Speaker 1: The Last Duchess, edited by Julian Hawthorne. Chapter one, has
Speaker 1: the Duchess returned? No, your grace. Knowles came farther into
Speaker 1: the room. He had a letter on a salver. When
Speaker 1: the Duke had taken it, Knowles still lingered. The Duke
Speaker 1: glanced at him. Is an answer required? No, your grace
Speaker 1: still knows lingered. Something a little singular has happened. The
Speaker 1: carriage has returned without the Duchess, and the men say
Speaker 1: that they thought her grace was in it. What do
Speaker 1: you mean? I hardly understand myself, your Grace. Perhaps you
Speaker 1: would like to see Barnes. Barnes was the coachman. Send
Speaker 1: him up. When Knowles had gone and he was alone,
Speaker 1: his Grace showed signs of being slightly annoyed. He looked
Speaker 1: at his watch. I told her she'd better be in
Speaker 1: by four. She says that she's not feeling well, and
Speaker 1: yet one would think that she was not aware of
Speaker 1: the fatigue entailed and having the Prince come to dinner
Speaker 1: and the mob of people to follow. I particularly wished
Speaker 1: her to lie down for a couple of hours. Knowles
Speaker 1: ushered in not only Barnes, the coachman, but Moisey the
Speaker 1: footman too. Both these persons seemed to be ill at ease.
Speaker 1: The Duke glanced at them sharply. In his voice there
Speaker 1: was a suggestion of impatience. What is the matter, Barnes
Speaker 1: explained as best he could, if you please, your grace,
Speaker 1: we waited for the duchess outside Cain and Wilson's the drapers.
Speaker 1: The duchess came out, got into the carriage, and Moisey
Speaker 1: shut the door, and her grace said home. And if
Speaker 1: yet when we got home, she wasn't there. She wasn't ware,
Speaker 1: her grace wasn't in the carriage, or grace, what on
Speaker 1: earth do you mean her grace did get into the carriage?
Speaker 1: You shut the door, didn't you. Barnes turned to Moisey.
Speaker 1: Moysey brought his hand up to his brow in a
Speaker 1: sort of military salute. He had been a soldier in
Speaker 1: the regiment in which, once upon a time the Duke
Speaker 1: had been a subaltern. She did. The duchess came out
Speaker 1: of the shop. She seemed rather in a hurry. I
Speaker 1: thought she got into the carriage, and she said home, noisy.
Speaker 1: I shut the door and bends drove straight home. We
Speaker 1: never stopped anywhere, and we never noticed nothing happened on
Speaker 1: the way, And yet when we got home the carriage
Speaker 1: was empty. The Duke started, do you mean to tell
Speaker 1: me that the duchess got out of the carriage while
Speaker 1: you were driving full pelt through the streets without saying
Speaker 1: anything to you, and without you noticing it? The carriage
Speaker 1: was empty when we got home. Your grace was either
Speaker 1: of the doors open. No, your grace, you fellows have
Speaker 1: been up to some infernal mischief. You've made a mess
Speaker 1: of it. You never picked up the duchess, and your
Speaker 1: trying to palm this tail off on me to save yourselves.
Speaker 1: Barnes was moved to adjuration. I'll take my bible oath
Speaker 1: your grace that the duchess caught into the carriage outside
Speaker 1: cane and Wilson's Moisey seconded his colleague, I will swear
Speaker 1: to that, your grace, she got into that carriage and
Speaker 1: I shut the door, and she said home, Moisey. The
Speaker 1: Duke looked as if he did not know what to
Speaker 1: make of the story and its tellers. What carriage did
Speaker 1: you have? Her grace's browam your grace, Knowles interposed. The
Speaker 1: browham was ordered because I understood the Duchess was not
Speaker 1: feeling very well, and there's rather a high wind, your grace,
Speaker 1: the Duke snapped at him, What has that to do
Speaker 1: with it? Why are suggesting that the Duchess was more
Speaker 1: likely to jump out of a browm while it was
Speaker 1: dashing through the streets than that of any other kind
Speaker 1: of vehicle. The Duke's glance fell on the letter which
Speaker 1: Knowles had brought him. When he first had entered. He
Speaker 1: had placed it on his writing table. Now he took
Speaker 1: it up. It was addressed to his Grace, the Duke
Speaker 1: of Datchet Private, very pressing. The name was written in
Speaker 1: a fine, clear, almost feminine hand. The words in the
Speaker 1: left hand corner of the envelope were written in a
Speaker 1: different hand. They were large and bold, almost as though
Speaker 1: they had been painted with the end of the pen
Speaker 1: holder instead of being written with the pen. The envelope
Speaker 1: itself was of an unusual size and bowldsed out, as
Speaker 1: though it contained something else besides a letter. The Duke
Speaker 1: tore the envelope open. As he did so, something fell
Speaker 1: out of it on to the writing table. It looked
Speaker 1: as though it was a lock of a woman's hair.
