The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 97 The Return (12)
"At seven o'clock on Tuesday morning he was found gone and his bed had been slept in. He had dressed before he left, which was his usual school uniform - a black Eton top and dark gray trousers. There was no sign that anyone had entered In the house, if there was any sound of shouting and fighting, it must be heard, because the older boy Conte who lived outside was always alert in his sleep.

"After discovering that Lord Salter was missing, I immediately called the whole school to roll the roll, including all the students, teachers and servants. Only then did we make sure that Salter hadn't gone away alone, because the German teacher Heidig also disappeared. His room was at the end of the second floor, in the same direction as Lord Salter's. His bed had been slept in, too, but he had evidently left not fully dressed—the shirt and socks were still on the floor. Nothing. There was no doubt that he had gone down the ivy, and his tracks were very clear on the grass where he landed. His bicycle, which was usually kept in the shed by the grass, was gone.

"Heidigue has been with me for two years and he came in with a letter of introduction which he spoke highly of, but he was a melancholy man who had little connection with teachers and pupils. We found no fugitives There was no trace of him until now, on Thursday morning, as on Tuesday. Of course, we searched immediately after the accident at Holderez House, which was only a few miles from the school, and we thought he might He was so homesick that he left without saying goodbye and went back to his father, but there was no news there either. The duke was in great anxiety, and as for myself, you two have seen with your own eyes the responsibility and the anxiety it entails. , and made me faint with heart failure. I implore you, Mr. Holmes, to use all your strength and wisdom to investigate this case. In your lifetime, I am afraid that you will rarely have the opportunity to deal with such a thing that will bring you Such a lucrative case."

Sherlock Holmes listened intently to the account of the poor headmaster.His brow furrowed, showing that he had already begun to think about the matter with full attention and did not need any persuasion at all.Because in addition to the generous remuneration, the complexity of the case and its unusualness aroused his great interest in exploration.He took out his notebook and wrote down a few important facts.

He said solemnly: "You are too careless to come to me at the first time, and only let me start the investigation after great difficulties arise. An expert will not see a clue in the ivy and grass , it's unbelievable."

"Please don't blame me, Mr. Holmes. His Excellency does not want gossip to spread. He is afraid that his family's misfortune will be made public. He simply hates gossip."

"Haven't the authorities already done some investigation?"

"Yes, sir, but it turned out to be extremely disappointing. A lead soon followed, a report of a child and a young man taking an early train at a neighboring station. We only found out last night that the two had been Followed up to Liverpool, and it turned out they had nothing to do with the case. I was so dejected and disappointed that I had a sleepless night and came straight to you on an early morning train."

"I think the local investigation is not paying close attention when pursuing this false lead?"

"No investigation at all."

"So three days wasted. This case was handled poorly."

"I already feel that it was not handled properly."

"But the case must finally be settled. I would like to take part in the case. Do you understand the relationship between the boy and the German teacher?"

"Not at all."

"Is this kid in this German teacher's class?"

"No, and I heard that the child never said a word to him."

"That's rare. Does the kid have a bicycle?"

"No."

"Is there another bicycle missing?"

"nor."

"Are you sure?"

"really."

"You mean, then, that the German didn't take the kid for a ride in the middle of the night. Do you?"

"No, definitely not."

"What do you think?"

"The bike may have been a cover. The bike may have been hidden somewhere and the pair escaped on foot."

"Probably so, but it seems absurd to use a bicycle as a cover, doesn't it? Are there any other bicycles in the shed?"

"There are a few more."

"If he wanted people to think they rode off, wouldn't he hide two?"

"I think he will."

"Of course he would. The pretense doesn't make sense. But this detail would be a good start to the investigation. Anyway, a bicycle is not easy to hide or destroy. There is one more problem. The day before this kid disappeared someone Have you seen him?"

"No."

"Has he received any letters?"

"There is one."

"Who sent it?"

"His father."

"Do you usually open his letters?"

"Do not."

"How do you know it was from his father?"

"The envelope bears the coat of arms of his family, and I recognize the duke's characteristic strong handwriting. Besides, the duke remembers that he wrote the letter."

"When did he get a letter before this one?"

"A few days before I received this letter."

"Has he ever had a letter from France?"

"there has never been."

"Of course you understand the meaning of my question. This child was either kidnapped, or ran away voluntarily. If he ran away voluntarily, you would expect that there must be an external inducement, so that a young child will do such a thing .If there is no visitor to see him, the inducement must come from the letter, so I want to find out who communicated with him."

"I'm afraid I can't be of much help. As far as I know, only his father has corresponded with him."

"His father just happened to write to him on the very day he disappeared. Were father and son particularly close?"

"The Duke is not close to anyone. He is too preoccupied with public matters to care for general sentiments. But as far as the Duke is concerned, he is very good to the boy."

"The child's affection is more on his mother's side?"

