A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle chapter 11 A Flight for Life by Isaac Birchall

The day after his meeting, Ferrier travels to town to send a letter to Hope. When Ferrier comes home, he finds two men, Drebber and Stangerson, waiting to talk to him and Lucy. The men state their claims and John Ferrier throws them out, saying they can choose between the door or the window. The next morning, Ferrier wakes up to find a letter stamped to his chest, saying 29 days. From that day on, no matter how locked the doors and windows are, a new number counting down is added to the walls inside and outside of the house. The evening before the final day, Hope has still not showed up, and Ferrier has lost nearly all hope. Before retiring however, he hears a scratching at the door, and goes to open it. Hope is there on the floor, and crawls in to the house. Hope and Ferrier discuss their escape. Hope says that they will head through the mountains to get to Carson City Nevada. The family pack, and climb through the window and sneak to a hedge where they are almost caught by 2 patrolling men watching their house. They exchange a code, and then move on their way. When it is safe, Hope rushes the family through the fields and down to the mountains where Hope has stashed horses and a mule. They make their way along a windy dangerous path and eventually Lucy spies a man who she believes to be the last checkpoint. They try using the code that they heard earlier, and the sentry lets them pass through where they finally let out a sigh of relief.