The Return of Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Priory School

The Return of Sherlock Holmes #5

by Arthur Conan Doyle

We have had some dramatic entrances and exits upon our small stage at Baker Street, but I cannot recollect anything more sudden and startling than the first appearance of Thorneycroft Huxtable, M.A., Ph.D., etc. His card, which seemed too small to carry the weight of his academic distinctions, preceded him by a few seconds, and then he entered himself—so large, so pompous, and so dignified that he was the very embodiment of self-possession and solidity. And yet his first action when the door had closed behind him was to stagger against the table, whence he slipped down upon the floor, and there was that majestic figure prostrate and insensible upon our bearskin hearthrug. We had sprung to our feet, and for a few moments we stared in silent amazement at this ponderous piece of wreckage, which told of some sudden and fatal storm far out on the ocean of life. Then Holmes hurried with a cushion for his head and I with brandy for his lips. The heavy white face was seamed with lines of trouble, the hanging pouches under the closed eyes were leaden in colour, the loose mouth drooped dolorously at the corners, the rolling chins were unshaven. Collar and shirt bore the grime of a long journey, and the hair bristled unkempt from the well-shaped head. It was a sorely-stricken man who lay before us. “What is it, Watson?” asked Holmes. “Absolute exhaustion—possibly mere hunger and fatigue,” said I, with my finger on the thready pulse, where the stream of life trickled thin and small

Genres: Mystery, Classics, Short Stories, Fiction, Crime, Audiobook, Detective

114 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1904

About the author

Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was a Scottish writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for A Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Sherlock Holmes stories are milestones in the field of crime fiction.

Doyle was a prolific writer. In addition to the Holmes stories, his works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger, and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. One of Doyle's early short stories, "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" (1884), helped to popularise the mystery of the brigantine Mary Celeste, found drifting at sea with no crew member aboard.

Reviews

[Aishu Rehman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story centers around the disappearance of 10 year old Lord Saltire from Priory School. Holmes is called in to investigate that kidnapping at the request of the boy’s father. The investigation essentially ends when Holmes asks the Duke for the reward money, tells him where the boy is, and accuses the Duke. This is the climax because the story completely changes. The boy is no longer missing, so the search for him is over.

As it turns out, the kidnapper was the Duke’s personal secretary, who turns out to be his illegitimate son. The man he hired murdered the teacher and ran off, and Wilder confessed to the Duke, who tried to save further family embarrassment by hiding the boy.

[Alam · Rating 4 out of 5]

مثل همه‌ی داستان‌های شرلوک هلمز جالب و سرگرم‌کننده بود. ایده‌ی سم گاو رو دوست داشتم ولی چیزی که متوجه نشدم تفاوت رد چرخ جلو و چرخ عقب دوچرخه‌اس که اصلا چجوری میشه دو تا چرخ پشت سر هم ‌رو از هم تمایز داد.

[Wissal H · Rating 4 out of 5]

مغامرة مدرسة الرهبان هي واحدة من أشهر قصص شيرلوك هولمز التي كتبها آرثر كونان دويل. تدور أحداث القصة حول اختفاء غامض في مدرسة داخلية، مما يدفع مدير المدرسة إلى طلب مساعدة المحقق الشهير شيرلوك هولمز

تبدأ القصة بوصول الدكتور ثورنيكروفت هاكستابل، مدير مدرسة بريوري الإعدادية، إلى منزل شيرلوك هولمز في 221 بي شارع بيكر. يشرح الدكتور هاكستابل لحولمز ودكتور واتسون اختفاء أحد طلاب المدرسة بطريقة غامضة، مما يثير حيرة الجميع.يقرر هولمز وواتسون الذهاب إلى المدرسة للتحقيق في القضية. يصلان إلى المدرسة الواقعة في منطقة نائية، ويقومان بفحص المكان والاستماع إلى شهادات الشهود.

يكتشفان أن هناك العديد من الغرائب في هذه القضية، وأن هناك شخصًا ما يحاول إخفاء شيء ما.بعد إجراء تحقيقات مكثفة، يتمكن هولمز من حل اللغز ويكشف الحقيقة وراء اختفاء الطالب. يتضح أن القضية أكثر تعقيدًا مما تبدو عليه، وأن هناك العديد من الأشخاص المتورطين في هذا الأمر

[Zahraa · Rating 2 out of 5]

it was okey
غالبا ،كفتني أربع قصص للتعرف على نوعية أدب ارثر كونان دويل

[Katja Labonté · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. Now this is a truly fascinating story. Seeing Sherlock so baffled and really working—very hard—is really cool! The plot is baffling, and the characters unique—the Duke, the secretary, the innkeeper, the teacher, and the little Lord S. made for an intriguing cast. My favourite part of it all though is just Watson observing Holmes & Holmes affectionately and happily including Watson in his investigation once again. <3

Content: murder; plot includes an illegitimate child; “heavens” x2; mention of brandy; mention of smoking.