Speaker 1: As he glanced at it, The Duke seemed to be
Speaker 1: a trifle startled. The Duke read the letter. Your grace
Speaker 1: will be so good as to bring five hundred pounds
Speaker 1: in gold to the Piccadilly end of the Burlington Arcade
Speaker 1: within an hour of the receipt of this. The Duchess
Speaker 1: of Dachet has been kidnapped an imitation. Duchess got into
Speaker 1: the carriage which was waiting outside Caine and Wilson's, and
Speaker 1: she alighted on the road. Unless your Grace does as
Speaker 1: you are requested, the Duchess of Dachet's left hand little
Speaker 1: finger will be at once cut off and sent home
Speaker 1: in time to receive the Prince to dinner. Other portions
Speaker 1: of her grace will follow. A lock of her Grace's
Speaker 1: hair is enclosed with this as an earnest of our
Speaker 1: good intentions. Before five thirty p m. Your Grace is
Speaker 1: requested to be at the Piccadilly end of the Burlington
Speaker 1: Arcade with five hundred pounds in gold. You will there
Speaker 1: be accosted by an individual in a white top hat
Speaker 1: and with a gardenia in his button hole. You will
Speaker 1: be entirely at liberty to give him into custody, or
Speaker 1: to have him followed by the police, in which case
Speaker 1: the Duchess's left arm, cut off at the shoulder, will
Speaker 1: be sent home for dinner. Not to mention other extremely
Speaker 1: possible contingencies, but you are advised to give the individual
Speaker 1: in question the five hundred pounds in gold, because in
Speaker 1: that case the Duchess herself will be home in time
Speaker 1: to receive the Prince to dinner, and with one of
Speaker 1: the best stories with which to entertain your distinguished guests
Speaker 1: they ever heard. Remember, not later than five thirty, unless
Speaker 1: you wished to receive her Grace's little finger. The Duke
Speaker 1: stared at this amazing epistle when he had read it,
Speaker 1: as though he found it difficult to believe the evidence
Speaker 1: of his eyes. He was not a demonstrative person as
Speaker 1: a rule, but this little communication astonished even him. He
Speaker 1: read it again. Then his hands dropped to his sides,
Speaker 1: and he swore he took up the lock of hair
Speaker 1: which had fallen out of the envelope. Was it possible
Speaker 1: that it could be his wife's the duchess? Was it
Speaker 1: possible that a Duchess of Datchet could be kidnapped in
Speaker 1: broad daylight, in the heart of London and be sent home,
Speaker 1: as it were in pieces. Had sacrilegeous hands already been
Speaker 1: playing pranks with that great lady's hair? Certainly that hair
Speaker 1: was so like her hair that the mere resemblance made
Speaker 1: his Grace's blood run cold. He turned on Mescher's bonds
Speaker 1: and Noisy, as though he would have liked to rend
Speaker 1: them your scoundals. He moved forward as though the intention
Speaker 1: had entered his ducal heart to knock his servants down.
Speaker 1: But if that were so, he did not act quite
Speaker 1: up to his intention. Instead, he stretched out his arm,
Speaker 1: pointing at them, as if he were an accusing spirit.
Speaker 1: Will you swear that it was the duchess who got
Speaker 1: into the carriage outside Caine and Wilson's Barnes began to stammer,
Speaker 1: I swear, your grace that are thought. The Duke stormed
Speaker 1: in interruption. I don't ask what your thought. I ask you,
Speaker 1: Will you swear it was the Duke's anger was more
Speaker 1: than Barnes could face. He was silent, Noisy showed a
Speaker 1: larger courage. I could have sworn that it was at
Speaker 1: the time, your Grace, But now it seems to me
Speaker 1: that it's a rummy go a rummy go. The peculiarity
Speaker 1: of the phrase did not seem to strike the Duke
Speaker 1: just then, At least he echoed it as if it
Speaker 1: didn't you call it a rummy go? Do you know
Speaker 1: that I am told in this letter that the woman
Speaker 1: who entered the carriage was not the duchess. What you
Speaker 1: are thinking about, or what case you will be able
Speaker 1: to make out for yourselves? You no better than I.
Speaker 1: But I can tell you this that in an hour
Speaker 1: you will leave my service, and you may esteem yourselves fortunate.
Speaker 1: If to night you are not both of you sleeping
Speaker 1: in jail. One might almost have suspected that the words
Speaker 1: were spoken in irony. But before they could answer, another
Speaker 1: servant entered, who also brought a letter for the Duke.
Speaker 1: When his grace's glance fell on it, he uttered an exclamation.
Speaker 1: The writing on the envelope was the same writing that
Speaker 1: had been on the envelope which had contained the very
Speaker 1: singular communication, like it in all respects, down to the
Speaker 1: broomstick and thickness of the private and very pressing in
Speaker 1: the corner. Who brought this stormed the Duke. The servant
Speaker 1: appeared to be a little startled by the violence of
Speaker 1: his grace's manner. A lady, or at least your grace.
Speaker 1: She seemed to be a lady. Where is she? She came,
Speaker 1: and a handsome, your grace. She gave me that letter
Speaker 1: and said give to the Duke of Datchet at once,
Speaker 1: without a moment's to lie. Then she got into the
Speaker 1: hansom again and drove away. Why didn't you stop her,
Speaker 1: your grace? The man seemed surprised, as though the idea
Speaker 1: of stopping Chan's visitors to the ducal mansion Viet Armis
Speaker 1: had not until that moment entered into his philosophy. The
Speaker 1: Duke continued to regard the man as if he could
Speaker 1: say a good deal if he chose. Then he pointed
Speaker 1: to the door. His lips said nothing, but his gesture
Speaker 1: much the servant vanished. Another hoax, the Duke said grimly,
Speaker 1: as he tore the envelope open. This time the envelope
Speaker 1: contained a sheet of paper, and in the sheet of
Speaker 1: paper another envelope. The Duke unfolded the sheet of paper.
Speaker 1: On it, some words were written. These, the duchess appears
Speaker 1: so particularly anxious to drop you a line, that one
Speaker 1: really hasn't the heart to refuse her her grace's communication,
Speaker 1: written amidst blinding tears, you will find enclosed with this, Knowles,
Speaker 1: said the Duke, in a voice which actually trembled. Knowles,
Speaker 1: oaks or no Wolkes. I will be even with a
Speaker 1: gentleman who wrote that. Handing the sheet of paper to
Speaker 1: mister Knowles, his grace turned his attention to the envelope
Speaker 1: which had been enclosed. It was a small square envelope
Speaker 1: of the finest quality, and it reeked with perfume. The
Speaker 1: Duke's countenance assumed an added frown. He had no fondness
Speaker 1: for envelopes which were scented In the center of the envelope,
Speaker 1: with the words to the Duke of Datchet written in
Speaker 1: the big, bold, sprawling hand which he knew so well
Speaker 1: Mabel's writing, he said half to himself, as with shaking fingers,
Speaker 1: he tore the envelope open. The sheet of paper which
Speaker 1: he took out was almost as stiff as cardboard. It too,
Speaker 1: emitted what his grace deemed the nauseous odor of the
Speaker 1: perfumer's shop. On it was written this letter, my.
Speaker 2: Dear Herward, for Heaven's sake, do what these people require.
