by John Hall
‘Oh?’
‘I mean, it was bad enough when it was just me, but the culprit will be even more on his guard now you’re here.’
Holmes thought. ‘He may, but then he may believe that he has eliminated the danger. That rather depends –’ and he broke off and stared at me in silence for a time, then shrugged his shoulders. ‘As you say, Watson, question and answer it must be, now. Our starting point must be the boys to whom you have already spoken, Watson Minor and Major, and this Edmonds, was it?’
‘Yes. It was the elder Watson and a boy called Meade who were out here last night, so it might be as well to start with them. They may have seen something important.’
‘Would they not say as much last night?’
‘It was all very confused, Holmes.’
‘I see. In that case we had best see them at once, before they quite forget what happened.’ And he cast a final look at the ruins before setting back to the main school building, now all quiet for it was mid-morning.
We had decided that my own rooms would form our joint headquarters for the conduct of the investigation, and there we went. Holmes had, as I say, secured the rather reluctant co-operation of Dr Longton, who had promised that masters and boys alike should answer any of our questions. Holmes now sent the porter, recruited as a temporary messenger and confederate, to fetch Watson Major and Meade, although it was in the very middle of a lesson. They showed, I must say, no great distress at the interruption. Holmes waved them to chairs, and dismissed the porter, who was somewhat inclined to linger, saying that we should not hesitate to call upon him again were it necessary.
Holmes smiled at the two boys. He took out his pipe, glanced at the boys, sighed, and put the pipe away again. ‘Now,’ said he, ‘why were you following Dr Watson last night?’
It was Watson Major who answered. ‘Sheer nosiness, sir,’ he said frankly. ‘We suspected something was afoot, have done for a while, now, and when we saw Mr Harris – Dr Watson, that is to say – heading for the old ruins, well, we simply couldn’t resist following.’
‘I see. How came you to see Dr Watson, though? Would you, should you, for that matter, not have been at your studies?’ asked Holmes.
Watson Major flushed. ‘It was getting towards lights out, sir, so we had done our prep and what have you. We happened to be outside –’
‘Oh?’
‘Merely for a breath of fresh air,’ explained Watson Major.
‘And perhaps a cigar?’ I suggested.
The looks on the faces of the two boys showed that this was not far off the mark. Holmes regarded me with something like admiration. ‘Remarkable, Watson!’
‘Oh, merely a knowledge of the youthful mentality, Holmes. So, you saw me, and followed? But did you also see Mr Tromarty?’
Watson Major nodded. ‘We were just about to set off after you, sir, when Meade here spotted old – spotted poor Mr Tromarty. He said, or I did, “This looks like fun”, or something of the sort. Of course, when we saw him obviously following you, that made us quite determined to follow, to see what was going on.’ He broke off, and shook his head. ‘ “Fun”, we thought,’ he added. ‘In the event, of course –’
‘I was very glad you were there,’ I told them. ‘I would not have liked to be on my own when I found Mr Tromarty there.’
‘Tell me,’ said Holmes, ‘you saw the Doctor here, and you saw Mr Tromarty. Did you happen to see or hear anyone else last night?’
‘No, sir. But there must have been someone else,’ said Watson Major, ‘because we had absolutely nothing to do with poor Mr Tromarty’s death, I promise you that!’
‘No, no, we do not suggest any such thing,’ said Holmes. ‘But you have no idea as to who the mysterious third party may have been?’
‘It was pretty dark, sir,’ said Meade. ‘And we, or I, at any rate, imagined all sorts of noises in the wood.’
‘Yes,’ said Watson Major, ‘what with the dark, and the excitement, one could fancy all sorts of hobgoblins out there. In fact, I’m sure I heard a thud or thump, just before – just before we found Dr Watson here.’
‘Yes, I thought I’d heard something of that sort, too,’ I said.
‘Was that –’ and Meade broke off.
‘It very likely was,’ I said. ‘The proverbial blunt instrument, I fancy, from the injuries I saw. A sock filled with sand would do it. Of course, if it had been me, I might have stood a chance, but Mr Tromarty was so very old and frail, by comparison. Poor chap.’
