Introduction

This is the introduction to the story of "Sherlock Holmes and the Duke's Son" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

The Story Begins

• The story is titled "Sherlock Holmes and the Duke's Son" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

• Visitors who come to see Sherlock Holmes in Baker Street often do surprising things.

• Dr. Thorny Croft Huxtable, a large man, comes to visit Sherlock Holmes looking white and ill.

• After examining him, Watson says that he is just very tired and probably hungry too.

Dr. Huxtable's Request

Dr. Huxtable requests Sherlock Holmes' help in finding the kidnapped son of the Duke of Holderness.

The Kidnapping

• Dr. Huxtable tells Sherlock about the kidnapping of Lord Saltire, son of the Duke of Holderness three days ago.

• The Duke is offering 5,000 pounds for news of his son and another 1,000 pounds for the name of his kidnapper.

• Holmes decides to go with Dr. Huxtable back to Mackleton to investigate.

Dr. Huxtable's Story

Dr. Huxtable tells Sherlock about what happened when Lord Saltire disappeared from his school.

Lord Saltire Disappears

• Lord Saltire was sent to attend Priory School near Mackleton because he was unhappy at home after his mother left his father.

• On May 13th, young Arthur disappeared from school through his window which had ivy growing up it making it easy for him to climb down.

• Heidegger, one of their German teachers also went missing on that same night leaving behind only his coat trousers and shoes while leaving behind his shirt and socks in his room.

• It is now Thursday and there is still no news of them.

Conclusion

Sherlock Holmes takes notes on Dr. Huxtable's story and prepares to investigate the case.

Investigation Begins

• Holmes takes out a little notebook and begins to write things down.

• He asks Dr. Huxtable for more details about what happened, when it happened, how it happened, and why he came to ask for his help three days later.

• The investigation into the kidnapping of Lord Saltire begins.

Dr. Huxtable's Unhappy Family Life

Dr. Huxtable explains why he didn't come to Holmes sooner and what the police have been doing.

Delay in Reporting

• Dr. Huxtable did not report the disappearance of his pupil, James Ryder, immediately because he was told that the Duke does not like people talking about his unhappy family life.

• Holmes questions why Dr. Huxtable waited three days before coming to him for help.

Police Investigation

• The police heard about a boy and a young man at the station early on Tuesday and looked for them.

• They found a man and his son going to visit a friend in Liverpool, which caused a delay in the investigation.

Questions About James Ryder

Holmes asks Dr. Huxtable questions about James Ryder's German lessons, bicycle, visitors, and letters.

German Lessons

• James Ryder did not take German lessons.

• He did not know the German teacher.

Bicycle

• James Ryder did not have a bicycle.

• No other bicycle was missing from the school.

Visitors

• James Ryder did not have any visitors on the day before he disappeared.

Letters

• James Ryder received one letter from his father but no letters from France.

• Dr. Huxtable did not open any of James' letters but recognized his handwriting on one letter from his father.

Disappearance of James Ryder

Holmes questions whether someone took James away or if he left freely with a letter from France.

Possibility of Leaving Freely

• It is possible that James left freely with a letter from France even though he only had letters from his father.

• The Duke is not a very friendly man, but he is not a bad father.

• James and his father were friendly, but the Duke did not talk about their relationship.

The Last Letter from the Duke

Holmes asks Dr. Huxtable about the last letter from the Duke.

Location of Last Letter

• James took the last letter from his father with him when he disappeared.

• The letter is not in his room.

Holmes and Watson Go North

Holmes and Watson arrive at Dr. Huxtable's school in the northern hills to meet with the Duke and Mr. Wilder.

Meeting with the Duke and Mr. Wilder

• The Duke and Mr. Wilder are surprised to see Sherlock Holmes at Dr. Huxtable's school.

• They invite Holmes to stay at Holdenness Hall, but he prefers to stay near the mystery at the school.

Questions for the Duke

Holmes questions the Duke about his wife and money.

Questions for the Duke

• Holmes asks questions about the Duchess and money.

• The Duchess knows nothing about James' disappearance, and nobody has asked for money.

