"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 putthem 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 issomewhat irrelevant?"
"Not entirely," said Holmes.
"For my own part," the Duke continued, "I have advised the police toturn their attention to the South of France. I have already said that Ido not believe that the Duchess would encourage so monstrous an action,but the lad had the most wrong-headed opinions, and it is possible thathe 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 havewished to put; but the nobleman's abrupt manner showed that theinterview was at an end. It was evident that to his intenselyaristocratic nature this discussion of his intimate family affairswith a stranger was most abhorrent, and that he feared lest everyfresh question would throw a fiercer light into the discreetly shadowedcorners of his ducal history.
When the nobleman and his secretary had left, my friend flung himself atonce with characteristic eagerness into the investigation.
The boy's chamber was carefully examined, and yielded nothing save theabsolute conviction that it was only through the window that he couldhave escaped. The German master's room and effects gave no further clue.In his case a trailer of ivy had given way under his weight, and we sawby the light of a lantern the mark on the lawn where his heels hadcome down. That one dint in the short green grass was the only materialwitness left of this inexplicable nocturnal flight.
Sherlock Holmes left the house alone, and only returned after eleven.He had obtained a large ordnance map of the neighbourhood, and thishe brought into my room, where he laid it out on the bed, and, havingbalanced the lamp in the middle of it, he began to smoke over it, andoccasionally to point out objects of interest with the reeking amber ofhis pipe.
"This case grows upon me, Watson," said he. "There are decidedly somepoints of interest in connection with it. In this early stage I want youto realize those geographical features which may have a good deal to dowith our investigation.
GRAPHIC
"Look at this map. This dark square is the Priory School. I'll put a pinin it. Now, this line is the main road. You see that it runs east andwest past the school, and you see also that there is no side road fora mile either way. If these two folk passed away by road it was THISroad."
"Exactly."
"By a singular and happy chance we are able to some extent to checkwhat passed along this road during the night in question. At this point,where my pipe is now resting, a country constable was on duty fromtwelve to six. It is, as you perceive, the first cross road on the eastside. This man declares that he was not absent from his post for aninstant, and he is positive that neither boy nor man could have gonethat way unseen. I have spoken with this policeman to-night, and heappears to me to be a perfectly reliable person. That blocks this end.We have now to deal with the other. There is an inn here, the Red Bull,the landlady of which was ill. She had sent to Mackleton for a doctor,but he did not arrive until morning, being absent at another case. Thepeople at the inn were alert all night, awaiting his coming, and one orother of them seems to have continually had an eye upon the road. Theydeclare that no one passed. If their evidence is good, then we arefortunate enough to be able to block the west, and also to be able tosay that the fugitives did NOT use the road at all."
"But the bicycle?" I objected.
"Quite so. We will come to the bicycle presently. To continue ourreasoning: if these people did not go by the road, they must havetraversed the country to the north of the house or to the south of thehouse. That is certain. Let us weigh the one against the other. On thesouth of the house is, as you perceive, a large district of arable land,cut up into small fields, with stone walls between them. There, I admitthat a bicycle is impossible. We can dismiss the idea. We turn to thecountry on the north. Here there lies a grove of trees, marked as the'Ragged Shaw,' and on the farther side stretches a great rolling moor,Lower Gill Moor, extending for ten miles and sloping gradually upwards.Here, at one side of this wilderness, is Holdernesse Hall, ten miles byroad, but only six across the moor. It is a peculiarly desolate plain. Afew moor farmers have small holdings, where they rear sheep and cattle.Except these, the plover and the curlew are the only inhabitants untilyou come to the Chesterfield high road. There is a church there,you see, a few cottages, and an inn. Beyond that the hills becomeprecipitous. Surely it is here to the north that our quest must lie."
"But the bicycle?" I persisted.
"Well, well!" said Holmes, impatiently. "A good cyclist does not needa high road. The moor is intersected with paths and the moon was at thefull. Halloa! what is this?"
There was an agitated knock at the door, and an instant afterwards Dr.Huxtable was in the room. In his hand he held a blue cricket-cap, with awhite chevron on the peak.
"At last we have a clue!" he cried. "Thank Heaven! at last we are on thedear boy's track! It is his cap."
"Where was it found?"
"In the van of the gipsies who camped on the moor. They left on Tuesday.To-day the police traced them down and examined their caravan. This wasfound."
"How do they account for it?"
"They shuffled and lied--said that they found it on the moor on Tuesdaymorning. They know where he is, the rascals! Thank goodness, they areall safe under lock and key. Either the fear of the law or the Duke'spurse will certainly get out of them all that they know."
"So far, so good," said Holmes, when the doctor had at last left theroom. "It at least bears out the theory that it is on the side of theLower Gill Moor that we must hope for results. The police have reallydone nothing locally, save the arrest of these gipsies. Look here,Watson! There is a watercourse across the moor. You see it marked herein the map. In some parts it widens into a morass. This is particularlyso in the region between Holdernesse Hall and the school. It is vain tolook elsewhere for tracks in this dry weather; but at THAT point thereis certainly a chance of some record being left. I will call you earlyto-morrow morning, and you and I will try if we can throw some littlelight upon the mystery."
The d
ay was just breaking when I woke to find the long, thin form ofHolmes by my bedside. He was fully dressed, and had apparently alreadybeen out.
"I have done the lawn and the bicycle shed," said he. "I have also had aramble through the Ragged Shaw. Now, Watson, there is cocoa ready in thenext room. I must beg you to hurry, for we have a great day before us."