The Lunatic at Large Read online

  CHAPTER II.

  "By the way," said Escott, a couple of days later, "how is your mysteriousman getting on? I haven't seen him myself yet."

  Sherlaw laughed.

  "He's turning out a regular sportsman, by George! For the first day he wasmore or less in the same state in which he arrived. Then he began to wakeup and ask questions. 'What the devil is this place?' he said to me in theevening. It may sound profane, but he was very polite, I assure you. Itold him, and he sort of raised his eyebrows, smiled, and thanked me likea Prime Minister acknowledging an obligation. Since then he has steadilydeveloped sporting, not to say frisky, tastes. He went out this morning,and in five minutes had his arm round one of the prettiest nurses' waist.And she didn't seem to mind much either, by George!"

  "He'll want a bit of looking after, I take it."

  "Seems to me he is uncommonly capable of taking care of himself. The restof the establishment will want looking after, though."

  From this time forth the mysterious gentleman began to regularly take theair and to be remarked, and having once remarked him, people looked again.

  Mr Francis Beveridge, for such it appeared was his name, was distinguishedeven for Clankwood. Though his antecedents were involved in mystery, somuch confidence was placed in Dr Congleton's discrimination that theunknown stranger was at once received on the most friendly terms by everyone; and, to tell the truth, it would have been hard to repulse him forlong. His manner was perfect, his conversation witty to the extremestverge of propriety, and his clothes, fashionable in cut and ofunquestionable fit, bore on such of the buttons as were made of metal thehall mark of a leading London firm. He wore the longest and most silkymoustaches ever seen, and beneath them a short well-tended beard completedhis resemblance--so the ladies declared--to King Charles of unhappy memory.The melancholic Mr Jones (quondam author of 'Sunflowers--A Lyrical Medley')declared, indeed, that for Mr Beveridge shaving was prohibited, and darklywhispered "suicidal," but his opinion was held of little account.

  It was upon a morning about a week after his arrival that Dr Escott, alonein the billiard-room, saw him enter. Escott had by this time made hisacquaintance, and, like almost everybody else, had already succumbed tothe fascination of his address.

  "Good morning, doctor," he said; "I wish you to do me a trifling favour, amere bending of your eyes."

  Escott laughed.

  "I shall be delighted. What is it?"

  Mr Beveridge unbuttoned his waistcoat and displayed his shirt-front.

  "I only want you to be good enough to read the inscription written here."

  The doctor bent down.

  " 'Francis Beveridge,' " he said. "That's all I see."

  "And that's all I see," said Mr Beveridge. "Now what can you read here? Iam not troubling you?"

  He held out his handkerchief as he spoke.

  "Not a bit," laughed the doctor, "but I only see 'Francis Beveridge' heretoo, I'm afraid."

  "Everything has got it," said Mr Beveridge, shaking his head, it would behard to say whether humorously or sadly. " 'Francis Beveridge' oneverything. It follows, I suppose, that I am Francis Beveridge?"

  "What else?" asked Escott, who was much amused.

  "That's just it. What else?" said the other. He smiled a peculiarlycharming smile, thanked the doctor with exaggerated gratitude, andstrolled out again.

  "He is a rum chap," reflected Escott.

  And indeed in the outside world he might safely have been termed ratherrum, but here in this backwater, so full of the oddest flotsam, hiswaywardness was rather less than the average. He had, for instance, adiverting habit of modifying the time, and even the tune, of the hymns onSunday, and he confessed to having kissed all the nurses and housemaidsexcept three. But both Escott and Sherlaw declared they had never met amore congenial spirit. Mr Beveridge's game of billiards was quiteremarkable even for Clankwood, where the enforced leisure of many of thenoblemen and gentlemen had made them highly proficient on the spot; heshowed every promise, on his rare opportunities, of being an unusuallyentertaining small hour, whisky-and-soda _raconteur_; in fact, he wasevidently a man whose previous career, whatever it might have been (andhis own statements merely served to increase the mystery round thispoint), had led him through many humorous by-paths, and left him with fewrestrictive prejudices.

  November became December, and to all appearances he had settled down inhis new residence with complete resignation, when that unknowable factorthat upsets so many calculations came upon the scene,--the factor, I mean,that wears a petticoat.

  Mr Beveridge strolled into Escott's room one morning to find the doctorinspecting a mixed assortment of white kid gloves.

  "Do these mean past or future conquests?" he asked with his smile.

  "Both," laughed the doctor. "I'm trying to pick out a clean pair for thedance to-night."

  "You go a-dancing, then?"

  "Don't you know it's our own monthly ball here?"

  "Of course," said Mr Beveridge, passing his hand quickly across his brow."I must have heard, but things pass so quickly through my head nowadays."

  He laughed a little conventional laugh, and gazed at the gloves.

  "You are coming, of course?" said Escott.

  "If you can lend me a pair of these. Can you spare one?"

  "Help yourself," replied the doctor.

  Mr Beveridge selected a pair with the care of a man who is particular insuch matters, put them in his pocket, thanked the doctor, and went out.

  "Hope he doesn't play the fool," thought Escott.

  Invitations to the balls at Clankwood were naturally in great demandthroughout the county, for nowhere were noblemen so numerous anddivinities so tangible. Carriages and pairs rolled up one after another,the mansion glittered with lights, the strains of the band could be heardloud and stirring or low and faintly all through the house.

  "Who is that man dancing opposite my daughter?" asked the Countess ofGrillyer.

  "A Mr Beveridge," replied Dr Congleton.

  Mr Beveridge, in fact, the mark of all eyes, was dancing in a set oflancers. The couple opposite to him consisted of a stout elderly gentlemanwho, doubtless for the best reasons, styled himself the Emperor of the twoAmericas, and a charming little pink and flaxen partner--the Lady Alicia aFyre, as everybody who was anybody could have told you. The handsomestranger moved, as might be expected, with his accustomed grace and air ofdistinction, and, probably to convince his admirers that there was nothingmeretricious in his performance, he carried his hands in his pockets thewhole time. This certainly caused a little inconvenience to his partner,but to be characteristic in Clankwood one had to step very far out of thebeaten track.

  For two figures the Emperor snorted disapproval, but at the end of thethird, when Mr Beveridge had been skipping round the outskirts of the set,his hands still thrust out of sight, somewhat to the derangement of thecustomary procedure, he could contain himself no longer.

  "Hey, young man!" he asked in his most stentorian voice, as the musicceased, "are you afraid of having your pockets picked?"

  "Alas!" replied Mr Beveridge, "it would take two men to do that."

  "Huh!" snorted the Emperor, "you are so d--d strong, are you?"

  "I mean," answered his _vis-a-vis_ with his polite smile, "that it wouldtake one man to put something in and another to take it out."

  This remark not only turned the laugh entirely on Mr Beveridge's side, butit introduced the upsetting factor.