in deference to my promise, and much against my will,

i consented to leave him there for three days under the

charge of mrs. hayes, since it was evident that it was

impossible to inform the police where he was without

telling them also who was the murderer, and i could not see

how that murderer could be punished without ruin to my

unfortunate james. you asked for frankness, mr. holmes,

and i have taken you at your word, for i have now told

you everything without an attempt at circumlocution or

concealment. do you in your turn be as frank with me."

"i will," said holmes. "in the first place, your grace,

i am bound to tell you that you have placed yourself in a

most serious position in the eyes of the law. you have

condoned a felony and you have aided the escape of a

murderer; for i cannot doubt that any money which was taken

by james wilder to aid his accomplice in his flight came

from your grace's purse."

the duke bowed his assent.

"this is indeed a most serious matter. even more culpable

in my opinion, your grace, is your attitude towards your

younger son. you leave him in this den for three days."

"under solemn promises ----"

"what are promises to such people as these?

you have no guarantee that he will not be spirited away again.

to humour your guilty elder son you have exposed your innocent

younger son to imminent and unnecessary danger.

it was a most unjustifiable action."

the proud lord of holdernesse was not accustomed to be so

rated in his own ducal hall. the blood flushed into his

high forehead, but his conscience held him dumb.

"i will help you, but on one condition only. it is that you

ring for the footman and let me give such orders as i like."

without a word the duke pressed the electric bell.

a servant entered.

"you will be glad to hear," said holmes, "that your young

master is found. it is the duke's desire that the carriage

shall go at once to the fighting cock inn to bring lord

saltire home.

"now," said holmes," {3} when the rejoicing lackey had

disappeared, "having secured the future, we can afford to

be more lenient with the past. i am not in an official

position, and there is no reason, so long as the ends of

justice are served, why i should disclose all that i know.

as to hayes i say nothing. the gallows awaits him, and i

would do nothing to save him from it. what he will divulge

i cannot tell, but i have no doubt that your grace could

make him understand that it is to his interest to be

silent. from the police point of view he will have

kidnapped the boy for the purpose of ransom. if they do

not themselves find it out i see no reason why i should

prompt them to take a broader point of view. i would warn

your grace, however, that the continued presence of

mr. james wilder in your household can only lead to

misfortune."

"i understand that, mr. holmes, and it is already settled

that he shall leave me for ever and go to seek his fortune

in australia."

"in that case, your grace, since you have yourself stated

that any unhappiness in your married life was caused by his

presence, i would suggest that you make such amends as you

can to the duchess, and that you try to resume those

relations which have been so unhappily interrupted."

"that also i have arranged, mr. holmes. i wrote to the

duchess this morning."

"in that case," said holmes, rising, "i think that my

friend and i can congratulate ourselves upon several

most happy results from our little visit to the north.

there is one other small point upon which i desire some light.

this fellow hayes had shod his horses with shoes which

counterfeited the tracks of cows. was it from mr. wilder

that he learned so extraordinary a device?"

the duke stood in thought for a moment, with a look of

intense surprise on his face. then he opened a door

and showed us into a large room furnished as a museum.

he led the way to a glass case in a corner, and pointed

to the inscription.

"these shoes," it ran, "were dug up in the moat of

holdernesse hall. they are for the use of horses; but they

are shaped below with a cloven foot of iron, so as to throw

pursuers off the track. they are supposed to have belonged

to some of the marauding barons of holdernesse in the

middle ages."

holmes opened the case, and moistening his finger he passed

it along the shoe. a thin film of recent mud was left upon

his skin.

"thank you," said he, as he replaced the glass. "it is the

second most interesting object that i have seen in the north."

"and the first?"

holmes folded up his cheque and placed it carefully in his note-book.

"i am a poor man," said he, as he patted it affectionately and thrust

it into the depths of his inner pocket.

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