A Favourite Quote: “I must take the view, your Grace, that when a man embarks upon a crime, he is morally guilty of any other crime which may spring from it.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “Can you suggest any fallacy?”
“He could not have fractured his skull in a fall?”
“In a morass, Watson?”

[Isa Cantos (Crónicas de una Merodeadora) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Este fue un caso bastante largo y siento que no fue tan interesante, aunque sigue el patrón de estos últimos, que son algo difíciles de descifrar para Holmes.

La resolución me pareció bastante cliché, pues se redujo a las típicas relaciones de familia que realmente no son familia. En fin...

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sherlock Holmes geht einfach immer, auch wenn er manchmal nicht unbedingt der sympathischste Protagonist ist, aber im Zusammenspiel mit Watson und mit seinem ausgeprägten Gerechtigkeitssinn, gehört er einfach zu den besten Detektiven der Literatur.
Leider kannte ich in diesem Buch alle Geschichten, abgesehen von der titelgebenden, schon. Da hatte ich mir mehr neues erhofft.

[Ali Ebrahimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

خیلی سطحش پایین بود و برای من راضی کننده نبود داستان کوتاهی بود که توی 2 ساعت میشه تمومش کرد ولی بازم میگم که برای منِ خواننده گره های ذهنی ایجاد نکرد و پیچیدگی داستان های امروزی رو برام نداشت.

[Jack Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars. If you enjoy the detection and the chase of a Sherlock Holmes story, this one's right up your alley. And mine. There's nothing here of Doyle's usual opening in which he demonstrates the great detective's deductive reasoning. You know, from the lack of dust on a man's shoes we can see that he has just met the King! Huh? Instead, we get right into it. Holmes and Watson are working at 221B Baker Street when a large and dignified man, Dr. Thorneycroft Huxtable, stumbles into the office and immediately faints. He's exhausted and overwrought with anxiety. When he recovers, we find that he's the owner and principal of a distinguished private school, the Priory, in northern England. One of his students, the 10-year-old Lord Saltire (aka Arthur), has disappeared. He's the son of the 6th Duke of Holdernesse - one of the richest and more difficult people in the country - a former Minister of the Crown. The Duke wants no publicity but if the boy is not found alive the school will surely fail. Our detectives rush north and follow the difficult trail out onto the moors. Your smile after reading the last paragraph; it will make it well worth your reading time! (March 2023)

[Nö Ğå · Rating 4 out of 5]

يالك من رجل فقير ياهولمز 😎
الاختيارات.. الحب.. الوفاء يالها من كلمات تنفيذها صعب وتوافقها اصعب
كم من اختيار ارسلنا الي تعاستنا وتدمير حيواتنا.. كم من حب تبعثر وانتهي.. وكم من وفاء لحب ولذكري اودي بحياتنا

كل ما وقع فيه هذا السيد العظيم ماكان الا وفاء اذكري ولحب لامراءه لم يتمكن من تزوجها
اختطف ابنه وريثه الشرعي.. حياته التعيسه.. وحتي فرقته عن زوجته
اهنئك هولمز ع الشيك ب 12000 جنيه

[WhatNarjesReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

به شدت معمولی...

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best canonical mysteries that Holmes had solved! This story, with its nuanced description of tension within and crime without, is truly top-notch. It had become the basis of a terrific episode in the Granada series featuring Jeremy Brett, thanks to this underlying tone of darkness that was rare in ACD's works. Also, Philip Jose Farmer had neatly utilised this story to expand his Wold Newton Universe, because of this very reason.
If you haven’t read it yet, please rectify the situation ASAP.

[Sara Sameer · Rating 3 out of 5]

جريمة - كتاب صوتي

اب يختطف ابنه الشرعي لكي يحميه من ابنه الاكبر
اعجبتني النهاية وذكاء شارلوك في حلها

[رومولا الن emmajain-book · Rating 3 out of 5]

مغامرة جديدة لمحقنا العبقري
شيرلوك هولمز وصديقه واطسون
يتم اختطاف صبي من مدرسته الداخلية
فيطلب من هولمز البحث عنه
قصة ممتعة
استمعت لها على ستوري تيلا
أنصح بها

[Federico DN · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very Good.

This was very good, but not going to review it.

For the moment at least.

It’s public domain. You can find it HERE.

