The Prophet of Berkeley Square
me evening, after he had dressed for din
onfirmed conspirator, and glanced rather furtiv
to your orders," replied Mr. Ferdin
here have yo
to say I might throw it in
suddenly dis
You have
, no,
het's fa
where
oment I have set it i
dee
nd, in some confusion, which, however, was not noticed by the Pr
," returned the Pro
be taken to the draw
ophet
very rightly say-a butler's pantry is the place f
er knew of the Lord Chancellor's agreeable-looking second-cook. After pausing a moment re
nt, Mr. F
ir
mom
d his throat, arranged his tie, and then said
ally go to bed, Mr. Ferdin
time, sir, and som
rather a
pardo
ur for being quite-tha
ly in b
ne bass voice vibr
in bed, but really
dinand, with decided dignity,
hen's
welve
, with slightly theatrical solicitude.
, sir,
ou so pale, Mr. Ferd
y incapable of acquiring even the most universal complaints, and, moreover, miraculously exempt from
y a quarter to eleven. And Gustavus too! He is young, and the young can't be too c
firmly rooted to the Turkey carpet with surprise as if he had been
ravagant plea of sudden illness or second gaiety, stood in the small and sober pa
" said the functionary whom the club grew under gla
is gentleman
aper, in which Robert Green was sitting alone, smoking a large cigar and glancing at the "stony-broke edition" of an evening paper. He greeted the Prophet with his usual unaffected cordiality, of
time to light the cigar, "what, in your opin
ghtly belated, face assumed an e
s not so easy. But-hang it, we all understand the
e tone of a man at odds with several consci
en, with the decided manner which had made hi
an to look very
s way," he said. "Would an honourab
the
e feel bound to k
if he'd m
ose h
to pucker his brows and stare very hard indeed in the en
ese two promises were diametri
ked obliquely at the carpet, pre
led them both he'd ha
, I've lost it!
break one he would be forced to b
n't believe I h
ilently, repeating
ow," he said, after three minut
would you
was a dam
looked ver
nt to him. What wou
was a dam
oughly broken down. However, he
able resignation-as of a toad beneath t
en! I've got to shun
you would say of,
a bit! Yes, I've done
de, what should you a
uch a damned
an about the
abou
sense of honour c
ch a damned fool'd go
he stuck with feverish
Bob, h
pon my word I don't. You'll
e it from me. He had. Now w
he made
the Prophe
es
relative, the other to-well, B
rt of st
river, and who-who mix principally with-wel
t of str
re deci
n, you k
the Prophet, hastily. "The point
the relative. Wait a bit, th
ef. But some dreadful sense of hone
honour to the architects-that is, to
pledged it to
ll,
is honour over, of course. Nice for the relative! The
he first decisive step that was to lead to so many co
e was no other sound, and he felt certain that Mr. Ferdinand and Gustavus had heeded his anxious medical directions and gone entirely to bed betimes, leaving the butler's pantry free for the nocturnal operations of the victim of Madame. For he recognised that she was the guiding spirit of the family that dwelt beside the Mouse. He might have escaped out of the snare of Mr. Sagittarius, but Madame was a fowler who would hold him fast till she had satisfied herself once and for all whether it were indeed possible to dwell in the central districts, within reach of the Army and Navy heaven in Victoria Street, and yet rem
ck uttered a silver note, his pent-in breath escaped with a loud gulp,
sey! He
s lip and went at
a beautiful muslin helmet trimmed with lace, and a delicious embroidered wrapper rou
he said, "what is it? Y
e twelve. Have you h
e and very witty. And we had a marvellous sup
s her due. She knew very well that she was the most popula
od-night,
ak. It seemed to him almost more than sacrilegious to make of this dear and honoured ornament of old age a vehicl
ght, my
d him, th
Lady Enid,
y mu
He thinks her such a th
the Prophet, concea
with you, Hennessey, you should
't to-day
re real
busy i
y saw her for a mo
was
Prophet, having hurried out in the hope of discovering who were
ia dropped
at once. You look quite tired. I am so thank
knew, for the first time, what criminals with consciences feel
, which he had succeeded in obtaining that night from a small working astronomer's shop in the Edgeware Road, and, mindful of the terms of his oath and the decided opinion of Robert Green, scurried hastily, but very gingerly
had approached it. Quite recently, when Mrs. Fancy Quinglet had broken into tears on the refusal of Sir Tiglath Butt to burst according to her prediction, he had handed her to this very portal. But he had never passed through it, nor did he know what lay beyond. No doubt there was a kitchen, very probably the mysterious region of watery activ
was a Cook's Almanac for the Home, decorated in bright colours, a Butler's own book, bound in claret-coloured linen, and a large framed photograph of Francatelli, that immortal chef whose memory is kept green in so many kitchens, and whose recipes are still followed as are followed the footprints of the great ones in the Everlasting Sands of Time. One corner of the room Gustavus had made his own, and here might be seen his tasteful what-not and his little library-neatly arranged unabridged farthing editions of Drummond's Ascent of Man, M
a sink. He had gained the scullery, but not his goal. To the right of the sink was yet another door through which the Prophet, who carried the planisphere in one hand, the George the Third candlestick in the other, rather excitedly debouched into a good-sized passage. As he did so he heard the muffled alto voice of the eight-day clock proclaim that it was a quarter-past eleven. Feeling that he was now upon the point of breaking both the promises of the damned fool, the Prophet hastened along the passage, darted through the first outlet, and found himself abruptly face to back with what appeared at first glance to be an enormously broad and bow-legged dwarf, with a bald head and a black tail coat, which, in an attitude of savage curiosity, was gazing through a gigantic instrument, whose muzzle projected from an open window into a spacious area. So great was the Prophet's surprise, so supreme the shock to his whole nervous system occasioned by this unexpected encounter, that he did not utter a cry. His amazement carried him into that terrible region which lies beyond the realms of speech. He simply stood quite still and gazed at the bow-legge
ce, the Prophet resolved to beat a rapid and noiseless retreat. He carried this resolve into execution by turning sharply round, knocking his head against a plate chest, firing the George
s somewhat advanced age. It might be more just to state that, without wasting any precious time in useless elongation, he described an exceedingly rapid circular movement, still preserving the shortened form of himself which had
ing every symptom of anguish, with the exception of a rapi
Ferdinand's special sanctum was prompted by the fact that, just as he was speaking, he happ
is just what I wan
ntered quietly away with it into the darkness, leaving Mr. Ferdinand still in the attitude of a Toby jug, the planisphere still hea