'It was a queer sort of opinion to get from a man of science, wasn't it?
When he was saying that he would not have looked on that face when alive
for a thousand guineas, or two thousand guineas, I was thinking of the
face I had seen, but I said nothing. I went again to Harlesden, and
passed from one shop to another, making small purchases, and trying to
find out whether there was anything about the Blacks which was not
already common property, but there was very little to hear. One of the
tradesmen to whom I spoke said he had known the dead woman well; she
used to buy of him such quantities of grocery as were required for
their small household, for they never kept a servant, but had a
charwoman in occasionally, and she had not seen Mrs. Black for months
before she died. According to this man Mrs. Black was "a nice lady,"
always kind and considerate, and so fond of her husband and he of her,
as every one thought. And yet, to put the doctor's opinion on one side,
I knew what I had seen. And then after thinking it all over, and putting
one thing with another, it seemed to me that the only person likely to
give me much assistance would be Black himself, and I made up my mind to
find him. Of course he wasn't to be found in Harlesden; he had left, I
was told, directly after the funeral. Everything in the house had been
sold, and one fine day Black got into the train with a small
portmanteau, and went, nobody knew where. It was a chance if he were
ever heard of again, and it was by a mere chance that I came across him
at last. I was walking one day along Gray's Inn Road, not bound for
anywhere in particular, but looking about me, as usual, and holding on
to my hat, for it was a gusty day in early March, and the wind was
making the treetops in the Inn rock and quiver. I had come up from the
Holborn end, and I had almost got to Theobald's Road when I noticed a
man walking in front of me, leaning on a stick, and to all appearance
very feeble. There was something about his look that made me curious, I
don't know why, and I began to walk briskly with the idea of overtaking
him, when of a sudden his hat blew off and came bounding along the
pavement to my feet. Of course I rescued the hat, and gave it a glance
as I went towards its owner. It was a biography in itself; a Piccadilly
maker's name in the inside, but I don't think a beggar would have picked
it out of the gutter. Then I looked up and saw Dr. Black of Harlesden
waiting for me. A queer thing, wasn't it? But, Salisbury, what a change!
When I saw Dr. Black come down the steps of his house at Harlesden he
was an upright man, walking firmly with well-built limbs; a man, I
should say, in the prime of his life. And now before me there crouched
this wretched creature, bent and feeble, with shrunken cheeks, and hair
that was whitening fast, and limbs that trembled and shook together, and
misery in his eyes. He thanked me for bringing him his hat, saying, "I
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account