My Lady Nicotine: A Study in SmokeBarrie, J. M. (James Matthew)
General
My Lady Nicotine: A Study in Smoke
Barrie, J. M. (James Matthew)
Smoking -- Anecdotes; Tobacco -- Anecdotes; Wit and humor, Pictorial
As "The Jubilee Odes" will doubtless yet be collected by another hand,
little need be said here of the work. Mr. Pettigrew was to make his
collection as complete as the limited space at his disposal (two
volumes) would allow; the only original writing in the book being a
sketch of the various schemes suggested for the celebration of the
Jubilee. It was this sketch that killed him. On the morning of the 27th,
when he intended beginning it, he rose at an unusually early hour,
and was seen from the windows of the house pacing the garden in an
apparently agitated state of mind. He ate no breakfast. One of his
daughters states that she noticed a wild look in his eyes during the
morning meal; but, as she did not remark on it at the time, much stress
need not be laid on this. The others say that he was unusually quiet and
silent. All, however, noticed one thing. Generally, when he had literary
work to do, he was anxious to begin upon his labors, and spent little
time at the breakfast-table. On this occasion he sat on. Even after the
breakfast things were removed he seemed reluctant to adjourn to the
study. His wife asked him several times if he meant to begin "The
Jubilee Odes" that day, and he always replied in the affirmative. But
he talked nervously of other things; and, to her surprise--though she
thought comparatively little of it at the time--drew her on to a
discussion on summer bonnets. As a rule, this was a subject which he
shunned. At last he rose, and, going slowly to the window, looked out
for a quarter of an hour. His wife asked him again about "The Jubilee
Odes," and he replied that he meant to begin directly. Then he went
round the morning-room, looking at the pictures on the walls as if for
the first time. After that he leaned for a little while against the
mantelpiece, and then, as if an idea had struck him, began to wind up
the clock. He went through the house winding up the clocks, though this
duty was usually left to a servant; and when that was over he came back
to the breakfast-room and talked about Waterbury watches. His wife had
to go to the kitchen, and he followed her. On their way back they passed
the nursery, and he said he thought he would go in and talk to the
nurse. This was very unlike him. At last his wife said that it would
soon be luncheon-time, and then he went to the study. Some ten minutes
afterward he wandered into the dining-room, where she was arranging some
flowers. He seemed taken aback at seeing her, but said, after a moment's
thought, that the study door was locked and he could not find the key.
This astonished her, as she had dusted the room herself that morning.
She went to see, and found the study door standing open. When she
returned to the dining-room he had disappeared. They searched for him
everywhere, and eventually discovered him in the drawing-room, turning
over a photograph album. He then went back to the study. His wife
accompanied him, and, as was her custom, filled his pipe for him. He
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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