‘Yes,’ said Meade thoughtfully. ‘I never thought of him like that, you know, sir. If anything, he was a bit of a joke with us, a figure of fun. Sad, really. Makes you think, doesn’t it, sir?’
‘Profound though these sentiments are,’ said Holmes, ‘this is not getting us any nearer to identifying Mr Tromarty’s murderer. My next question is just this: what do you know of any secret society or societies in the school?’
Watson Major said, ‘Only what I told Dr Watson last night, sir. I think there’s such a thing, but I’m not a member of it if there is, so I can’t say for sure.’
‘Meade?’
Meade hesitated. ‘I’d have to say the same as Watson, sir.’
‘Nothing more?’ Holmes had clearly spotted the hesitation just as I had.
‘Well, sir, I don’t know if this is the sort of thing you mean, or if it would matter, but I do know that the head sometimes gives certain boys special coaching.’
‘Oh?’
‘Does he?’ said Watson Major, with some surprise. ‘I’ve never heard of anything like that.’
Meade flushed. ‘I only know because I had a bit of an upset with my Latin a year or so back. Long – I mean, Dr Longton, gave me a few lessons on my own, put me on the right track, as it were.’
‘I never knew that,’ said Watson Major again.
‘Not the sort of thing a chap talks about, is it, old fellow?’ mumbled Meade. ‘But it’s a fact, and I know that the head has done the same sort of thing with some of the other chaps. Particularly the ones from overseas, India and what have you.’
Holmes shook his head. ‘I hardly think that would qualify as a secret society,’ he said, ‘but I appreciate your candour, Mr Meade. And I assure you that your revelations will go no further.’ He glanced at Watson Major.
‘Oh, absolutely, absolutely,’ said Watson Major, turning a brick red. ‘Not that hot at Latin myself, come to that.’
‘Who is?’ I asked.
‘I am a trifle rusty myself these days,’ said Holmes with a laugh. He stood up. ‘Well, Mr Watson, Mr Meade, thank you for your help. I shall not keep you from your studies any longer,’ and he shook hands with the two boys and showed them out.
‘No new clues there, Holmes,’ I said.
‘You discount what Meade said?’
‘Not exactly a secret society, is it? And besides, one could hardly suspect Dr Longton of being involved in anything underhand!’
‘Could one not?’
‘Really, Holmes!’
‘You would attach no importance to Meade’s statement that Dr Longton has given special attention to the foreign students?’
‘Most probably he sees it as part of his job, to make them welcome over here. Nothing odd in that, Holmes, nothing odd at all. And again, some of them probably have difficulty speaking English, it being a foreign language to them. Anyway,’ I went on, getting to my feet, ‘the simplest thing is to ask Dr Longton about it. He should be in his study, and it’s better to talk to him than to take the boys away from their classes with no real notion of what we want to ask them.’
‘You are right, as usual,’ said Holmes.
As I opened the door, a thought struck me. ‘By the way, Holmes, speaking of this secret society, so-called, young Watson there told me that he thought Lord Whitechurch may have been approached to join it. He said as much last night, but in all the excitement I quite forgot about it.’
‘That is interesting.’
‘You think it may be significa
nt? Is the Whitechurch business part and parcel of the murder, d’you think?’
‘Well, I think that a boy who did not join a secret society may perhaps be more disposed to talk about it than a boy who did, and who is governed by its rules and his own boyish notion of honour, Watson.’ He found a piece of paper and a pencil, and scribbled a note. ‘I think I shall ask the porter to send a telegram to the duke, and ask him to bring Lord Whitechurch here. Not to the school, perhaps, but there is an inn of sorts in the village, which would serve for a night or so. Thank you, Watson, that may be the clue we seek.’
‘Oh, glad to help, Holmes. And Dr Longton?’
‘Yes, we shall interview him, too. Five minutes, Doctor, and I shall be with you,’ and Holmes vanished, presumably to find the porter and dispatch his telegram. He returned within the time he had specified, and we went off together to Dr Longton’s study.
Carstairs glanced up as we entered the outer office. ‘Solved the murder?’ he asked cheerfully.
