A Modern Remesis;

Thames Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4242, 5 August 1882, Page 1

A Modern Remesis;

08,.. A CHASE AFTER A KUNAWAY . WIFE. ♦ Mr Claycrton married bis pretty wife with bis eyes open,; knowing that she was n notorious flirt, a>id was more than half* engaged to hsr tjousin, Dick Alton, of the Artillery. His friends' called him an old fool, and bis enemies said he deserved his fate, for nobody doubted that marriage would prove an equivocal blessing to him. But Mr Claverton showed himself equal to the situation,- for in the earliest days of the honeymoon be succeeded in impressing upon bis wife that, though nearly double her age, he was not to be trifled with, and intended to be master of his own house. Whether Mrs Claverton took this wholesome lesson to heart, or whether she whs prompted by laudable aspirations, it is certain that she became more sober and discreet in her conduct, and, to all outward appearance, developed into a devoted and attentive wife. But' unfortnnateiy things were not as they seemed in the Clarerton menage. Mr Clarerton regarded his wife with suspicious jealousy, and showed a disposition to be somewhat harsh and exacting. He was one of those men who will lock up a grievance in their bosoms, and brood over it in secret until it is magnified into undue importance. If anyone paid his wife the slightest attention he chafed and fretted himself into a fever, though he probably said nothing to her on the subject, But gradually he began to keep a strict watch upon her, to look askance at her private correspondence, or to be inquisitive when she went 1 up to town for a day's shopping, or to pay a visit. He had thought lightly enough of the rumors of his wife's love of admiration in the halcyon days of his courtship and honeymoon; but as soon at they were fairly launched into matrimony, this feminine weakness troubled him very much indeed, and caused him to be - haunted by dismal forebodings as to what it might lead to. ■•■-.•...

Mrs Claverton, on her part, showed symptoms of rebellion at the restraints which her husband put upon her. She was not a strong-minded woman, and generally yielded to his wishes. But on several occasions she openly resented her husband's distrustful conduct, and Mr Clayerton instinctively felt that a serious quarrel might arise any day. He thought the momentous occasion had arrived when he intimated to her that her cousin, Dick Alton, came to the honse too frequently, and requested her to ask him to discontinue his visits. But though he had nerved himself for the ordeal, Mr Claverton was spared a domestic fracas upon this subject. His wife did not attempt to argue the point, but yielded with a sort of sullen surprise. From that moment, however, he fancied he perceived a marked change in his wife's manirer; she had fits of abstraction, and went about her duties listlessly ; and it dawned upon the alHicted husband that his own image had by no means effaced that of the old and constant admirer. One evening, Mr Claverton who was a Government official of some standing, was detained late at the office, and finding he could not reach his suburban home in time for dinner, he turned into his club— the Blenheim—to take his meal there. A sjroup of youug fellows were talkiog in frout of the fire iv the smoking-room an he entered, and the hateful name of his wife's handsome cousin cropped up and attracted his attention. " What! Dick Alton! " exclaimed one, in accents of surprise. "Who saw him?" " JBraithwaite. He spoke to him just now at the station." " Who has he gone off with ? " resumed the questioner, in incredulous, tones. ••With " Mr Claverton strained his ears to catch

