England -- Fiction; Gothic fiction; Inheritance and succession -- Fiction
The tall stranger with the round shoulders in truth resembled the person
who, in a midnight interview on Hampstead Heath, had discussed some
momentous questions with Paul Davies, as we remember; but that person
spoke in the peculiar accent of the northern border. _His_ beard, too,
was exorbitant in length, and flickered wide and red, in the wind. This
beard, on the contrary, was short and trim, and hardly so red, I think,
as that moss-trooper's. On the whole, the likeness in both cases was
somewhat rude and general. Still the resemblance to Longcluse again
struck Mr. Arden so powerfully, that he actually followed him into the
street and overtook him only a dozen steps away from the door, on the
now silent pavement.
Hearing his hurried step behind him, the object of his pursuit turns
about and confronts him for the first time with an offended and haughty
look.
"Monsieur!" says he a little grimly, drawing himself up as he comes to a
sudden halt.
"The impression has forced itself upon me again that you _are_ no other
than Mr. Walter Longcluse," says Uncle David.
The tall gentleman recovered his good-humour, and smiled as before, with
a shrug.
"I have not the honour of that gentleman's acquaintance, Monsieur, and
cannot tell, therefore, whether he in the least resembles me. But as
this kind of thing is unusual, and grows wearisome, and may end in
putting me out of temper--which is not easy, although quite
possible--and as my assurance that I am really myself seems insufficient
to convince Monsieur, I shall be happy to offer other evidence of the
most unexceptionable kind. My house is only two streets distant. There
my wife and daughter await me, and our curé partakes of our little
supper at twelve. I am a little late," says he, listening, for the
clocks are tolling twelve; "however, it is a little more than two
hundred metres, if you will accept my invitation, and I shall be very
happy to introduce you to my wife, to my daughter Clotilde, and to our
good curé, who is a most agreeable man. Pray come, share our little
supper, see what sort of people we are, and in this way--more agreeable,
I hope, than any other, and certainly less fallacious--you can ascertain
whether I am Monsieur St. Ange, or that other gentleman with whom you
are so obliging as to confound me. Pray come; it is not much--a
fricasée, a few cutlets, an omelette, and a glass of wine. Madame St.
Ange will be charmed to make your acquaintance, my daughter will sing us
a song, and you will say that Monsieur le Curé is really a most
entertaining companion."
There was something so simple and thoroughly good-natured in this
invitation, under all the circumstances, that Mr. Arden felt a little
ashamed of his persistent annoyance of so hospitable a fellow, and for
the moment he was convinced that he must have been in error.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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