Speaker 2: I don't know what has happened where I am. But
Speaker 2: I am nearly distracted. They have already cut off some
Speaker 2: of my hair, and they tell me that if you
Speaker 2: don't let them have five hundred pounds in gold by
Speaker 2: half past five, they will cut off my little finger too.
Speaker 2: I would sooner die than lose my little finger. And
Speaker 2: I don't know what else besides by the token which
Speaker 2: I send you, and which has never until now been
Speaker 2: off my breast. I conjure you to help me. How
Speaker 2: would help me?
Speaker 1: When he read that letter, the Duke turned white, very white,
Speaker 1: as white as the paper on which it was written.
Speaker 1: He passed the epistle on to Knowles. I suppose that
Speaker 1: also is a hoax. Mister Knowles was silent. He still
Speaker 1: yielded to his constitutional disrelish to commit himself. At last,
Speaker 1: he asked, what is it that your grace proposes to do.
Speaker 1: The Duke spoke with a bitterness which almost suggested a
Speaker 1: personal animosity toward the inoffensive mister Knowles. I propose, with
Speaker 1: your permission, to release the Duchess from the custody of
Speaker 1: my estimable correspondent. I propose, always with your permission, to
Speaker 1: comply with his modest request and to take him his
Speaker 1: five hundred pounds in gold. He paused, then continued in
Speaker 1: a tone which coming from him meant volumes. Afterwards, I
Speaker 1: proposed to cry quits with the cococtor of this petty
Speaker 1: little hoax, even if it cost me every penny I
Speaker 1: possess he shall pay more for that five hundred pounds
Speaker 1: than he supposes. End of Chapter one, Chapter two. The
Speaker 1: Duke of Dajet, coming out of the bank, lingered for
Speaker 1: a moment on the steps. In one hand he carried
Speaker 1: a canvas bag, which seemed well weighted. On his countenance
Speaker 1: there was an expression which, to a casual observer might
Speaker 1: have suggested that his grace was not completely at his ease.
Speaker 1: That casual observer happened to come strolling by. It took
Speaker 1: the form of Ivor Dacre. Mister Dacre looked at the
Speaker 1: Duke of Datchet up and down in that languid way
Speaker 1: he has he perceived the canvas bag. Then he remarked,
Speaker 1: possibly intending to be facetious, been robbing the bank? Shall
Speaker 1: I call a cart? Nobody minds what Ivor Dacre says. Besides,
Speaker 1: he is the Duke's own cousin, perhaps a little removed.
Speaker 1: Still there it is so. The Duke smiled a sickly smile,
Speaker 1: as if mister Dacre's delicate wit had given him a
Speaker 1: passing touch of indigestion. Mister Daker noticed that the Duke
Speaker 1: looked sallow, so he gave his pretty sense of humor
Speaker 1: another airing kitchen boiler burst. When I saw the duchess
Speaker 1: just now, I wondered if it had his grace distinctly started.
Speaker 1: He almost dropped the canvas bag. You saw the duchess
Speaker 1: just now? Ivor whin? The Duke was evidently moved, Mister
Speaker 1: Dacre was stirred to languid curiosity. I can't say I
Speaker 1: clocked it, perhaps half an hour ago, maybe a little
Speaker 1: more half an hour ago. Are you sure? Where did
Speaker 1: you see her? Mister Dacre wondered, the Duchess of Datchet
Speaker 1: could scarcely have been eloping in broad daylight. Moreover, she
Speaker 1: had not yet been married a year. Everyone knew that
Speaker 1: she and the Duke were still as fond of each
Speaker 1: other as if they were not man and wife. So
Speaker 1: although the Duke, for some cause or other, was evidently
Speaker 1: in an odd state of agitation, mister Dacre saw no
Speaker 1: reason why he should not make a clean breast of
Speaker 1: all he knew she was going like blazes in a
Speaker 1: handsome cab, In a handsome cab. Where down Waterloo place?
Speaker 1: Was she alone? Mister Dacre reflected. He glanced at the
Speaker 1: Duke out of the corners of his eyes. His languid
Speaker 1: utterance became a positive drawl. I rather fancy that she
Speaker 1: wasn't Who was with her, my dear fellow. If you
Speaker 1: were to for me the bank, I couldn't tell you.
Speaker 1: Was it a man? Mister Dacre's droll became still more pronounced.
Speaker 1: I rather fancy that it was. Mister Dacre expected something.
Speaker 1: The Duke was so excited, but he by no means
Speaker 1: expected what actually came. Iv or she's been kidnapped. Mister
Speaker 1: Dacre did what had never been known to do before
Speaker 1: within the memory of man. He dropped his eyeglasses, dash
Speaker 1: it she has some scoundrel has decoyed her away and
Speaker 1: trapped her. He's already sent me a lock of her hair,
Speaker 1: and he tells me that if I don't let him
Speaker 1: have five hundred pounds in gold by half past five,
Speaker 1: he'll let me have her little finger. Mister Dacre did
Speaker 1: not know what to make of his grace at all.
Speaker 1: He was a sober man. It couldn't be that mister
Speaker 1: Dacre felt really concerned.
Speaker 2: I'll call a.
Speaker 1: Cab old man, and you'd better let me see you home.
Speaker 1: Mister Dacre half raised his stick to hail a passing hansom.
Speaker 1: The Duke caught him by the arm. You ass, what
Speaker 1: do you mean? I'm telling you the simple truth. My
Speaker 1: wife's been kidnapped. Mister Dacre's countenance was a thing to
Speaker 1: be seen and remembered. Oh, I hadn't heard that there
Speaker 1: was much of that sort of thing about. Just now
Speaker 1: they talk of poodles being kidnapped. But as for duchesses,
Speaker 1: you'd really better let me call that cab I for
Speaker 1: do you want me to kick you? Don't you see that?
Speaker 1: To me, it's a question of life and death. I've
Speaker 1: been in there to get the money. His grace motioned
Speaker 1: toward the bank. I'm going to take it to the
Speaker 1: scamandrel who has my darling and his mercy. Let me
Speaker 1: but have her hand in mine again, and he shall
Speaker 1: continue to pay for every sovereign with tears of blood
Speaker 1: until he dies. Look here, dadgitt, I don't know if
Speaker 1: you're having a joke with me? Or if you're not well?
