THE STORY-TELLER. Lost, Stolen, or Strayed.

Evening Post, Volume LXIV, Issue 131, 29 November 1902, Page 9 (Supplement)

THE STORY-TELLER. Lost, Stolen, or Strayed.

By the Rev 7S. BARING-GOULD. Author of "Aielialah," "John Herrnif," etc.) [All Bights Resebved.] • Mr. Percy Dalgarno Smith and his bride had a rough passage from Southampton to St. Malo. The wind had blown a hurricane from the west, and hnd heaped up the waves in the contracted channel ; and the deepest depths of abysmal misery had been reached as the ' steamer passed Sark. "Oh! 1 wish 1 had never been married" cried the lady. "Oh, this is too ' dreadful. I wish I were dead!" And from his berth in ihe gentleman's cabiu Mr. Percy Dalgarno heard her ex- ' clamation. The .steam packet was three hours late. It was due at St. Malo at 4 a.m., but was not sighted till 7 a.m., and when she did slide into harbour, and was made fast to the quay, the passengers were informed that none of their luggage could be landed till the Customhome opened, which would be at 8 a.m. Mr. Smith had a face like a dried stock-fish, and reeled on his feet. Mrs. Smith was livid and felt faint. Both needed breakfast, yet both icit a nausea at the thought of food. "My dear," said Percy Dalgarno. "My dear Bertha, go at once to the hotel — it is, I believe, de France — and lie down. I must remain here and see after the luggags, and pass it through the Customs — I dare say I shall be better presently, with the arr, and on solid ground. Go — my dear pray go. I will cling to the baggage. Let me see, two bundles of rugs and umbrellas, one hat and one bonnet-box. xhree little black bags, one dress basket, one Gladstone bag — and — how many trunks?" "Three, dearest. Oh! I have qualms still— l think I shall faint!" "Get into the hotel — do not wait for me. You might faint on the quay and tumble into the water." There was a great throng on the quay. Commissionaires shouting, offering their services ; cabmen thrusting their ' cards under the no^es of the pass.engers, hotel1 touts clamouring the claims of their several establishments; passengers all looking wretched, running against one another, or tumbling over coiis of rope, or contributing a final debt to the sea that had so cruelly used them. There were scrambling over the bridge, fumbling for their tickets ; battling with the porters, who laid hold of them as their personal property, and huddling into the Customhouse shed where those articles that they carried would be exarnine'd; whereas all large boxes would be carried away to the Customhouse some four hundred yard 3 distant, to be ransacked at greater leisure. In the tussle and swirl of people, Mr. Percy Dalgarno was separated from the "wife to whom he had been united <>nly the previous day. But for that lie mms prepared. He had exhorted her to seek the hotel. Moreover, his troubles were crowding thick upon him, so that Jo** '. a while he could not think of his wife. The Customhouse officers had arrived, and. Mere examining the portable goods of the passengers .after having previously enquired whether tuey had anything to declare. Mr. Smith knew very little French, and less of the tariff of the Driuane. "Declare! declare! no nothing. Of. course not. I am a true-born British subject." Unhappily, in his .hand-bag were found cigarettes, tobacco, and a couple of boxes of wax vestas Now tobacco and matches are Government manufactures ; ai*d he was harangued, threatened b- the officials, and informed that he must pay a franc a match for what he was endeavouring surreptitiously to introduce into France. He nnut also pay a fine for the tobacco,' because he bad not declared it. Mr. Smith absolutely refused to pay, he remonstrated in English, the officers insisted in French. It was some time before a compromise was reached by his throwing wax vestas, cigarettes and tobacco into the sea. Then the boxes and portmanteaux got adrift. Mr. Smith was not absolutely sure as to which belonged to his wife, seeing that these were new, and he had not set eyes on them before yesierday — and then had been too much excited to observe them attentively. Consequently at the Customshouse he was laying his hand on the trunks belonging to other pa&sengers, and producing ke^s that did not fit the locks. Ihe