The Mystery of the Clasped Hands: A NovelBoothby, Guy
General
The Mystery of the Clasped Hands: A Novel
Boothby, Guy
Detective and mystery stories; Fiction
“By to-morrow morning’s train,” he answered. “I shall pick up the mail
boat at Ismailia and travel in her to Naples. If all goes well I shall
be in England to-morrow week. But look here, Victor, when you come to
think of it there’s not the least necessity for you to come, too. It
would be no end of a shame to rob you of your holiday. Why should you
not go on and finish the tour by yourself? Why not come with me as far
as Port Said, and catch the steamer for Jaffa there?”
“It’s very good of you, my dear Godfrey,” said Fensden, “but----”
“Let there be no ‘buts,’” the other returned. “It’s all arranged. When
you come home you shall describe your adventures to me.”
Needless to say, in the end Fensden agreed to the proposal, and next day
they accordingly bade each other good-bye on the promenade deck of the
mail steamer that was to take Henderson as far as Naples. Fensden was
beginning to realize that it was by no means unpleasant to have a rich
and generous friend. Poverty was doubtless romantic and artistic, but a
well-filled pocket-book meant good hotels and the best of wines and
living.
While the boat ploughed her way across the Mediterranean, an idea
occurred to Godfrey, and he resolved to act upon it. It was neither more
nor less than to utilize what little time was given him in Naples in
seeking out Teresina and assuring himself of her comfort in her old
home. He had quite convinced himself by this time that any affection he
might once have felt for her was now dead and buried. For this reason he
saw no possible danger in paying her a visit. “Victor made more of it,”
he argued, “than the circumstances had really warranted. Had he not said
anything about it, there would have been no trouble, and in that case
Teresina would still be in London, and sitting to me.”
As soon as the vessel was in harbour, he collected his luggage and made
his way ashore. A cab conveyed him to an hotel he had patronized before;
and when he was safely installed there, and realized that he could not
proceed on his journey until the next morning, he resolved to set out in
search of Teresina. Producing her letter from his pocket-book he made a
note of the address, and then started upon his errand, to discover that
the signorina Cardi’s home took some little finding. At last, however,
he succeeded, only to be informed by an intelligent neighbour that the
signora was not at home, while the signorina had gone out some fifteen
minutes before. Considerably disappointed, he turned to descend the
steps to find himself face to face with Teresina herself as he stepped
into the street. She uttered a little exclamation of astonishment and
delight at seeing him.
“How is it that you are here, signor?” she inquired, when they had
greeted each other. “I did not know that you were in Naples.”
“I only arrived this afternoon,” he answered. “I am on my way to
England.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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