The Adventure of the Priory School
A duke's missing heir, a dead schoolmaster and the tracks of cows that were never there.
"The Adventure of the Priory School" is one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle and one of the 13 collected in The Return of Sherlock Holmes. Dr. Thorneycroft Huxtable, founder and principal of the Priory School, a preparatory school in Northern England, begs Holmes to look into the disappearance of a pupil: the ten-year-old Lord Saltire, son of the very rich and famous Duke of Holdernesse. The German master, Heidegger, has vanished as well, along with his bicycle.
Quick Facts
- Author
- Arthur Conan Doyle
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Series
- The Return of Sherlock Holmes
- Genre
- Detective fiction short stories
- Published in
- Strand Magazine
- Published
- January 1904
- Preceded by
- The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist
Lore & Background
On the moor Holmes and Watson find a bicycle track with a patched tyre that is not Heidegger's, then Heidegger's own track, which ends where he lies dead. Almost everything else has been obliterated by cow tracks, yet they never see a cow, and the prints suggest an animal that trotted, cantered and galloped. In the stable of the Fighting Cock Inn Holmes finds a horse recently shod with old shoes and new nails. The mastermind is James Wilder, the Duke's personal secretary and his illegitimate son, who planned the kidnapping to force the Duke to change his will.
Reader's Guide
Wilder hired the innkeeper Reuben Hayes to carry out the kidnapping, and Hayes killed Heidegger. When Wilder heard of it he confessed everything to his father, who, anxious to avoid scandal, agreed to leave his younger son at the inn for three more days so that Hayes could flee. Holmes claims the £6,000 reward from the Duke and tells him the boy is at the Fighting Cock. Hayes is caught on Holmes's information and faces the gallows, Lord Saltire is brought home, and the Duke writes to his estranged wife asking her to reconcile.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the plot of The Adventure of the Priory School?
Sherlock Holmes investigates the disappearance of the ten-year-old Lord Saltire from the Priory School, a preparatory school in Northern England. He follows tracks across the moor and uncovers a kidnapping planned to make the Duke change his will.
Who hires Holmes for this case?
Dr. Thorneycroft Huxtable, the founder and principal of the school, comes to Holmes and asks him to return to Mackleton with him. The missing boy's father is the Duke of Holdernesse.
How does Holmes solve the mystery?
He studies bicycle tracks and cow tracks on the moor and finds a horse at the Fighting Cock Inn shod with old shoes and new nails. He concludes that Lord Saltire is being held at the inn.
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