‘I have hopes that I shall,’ answered Holmes with some asperity. ‘Would it be convenient to see Dr Longton just now?’
‘I’ll see.’ Carstairs tapped on the inner door, put his head round it, and spoke briefly, before standing back to usher us into Dr Longton’s room.
Dr Longton rose to greet us, a look of curiosity on his face. ‘Gentlemen? You wish to see me?’
‘It is nothing very serious,’ said Holmes. ‘I merely wished to ask if you sometimes give special coaching to certain boys?’
‘Oh, is that all!’ Dr Longton sat back, laughing. ‘I don’t imagine that there is a headmaster worthy of the name who does not, sir. Yes, when we see a boy in difficulties with his studies, the master who takes the subject concerned, or the boy’s form master, or Mr Graves, or I, or any combination of those, set to work to correct matters as much as we are able. When the matter is of a more personal nature, of course, then the form master or I myself would be the one to deal with it.’
‘And do such personal difficulties arise frequently?’ asked Holmes.
‘I imagine that we are no better or worse in that regard than any other boarding school,’ said Dr Longton. ‘There are inevitable family matters, bereavement, bankruptcy, and the like. In one memorable instance, I had to inform a lad that he was now king of his country, his father having met his death at the hands of an assassin.’
‘Yes, I see. You perhaps have more occasion to deal in this way with the foreign students?’
‘I think perhaps I do. Their being so very far from home, in some cases, makes it additionally difficult. When the boy’s family is here in England, of course, then the boy can return home, should the need arise. But when the boy’s home is in Delhi or Bombay, then I am very much in loco parentis, and I naturally try to act accordingly.’
‘I quite understand.’ Holmes was at a temporary loss, I could tell. He stood up. ‘I am very sorry to have troubled you,’ he said.
‘Oh, no trouble.’ Dr Longton, clearly wondering what it had all been about, showed us to the door. Carstairs nodded a farewell as we passed him.
In the corridor, Holmes paused a moment, then shrugged his shoulders. ‘I need to think, Watson,’ he told me. ‘Perhaps a walk in the fields would clear our heads?’ And without bothering to return for a coat or hat, he led the way outside.
Eight
‘That didn’t get us very far,’ I said, as Holmes led the way across the playing fields at a smart pace.
‘No?’
‘Well, did it?’
‘It rather hinges,’ said Holmes didactically, ‘on our definition of the term “secret society”. Now, such an organization might be nothing more sinister than a few boys who enjoy raiding the school pantry under cover of darkness, or who collect butterflies, or birds’ eggs, or postage stamps, or who fancy themselves as pirates, or whatever little boys get up to these days. And it may indeed be that this secret society, of which we have heard hints but nothing more substantial, is nothing more sinister than that. But suppose for a moment that a determined man, a man who had no love for England, were to desire to influence world affairs to England’s detriment. There are several ways in which he might choose to achieve his objects, but surely one of the best ways would be to influence the hearts and minds of the boys who will become England’s rulers, her statesmen? Do the Jesuits not have a saying to the effect that if they have the child for its first five years, it will be theirs for the rest of its life?’
‘And you honestly think Dr Longton is up to something of the kind?’ I asked, with a good deal of scepticism.
‘Well, someone is “up to” something at the school, Watson. The murder of Mr Tromarty alone proves that, even if we accept the Whitechurch affair and the death of Greville as being sheer coincidence.’
‘That’s true,’ I admitted.
‘Let us suppose – a supposition only, a working hypothesis, an intellectual device – let us suppose that Dr Longton is an agent of a foreign power, an unfriendly foreign power. Under the pretext of extra coaching he selects certain boys, whose fathers are, let us say, diplomatists, Cabinet Ministers, and what have you. He will not use any crude methods, to be sure, but there are other ways to influence a boy. Flattery, or the old standby, “world peace”, say, or “the brotherhood of man”. He persuades them that if there were no diplomatic secrets, there will be no wars, no spies, no more hatred. He suggests that they keep alert when they return home for the holidays, report anything they overhear –’
‘Holmes!’