Speaker 1: The Duke stepped impatiently into the roadway. I'm or you
Speaker 1: are a fool. Can't you tell Jess from ernest health
Speaker 1: from disease? I'm off? Are you coming with me? It
Speaker 1: would be as well that I should have a witness.
Speaker 1: Where are you off too? To the other end of
Speaker 1: the arcade. Who is the gentleman you expect to have
Speaker 1: the pleasure of meeting there? How should I know? The
Speaker 1: Duke took a letter from his pocket. It was the
Speaker 1: letter which had just arrived. The fellow is to wear
Speaker 1: a white top hat and a guardena in his button hole.
Speaker 1: What is it you have there? It's the letter which
Speaker 1: brought the news. Look for yourself and see. But for
Speaker 1: God's sake, make haste his grace glanced at his watch.
Speaker 1: It's already twenty after five. And do you mean to
Speaker 1: say that, on the strength of a letter such as
Speaker 1: this you are going to hand over five hundred pounds
Speaker 1: to the Duke? Cut mister Dacre short, What are five
Speaker 1: hundred pounds to me? Besides, you don't know all There
Speaker 1: is another letter, and I have heard from Mabel, but
Speaker 1: I will tell you all about that later, if you
Speaker 1: are coming, come pulling up the letter. Mister Dacre returned
Speaker 1: it to the Duke. As you say, what are five
Speaker 1: hundred pounds to you? And as well they are not
Speaker 1: as much to you as they are to me. I
Speaker 1: am afraid hang it, I've all due prose. Afterwards, the
Speaker 1: Duke hurried across the road. Mister Daker hastened after him.
Speaker 1: As they entered the arcade, they passed a constable. Mister
Speaker 1: Dacre touched his companion's arm. Didn't you think we'd butter
Speaker 1: ask our friend in blue to walk behind us. His
Speaker 1: neighborhood might be handy. Nonsense? The Duke's doctorate aboor. This
Speaker 1: is my affair, not yours. If you are not content
Speaker 1: to play the part of silent witness, be so good
Speaker 1: as to leave me, My dear datchet. I'm entirely at
Speaker 1: your service. I can be every whit as insane as you,
Speaker 1: I do assure you. Side by side, they moved rapidly
Speaker 1: down the Burlington arcade. The Duke was obviously in a
Speaker 1: state of the extremest nervous tension. Mister Daker was equally
Speaker 1: obviously in a state of the most supreme enjoyment. People
Speaker 1: stared as they rushed past. The Duke saw nothing. Mister
Speaker 1: Dacre saw everything and smiled. When they reached the Piccadilly
Speaker 1: end of the arcade, the Duke pulled up. He looked
Speaker 1: about him. Mister Dacre also looked about him. I see
Speaker 1: nothing of your white hat had and gardenia button, old friend,
Speaker 1: said Ivor. The Duke referred to his watch. It's not
Speaker 1: yet half past five. I'm up to time. Mister Daker
Speaker 1: held his stick in front of him and leaned on it.
Speaker 1: He indulged himself with a beautific smile. It strikes me,
Speaker 1: my dear old Dadgitt, that you've been the victim of
Speaker 1: one of the finest things in hoaxes. I hope I
Speaker 1: haven't kept you waiting. The voice which interrupted mister Dacre
Speaker 1: came from the rear. While they were looking in front
Speaker 1: of them, some one approached them from behind, apparently coming
Speaker 1: out of the shop which was at their backs. The
Speaker 1: speaker looked a gentleman. He sounded like one too. Costume appearance,
Speaker 1: manner were beyond reproach, even beyond the criticism of two
Speaker 1: such keen critics, as were these the glorious attire of
Speaker 1: a London, and dandy was surmounted with a beautiful white
Speaker 1: top hat. In his button hole was a magnificent guardinia
Speaker 1: in age. The stranger was scarcely more than a boy,
Speaker 1: and a sunny faced, handsome boy at that. His cheeks
Speaker 1: were hairless, his eyes were blue. His smile was not
Speaker 1: only innocent, it was bland. Never was there a more
Speaker 1: conspicuous illustration of that repose which stamps the case of
Speaker 1: Vere de Vere. The Duke looked at him and glowered.
Speaker 1: Mister Dacre looked at him and smiled. Who are you,
Speaker 1: asked the Duke.
Speaker 2: Ah, that is the question.
Speaker 1: The newcomers refined and musical voice breathed the very soul
Speaker 1: of appability. I am an individual who is so unfortunate
Speaker 1: as to be in want of five hundred pounds. I
Speaker 1: you the scoundrel who sent me that infamous letter. The
Speaker 1: charming stranger never turned a hair. I am the scoundrel
Speaker 1: mentioned in that infamous letter who wants to accost you
Speaker 1: at the Piccadilly end of the Burlington Arcade before half
Speaker 1: past five, as witness my white hat and my guardina.
Speaker 1: Where's my wife? The stranger gently swung his stick in
Speaker 1: front of him with his two hands. He regarded the
Speaker 1: Duke as a merry hearted son might regard his father.
Speaker 1: The thing was beautiful. Her Grace will be home almost
Speaker 1: as soon as you are, when you have given me
Speaker 1: the money which I perceive you have all ready for
Speaker 1: me in that scarcely elegant looking canvas bag. He shrugged
Speaker 1: his shoulders quite gracefully. Unfortunately, in these matters one has
Speaker 1: no choice. One is forced to ask for gold. And suppose,
Speaker 1: instead of giving you what is in this canvas bag,
Speaker 1: I take you by the throat and choke the life
Speaker 1: right out of you. Or suppose, admitted mister Daker, that
Speaker 1: you do better and commend this gentleman to the tender
Speaker 1: mercies of the first policeman we encounter. The stranger turned
Speaker 1: to missus Dacre. He condescended to become conscious of his presence.
Speaker 1: Is this gentleman your Grace's friend, ah, mister taker, I
Speaker 1: perceive I have the honor of knowing mister Dacre, though
Speaker 1: possibly I am unknown to him you were until this moment.
Speaker 1: With an airy little laugh, the stranger returned to the Duke.
