It was dark when we arrived at Dr Huxtable's famous school in the northern hills. We went quickly into the building out of the cold, and at once someone ran up with news for Dr Huxtable. He looked very surprised. "The Duke is here," he told us he Duke and Mr Wilder, his secretary, are in my office. Come and meet them." The Government Minister was a tall man with a long, thin face. He had red hair, and a great red beard. He looked at us, and did not smile. Next to him stood Mr Wilder, a very young man. He was small, with blue eyes, and a watchful face. He spoke first. "The Duke is surprised, Dr Huxtable, to see Mr Sherlock Holmes here. He doesn't want people to know about this. You know that, so why didn't you speak to the Duke before you went to London?' "But we need help," said Dr Huxtable. 'And I "Well," said the Duke. "Mr Holmes is here now, and perhaps he can help us.' He looked at Holmes. "I'd like you to come and stay at Holdernesse Hall, Mr Holmes.' "Thank you, sir,' said Holmes. "But I would like to stay
near to the mystery, here at the school. Can I ask you one or two questions, perhaps?' Of course," said the Duke "My questions are about the Duchess, and about money," said Holmes
"The Duchess knows nothing about this," said the Duke, and nobody is asking me for money "I see said Holmes. "You wrote a letter to your son before he disappeared. When did you post it?' Post it?" said Mr Wilder angrily. "The Duke does not post letters. I put the letter into the postbag, with all the other letters that day. A minute or two later the Duke and Mr Wilder left. Holmes then began at once to work on the case. We looked carefully all through the boy's bedroom, and the German teacher's room. We looked at the ivy on the wall, and we saw the footprints under the German teacher's window But learnt nothing new. Holmes then left the house, and we only came back after eleven o'clock. He had with him a large map. He brought it into my room and put it on the bed This case is beginning to get interesting, Watson,' he said. "Look at this map. Here is the school, you see, and here is the road. So, did the boy and the teacher go along the road when they left? No, Watson, they did not! How do you know that, Holmes?' I asked. "Because there was a policeman here look. He was there from midnight to six in the morning, and he saw nobody on the road. I spoke to him this evening. And here at the other end, you see, is the White Horse Inn. A woman there was ill, and the family watched the road all night