-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[1905] [30p] [Crime] [3.5] [Conditional Recommendable]
-----------------------------------------------

★★★★☆ 1. A Study in Scarlet [3.5]
★★★☆☆ 2. The Sign of Four [2.5]
★★★☆☆ 3. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
★★★★☆ 4. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes [3.5]
★★★★☆ 5. The Hound of the Baskervilles
★★★★☆ 6. The Return of Sherlock Holmes <--
★★★☆☆ 7. The Valley of Fear
★★★★☆ 8. His Last Bow [3.5]
★★★☆☆ 9. The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes [2.5]
★★★☆☆ 10. The Complete Sherlock Holmes

-----------------------------------------------

Muy Bien.

Esto estuvo muy bien, pero no voy a reseñarlo.

Al menos por ahora.

Es dominio público, lo pueden encontrar ACA.

-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[1905] [30p] [Crimen] [3.5] [Recomendable Condicional]
-----------------------------------------------

[Jess the Shelf-Declared Bibliophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of my favorites, though I did not guess the conclusion whatsoever.

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

الفكرة قاصرة للغاية، ولا تملك لغز بوليسي جيد أو مثير للاهتمام، لازال هولمز يكتشف الأمر بعد أن تسرد القصة والنهاية، قصص شارلوك هولمز صماء لا تملك سرد أو شخصيات أو حتى قصة مثيرة جيدة.

[Alessandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

AQUI ELE FOI GIGANTE!
que caso delicinha, daqueles de se deleitar com uma atenção dedicada, e com direito a PLOT TWIST PASMEM!!!!
Me prendeu do início ao fim, simples e coerente, como holmes sempre é (talvez não tão simples porque ele é um belo de um dramático, adora fazer cena) e na companhia do melhor médico do exército e blogueiro de todos os tempos: meu querido watson!

eu amo essa duplinha demais demais demais que alegria ter a capacidade de ler, obrigado Deus e obrigado Conan Doyle pela leitura espirituosa!

[Levi Dykstra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars says it... Someday I'll have time to update the other Sherlock books I've read, that deluge is coming.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5
I enjoyed the beginning of the case and liked the setting at the boarding school. However, I did not enjoy the rest of the story. In the end, I felt like I lost the overview.

[✨Vi✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐
I figured out part of the solution halfway.

[Rob Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doyle ranked this story tenth in his list of his twelve favorite Holmes stories. And I can see why. It is a well written mystery which is evenly plotted. Moreover, it's one of his stories where Holmes doesn't resort to magical deductions. He solves the case based on evidence and acts. While there isn't many suspects Doyle is a canny enough author to avoid giving away the whole truth. This leaves the reader following Holmes; reaching the conclusion, along with the great detective himself. Turning to the plot:

Holmes receives a visit from Dr. Thorneycroft Huxtable, the founder and principal of a preparatory school called Priory School in Northern England. He beseeches Holmes to come back to Mackleton with him to look into the disappearance of one of his pupils, the ten-year-old Lord Saltire, whose father is the very rich and famous Duke of Holdernesse. Huxtable explains that not only the boy has disappeared, but also the German master, Heidegger, along with his bicycle.

Once in the North, the Duke says to Holmes that he does not think that his estranged wife has anything to do with his son's disappearance, nor has there been a ransom demand. Holmes establishes that the boy and his kidnappers could not have used the nearby road without being seen, suggesting that they went cross-country. As if to confirm this, the police find the boy's school cap in some gypsies' possession. They swear that they simply found it on the moor, but the police lock them up.

Holmes and Dr. Watson go hunting for clues. They find a bicycle track, but it is not Heidegger's; it does not match his tyres. Holmes observe that one tyre has a patch on it. Almost everything observable has been obliterated by cow tracks (which are the only marks on the ground anywhere). Eventually, Heidegger's bicycle tracks are found, and they end where he lies, dead. After that, Holmes and Watson arrive at the Fighting Cock Inn, and meet the innkeeper, Reuben Hayes, who seems startled indeed to hear that Holmes wants to go to Holdernesse Hall, the Duke's nearby house, to tell him news of his son. The two men have lunch there, and Holmes suddenly realises that he and Watson saw lots of cow tracks out on the moor, but never at any time did they see any cows. Furthermore, the patterns of the hoof prints were quite unusual, suggesting that the cow in question trotted, cantered, and galloped. Holmes and Watson sneak out to Hayes's stable and examine the horse's hooves. As Holmes has expected, there is evidence of recent shoeing, but with old shoes and new nails. Examining the nearby smithy, Holmes and Watson are rather belligerently asked to leave by Mr. Hayes.