Speaker 1: He brush an invisible speck of dust off the sleeve
Speaker 1: of his coat, as has been intimated in this infamous letter,
Speaker 1: his grace is at perfect liberty to give me into custody.
Speaker 1: Why not only, he said it with his boyish smile.
Speaker 1: If a particular communication is not received from me in
Speaker 1: certain quarters within a certain time, the Duchess of Datchet's
Speaker 1: beautiful white arm will be hacked off at the shoulder
Speaker 1: you owned. The Duke would have taken the stranger by
Speaker 1: the throat and have done his best to choke the
Speaker 1: life right out of him then and there, if mister
Speaker 1: Dacre had not intervened. Still, you man, mister Dacre turned
Speaker 1: to the stranger. You appear to be a pretty sort
Speaker 1: of scoundrel. The stranger gave his shoulders that almost imperceptible shrug. Oh,
Speaker 1: my dear Dacre, I am in want of money. I
Speaker 1: believe that you sometimes are in want of money too.
Speaker 1: Everybody knows that nobody knows where Ivor Dacre gets his
Speaker 1: money from, so the illusion must have tickled him immensely.
Speaker 1: You're a cool hand, he said. Some men are born
Speaker 1: that way, so I should imagine men like you must
Speaker 1: be born, not made precisely as you say. The stranger turned,
Speaker 1: with a graceful smile to the Duke, But are we
Speaker 1: not wasting precious time? I can assure your grace that
Speaker 1: in this particular matter, moments are of value. Mister Daker
Speaker 1: interposed before the Duke could answer. If you take my
Speaker 1: strongly urged advice statute, you will summon this constable, who
Speaker 1: is now coming down the arcade, and hand this gentleman
Speaker 1: over to his key. I do not think that you
Speaker 1: need fear that the Duchess will lose her arm or
Speaker 1: even her little finger. Scoundrels of this one's kidney are
Speaker 1: most amenable to reason when they have handcuffs on their wrists.
Speaker 1: The Duke plainly hesitated, he would and he would not.
Speaker 1: The stranger, as he eyed him, seemed much amused. My
Speaker 1: dear Duke, by all means act on mister Dacre's valuable suggestion.
Speaker 1: As I said before, why not it would at least
Speaker 1: be interesting to see if the Duchess does or does
Speaker 1: not lose her arm. Almost as interesting to you as
Speaker 1: to mister Dacre. Those blackmailing, kidnapping scoundrels do use such
Speaker 1: empty menaces. Besides, you would have the pleasure of seeing
Speaker 1: me locked up. My imprisonment for life will recompense you
Speaker 1: even for the loss of her grace's arm. And five
Speaker 1: hundred pounds is such a sum to have to pay
Speaker 1: merely for a wife. Why not therefore act on mister
Speaker 1: Daker's suggestion? Here comes the constable. The constable referred to
Speaker 1: was advancing toward them. He was not a dozen yards away.
Speaker 1: Let me beckon to him, I will with pleasure. He
Speaker 1: took out his watch, a gold chronograph repeater. There are
Speaker 1: scarcely ten minutes left during which it would be possible
Speaker 1: for me to send the communication which I spoke of,
Speaker 1: so that it may arrive in time, as it will
Speaker 1: then be too late, and the instruments are already prepared
Speaker 1: for the little operation which her Grace is eagerly anticipating.
Speaker 1: It would perhaps be as well, after all, that you
Speaker 1: should give me into charge. You would have saved your
Speaker 1: five hundred pounds, and you would at any rate have
Speaker 1: something in exchange for her Grace's mutilated limb ah. Here
Speaker 1: is the constable officer. The stranger spoke with such a
Speaker 1: pleasant little air of easy geniality that it was impossible
Speaker 1: to tell if he were in jest or in earnest.
Speaker 1: This fact impressed the Duke much more than if he
Speaker 1: had gone in for a liberal indulgence of the under
Speaker 1: the circumstances, orthodox, melodramatic scowling, and indeed in the face
Speaker 1: of his own common sense. It impressed mister Ivor Dake too.
Speaker 1: This well bred, well groomed youth was just the being
Speaker 1: to realize or bous desenglis, a modern type of the devil,
Speaker 1: the type which depicts himself as a perfect gentleman who
Speaker 1: keeps smiling all the time. The constable, whom this audacious
Speaker 1: rogue had signaled, approached the little group. He addressed the stranger,
Speaker 1: do you want me, sir? No, I do not want you.
Speaker 1: I think it is the Duke of Datchet. The constable,
Speaker 1: who knew the Duke very well by sight, saluted him
Speaker 1: as he turned to receive instructions. The Duke looked white,
Speaker 1: even savage. There was not a pleasant look in his eyes,
Speaker 1: and about his lips. He appeared to be endeavoring to
Speaker 1: put a great restraint upon himself. There was a momentary silence.
Speaker 1: Mister Dacre made a movement as if to interpose. The
Speaker 1: Duke caught him by the arm. He spoke, no, Constable,
Speaker 1: I do not want you. This person is mistaken. The
Speaker 1: constable looked as if he could not quite make out
Speaker 1: how such a mistake could have arisen. Hesitated, Then with
Speaker 1: another salute, he moved away. The stranger was still holding
Speaker 1: his watch in his hand. Only eight minutes, he said.
Speaker 1: The Duke seemed to experience some difficulty in giving utterance
Speaker 1: to what he had to say. If I give you
Speaker 1: this five hundred pounds, your knew. As the Duke paused,
Speaker 1: as if at a loss for language which was strong
Speaker 1: enough to convey his meaning, the stranger laughed, let us
Speaker 1: take adjitives for granted. Besides it only boys who call
Speaker 1: each other names. Men do things. If you give me
Speaker 1: the five hundred sovereigns which you have in that bag
Speaker 1: at once in five minutes, it will be too late.