"Yes."

"Has the child ever said that?"

"No."

"So, the duke said?"

"Well, neither did he."

"How did you know that?"

"Mr. James Wilde, the Duke's secretary, has spoken to me privately. He has told me about the boy's feelings."

"I see. Ask again, was the last letter sent by the Duke found in his room after the child left?"

"No, he took the letter with him. I think we must go to Euston Station, Mr. Holmes."

"I'll call for a carriage. We shall see you again in a quarter of an hour. Mr. Huxtable, if you are going to send a telegram back, it would be best for those around you to think that there is still no inquiry in Liverpool." Over, or wherever this false clue leads you to think. In the mean time I will work quietly around your school, and perhaps the traces have not quite disappeared, and Watson and I, the two old hounds, can still sniff out a little clue. Come."

That evening we reached Peake, the site of Mr. Huxtable's famous school.The air here is fresh and refreshing.It was already dark when we arrived.There was a business card on the table in the hall, the butler whispered something to the master, the doctor turned around with a very excited face.

He said: "The Duke is here. The Duke and Mr. Wilde are in the study. Come in, gentlemen, and I will introduce you to him."

The picture of the famous politician is widely known, but he is very different from the picture.He was a tall, dignified man, well-dressed, with a long, thin face and a curiously long, curved nose.His complexion was deathly pale, and it was even more menacing by the long, thin red beard, which grew over a white waistcoat from which the watch-chain pendant gleamed.So solemnly did the Duke appear before us, looking at us indifferently from the very center of the hearth rug.Beside him stood a young man whom I guessed to be Wilde, the private secretary.He was a short man with a tense, alert expression, and bright, beaming pale blue eyes.Wilde began his speech in a sharp and sure tone.

"I came this morning, Dr. Huxtable, but it was too late to prevent you from going to London. I have heard that your object is to have Mr. Sherlock Holmes take up the case. Dr. Huxtable , You took this step without consulting His Excellency the Duke, which was beyond His Excellency's expectations."

"I'm learning that the police have been unable to..."

"The Duke will never think that the police are helpless."

"But Mr. Wilde, then..."

"You are well aware, Dr. Huxtable, that your Excellency is particularly apprehensive about the news. He means that as few people as possible know about it, the better."

Threatened, the doctor argued: "It will not be difficult to change this arrangement. Mr. Sherlock Holmes can take the morning train back to London tomorrow."

Holmes said without hesitation: "I don't think so, doctor, no. The air in the northern region is refreshing and comfortable, so I want to live on your prairie for a few days and use my head to think well." Think. Whether we live at your school or at the village inn, of course it is up to you."

I could see that the poor Doctor was very hesitant, but the deep, loud voice of the Duke of Redbeard - almost like the bell of a utensil at lunch - helped him.

"I agree with Mr. Wilde, Dr. Huxtable, that it would be better if you consulted with me first. Now that you have informed Mr. Holmes of the matter, we cannot fail to ask his help. Mr. Holmes, Don't stay in a hotel, I'd be glad if you came and lived with me at Holderez Hall."

"Thank you, Duke. In order to facilitate the investigation, I think it is more appropriate for me to stay at the scene of the incident."

"Mr. Holmes, you are welcome. If you want to know anything from Mr. Wilde and me, feel free to ask."

Holmes said: "It may be necessary to see you at your house in the future. Now I just want to ask you, what do you think is the reason for your son's mysterious disappearance?"

"I don't know, sir."

"Forgive me for mentioning an event which would cause you pain, which I could not have avoided. Do you think the Duchess has anything to do with it?"

The great statesman can be seen to hesitate.

He finally said, "I don't think so."

"Another obvious reason for kidnapping this child is for ransom. Has anyone tried to blackmail you?"

"No, sir."

"One more question, Duke. I understand that you wrote to him on the day of the incident."

"Not today, but the day before."

"Exactly. But he got it that day, didn't he?"

"Yes."

"Is there anything in your letter which unsettled him and caused him to disappear?"

"No, sir, certainly not."

"Did you send the letter yourself?"

The Duke was about to answer, but his secretary answered first: "The Duke never sends letters himself. This letter is on the table in the study with the others, and I put it in the mail bag myself."

"You are sure that this is one of these letters?"

"Yes, I saw it."

"How many letters did the duke write that day?"

"Twenty or thirty. I have a great deal of correspondence. But that won't have anything to do with the case?"

"It's not entirely irrelevant," said Holmes.

The Duke continued: "I have advised the police to turn their attention to the south of France. I said that I do not believe that the Duchess would induce such an absurd behavior, but the child is headstrong, and with the instigation and help of this German, He may have gone off to the Duchess. Dr Huxtable, we must go back to Holdereth Hall."