Investigating Further

After searching through James Ryder's room, German teacher's room, ivy on wall, footprints under window, they find nothing new until they look at a map of area around school.

Map Investigation

• A policeman was stationed on a road leading away from school between midnight to 6 am but saw no one.

• There was no bicycle found along that road or by river south of school.

• Ragged shore trees and a great moor are to the north of the school.

Dr. Huxtable Brings News

Dr. Huxtable brings news to Holmes and Watson that a blue school hat was found by one of his gardeners just north of Ragged Shore.

The Boy's Hat

• Dr. Huxtable informs Holmes and Watson that a blue school hat was found by one of his gardeners.

• The hat was found just north of Ragged Shore.

Walking North Across the Moor

Holmes and Watson plan to walk north across the moor in search of clues.

Planning the Walk

• Holmes suggests they walk north across the moor.

• They plan to leave early in the morning.

Searching for Tracks on the Moor

Holmes and Watson search for tracks on the moor, looking for clues about Heidegger's disappearance.

Searching for Tracks

• They move slowly across the moor, looking at every centimeter of mud.

• They find hundreds of sheep tracks and once some cow tracks, but no bicycle tracks.

• Finally, they find a track in the mud that belongs to a bicycle with Dunlop tires.

Following Heidegger's Trail

Holmes and Watson follow Heidegger's trail across the moor, searching for clues about his disappearance.

Following Heidegger's Trail

• Homes identifies that this is not Heidegger's bike because it has Dunlop tires instead of Palmer tires.

• They find a track in the mud that belongs to a bicycle with Palmer tires, which is Heidegger's bike.

• The trail leads them to some small bushes with yellow flowers on them where they find blood on one of the flowers.

Finding Heidegger's Body

Holmes and Watson find Heidegger's body behind a bush, and they must decide what to do next.

Finding the Body

• They follow the blood trail and eventually find Heidegger's bicycle.

• Behind a bush, they find Heidegger's body with blood on his head and face.

• Holmes decides that they need to tell someone about this but cannot lose any more time.

Notifying Dr. Huxtable

Holmes and Watson must notify Dr. Huxtable about their discovery of Heidegger's body.

Notifying Dr. Huxtable

• Holmes writes a note for Dr. Huxtable while Watson goes to get a workman.

• The workman takes one look at the body and runs quickly down the hill to Ragged Shore.

Analyzing the Evidence

Holmes analyzes the evidence they have gathered so far in an attempt to solve the mystery of Heidegger's disappearance.

Analyzing the Evidence

• Before moving forward, Holmes suggests taking a minute to think carefully about what they know so far.

• They discuss how both Heidegger and the boy left the school, but Heidegger left suddenly without his socks and shirt.

• They conclude that someone was with the boy, a man who hit Heidegger on the head and killed him.

• Holmes notes that they found no footprints or bicycle tracks near Heidegger's body, which is not possible given the circumstances.

Following the Dunlop Track

Holmes and Watson follow the Dunlop track north, lose it across the moor, see Holderness Hall to their left, and walk down to the Chesterfield road. They then walk along the road to the Green Man Inn.

Walking to Green Man Inn

• They lost the track across the moor and saw Holderness Hall.

• They walked down to Chesterfield road and arrived at Green Man Inn.

Chapter 5 - A Visit to The Green Man

Holmes and Watson arrive at The Green Man Inn.

Arrival at The Green Man Inn

• Chapter 5 begins with their arrival at The Green Man Inn.

Meeting Mr. Hayes

Holmes and Watson meet Mr. Hayes outside of The Green Man Inn.

Meeting Mr. Hayes

• While walking towards The Green Man Inn, Holmes helps Watson who has hurt his foot.

• Mr. Hayes is smoking outside of The Green Man Inn when they arrive.

• Holmes asks for help from Mr. Hayes who initially seems unfriendly.

• After learning that they are bringing news of his lost son, Mr. Hayes becomes more cooperative.

Offering a Pound for a Bicycle Ride

Holmes offers a pound for a bicycle ride from Mr. Hayes to Holderness Hall.