Speaker 1: I will promise, I will not swear. If you do
Speaker 1: not credit my simple promise, you will not believe my
Speaker 1: solemn affirmations. I will promise that, possibly within an hour,
Speaker 1: certainly within an hour and a half, the Duchess of
Speaker 1: Dechtet Sir returned to you absolutely uninjured, except, of course,
Speaker 1: as you are already aware, with regard to a few
Speaker 1: of the hairs on her head. I will promise this
Speaker 1: on the understanding that you do not yourself attempt to
Speaker 1: see where I go, and that you will allow no
Speaker 1: one else to do so. This with a glance at
Speaker 1: Ivor Dacre, I shall know at once if I am followed.
Speaker 1: If you entertain such intentions, you had better, on all
Speaker 1: accounts remain in possession of your five hundred pounds. The
Speaker 1: Duke eyed him very grimly. I entertain no such intentions
Speaker 1: until the Duchess returns again. The stranger indulged in that
Speaker 1: musical laugh of his ah. Until the Duchess returns, of course,
Speaker 1: then the bargains at an end. When you are at
Speaker 1: once more in the enjoyment of Her Grace's society, you
Speaker 1: will be at liberty to set all the dogs in
Speaker 1: Europe at my heels. I assure you, I fully expect
Speaker 1: that you will do so. Why not the Duke raised
Speaker 1: the canvas bag. My dear Duke, ten thousand thanks. You
Speaker 1: shall see Her Grace at Datchet House upon my honor,
Speaker 1: possibly within the hour, well commented Ivor Dacre, when the
Speaker 1: stranger had vanished with the bag into Piccadilly, and as
Speaker 1: the Duke and himself moved toward Burlington Gardens. If a
Speaker 1: gentleman is to be robbed. It is as well that
Speaker 1: he should have another gentleman rob him. End of chapter two.
Speaker 1: Chapter three. Mister Daker eyed his companion covertly as they progressed.
Speaker 1: His grace of Datchet appeared to have some fresh cause
Speaker 1: for uneasiness. All at once he gave it utterance, in
Speaker 1: a tone of voice which is extremely somber. I forord
Speaker 1: you think that scoundrel will dare to play me false?
Speaker 1: I think, murmured mister Dacre, that he has dared to
Speaker 1: play you pretty false already. I don't mean that, but
Speaker 1: I mean, how am I to know, now that he
Speaker 1: has his money, that he will not he still keep
Speaker 1: Mabel in his clutches. There came an echo from mister Dacre,
Speaker 1: just so, how are you to know? I believe that
Speaker 1: something on the sort has been done in the States.
Speaker 1: I thought that there they were content to kidnap them
Speaker 1: after they were dead. I was not aware that they
Speaker 1: had as yet got so far as the living. I
Speaker 1: believe I have heard of something just like this. Possibly
Speaker 1: they are giants over there, and in that case, the scoundrels,
Speaker 1: when their demands were met, refused to keep to the
Speaker 1: letter of their bargain. And asked for more. The Duke
Speaker 1: stood still. He clenched his fists and swore, I who
Speaker 1: have that villain doesn't keep his word, and Mabel isn't
Speaker 1: home with any hour by I shall go mad, My
Speaker 1: dear dadget Mister Dacre loved strong language as little as
Speaker 1: he loved a scene. Let us trust to time and
Speaker 1: a little to your white hatted and gardenia buttonhold friend's
Speaker 1: word of honor. You should have thought of possible eventualities
Speaker 1: before you showed your confidence. Really suppose instead of going mad,
Speaker 1: we first of all go home. A handsome stood waiting
Speaker 1: for affair at the end of the arcade. Mister Daker
Speaker 1: had handed the Duke into it before his grace had
Speaker 1: quite realized that the vehicle was there. Tell the fellow
Speaker 1: to drive faster. That was what the Duke said when
Speaker 1: the cab had started. My dear datchet, the man's already
Speaker 1: driving his gearage off its legs. If a bobby catches
Speaker 1: sight of him, he'll take his number. A moment later,
Speaker 1: a murmur from the Duke, I know if you are
Speaker 1: aware that the Prince is coming to dinner. I am
Speaker 1: perfectly aware of it. You take it uncommonly cool, how
Speaker 1: easy it is to bear our brother's burdens Ibill. If
Speaker 1: Mabel doesn't turn up, I shall feel like murder. I
Speaker 1: sympathize with you dat It with all my heart, though
Speaker 1: I may observe parenthetically that I very far from realize
Speaker 1: the situation even yet. Take my advice. If the Duchess
Speaker 1: does not show quite as soon as we both of
Speaker 1: us desire, don't make a scene. Just let me see
Speaker 1: what I can do. Judging from the expression of his countenance,
Speaker 1: the Duke was conscious of no overwhelming desire to witness
Speaker 1: an exhibition of mister Daker's prowess. When the cab reached
Speaker 1: Thatchet house, his Grace dashed up the steps three at
Speaker 1: a time. The door flew open. Has the duchess returned, Howard,
Speaker 1: a voice floated downward from above. Some one came running
Speaker 1: down the stairs. It was her Grace of Datchet, Mabel.
Speaker 1: She actually rushed into the Duke's extended arms, and he
Speaker 1: kissed her, and she kissed him before the servants. So
Speaker 1: you're not quite did she cried? I am almost, he said.
Speaker 1: She drew herself a little away from him. Howard, were
Speaker 1: you seriously hurt? Do you suppose I could have been
Speaker 1: otherwise than seriously hurt my darling. Was it a Pickford's van?
Speaker 1: The duke stared up Pickford's van. I don't understand, but
Speaker 1: come in here, come along ivor Mabel, you don't see
Speaker 1: Ivor how do you do mister Dacre? Then the trio
Speaker 1: withdrew into a little ante room. It was really time.
Speaker 1: Even then the pair conducted themselves as if mister Dacre
Speaker 1: had been nothing and no one. The Duke took the
Speaker 1: lady's two hands in his He eyed her fondly. So
Speaker 1: you are uninjured, with the exception of that lock of hair.
Speaker 1: Where did the vidan take it from? The lady looked
Speaker 1: a little puzzled.
Speaker 2: What lock of hair?
Speaker 1: From an envelope which he took from his pocket. The
Speaker 1: Duke produced a shining tress. It was the lock of
Speaker 1: hair which had arrived in the first communication. I will
Speaker 1: have it framed. You will have what framed. The duchess
Speaker 1: glanced at what the Duke was so tenderly caressing, almost
Speaker 1: as it seemed a little dubiously.
