The Lost Lady of LoneSouthworth, Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte
General
The Lost Lady of Lone
Southworth, Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte
Fiction
"Oh, yes, I know what you said before. You insinuated that Salome may be
insane from the latent effects of her recent brain fever, developed by
the excitement of the last few days. And, Heaven knows, you may be right!
It looks like it! Mysteriously gone off on her wedding day, in the
interim between the wedding breakfast and the wedding tour! Gone off
alone, no one knows where, without having left an explanation or a
message for any one. What can have taken her out? Where can she be? Why
don't she return? And night coming on fast. If she does not return within
half an hour, you will miss the next train also, Duke," exclaimed Lady
Belgrade, pausing in her restless walk, and throwing herself heavily into
her chair again.
"Perhaps," said the Duke, in great perplexity, "we had better have the
lady's maid up again, and question her more strictly in regard to the
strange visitor's name and address; for I feel certain that the
disappearance of the duchess is immediately connected with the visit of
that woman. If we can, by judicious questions, so stimulate the memory of
the girl as to obtain accurate information about the name and residence,
we can send and make inquiries."
For all answer, Lady Belgrade arose and rung the bell for about the
twentieth time that afternoon.
And Margaret Watson was again called to the drawing-room and questioned.
"Indeed, if you please, my lady, I am very sorry. I would give anything
in the world if I could only remember exactly what the old person's name
was, and where she lived. But indeed, my lady, what with being very
much engaged with waiting on her grace, and packing up the last little
things for the journey, and getting together the dressing-bags and such
like, and having of my mind on them and not on the woman, and no ways
expecting anything like this to happen, I wasn't that interested in the
visitor to tax my memory with her affairs. But I know her name was a
common one, like Smith or Jones, and I _think_ it was Jones. And I
know she said she lived on Westminster Road or Blackfriars Road, or some
other road leading over a bridge, which I remember because it made me
think about the river. But I couldn't tell which," said the girl in
answer to the cross-questioning.
"And is that all you can tell us?" inquired Lady Belgrade.
"I beg pardon, my lady, but that is all I can remember," meekly replied
the girl.
"Then you might as well remember nothing. You can go!" said Lady
Belgrade, in deep displeasure.
The girl retired, a little crestfallen.
"Is there any other fool you would like to have called up and
cross-examined, Duke?" sarcastically inquired the lady.
The duke made a gesture of negation. And the lady relapsed into painful
silence.
And now another weary, weary hour crept by without bringing news of the
lost one.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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