officers, already , 'incenf^ed against him, began to regard him as a suspicious character, and insisted on overhauling all his luggage. Naturally, as his wife was a bride, nearly all her dresses, if not every one, were new and unworn, and therefore they, as well as her bonnets and hats, had to be taxed, and duties paid on ihem. So also a couple of new pairs of boots of his own he had not put on. Five francs was demanded for each pair. Then Mr. Dalgarno Smith had not furnished himself with French money, reckoning on exchanging what he wanted at St. Malo; and the Customhouse officers declined to be paid in other than current coin. So he was forced to rush into the town, find a shop where he could change the money, and return with what was required. By the time all Mr. Smith's business was over, he was heated, sick, giddy, angny, and disgusted with all things French. He was the last to leave the Customhouse, and when he came out all the hotel omnibuses had departed. "Hey!" said he to a driver of a cab. "Hey ! 'y v ou " t&eie, sous; — engage?" "Non, Monsieur." "I want to go — and take all this luggage to the hotel." The man did not understand. "Hang it!" exclaimed Mr. Percy Dalgarno ; "I forget which Hotel it was we were going to." "Monsienr desire quelquechose-?" askea a porter. "I want — t Te voo aller — " and drew up. "Ah! Dame oui! a Dinard, peutetre?" "Dame!" exclaimed Mr. Smith. ''That Is just it. Dame? — oui, dame!" "Dfi-me, oui — a Dinard. C'e.it bien, Monsieur." "It- lie darae I want to follow. Where do you my — on etes-elle?" "D me oui, Monsieur, l'hotel de France, a Dinard." l\o\\> (i common and often recurring expiation in Brittany is "dame," which is tho .'iiort for par notre Dame — "by our Lad', . ' Unhappily Mr. Smith did not kno ,hi", and supposed that the man was ,M-rructiL o ' him as to where his dame, Mrs. Smith, had taken refuge. So i he consigned himself gratefully to this ; fellow, who negotiated with the .cabman to convey the ,passenger to the wharf, whence started in half an hour, the lit- , tie steamer for Dinard, that lies on the j farther «ide of the broad bay. Tue cabman declared that he could not ;»i' ly take all the luggage cm his con-

veyance. Accordingly a second had to be chartered, and finally, at half-past 9 o'clock, Mr. Percy Dalgarno Smith, was driven with all his wile's goods to the pier whence started the Dinard steamer. He was much surpri&ed. He had no idea that a second' voyage was requisite, but the poiter persisted in asserting — ".Mais., dame, oui ! a Dmard." So Percy Dalgarno was satisfied that his Bertha had gone to Dinard instead of St. Malo. He had told her that they would go to Dinan, aud doubtless she had been led by mistake to seek a hotel in Dinard ; s,he not being more a psoficient in French than he himself. Then ensued v an altercation with, the cab-driver and with .the porter. Each absolutely refused to be satisfied with the liberal payment offered by Mr. Smith, and demanded double. The bell was being rung furiously — for the steamer was ready to start, and Mr. Smith was furced to pay so as to be able to leave by it. As the waves were rolling into the bay, and the boat was a mere cockleshell, Mr. Smith had a recurrence of the troubles that had fallen on him during the night. "Oh, my j)oor Bertha!" sighed he — "I hope she got over to Dinard all right." On reaching the landing stage, Mr. Percy Dalgarno found that no omnibus awaited the arrival of the little boat, and he had some difficulty in finding men •to convey the enoimous collection ot luggage to the Hotel de France. 'By the time he had succeeded in getting the hatbox, japanned bonnet -box, two bundles I of rugs, three little black bags, dress basket, Gladstone bag, and' three trunks to the inn, he was so fagged and faint, that he could do no moie than stagger into the salle-a-mangor, , and say to the ! waiter — "Hey, garcon — I must have some ! breakfast. Avez vous une dame ici?" "Yes, saire. . A lady. Yes — dejeuner, tout-do-suite." '' "That is right," sighed the gentleman. "That fellow can speak broken English, and my wife is here all right. Hey, garcon t Bring me my breakfast at once, and tell the lady I have come and am here." "Yes, saire!" Mr. Percy Dalgarno was faint rather j than hungry, and met with some