Speaker 2: Whatever is it you have there?
Speaker 1: It is the lock of hair. When that scound will
Speaker 1: send me something in the lady's face caused him to
Speaker 1: ask a question. Didn't he tell you he had sent
Speaker 1: it to me? Her? What did the brute tell you
Speaker 1: he meant to cut off your finger? A very curious
Speaker 1: look came into the lady's face. She glanced at the
Speaker 1: Duke as if she all at once was half afraid
Speaker 1: of him. She cast at mister Daker what really seemed
Speaker 1: to be a look of inquiry. Her voice was tremulously anxious.
Speaker 1: Who did did the accident affect you mentally? How could
Speaker 1: it not have affected me mentally? Do you think my
Speaker 1: mental organization is of steel?
Speaker 2: But you look so well?
Speaker 1: Of course I look well now that I have you
Speaker 1: back again, tell me, darling, to that hound actually threaten
Speaker 1: you with cutting off your arm? If he did, I
Speaker 1: shall have you'll have inclined to kill him. Yet the
Speaker 1: Dutch seemed positively to shrink from her better HAPs near neighborhood?
Speaker 1: Was it a Pickford's van? The Duke seemed puzzled, Well,
Speaker 1: he might be. What a Pickford van? The lady turned
Speaker 1: to mister Daker. In her voice there was a ring
Speaker 1: of anguish. Mister Daker, tell me was it a Pickford's van?
Speaker 1: Ivor could only imitate his relative's repetition of her inquiry,
Speaker 1: I didn't quite catch you? Was what a bigfor the van?
Speaker 1: The Duchess clasped her hands in front of her. What
Speaker 1: is it you're keeping from me? What is it you're
Speaker 1: trying to hide? I implore you to tell me the worst,
Speaker 1: whatever it may be. Do not keep me any longer
Speaker 1: in suspense. You do not know what I've already endured.
Speaker 1: Mister Taker, is my husband mad?
Speaker 2: One?
Speaker 1: Need scarcely observe that. The lady's amazing appeal to mister
Speaker 1: Daker as to her husband's sanity was received with something
Speaker 1: like surprise. As the Duke continued to stare at her,
Speaker 1: a dreadful fear began to loomin his brain. My darling,
Speaker 1: your brain is unhinged. He advanced to take her two
Speaker 1: hands again in his but to his unmistakable distress, she
Speaker 1: shrank away from him. How don't touch me? How is
Speaker 1: it that I missed you? Why did you not wait
Speaker 1: until I came? Wait until you came? The Duke's bewilderment increased. Surely,
Speaker 1: if you're in he turned out, after all, to be slight.
Speaker 1: That was all the more reason why you should have
Speaker 1: waited after sending for me like that I sent for you.
Speaker 1: I The Duke's tone was grave, My darling, perhaps you
Speaker 1: had better come upstairs, not until we've had an explanation.
Speaker 1: You must have known that I should come. Why did
Speaker 1: you not wait for me after you had sent me that?
Speaker 1: The duchess held out something to the Duke. He took it,
Speaker 1: and it was a card, his own visiting card. Something
Speaker 1: was written on the back of it. He read aloud
Speaker 1: what was written, Mabel, come to me at once with
Speaker 1: the bearer. They tell me that they cannot take me home.
Speaker 1: It looks like my own writing, looks like it. It
Speaker 1: is your writing. It looks like it, and written with
Speaker 1: a shaky pen, dear child, one's hand would shake at
Speaker 1: such a moment as that. Mabel, Where did you get this?
Speaker 1: And it was brought to me at Canaan Wilson's. Who
Speaker 1: brought it? Who brought it? Why the man you sent?
Speaker 1: The man I sent? A light burst upon the Duke's brain.
Speaker 1: He fell back a pace. It's the decoy, her grace
Speaker 1: echoed the words, the decoy, the scoundrel to set the
Speaker 1: trap with such a bait. My boy, it isn't darling.
Speaker 1: Did you think it came from me. Tell me, Mabel,
Speaker 1: where did he cut off your hair? Cut off my hair?
Speaker 1: Her grace put her hand to her head, as if
Speaker 1: to make sure that her hair was there. Where did
Speaker 1: he take you to? He took me to Draper's buildings.
Speaker 1: Draper's buildings. I have never been in the city before,
Speaker 1: but he told me it was Draper's buildings. Isn't that
Speaker 1: near the stock Exchange? Near the stock Exchange? It seemed
Speaker 1: rather a curious place to which to take the kidnapped victim.
Speaker 1: The man's audacity. He told me that you were coming
Speaker 1: out of the stock Exchange when a van knocked you over.
Speaker 1: He said that he thought it was a Pickford's van.
Speaker 1: Was it a Pickford's van? No, it was not a
Speaker 1: Pickford's van. Mabel. Were you in Draper's buildings when you
Speaker 1: wrote that letter? Wrote? What letter? Have you forgotten it already?
Speaker 1: I do not believe that there was a word in
Speaker 1: it which will not be branded on my brain until
Speaker 1: I die? Herwood, What do you mean, Surely you cannot
Speaker 1: have written me such a letter as that and then
Speaker 1: forgotten it already. He handed her the letter, which had
Speaker 1: arrived in the second communication. She glanced at it, askance.
Speaker 1: Then she took it with a little gasp. Howard, if
Speaker 1: you don't mind, I think I'll take a chair. She
Speaker 1: took a chair. Wh whatever, whatever is this? As she
Speaker 1: read the letter, the varying expressions which passed across her
Speaker 1: face were in themselves a study in psychology. Is it
Speaker 1: possible that you can imagine that, under any conceivable circumstances
Speaker 1: I could have written such a letter as this? Mabel?
Speaker 1: She rose to her feet with emphasis. How would don't
Speaker 1: say you thought this came from me, not from you?
Speaker 1: He remembered Nol's diplomatic reception of the epistle on its
Speaker 1: first appearance. I suppose you will say next that this
Speaker 1: is not a lock of your hair, My dear child
Speaker 1: would be, Have you got in your bonnet this a
Speaker 1: lock of my hair? Why?