Shortly afterwards, the two men hide as a cyclist comes along the road from the direction of the Duke's. It is James Wilder, the Duke's personal secretary, and he looks agitated. He arrives at the inn. Soon afterwards, a trap pulls out of the stable yard and goes along the road towards Chesterfield. A while later, someone else – it is getting dark and only a fleeting glimpse of the new visitor is caught – arrives at the inn. Coming closer, Holmes observes Wilder's bicycle tyres and notes that they are the same make as the first ones encountered on the moor.

The next morning, they go to Holdernesse Hall, where they find that the Duke is not well. Nevertheless, Holmes demands from him a cheque for £6000, saying that he has earned the reward. His son is at the Fighting Cock, and the accused is the Duke himself, but the actual mastermind of this crime is James Wilder, who has a terrible secret: he is the illegitimate son of the Duke. He conceived a plan to kidnap Lord Saltire to force the Duke to change his will, knowing very well that his father would not call the police on him, as he abhorred the very idea of scandal. The plan began to unravel when Wilder hired Hayes – who has now fled, but been caught on Holmes's information – to do the actual kidnapping. Hayes killed Heidegger, and when Wilder heard the news, he confessed all to his father. So anxious was the Duke to avoid scandal, he agreed to let his younger son stay at the inn for another three days, and to keep quiet, so that Hayes could flee justice.

All ends well, except for Hayes, who faces the gallows. Lord Saltire is brought home from the inn and the Duke writes to his estranged wife asking her to reconcile with him. This he feels she will be willing to do, for the source of the friction between them is going away: James Wilder is being packed off to Australia to seek his fortune . As for the cow tracks, they were accomplished by shoeing the horses with special shoes shaped like cow's hooves.

[zahraa esmaile · Rating 3 out of 5]

#رحلات2022
#مغامرات_مدرسة_الرهبان
اول قراءة ل "أرثر كونان"
وتجربة صوتية جديدة على storytel
الرواية بتتكلم عن اختفاء طفل في مدرسة داخلية
وعلى مدار 38 صفحة بنتعرف سريعا على خلفية الطفل دة...ومصيره
الرواية مكتوبة حلو...ترجمة كويسة جدا
والقاء صوتي ممتاز
وتخلص ف قعدة..لانها اساسا ساعة واحدة
#الكتاب_رقم_9
#كتب_صوتية
9/120
3-فبرير

[John Yelverton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the craziest Sherlock Holmes mysteries which you will ever read, but only the master detective can deduce what's behind all the strange clues and evidence which he uncovers.

[Ahmad Elkholy · Rating 4 out of 5]

رواية ممتعه وسريعه

[Amanda Artist Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extra stars for the horse who pretended to be a cow!!! Haha, that was a good one!

[نورهان | El-Badawy · Rating 4 out of 5]

من الجلي تمامًا في تلك القصة أن هولمز قد أظهر بعضًا من عاطفيته.

[Joop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een SH detective zoals het hoort.

[Seif · Rating 4 out of 5]

هذه المرة الحبكة أقوى وأكثر متعة ، رغم أن أسلوبها عتمدر على المطاردة والتعقب أكثر ، لكن تستحق القراءة كباقي مغامرات شيرلوك.

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

#Binge Reviewing my previous Reads #Holmes

The Adventure of the Priory School is one of those stories where Arthur Conan Doyle pulls out all the stops in atmosphere, setting, and scale. Right from the start, the mood is charged with unease: an elite boarding school, a missing boy of noble birth, and an appeal to Holmes that carries the weight of both reputation and national embarrassment.

What makes this tale stand out is its expansiveness. Instead of staying within London’s gaslit streets, Doyle moves us into the countryside, where lonely roads, gloomy estates, and horse tracks in the mud provide Holmes with his clues. The narrative has a rich, almost gothic undertone—the school feels oppressive, the rural setting mysterious, and the stakes unusually high.

Holmes here is at his sharpest, using both deductive brilliance and his gift for imaginative reconstruction to cut through layers of secrecy. Watson, as always, grounds the narrative, making the reader feel the urgency of the case while admiring Holmes’ almost theatrical leaps of insight.

What I loved most in this story is its blend of old-world aristocratic drama with the precision of Holmes’ modern, rational method. It’s a clash of tradition and intellect, with Doyle reminding us that no matter how powerful or prestigious the players are, they cannot outwit pure reason.

This isn’t just a mystery about a missing boy—it’s a story that feels wide, layered, and ambitious, showing Holmes not just as a problem-solver but as a detective capable of unmasking the darkest schemes hidden under the veil of respectability.