Edward Grierson

Delighted to meet you, sir.

I hope you'll forgive me arriving so early, Mr. Holmes, but Edith is so worried about her father, and naturally I... Quite so.

The professor, as you may know, Dr. Watson, is a man of splendid reputation.

Yes, indeed he is.

A trifle positive, I might even say combative, but...

There has never been a breath of scandal, at least until a month ago.

Well, you see, early last fall he became attached to the daughter of Professor Morphy.

It was not the reason courting of an elderly man, but rather the passionate frenzy of youth.

In short, his family considered the infatuation rather excessive.

Exactly.

And so I gathered that the young lady...

Although her father, Professor Morphy, favored the match.

Presbury is fairly well-to-do, I understand.

Yes.

About a month ago, Professor Presbury did something he's never done before.

He left home without telling anyone he was going.

A fortnight later, he returned rather travel-worn.

How had he been?

Well, he refused to say.

By chance, however, I received a letter from a friend of mine in Prague, saying he'd seen the professor at a distance.