Requesting Help from Mr. Hayes

• After asking for help from Mr. Hayes, he refuses saying he doesn't have a bicycle.

• Holmes offers him one pound in exchange for using his bicycle or horses.

• When asked where they are going, they say Holderness Hall which causes suspicion from Mr. Hayes.

Investigating the Stables

Holmes and Watson investigate the stables at The Green Man Inn.

Investigating the Stables

• After being refused a bicycle, Holmes and Watson go into The Green Man Inn to eat.

• They see the stables through the window and decide to investigate.

• They find two tired-looking horses in the stables.

• Holmes notices that one of the horse's shoes has new nails but old shoes.

• Mr. Hayes catches them investigating and becomes angry.

Strange Cow Tracks

Holmes notices strange cow tracks on their journey.

Strange Cow Tracks

• While investigating, Holmes asks Watson if he saw any cows on their journey.

• Although there were many cow tracks, they did not see any cows which is unusual.

• Holmes notes that the cow tracks are strange because they don't move like normal cows.

Watching James Wilder

Holmes and Watson watch James Wilder outside of The Green Man Inn.

Watching James Wilder

• After leaving The Green Man Inn, they run up a hill to avoid being seen by someone riding a bicycle quickly down the road.

• They see James Wilder's bicycle near The Green Man Inn's back door.

• A man on a horse rides out of the stables quickly and disappears down the road.

• Ten minutes later another man goes into The Green Man Inn with a light coming on upstairs.

• They sneak around to look through an upstairs window for more information.

Conclusion

Holmes concludes his investigation of Holderness Hall.

Conclusion

• Holmes tells Watson that he has all the answers to the mystery and they will be revealed tomorrow.

• They walk back to school, and Holmes goes out again to Mackleton while Watson sleeps.

The Duke's Offer

The Duke of Holderness offers Sherlock Holmes 5,000 pounds for news of his son and another thousand pounds for the name of the kidnapper. Holmes reveals that he knows where the Duke's son is and who kidnapped him.

The Duke's Offer

• The Duke offers 5,000 pounds for news of his son and another thousand pounds for the name of the kidnapper.

• Holmes reveals that he knows where the Duke's son is and who kidnapped him.

• Holmes asks for a check for six thousand pounds from the Duke in exchange for this information.

The Duke's Secret

The Duke reveals to Holmes that James Wilder, his secretary, is actually his illegitimate son. He explains why he kept it a secret and how it led to Arthur's kidnapping.

Illegitimate Son

• The Duke tells Holmes that James Wilder is actually his illegitimate son.

• He explains why he kept it a secret from everyone except James and how much he loves James because he reminds him of his deceased lover.

• He also explains how this secret led to Arthur's kidnapping by James with help from Ruben Hayes.

Arthur's Kidnapping

The Duke tells Holmes about how Arthur was kidnapped by James with help from Ruben Hayes. He explains why James did it and what happened after the murder.

Kidnapping Plot

• The Duke explains how James knew Ruben Hayes and asked him to help kidnap Arthur.

• He reveals that James put a note in Arthur's letter, pretending to be the Duchess and asking him to meet her on the moor.

• Hayes killed the German teacher who followed them, then took Arthur to the Green Man Inn.

Holmes Helps the Duke of Holderness

In this section, Mr. Holmes confronts the Duke of Holderness about his involvement in a murder case and demands that he bring Arthur home. The Duke reveals that James Wilder is leaving for Australia and that he has written to the Duchess. Holmes also mentions a strange occurrence involving horse tracks that look like cow tracks.

Confrontation with the Duke

• Mr. Holmes confronts the Duke about his involvement in a murder case.

• Holmes quickly writes a note and takes it out of the room.

• The Duke reveals that James Wilder is leaving for Australia next week.

• Holmes mentions a strange occurrence involving horse tracks that look like cow tracks.

The Mystery of the Horseshoe

• The Duke shows Holmes some horseshoes found under the ground in the garden.

• One shoe looks like a cloven cow's foot, but it is actually a shoe for a horse's foot.