He ignored me. ‘Or again, he talks to some of the Indian princes. Very likely they have divided loyalties to begin with. You or I would, I think, resent an invading force occupying our country, so why should these boys not feel the same? Dr Longton suggests that one way to remove the British presence in India might be to conclude some treaty with Russia –’
‘Really, Holmes!’ I paused. ‘Russia?’
‘You know Russian ambitions with regard to India as well as I do. These lads will one day be rulers of provinces, men whose goodwill is essential if Britain is to retain her influence on the subcontinent. Russia, yes, or others. Nearer home, Germany has her own colonial ambitions.’
‘Yes, indeed. Herr Wieland was saying much the same thing the other day.’
‘Was he, indeed?’
‘Oh, but you can’t suspect Wieland! Why, he climbs mountains, Holmes.’
‘An unimpeachable recommendation, to be sure.’
‘But how would Wieland fit in with this theory about Dr Longton, then?’
‘I cannot say. Remember that it is merely a theory, a speculative possibility. Perhaps Longton is innocent, and Herr Wieland is behind it all?’
‘No, never. Although I did wonder about him, you know. But then if he were, would he not rather pretend to be sympathetic to England, instead of harping on about German expansion?’
‘Ah, a fool might seek to conceal his sympathies by going to the opposite extreme, but a clever man might use other methods. After all, if he is known as a fervent German patriot, he gains a certain reputation for eccentricity in that regard, does he not? And eccentrics are usually considered harmless. Remember, it is not the man who boasts loudest of his conquests whom other men are afraid to leave alone with their wives! Again, any slip Wieland might make, a word in the wrong place, say, would be concealed by the fact that he is known to have extreme views, such things are expected of him.’
‘The double bluff, you mean?’
‘If that is the correct literary term,’ said Holmes. He nodded down the lane towards the little village. ‘It might be as well if we enquired at the inn about rooms for the duke,’ he said. ‘And I suggest we take our luncheon there, too, for that will avoid any embarrassment.’
I concurred, for I too had not relished the idea of sitting down to the table with my erstwhile colleagues; it was quite bad enough to have deceived them in the way that I had. We took our humble luncheon at the inn, then, and Holmes reserved a couple of rooms for the fol
lowing day, using the name of Harris, which he appeared to have forgotten was my old alias.
The meal over, we sat in the inn’s little parlour, smoking our pipes and talking over the case. ‘I am reluctant to return to the school just at the moment,’ said Holmes frankly. ‘They will expect some action from us, and I have not the least idea as to how to proceed.’
‘Despite your elaborate theory about the secret society?’ I could not help asking.
Holmes laughed. ‘It is as elaborate as one could wish,’ he said, ‘and if correct it would explain just about everything. The problem is, there is no means of saying if it is correct.’
‘Well, then, let us examine such facts as we know are correct. Let us take the murder of Tromarty, to start with, and consider it, not as part of an overall mystery at the school, but merely as a problem in its own right. Study it like any other case that might be brought to our attention, Holmes. We agree that it was no boy who killed him?’
Holmes frowned. ‘One of the older boys, perhaps? But no, again as a working hypothesis only, it was a man.’
‘And a master at the school? The balance of probability says that it must be so.’
‘Agreed.’
‘There we are! Check their whereabouts last night, I know the exact time, and we may be able to eliminate or incriminate.’
‘Excellent, Watson! Now, the second item, namely the death of Greville. Anything there?’
‘Oh, I forgot to tell you; the excitement last night, you know, Holmes. Carstairs met him just before he died.’
‘Indeed? Carstairs?’
‘Yes, apparently Greville was in a very nervous frame of mind.’ And I went on to tell Holmes what Carstairs had told me. ‘He should by rights have spoken up at the inquest,’ I concluded, ‘but you can see why he kept quiet.’
‘Indeed. Of course, had you not been quite so alert, he might never have spoken up. For the same excellent reason, of course. Or another reason, perhaps not quite so excellent, I wonder?’ He stared at the grimy panelling for a long time. ‘Now, of course, matters are somewhat altered. Yes, it would –’ and he stopped, and made a great show of lighting his pipe.