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A Terrible Temptation: A Story of To-Day, a novel by Charles Reade |
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Chapter 30 |
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_ CHAPTER XXX A BIG man, who seemed the leader, fired a volley of ferocious oaths at the keepers, and threatened to send them to hell that moment if they did not instantly deliver up that gentleman. The keepers were thoroughly terrified, and roared for mercy. "Hand him out here, you scoundrels!" "Yes! yes! Man alive, we are not resisting: what is the use?" "Hand down his luggage." It was done all in a flutter. "Now get in again; turn your horses' heads the other way, and don't come back for an hour. You with your guns take stations in those trees, and shoot them dead if they are back before their time." These threats were interlarded with horrible oaths, and Burdoch's party were glad to get off, and they drove away quickly in the direction indicated. However, as soon as they got over their first surprise they began to smell a hoax; and, instead of an hour, it was scarcely twenty minutes when they came back. But meantime the supers were paid liberally among the fir-trees by Vandeleur, pocketed their crape, flung their dummy guns into a cornfield, dispersed in different directions, and left no trace. But Sir Charles was not detained for that: the moment he was recaptured he and his luggage were whisked off in the other carriage, and, with Rolfe and his secretary, dashed round the town, avoiding the main street, to a railway eight miles off, at a pace almost defying pursuit. Not that they dreaded it: they had numbers, arms, and a firm determination to fight if necessary, and also three tongues to tell the truth, instead of one. At one in the morning they were in London. They slept at Mr. Rolfe's house; and before breakfast Mr. Rolfe's secretary was sent to secure a couple of prize-fighters to attend upon Sir Charles till further notice. They were furnished with a written paper explaining the case briefly, and were instructed to hit first and talk afterward should a recapture be attempted. Should a crowd collect, they were to produce the letter. These measures were to provide against his recapture under the statute, which allows an alleged lunatic to be retaken upon the old certificates for fourteen days after his escape from confinement, but for no longer. Money is a good friend in such contingencies as these. Sir Charles started directly after breakfast to find his wife and child. The faithful pugilists followed at his heels in another cab. Neither Sir Charles nor Mr. Rolfe knew Lady Bassett's address: it was the medical man who had written: but that did not much matter; Sir Charles was sure to learn his wife's address from Mr. Boddington. He called on that gentleman at 17 Upper Gloucester Place. Mr. Boddington had just taken his wife down to Margate for her health; had only been gone half an hour. This was truly irritating and annoying. Apparently Sir Charles must wait that gentleman's return. He wrote a line, begging Mr. Boddington to send him Lady Bassett's address in a cab immediately on his return. He told Mr. Rolfe this; and then for the first time let out that his wife's not writing to him at the asylum had surprised and alarmed him; he was on thorns. Mr. Boddington returned in the middle of the night, and at breakfast time Sir Charles had a note to say Lady Bassett was at 119 Gloucester Place, Portman Square. Sir Charles bolted a mouthful or two of breakfast, and then dashed off in a hansom to 119 Gloucester Place. There was a bill in the window, "To be let, furnished. Apply to Parker & Ellis." He knocked at the door. Nobody came. Knocked again. A lugubrious female opened the door. "Lady Bassett?" "Don't live here, sir. House to be let." Sir Charles went to Mr. Boddington and told him. Mr. Boddington said he thought he could not be mistaken; but he would look at his address-book. He did, and said it was certainly 119 Gloucester Place; "Perhaps she has left," said he. "She was very healthy--an excellent patient. But I should not have advised her to move for a day or two more." Sir Charles was sore puzzled. He dashed off to the agents, Parker & Ellis. They said, Yes; the house was Lady Bassett's for a few months. They were instructed to let it. "When did she leave? I am her husband, and we have missed each other somehow." The clerk interfered, and said Lady Bassett had brought the keys in her carriage yesterday. Sir Charles groaned with vexation and annoyance. "Did she give you no address?" "Yes, sir. Huntercombe Hall." "I mean no address in London?" "No, sir; none." Sir Charles was now truly perplexed and distressed, and all manner of strange ideas came into his head. He did not know what to do, but he could not bear to do nothing, so he drove to the Times office and advertised, requesting Lady Bassett to send her present address to Mr. Rolfe. At night he talked this strange business over with Mr. Rolfe. That gentleman thought she must have gone to Huntercombe; but by the last post a letter came from Suaby, inclosing one from Lady Bassett to her husband. "119 Gloucester Place. Sir Charles wanted to start that night for Winterfield, but Rolfe persuaded him not. "And mind," said he, "the faithful pugilists must go with you." The morning's post rendered that needless. It brought another letter from Suaby, informing Mr. Rolfe that the Commissioners had positively discharged Sir Charles, and notified the discharge to Richard Bassett. Sir Charles took leave of Mr. Rolfe as of a man who was to be his bosom friend for life, and proceeded to hunt his wife. She had left Winterfield; but he followed her like a stanch hound, and when he stopped at a certain inn, some twenty miles from Huntercombe, a window opened, there was a strange loving scream; he looked up, and saw his wife's radiant face, and her figure ready to fly down to him. He rushed upstairs, into the right room by some mighty instinct, and held her, panting and crying for joy, in his arms. That moment almost compensated what each had suffered. _ |
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