The Washington herald., 1912-02-18

fell into our ways may tell yoti--I
trust that | am not indiscreeS. but half
condolences are absurd in such case
that he was not entirely happy at home.
II is an open secret that the dukes
married life had not been a peaceful
one, and the matter had ended in a
separation by mutual consent, the
duchess taking up her residence in the
South Of France. This had occurred
very shortly before, and the boys SYM
pathies are known to have been strongly
with his mother He moped after her
departure from Holdernesse Hall, and
Il was for this reason that the duke de-
sired to send him to my establishment.
In a fortnight the boy was quite at
home with us, and was apparently abb
solutely happy.
He was last seen on the night OF
May I3-that is, the night of last Mon
day. His room was on the second
floor, and was approached through an
other larger room, in which two boys
were sleeping These boys saw and
heard nothing, so that il is certain that
young Satire did not pass out that
way. His window was open, and there
IS stout ivy plant leading TO the
ground We could trace no footmarks
below, but It IS sure that this is the
only possible exit
His absence was discovered at ?
o'clock on Tuesday morning His bed
had been slept in. He had dressed
himself fully, before going off, in his
usual school suit of black Of Eton
jacket and dark gray trousers. There
were no signs that any one had entered
the room, and il is quite certain that
anything in the nature of cries or a
struggle would have been heard, since
Caunter, the elder boy in the inner
room, is a very light sleeper.
When Lord Saltire's disappearance
was discovered, at once called roll
of the whole establishment-boys mas
ters, and servants. 1t was then that we
ascertained that Lord Satire had not
been alone in his flight. Heidegger,
the German master, was missing. His
room was on the second floor, at the
farther end of the building, facing the
same way as Lord Saltire's. His bed
had also been slept in, but he had APP
parently gone away partly dressed,
since his shirt and socks were lying on
the floor He had undoubtedly let him
self down by the ivy for we could see
the marks of his feet where he had
landed on the lawn. His bicycle was
kept in 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 silent, morose man, not very
popular either with masters or boys.
No trace could be found of the fugi-
tives, and now, on Thursday morning,
we are as ignorant as we were on
Tuesday, Inquiry was, of course, made
at once at Holdernesse Hall. 1t is
only few miles away and we imag-
ined that, in some sudden attack Of
homesickness, he had gone back to his
father, but nothing had been heard of
him. The duke is greatly agitated, and,
as to me, you have seen yourselves the
state of nervous prostraton to which
the suspense and the responsibility
have reduced me. Mr.. Holmes, il ever
you put forward your full powers, |
implore you to do SO now, for never
in your life could you have a case which
is more worthy of them"
Sherlock Holmes had listened with
the utmost intentness to the statement
of the unhappy schoolmaster. His
drawn brows and the deep furrow be-
tween them showed that he needed no
exhortation to concentrate all his at
tention upon a problem which, apart
from the tremendous interests involved.