difficulty in eating. But he devoured an egg or principle, and the hot coffee restored | him somewhat. "Saire !" said the waiter, "de lady say — Vat is de name of de shentleman." "Name, name!" said Mr. Smith — "Say her husband." He felt better now, and consumed a second egg, and a littlo bread and butter. Presently the waiter returned. "De lady say — she not understand." "Nonsense, tell her to come down, I'll explain it all in two minutes." Then he went on calmly eating and drinking his coSee. Fully five minutes elapsed before a lady entered the salle a manger, and approached the table. "Bertha! — good. gracious me! It's not Bertha at all." "I do no* quite understand,, sir," said the lady, "what this strange message can import." "I'm awfully sorry," said Mr. Smith, dropping his spoon. "I — I—lI — I thought you were my wife." "Sir! I never saw you before in my life." "I am bewildered. Is there no other English lady in the hotel?" "Not that I am aware of." "A most hideous muddle," said Mr. Smith ; "I was told that my wife had' I coma over iv the boat to Dinard, to this inn. 1 am not very ready in my French, I must have made a mistake, have misunderstood — but where the deuce can she be?" "My husband," said the lady,, "is in South Africa. It caused quite a flutter in my heart, when I was told my husband hud arrived and was a&king for me." . "My wife," explained Mr. Smith, "and I came over in the Southampton boat, and had a very bad passage. We were going on to Dinan, and J was assured by an idiot of a porter that bhe had ccme on here, to Dinard, whilst I was getting the luggage through the Custom*.. I cannot for tlie life of me imagine where my wife can be." "I think jour best way will.be to return to St. Malo, and enquire theie." "I suppose so. But these French are such idiots, bhey do not comprehend when I speak to them — even in their otai tongue." "Can I be of any assistance to you? I am not indeed fluent, but I can speak so as to be understood. I have lo this , morning to St. Malo about some business of my own." "Most kind of you. I will finish my .breakfast, and then see to having the luggage taken down to the boa I once more." "Oh ! there is no immediate hurry, the boat will not leave for another halfhour." "May I have the pleasiue of knowing your name? Mine is Percy Dalgarno Smith." "And mme — Mrs. Fitzaekerly Browne." Accordingly, when the gentleman was recruited, and the lady dressed to go out, both sallied forth, and the hotel omnibus conveyed the luggage oncft more to the steamer The little vessel had a somewhat better passage on the return voyage. The tide was running out, and the waves were con=equently not so high. Nevertheless Mr. Smith did not enjoy the crossing. To his dismay he found that the boat did not. make for the old landing stage in the harbour, as that, by tho efflux of I the tide was left high and dry, but disembarked its passengers at a rock about half a mile from the town, connected with it by a camewav. On this rock Mr. Smith collected the assortment of lug"gage that belonged to him and his wife. No porters at all were there, and no conveyance of any kind. "I will tell you what I will do," said Mrs. Bro.vne, "if you will sit on your l>ile of goods, I will go into the town and send a conveyance to you." "I have so much luggage that I shall require two," lamented Mr. Smith : "I am in a most awkward position," "Ifc will be all right," said Mrs. Browne cheerily; "if you don't mind remaining here for three-quarters of an bour. The tide will hardly be back by mat time. It rises forty feet at St. Mrlo, and all these masses of lock, and Ibis causeway, are then submerged." "For pity's sake make haste," urged Mr. Smith The lady departed. It was full an hour before the conveyances arrived at the spot wher^ be sat disconsolate among his luggage. Mi«. Browne had considerately came back in one of the cabs. "So sorry to have kqit you waiting," she said, "but I had some difficulty in securing the carriages, the flies were all away at the St. Servan station, awaiting the train from Paris and Reunes." In time the luggage was piled up, some on the one carriage, while Mr. Smith and Mrs. Browne occupied the other with the smaller parcels. "What address?" asked the lady. "TJie Hotel de France." E_id he.

