The Man Who Lost Himself

ction that came to him, and it was a recollection tinged with evil. He felt like a man who had supped with the devil. Led by Rochester he had

wild conduct, the dinner, the smashed plates, the quarrel. He was afraid to get up and search in his pockets, he guessed their condition. He occupied himself instead, trying to imagine what would become of him with

e? He seemed mad enough to have done anything, plum crazy-would he, Jones, be held accountable for Rochester's deeds? He was fighting with this question w

oy bed room, and no clock in any hotel ever spoke in tones like th

nd sent him home in an

gs moving-then a blind upshrivelled letting the light of day upon a room never b

to the sun a face highly but evenly coloured, as though by the gentle painting of old port wine, through a l

ntenance, make, build and appearance had something grave

watched through closed eyelids whilst the apparition, w

tones with some unseen person, and returned bearing

ble by the bed, the appariti

p and looke

hings on a chair, but trousers or other things were nowhere visible, they had been spirited away. It was at this mome

Rochester's man servant. The vision of Rochester turned from an evil spirit to an angel, and filled with a warm sensation of friendliness towa

nd sent him home in an

id tha

ad and butter on a plate but he disregarded it. Whose money had

ochester? Had Rochester been robbed?

ion had vanished. A thickly carpeted corridor lay outside, a corridor silent as the hypogeum of the Apis, secretive, gorgeous, with tasseled silk curtains and hanging lamps. Jones judged these lamps to be of silver and worth a thousand dollars apiece. He had read the Arabian Nights when a boy, and like a waft now from the garden of Aladdin came a vague something

nervous anger of a man who has made a fool of himself, upon whom

t to it and pressed it twice, hard, then he opened

pes, plated with silver, hung towels of huck-a-back, white towels with cardinal red fringes. Here too, most un-Pompeian stood a w

e depth of the bath, glanced at the things on the table, and was in the act of pickin

s moving a

ing the position of chai

have the thing out now, and have done with it. He wanted a full explanation, and bravely, bu

shirt and set of pink silk undergarments over his left arm, was in the act of placing a pair of patent leather boots with

ntion shrivelled, somehow, in the act of speech.

my clothes, ple

lied the other. "I

e recollection of Rochester. Here was another practical joke. This house was evidently Rochester's-the whole thing was plain. Wel

urling his toes and nursing his resolve, when the Agile One, with an absolute gravity that disarmed all anger, entered with the dressing gown. He stood holding it up,

he left the room,

and as Jones plunged and wallowed and lay half floating, supporting himself by the silver plated rails arranged for that purpose

h his mind took a cl

lay the heart of it? Every joke has its core, and the core of this

the servants and maybe other people as well. That would be a good joke, promising all sorts of funny developments. Only it was not a joke that any man of self respect would

they would be under the delusion that he, Jones, was Rochester, d

the morning, would have a fine

ct warily, get downstairs and escape from the place as soon as possible. Later on he would settle with Rochester. The servants, if they were not partners in the joke, had taken him on his face value, his voice had evidently not betrayed him. He felt sure on this point. He left the bath and, drying hi

ght his energies to a focus

e glossy haired one was putting

ne," said Jones, brusquely, a

my L

swiftly, but not hurriedly, taking ca

od so complete and a mechanism so perfectly co

," he said to himself, "he'd have acted just the

n less than a minute and a half Expedition had retu

es as a shock to have his underpants held out fo

o Jones-and the

e manner. He was allowed to put on his own socks, silk and never worn before, but he was not allowed to

each button of the said links having in its centre a small black pearl, a collar and a subfusc coloured silk t

c with a tiny monogram also in whit

passed to a table on which stood a small oak cabinet. Opening the

to some prescribed rule, he left the room car

up the watc

to be worn with dress clothes, and this fact presented to the mind of Jones a confirmation of the idea that,

is own old Waterbury and rolled gold chain, and the f

this matter at once, an

et answ

ght-er-was there anything

had taken everythin

ch and

my

e clothes I

my L

d fetc

d in a minute with a bundle of

you'd want to put the matter in the hands of th

rday lay there, and the sight of them filled his mind with a nostalgia and

n him to take the exhibitor of these remnants of his past into his confidence. To say right out: "I'm Jones. V

before Rochester returned, what might be the result? Whatever the result might be one thing was cer

delphia," he said: "Take them away," and finding

article that might cast suspicion, or raise the suspicion that he, Jones, was not Rochester. T

nd make his escape. He was savagely hungry, but he reckoned the

Fate arrest him before the return of Rochester, he came down the corridor to a landing giving upo

uffs, women without armour or ruffs, or even a rag of chiffon, pictures worth millions of dollar

well of the hall, then he b

self in another suit, and once more himself, go for Rochester, but this was no hall with a hat-rack and umbrella-stand. Knights in armour were guarding

for him. Not to enter the room thus indicated would have been possible enough

s subdued to his surrounding

e at a breakfast table and before a silver tea urn sat a lady of

ome other letters up. Then she, literally, swept from the room. She looked at him as she pass

new at once. Nothing had been discovered, the delusion held even for this woman, that glance was meant for Ro

d then yielding to caution, he took his seat at t

n envelope on the ta

: Venetia

ton Hous

on,

cription written in

e breakfast-room of 10A Carlton House

he fact that a flunkey-they seemed as numerous as flies in May-was at his elbow with a menu, whilst another flunkey, who seeme

," said he, loo

coffee,

ffe

l gentleman who had pulled up his window blind that morning entered. Mr. Church, for Jones had already gathered that to be his name, carried a little yellow basket filled with letters in his right hand, and in his left a great sheaf, The

rds of correction to the flunkey near the sideboard, who had omitted, n

d at the top

l of Ro

ton House

on,

o had played him this trick. It was plain, too, now

eing in a trap came upon him now for the first time. The joke had lost any semblance of colour, the thing was serious. Roc

rt of a peer of the realm, he must escape as swiftly as possible from this nest of flunkeys, an

He could not leave them unopened and untouched on the table without raising suspicion. He took them from t

ur. A room where he might leave the infernal letters, and find a bell t

worn Turkey carpet on the floor, saddle bag easy chairs, and a great escritoire in the window, open and showing pigeon holes containing note paper

rette box on a little table by one of the easy chairs, matc

s long, and costing perhaps half-a-crown. A real Havana cigar. Now in London there are only four places where you can obtain a real and perfect Havana cigar. That is to say four

eparatory to ringing the bell. He was approaching the electric button for this purpose, when the faint and far away murmuring of

ot long

elf. She was dressed for going out, wearing a hat that seemed a yard in diameter, and a f

er," said she. "I a

," sai

ame right in and close

ck close to the door

knows that was bad enough, I am talking of everything, of your poor wife who loves you still, of the estate you have ruined by your luna

actions. Well, go on drinking and you will end in Bedlam instead of the workhouse. They call you 'Mad Rochester'; you know that." She

whole affair. This Rochester was a thoroughly bad lot

he. "I am not the

cried th

, passed out, and s

es, for the second time in

sound of the car had ceased. The lady of the feather boa had evidentl

o the hall where a huge flunkey-a new one, more c

," said

dled cane, and a pair of new suede gloves of a delicate dove colour. The

itted, by