"His absence was discovered at seven o'clock on Tuesday morning. His bedhad been slept in. He had dressed himself fully before going off in hisusual school suit of black Eton jacket and dark grey trousers. Therewere no signs that anyone had entered the room, and it is quite certainthat anything in the nature of cries, or a struggle, would have beenheard, since Caunter, the elder boy in the inner room, is a very lightsleeper.
"When Lord Saltire's disappearance was discovered I at once called aroll of the whole establishment, boys, masters, and servants. It wasthen that we ascertained that Lord Saltire had not been alone in hisflight. Heidegger, the German master, was missing. His room was on thesecond floor, at the farther end of the building, facing the same wayas Lord Saltire's. His bed had also been slept in; but he had apparentlygone away partly dressed, since his shirt and socks were lying on thefloor. He had undoubtedly let himself down by the ivy, for we could seethe marks of his feet where he had landed on the lawn. His bicycle waskept in a small shed beside this lawn, and it also 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 mastersor boys. No trace could be found of the fugitives, and now on Thursdaymorning we are as ignorant as we were on Tuesday. Inquiry was, ofcourse, made at once at Holdernesse Hall. It is only a few miles away,and we imagined that in some sudden attack of home-sickness he hadgone back to his father; but nothing had been heard of him. The Duke isgreatly agitated--and as to me, you have seen yourselves the state ofnervous prostration to which the suspense and the responsibility havereduced me. Mr. Holmes, if ever you put forward your full powers, Iimplore you to do so now, for never in your life
could you have a casewhich is more worthy of them."
Sherlock Holmes had listened with the utmost intentness to the statementof the unhappy schoolmaster. His drawn brows and the deep furrowbetween them showed that he needed no exhortation to concentrate allhis attention upon a problem which, apart from the tremendous interestsinvolved, must appeal so directly to his love of the complex and theunusual. He now drew out his note-book and jotted down one or twomemoranda.
"You have been very remiss in not coming to me sooner," said he,severely. "You start me on my investigation with a very serioushandicap. It is inconceivable, for example, that this ivy and this lawnwould have yielded nothing to an expert observer."
"I am not to blame, Mr. Holmes. His Grace was extremely desirous toavoid all public scandal. He was afraid of his family unhappiness beingdragged before the world. He has a deep horror of anything of the kind."
"But there has been some official investigation?"
"Yes, sir, and it has proved most disappointing. An apparent clue wasat once obtained, since a boy and a young man were reported to have beenseen leaving a neighbouring station by an early train. Only last nightwe had news that the couple had been hunted down in Liverpool, and theyprove to have no connection whatever with the matter in hand. Then itwas that in my despair and disappointment, after a sleepless night, Icame straight to you by the early train."
"I suppose the local investigation was relaxed while this false clue wasbeing followed up?"
"It was entirely dropped."
"So that three days have been wasted. The affair has been mostdeplorably handled."
"I feel it, and admit it."
"And yet the problem should be capable of ultimate solution. I shall bevery happy to look into it. Have you been able to trace any connectionbetween the missing boy and this German master?"
"None at all."
"Was he in the master's class?"
"No; he never exchanged a word with him so far as I know."
"That is certainly very singular. Had the boy a bicycle?"
"No."
"Was any other bicycle missing?"
"No."
"Is that certain?"
"Quite."
"Well, now, you do not mean to seriously suggest that this German rodeoff upon a bicycle in the dead of the night bearing the boy in hisarms?"
"Certainly not."
"Then what is the theory in your mind?"
"The bicycle may have been a blind. It may have been hidden somewhereand the pair gone off on foot."
"Quite so; but it seems rather an absurd blind, does it not? Were thereother bicycles in this shed?"
"Several."
"Would he not have hidden A COUPLE had he desired to give the idea thatthey had gone off upon them?"