The Mystery of the Clasped Hands: A NovelBoothby, Guy
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The Mystery of the Clasped Hands: A Novel
Boothby, Guy
Detective and mystery stories; Fiction
On leaving Pall Mall Godfrey took a cab to Bond Street, and for upward
of an hour paced religiously up and down that fashionable thoroughfare.
Then, taking another cab, he drove to Euston, where he spent at least
three-quarters of an hour inspecting the various trains that passed in
and out of the station, pottering about the bookstalls, and glaring at
the travellers who approached him. As every one is aware who lives in
the neighbourhood, there is only one good train in the afternoon that
stops at Detwich, hence his reason for going to the station at that
hour. As the time approached for that train to leave, he grew more and
more nervous, and when the train itself at length backed into the
station to take up its passengers, his anxiety became almost pitiable to
watch. Placing himself near the bookstall, he scrutinized every
passenger who approached him. At last he became aware of two figures,
who were making their way leisurely along the platform in search of an
empty carriage. One was Lady Devereux, tall, gray-haired, and eminently
dignified; her companion there is no need to describe. It struck
Godfrey, as he watched her, that never in his life had he seen so pretty
a face or figure. Nerving himself to carry out the operation he had in
mind, he strolled down the platform, then turning, walked back along the
train, glancing into the various carriages as he passed, until he
reached that in which the two ladies were seated. Then, as if he were
more than surprised at seeing them, he lifted his hat.
“How do you do, Lady Devereux?” he said. “This is an altogether
unexpected meeting!” Then, having saluted the younger lady, he inquired
whether they would permit him to travel down with them.
“Do so, by all means,” Lady Devereux replied. “Molly and I have been
obliged to put up with each other’s company since the early morning. But
how is it that you are not hunting to-day, Mr. Henderson?”
“An old friend has just returned from America,” Godfrey remarked, “and
he invited me to lunch with him. Otherwise I should have been out, of
course.”
Whether Miss Molly believed this statement or not I can not say, but I
do not think it probable. One thing was plain; on this particular
occasion she had made up her mind not to be gracious to the poor young
man, and when he endeavoured to draw her into conversation, she answered
him shortly, and then retired into the seclusion of her newspaper.
Why she should have treated him so it is impossible to say, but there
could be no sort of doubt that she was offended at something. In
consequence the poor fellow was about as miserable a specimen of the
human race as could have been found in England that day. When Detwich
was reached, he saw the two ladies to their carriage, and bade them
good-bye. Then, mounting to the box of his own dog-cart, he sent the
horse flying down the street at a pace that, had he not been well known,
would in all probability have secured him an interview with a
magistrate.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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