The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-06-14
The Adventure Of the Pnory School
with The Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate
BY ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE
Published
PART TWO.


"Ouite so. but it seems rather an
absurd blind. does it not? Were there
other BICYCLES in this shed? p
Several"
Would he not have hidden couple,
lad he desired to give the idea that
they had gone off upon them?
Il suppose he would.
"Of course he would The blind
theory won't do. But the incident is
an admirable starting point for an in
vestigation. After all, bicycle is
not an easy thing to conceal or tc
destroy. One other question. Did
anyone call to see the boy on the day
before he disappeared"
No"
Did he get any letters"
Yes, one letter"
From whom"
From his father"
DO you open the boys letters"
No
How do you know it was from the
father"
THE coat of arms was on the en-
velope, and it was addressed in the
Dukes peculiar stiff hand. Besides
the Duke remembers having written.
When had he letter before that?'
Not for several days"
Had he ever one from France?
NO, never"
You see the point of my questions
of course. Either the boy was carried
off by force or he went of his own FREE
will In the latter case, you woult
expect that some prompting from out
side would be needed TO make 81
| young a lad do such thing. If he ha
had no visitors, that prompting mus
have come in letters; hence | try t.
| find out who were his correspond
ents.''
Il fear l cannot help you much. Hi
! only correspondent, so far as | know
was his own father
Who wrote to him on the very da
! of his disappearance. Were the rela
| tons between father and son YER
| friendly"
His Grace is never very friendl
with any one. He is completely i'm
mersed in large public questions, an
is rather inaccessible to all ordinar
emotions But he was always kind t
1.-THE boy in his own way"
But the sympathies of the latte
we're with the mother"
Yes"
Did he say so?"
No"
! The Duke, them"
| Good Heavens, no."
Then how could you know"
Il have had some confidential talk
with Mr. James Wilder, his Grace
secretary. 1t was he who gave m
the information about Lord Satire
feelings"
Il see BY the way, that last lie
ter of the Duke's-was it found
the boys room after he was gomez"
NO, ne had taken it with him.
think, Mr.. Holmes, it is time that W
were leaving for Euston."
Il will order a four-wheeler. In
quarter of an hour, we shall be at you
service. If you are telegraphin
home. Mr.. Huxtable, it would be we
to allow the people in your neighbo
hood to imagine that the inquiry
still going on in Liverpool, or whe
ever else that red herring led vol
pack. In the meantime | will do
little quiet work at your own door
and perhaps the scent is not so Co
but that two old hounds like WatsC
and myself may get a sniff of it,
That evening found us in the col
! bracing atmosphere of the Peak cou
,, try, in which DR.. Huxtable's famo,
school is situated 1t was alreaC
dark when We reached it. A Cal
was lying on the hall table, and II
butler whispered something to h
master, who turned to us with agit
ton in every heavy feature
, The Duke is here" said he. 'Tl
Duke and Mr.. Wilder, and l will intr
, duce you
y | was, of course, familiar with Il
. pictures of the famous statesman, b
, the man himself was very differe
= from his representation. He was
/ tail and stately person, scrupulous
: dressed, with drawn, thin face. al
a nose which was grotesquely curv,