The direction was communicated to the driver, and the two cabs started. "I was married only yesterday," said Mr. Smith to his companion. "Yes, only yesterday, but it really seems to me more like a month. We had a dreadful passage — not at first, but the storm came on in the night. Besides — there was this unpleasantness, la the train to Southampton, we wera not to ourselves. There was a gentleman in the &ame compartment, who to my great annoyance, kept staring at my wife, who is really a pretty woman, and endeii ouring to get into conversation v.ith her. It was vexatious that he should have come over in the same boat with v.«, and he persisted in his attentions on boaid ship. But I hope and believe that he was very ill." "It is rather unfortunate," &aid Mrs. Browne, " that under the circumstances you should have got parted from the la.dy." "It is very much so. She is so simpie and guileless, that she did -not see fhat there was anything offensive in his attentions." "He came off tie boat with you?" "Yes — looking rather pasty." " Kow long is it since you missed your wife?" " Let me see — some five hours ago — more than that." ' "How unfortunate. She must be in much, alarm as to what has become of you." At length the two vehicles arrived at the Hotel de France, in St. Malo. Mr Smith descended and handed out Mrs. Browne. He at once asked the waiter whether a Mrs. Smith was there, a lady who had arrived by the boat from Southampton that morning. " Oh, yes — a lady and gentleman." "No gentleman, a lady alone." " Dere was a lady — yes — but a gentleman came same time, and he was at dejeuner also." "•What sorb of gentleman?" " A shentlemau "wid ver' black eyes and black curled moustache, and wid a straw hat." "The man — the very man!" gasped Mr. Smith. "Where is the lady?" " She go out — and he go out after her." " How very extraordinary !" gasped Mr Smith. " How shocking," said Mrs. Browne. " She may have left, to get away from his attentions." "And he gone after her to offer his assistance, as you did not turn up." "What is to be done?" Then to the •waiter, "Did the lady take a room here?" '• No, sir. ' She said she would dejeuner, and wait." " Peihaps she did not like the looks of the hotel?" said Mrs. Browne. " That can hardly be. It is the best in St. Malo, according to appearances. I think &he did not like the oflSciousness of that . black-eyed, black-mouslachoed man, and has gone to another hotel." "Then you must go lound to all the hotels and make enquiries," said Mrs. Browne. "I will do so, but first I will go to the Customhouse," said Mr. Smith, " she may have' returned there, as that was wheie we parted." "Then I suppose you will nofx have the luggage removed from the conveyance." " No, I will drive about the town with all the boxes and porlminteans. Perhajis, Mrs. Browne, you will be so pood as to accompany me, and help in ihe enquiries. At the Customhouse I failed to mnke &\, self ui.<lersiood, although J spoke Fiench ; and I must 'enquire there." " I am at your service," said Mrs. Browne. Accordingly the two carriages started 9 gain, Mr Smith and Mr. Biowno in one, ihe bulk of the l.iggage In the second They diove down lo the quay, and alone it to the Dbanne, arrd then instiInted enquiiie*. but el'ciied no informa- 1 Hob that whs of any use. Then Mr. Smith with "vs. Browne arid tlie lurgar;e v, cindered from ore hotel to another, and the qnsscion was put' at each, '" Was an En^l'^h lady there, arrived b/ the lpst boit from Southampton?" There Mere English women in some of them, but not Mrs. Pmiib. "1 verier!" exe'aimed Percy Dal earn o, "1 border whether the can have gone to Dinan, after all, direct." " To go there direct was not pov-iblc,' 1 explained Mrs Browne. You will In\e to drive to fit. Rfervan where is Ihe fetation, 'aod {"he the line lo Bo!, and cht>"ge there <( you describe the let tar V; and it ■will take tou two hours and a half." " Bui by ex pros'!?" " Theio are no express trains on tha line." "I wonder what I had best do?" asked Mr. Smith, now thoroughly bewildered. "If you will allow rae to advise," said Mrs. Browne; '"you will go to St. Servan, and enquire at the station whether your Mile has taken a ticket for Dinan. It is possible sue may have done so, as she did not secure a room at the Hotel de France at St. Malo." " There is an Hotel de France at Dinan, I suppose?" " Naturally." "Then I will do so. I will certainly go to the station and enquire.