the duke continued, "i have advised the
police to turn their attention to the south of france.
i have already said that i do not believe that the duchess
would encourage so monstrous an action, but the lad had the
most wrong-headed opinions, and it is possible that he may
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 questions which holmes
would have wished to put; but the nobleman's abrupt manner
showed that the interview was at an end. it was evident
that to his intensely aristocratic nature this discussion
of his intimate family affairs with a stranger was most
abhorrent, and that he feared lest every fresh question
would throw a fiercer light into the discreetly shadowed
corners of his ducal history.
when the nobleman and his secretary had left, my friend
flung himself at once with characteristic eagerness into
the investigation.
the boy's chamber was carefully examined, and yielded
nothing save the absolute conviction that it was only
through the wi
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