Speaker 2: It's not the least bit like my hair?
Speaker 1: Which was certainly inaccurate. As far as color was concerned,
Speaker 1: it was an almost perfect match. The Duke turned to
Speaker 1: mister Dacre. I or I've had to go through a
Speaker 1: good deal this afternoon. If I have to go through
Speaker 1: much more, something will crack. He touched his forehead. I
Speaker 1: think it's my turn to take a chair, not the
Speaker 1: one which the Duchess had vacated, but one which faced it.
Speaker 1: He stretched out his legs in front of him. He
Speaker 1: thrust his hands into his trouser pockets. He said, in
Speaker 1: a tone which was not gloomy but absolutely gruesome. Might
Speaker 1: I ask Mabel if you have been kidnapped? Kidnapped? The
Speaker 1: word I used was kidnapped, but I will spell it
Speaker 1: if you like, or I will get a dictionary that
Speaker 1: you may see us meaning. The Duchess looked as if
Speaker 1: she was beginning to be not quite sure if she
Speaker 1: was awake or sleeping. She turned to Ivor, mister taker,
Speaker 1: has the accident affected herward's brain? The Duke took the
Speaker 1: words out of his cousin's mouth. On that point, my dear,
Speaker 1: let me ease your mind.
Speaker 2: I don't know if you.
Speaker 1: Are under the impression that I should be in the
Speaker 1: same shape after a Pickford's van had run over me
Speaker 1: as I was before. But in any case, I have
Speaker 1: not been run over by a Pickford's van. So far
Speaker 1: as I am concerned, there has been no accident. Dismissed
Speaker 1: that delusion from your mind. Oh you appear surprised, One
Speaker 1: might even think you were sorry. But may I now
Speaker 1: ask what you did when you arrived at Draper's buildings?
Speaker 1: Did I looked for you? Indeed? And when you had
Speaker 1: looked in Vain, what was the next item in your program?
Speaker 1: The lady shrank still farther from him her what have
Speaker 1: you been having a jest? At my expense? Can you
Speaker 1: have been so cruel? Tears stood in her eyes, rising,
Speaker 1: the Duke laid his hand upon her arm. Mabel, tell
Speaker 1: me what did you do when you had looked for
Speaker 1: me in Vain? I look you upstairs, downstairs, and everywhere
Speaker 1: was quite a large place. It took me ever such
Speaker 1: a time. I thought that I should go distracted. Nobody
Speaker 1: seemed to know anything about you, or even that there
Speaker 1: had been an accident at all. It was all officers.
Speaker 1: I couldn't make it out in the least, and that
Speaker 1: people didn't seem to be able to make me out either.
Speaker 1: So when I couldn't find you anywhere, it came straight
Speaker 1: home again. The Duke was silent for a moment, then,
Speaker 1: with a funeral gravity, he turned to mister Dacre. He
Speaker 1: put to him this question, ivel what are you laughing at?
Speaker 1: Mister Dacre drew his hand across his mouth with a
Speaker 1: rather suspicious gesture, my dear fellow, only a smile. The
Speaker 1: Duchess looked from one to the other. What have you
Speaker 1: two been doing? What is the joke? With an air
Speaker 1: of preternatural solemnity, the Duke took two letters from the
Speaker 1: breast pocket of his coat. Mabel, you have already seen
Speaker 1: your letter. You have already seen the lock of your hair.
Speaker 1: Just look at this and that. He gave her the
Speaker 1: two very singular communications, which had arrived in such a
Speaker 1: mysterious manner, and so quickly one after the other. She
Speaker 1: read them with wide open eyes. How wherever did these
Speaker 1: come from? The Duke was standing with his legs apart
Speaker 1: and his hands in his trouser pockets. I would give
Speaker 1: I would give another five hundred pounds to know. Shall
Speaker 1: I tell you, madam, what I have been doing. I
Speaker 1: have been presenting five hundred golden sovereigns to a perfect
Speaker 1: stranger with a top hat and a gardenia in his
Speaker 1: button hole. Whatever for if you have perused these documents
Speaker 1: which you have in your hand, you will have some
Speaker 1: faint idea I've all when it's your funeral, as'll smile, Mabel,
Speaker 1: Duchess of dabt it. It is beginning to dawn upon
Speaker 1: the vacuum which represents my brain, that I've been the
Speaker 1: victim of one of the prettiest things and practical jokes
Speaker 1: that ever yet was planned. When that fellow brought you
Speaker 1: that card at Caanan Wilson's, which I need scarce, they
Speaker 1: tell you, never came from me. Someone walked out the
Speaker 1: front entrance who was so exactly like you. Both Bounds
Speaker 1: and Moisy took her for you. Moisey showed her into
Speaker 1: the carriage, and Barns drove her home. But when the
Speaker 1: carriage reached home it was empty. Your double had got
Speaker 1: out upon the road. The Duchess uttered a sound which
Speaker 1: was half gasp, half sigh her what Barns and Moisy,
Speaker 1: with beautiful and childlike innocence, when they found that they
Speaker 1: had brought the thing home empty, It came straight away
Speaker 1: and told me you had jumped out of the brow
Speaker 1: while I had been driving full pelt through the streets.
Speaker 1: While I was digesting that piece of information, there came
Speaker 1: the first epistle with the lock of your hair. Before
Speaker 1: I had time to digest that, there came the second
Speaker 1: epistle with yours inside. It seems incredible. It sounds incredible,
Speaker 1: but unfathomable is the folly of man, especially of a
Speaker 1: man who loves his wife. The Duke crossed to mister Dacre.
Speaker 1: I don't want ivor to suggest anything in the way
Speaker 1: of bribery and corruption, But if you could keep this
Speaker 1: matter to yourself, not mention it to your friends, A
Speaker 1: white hattered and Guardina buttonhold acquaintance, and welcome to his
Speaker 1: five hundred pounds. And Mabel, what on earth are you
Speaker 1: laughing at? The duchess appeared all at once to be
Speaker 1: seized with inextinguishable laughter. Oh just think how that man
Speaker 1: must be laughing at you. And the Duke of Datchet
Speaker 1: thought of it. End of the Last Duchess