I saw that Holmes wanted to ask other questions, but the aristocrat suddenly indicated that he wanted to conclude the interview.It was clearly out of character and temperament for him to discuss private matters of his family with a stranger, and he did not want a situation in which certain truths he had carefully concealed would be ruthlessly revealed with every question asked .

As soon as the nobleman and his secretary had left, my friend began an urgent investigation, as was his custom.

We searched the child's room carefully, but found no clues, but we firmly believe that he can only escape through the window.The German teacher's room and belongings offered no further clues.A twig of ivy in front of his window broke under his weight.Under the light, we can see that on the small green grass, there is a trace of a heel where he fell.This footprint on the grass proves that the German teacher went away in the dark.

Sherlock Holmes left the lodgings alone, and did not return until after eleven o'clock.He got a big official map of the area, took it to my house, spread it out on the bed, and put a lamp right in the center of the map.Then he smoked while looking at the map, occasionally pointing out places to call our attention with his heavily-smoky pipe.

He said: "I am very interested in this case, Watson. From the facts of the case, there are certain places on the map that are worth noting. This case is just beginning, and I want you to understand that the special terrain and our Investigation is closely related.

"Look at the map. This dark square is Abbey School, and I've put a pin in it. This is the main road. It goes east to west, past the front of the school. You can also see a mile to the east and west of the school. There is no path in it. If these two men go down the main road, there is only one way."

"Is such that."

"We were lucky enough to find out that no one passed the road on the night of the accident. There was a country policeman on duty from twelve o'clock in the evening to six o'clock in the morning at the place where I kept my pipe. You can see Come out, here is the first intersection on the east side. This cop said he never left his post, and he was sure that anyone who passed this road, whether adults or children, would see him. I talked to this cop this evening, I think he's a completely reliable man. Then the east side is all right. Let's look at the west side now. There's an inn called the 'Red Bull' and the lady proprietor is sick. She sent for a doctor in Macleton, but the doctor Went out to see another patient and didn't arrive until the next morning. The people at the hotel were watching all night, waiting for the doctor, and there was a man watching the road all the time. They said no one was passing. If their word is true, we can Fortunately, the west side was excluded, so it can be inferred that the fleeing people did not take the main road at all."

"Where's the bike?" I asked back.

"Yes, we'll be talking about bicycles soon. Continuing with the reasoning just now: If they didn't take the main road, then they must have gone across the country to the north or south of the school. There's no doubt about it. Let's compare the In both cases, it can be seen that the south side of the school is a large cultivated land, divided into small pieces, separated by a stone wall in the middle. I think it is impossible to ride a bicycle in this kind of place. We can ignore the south side. Let's look at the north side. Here is a grove of woods, marked 'Shaw Hills,' and a little further on, a great rolling moor called the Lower Gill Moor, which stretches for ten miles and gradually rises in elevation. Ten miles to go, and only six miles across the moor. There is a particularly barren level of land. There are a few small sheds where the farmers keep their cattle, sheep, etc., and there are doves and curlews. Besides, in the You can't see anything until you get to Chesterfield High Road. There's a church, some farmhouses, and an inn on the other side. Farther on, the hill steepens, and we're obviously supposed to look north."

I asked again, "Where's the bike?"

Holmes said impatiently: "Very well! Those who know how to ride a bicycle don't necessarily have to ride on the main road. There are many criss-crossing paths in the heath, and the moon is full at that time. Well, what's the sound?"

There was a hurried knock at the door, and it was Dr Huxtable.He is holding a blue cricket cap with a white chevron on the top.

He shouted: "We have finally found a clue! Thank God! At least we know the path this young master walked. This is his hat."

"Where did you find it?"

"In the caravan of the gypsies, who camped in this moor, left on Tuesday. The police chased them today, and examined each of their vehicles, and found this hat."

"How do they explain it?"

"They prevaricated and lied that they picked it up on the moor on a Tuesday morning. The rascals, they know where the boy is! Thank God they're all locked up now. The power of the law, or the duke's money, will always Make them tell what they know."

After the doctor left, Holmes said: "That's very good. At least it confirms our hypothesis. We must search on the Lower Gill Moor side to find results. The police have indeed done nothing but arrest these gypsies. Watson, you Look, there's a waterway across the moor. It's marked on the map. In some places the waterway widens into a swamp, especially between Holderez House and the school. In this dry weather, go elsewhere. It is definitely futile to look for traces, but in this area, it is possible to find the traces left behind. I will call you early tomorrow morning, and you go out with me and try to see if you can find a glimmer of hope to solve this mysterious case."

When I opened my eyes just after dawn, I saw the tall, lanky Holmes standing beside my bed.He was fully dressed and had obviously been out.

He said: "I have seen the lawn and the bicycle shed in front of the window, and I have just walked around the 'Xiao Gang'. Watson, the cocoa has been cooked and placed in the back room. You must act quickly, there are many things waiting Let's do it."

(End of this chapter)