*' This he did, and learned that a lady had gone by second-cla<-s lo Dman — a lady without luggage, and pronouncedly English. " That must be she," said Mrs. Smith. "I suspect she found the man Miih the black eyes so annoying that &ho thought best to go straight lo her destination. Really my wife is a woman of superior intellectual powers. How stupid of me to go to Dinard in place' of Dinan." "And the luggage'/" asksd Mrs. Browne. "I will of course take it with me. Poor dear, she will be in need of her tilings — she has not cv.en a comb and brush with her ; and soap I am told is not provided in the hotels. I have the soap with me." Accordingly Mr. Percy Dalgarno Smith started for Dinan, after having thanked Mrs. Browne for her services, and apologised for having given her so much trouble. To his disgust, Mr. Smith found that he was obliged to have all his luggage weighed, and to take a ticket for it, to his destination. The journey lo Dinan was vastly slow, the train slopping at every insignificant station, slaying at each an immeasurable time. He had moreover to change trains, at Dol, and wait there threaquarlers of an hour. At length he reached Dinan, where a neat omnibus from the Eotel de France .received him and conveyed bin? and his belongings to the inu. "Let me see," said Mr. Smith, "one spanned bonnet box, one light leather hat box, two bundles of rugs with umbrellas and parasols, throe little black hand-bags, one Gladstone bag marked P.D.S.. one basket box for lady's goAvns, three trunks, also with initials on them — that is correct." Wfcfin all the luggage had been trans-

b ported into the hotel, Mr. Smith enquired :—": — " Is there an English lady here? I A very good-looking ladj- — a young lady 7 — arrived to-day?" b "Non, monsieur — il ny a pas de dame * Anglaise ala maison." b "No lady here! Goodness gracious s me !" " A chambre, sir?" c "Why — under tho circumstances — no. '" I—lI — I really do not know what I — is to t be done. I—lI — I think I must go back to *■ St. Malo. When is the next train?" " The next train was three hours after. '" Mr. Smith was obliged to order a meal, but he was too uneasy iw mind to be J able to eat much. What could have be- „ come of his wife? She was not at St. Malo, not at Dinard, and not at Dinan. Was it possible that she was at St. s Servan, a town joined to St. Malo by a b causeway? These two towns are united by this link like the Siamese twins. It 0 was possible, but it was not probable, t But then — his wife had been at the n Hotel de France at St. Malo, and had been there in the society of the gentleman with black eyes, black moustache, and a straw hat. And she had left r that hotel along with this dreadful man. It was concluded Mr. Smith, but too - certain that she had been beguiled away by this handsome and designing stranger. a The idea was dreadful. Mr. Smith guivf ered with indignation and disgust. His Bertha was so unsuspicious, so simple, t that she had confided in this man to help her in her difficulties, and he had taken '<■ advantage of her innocence and had • carried her of! — but whither? Mr. Smith, r with his imperfect knowledge of French, 1 would hardly be able lo make tho situaa tion clear to the police. .His return to St. Malo with the luggage was torturing. He remembered her