 "the adventure of the creeping man" 1923 is one of 12 sherlock holmes short stories (56 total) by arthur conan doyle in the case-book of sherlock holmes first published in strand magazine october 1921 - april 1927. ==synopsis== mr. trevor bennett comes to holmes with a most unusual problem. he is professor presbury's personal secretary, and mr. bennett is also engaged to the professor's only daughter, edith. professor presbury is himself engaged to a young lady, alice morphy, a colleague's daughter, although he himself is already sixty-one years old. their impending marriage does not seem to have caused a great scandal; so that is not mr. bennett's problem. nonetheless, the trouble seems to have begun at about the time of professor presbury's and alice's engagement. first, the professor suddenly left home for a fortnight without telling anyone where he was going. he returned looking rather travel-worn. it was only through a letter from a friend sent to mr. bennett that the family learnt that professor presbury had been to prague. also, the professor's usually faithful irish wolfhound has taken to attacking him on occasion, and has had to be tied up outside. holmes knows from his study of dogs that this is significant. upon returning from prague, professor presbury told mr. bennett that certain letters would arrive with a cross under the stamp, and he was not to open these. until this time, mr. bennett had enjoyed the professor's implicit trust and had opened all his letters as part of his job. as the professor said, such letters did arrive, and he gave them straight to the professor. whether any replies were sent mr. bennett does not know, as they never passed through his hands. the whole household feels that they are living with another man, not the professor presbury that they once knew. he has become furtive and sly. there are definite changes in his moods and habits, some quite bizarre; however, his mind does not seem to be adversely affected. his lectures are still brilliant, and he can still function as a professor. mr. bennett observed a curious behaviour in his employer. he opened his bedroom door one night, as he tells holmes and watson, and saw the professor crawling along the hall on his hands and feet. when he spoke to professor presbury, his master swore at him and scuttled off to the stairway. edith presbury, who arrives at 221b baker street halfway through her fiancÃ©'s interview with holmes says that she saw her father at her bedroom window one night at two o'clock in the morning. her bedroom is on the second floor, and there is no long ladder in the garden. she is sure that she did not imagine this. mr. bennett mentions that the dog attacks came on july 2, 11, and 20. holmes does not mention it aloud at the time, but these are intervals of nine days each time. holmes 
1923_short_stories Sherlock_Holmes_short_stories_by_Arthur_Conan_Doyle