groans in the boat. i- "I wish I had never been married !" Had i- she wilfully deserted hhni His mind :us racked with conjectures. Arrived at length at the station, after having cols lected his luggage in two flies, he drove a to the Hotel de France at St. Servan, and enquired theie, ana was not suri prised to learn that his wife had not been theie. Then he drove to the hotel of the r same dcsigation at St. Malo. His wife had not been seen again there, nor had v the gentleman with biack eyes and straw hat. He now wont to the telegraph Ojiice and wired to his wife's fatker — "Bertha lost, stolen, or strayed. I stay here to prosecute enquiries." s He received no reply rill the following day — in tho afternoon, wken a telegram c was delivered to this effect: — "Bertha is a here. Jixplanation demanded." "Explanation !" exclaimed Mr. Smith — "What does she mean. It is I who require the explanation, not she." So ho wired back: — "Explanation about what?" In a hour and a haif came a cable- . gram: — "Beitha cannot return till explanation is satisfactory is given about ' yourself and the lady in the blue bonnet." "Blue bonnet !" gasped M. Smith. 1 "What lady can be meant? Oh! Mrs. Browne to be sure — she had on a blue B bonnet. But what of that?" And he • proceeded to reply by wire : — "is or can 1 receive her till explanation that is sat0 iafactory is given alwit Bei-tiia and tiie > geutiemau Auth black eyes and straw t> nat." To this came no respoiisa. b Mr. Smich remained at St. ilalo. He " ate aau he drank, but the good cuisine at the Hoiel do France cou.d not dispel ii the lesilcs&ness of his uuud or the de- ' , Sjjuudciuy bi his spirits. Waai was lie 0 Ito do? fie ecu.d not remain theie m- . dciinne.y. Should he go alter liis c or mpisD on her conuiig to him it he c insisted, ■\\oiitd sue come'/ It he went to her how wouid he be received? Would . he not, appear supremely ridiculous — gcing ■to her home for a second time to tetua J her away? 1 Two ud^s passed — ar.d Mr Smith was . unable to sleep during ihe mgais. itc ivcii becoming \?an and wurn with an3 xiety, when, on the third day — in at. the . hotei door Ctihie his iatuer-in-law. , .' "jNow then, I'eio\ l/atgcuno, said he; "what s che in^uiung .ot duf)?"' "l'lii. meamtig oi thu> : t'choed Mr. , Smith ; "it means that 1 have lost in) %vile — and how, I do not understand. ' f j j^id tue biacke^ed, black moubucued, c siraw-hattea siittugsr c.ope with her? ' "i\o, sir! it iwitj jou who wbie seen ; driving about tutu a i&dy vi a blue boniuiL — joa nuA fclio ellroiuei^y to do this g j buiuib joiit v.iies -very bye&." j "Wiy I x\n\ uiinung lor her. Mrs. , Bionnc assisted me, ,as thi'&e siupid j. iem.ii ennot understand thea- o«n ian-gua-b I h]><i<\k it to them. Bui , v. as Bertha?" ' "ihe aUenuons of a certain strange ' gentleman v.Bie so annojiug, that to escape tuam,.s.-.e A\enl back to the steambout, tiunkmg -would at once go there to look lor her." "Lord !" y«s.;)td Jur Smith ; "I thought „ of evtry otuer p.ace except that." "Ai:d seeing you drhe Riong the / quay with a lady in a blue bonnet, she was , so oflended that she recurned in the boat to South.trajjlou." "Oh! ihat uab it, exclaimed Mr. Smith. x "Well," baid the father-in-law ; "all fc seems capable of explanation. We aie c at tho Hotel de 1' Umvevs." t "Who do you mean by We?" "Bertha and I." "Then let her come here. I have all the luggage, i ha\e been conveying it f.bout Horn piiiar to po.st, soap and J japanned bonnet box, a leather hat oox, two buadies of mgs and uuibiellaK, a. r glad-lone bag, -a basket dresh-box, three , i Lack leather hand bags, and three ,' tnwk%. 1 think that is all." "Well — she has baen rather put to it — without her articles de toilette." j -'And 1 -nilh all the luggage and withj out my 'wife." "Very -well — go on with your honey- [. moon tour. AH is well tnat ends welf."