the reply; but, unfortunately, his eager attitude was remarked by a prudent member of the party, who nudged the speaker, and the name was uttered in a whisper. Mr Claverton. felt embarrased at having betrayed curiosity, the more especially as he really did not care the least who Dick Alton had gone off with. He had heard, however, quite sufficient to" put him in a good humor for the rest of the evening, for it was evident that his wife's lover had compromised himself with somebody, and would therefore, probably disappear from the scene. The ; keen satisfaction which he experienced at this welcome intelligence gave him an excellent appetite for dinner, and sent him home, at a decently early hour, in an and conciliatory frame of mind. But he received a rude shock when he reached his house, and learnt that his wife had gone out just before dinner time, and had not yet returned. The servants . informed him that their mistress; upon the receipt of a telegram, had ordered the brougham, and driven to the station, sending back a verbal message by the coachmau to her husband that she would . write. The.coachman, on being interrogated, said He believed Mrs Claverton mentioned that she was going up to town, - but her manner was so agitated and nervous that she hardly, seemed conscious of what she was saying. Mr Claverton was struck dumb by this intelligence, and at once divined what had happened. The recollection, of the conversation he had overheard at the club flashed upon him like a revelation. It was evidently not by a mere coincidence that his wife had disappeared suddenly and mysteriously the same afternoon that Dick Alton went off with—somebody; and he bitterly realised that he had been chuckling over an incident which involved disgrace and misery to himself. For a few moments he was paralysed with dismay and astonishment. But his energetic nature soon began to assert itself. He went upstairs and packed a few clothes in a portmanteau; then, with clenched teeth and throbbing heart, he unlocked the mahogany case in which he kept his revolver, and carefully loaded all the chambers. He told the servants he was going to join his mistress in town, and haying-fortified himself with a stiff glass , of brandy, he caught the last train to London;, His brain was in a whirl with furious excitement, and the only definite idea he had in his mind was a fixed determination to overtake the guilty pair. He did not pause to consider what he should do if he , succeeded in this, but the presence of the revolver in his side-pocket afforded him savage satisfaction. - On arriving at the 11 OUondon terminus, he drove to Alton's club, and ascertained from the hall porter that tho Captain had started for the Continent, by the evening mail. Mr Claverton controlled his impatience as best he could till the'next morning, when he followed in pursuit. Instinct, rather than reason, caused him to go straight to Paris, for it never occurred to him that the fugitives might have stopped short of the capital or branched off to Belgium. Guided by his knowledge of Dick Alton's habits, he made inquiries at the more expensive hotels, and at Maurice's he obtained a clue. An English gentleman .^answering the runaway's description, and ,Vv^i«c6mpanied bjr^a .lady,, had arrived that ■^pornihg and just'left; and, although they 'Jft-^.lrtui -given the names of Mr and Mrs *'|S V "Winter/Alton's personal appearance was sufficiently striking to be easily identi- . fied.

Mr Claverton did not hesitate to continue the pursuit. .He had worked himself into a state of frenzied activity, | and was consumed with furious rage and jealousy. A burning thirst for revenge deprived him of his sober senses, and made him unmindful of everything but the immediate object he had in view. He devoted several days to tracking tlie fugitives from place to place with relentless and untiring perseverance, undauc ted by failure, indifferent to discomfort and fatigue, and only spurred to fresh exertions when it -became evident that Alton was endeavoring to evade him. In this desperate and exciting operation Mr Claverton spent more than a week ; and though bis fierce - determination never wavered, he began to be conscious both of physical and mental prostration, which seriously interfered with his self-imposed task. • One afternoon Mr Claverton found himself in the quaint old town of Mantes. He was there quite by chance, being en routS from Evreox, whither he thought he had succeeded in tracing the delinquents. Having to wait an hour in order to change trains at Mantes Junction, he strolled listlessly down the main street, and was walking along, brooding over his wrongs, with his eyes bent on the ground, when he suddenly heard a familiar voice, and looking up quickly, he beheld hand, some Dick Alton lolling out of one of the windows of the principal hotel, smoking a cigar and conversing with someone inside the room. Mr Claverton could hardly believe his eyes, but fierce indignation and hatred soon overcame his astonishment. Alton's head was turned away from him, and Mr Olaverton crossed the road and entered the hotel withoutbeing noticed. Passing unceremoniously through tbe vestibule, he rushed up the stairs and made straight for the room which Alton occupied.. Though bis movements were rapid, his footsteps had evidently given warning of his approach, for, on flinging operi the door, he only caught a glimpse of the skirt of a dress bs the wearer disappeared into the adjoining room, and left Alton alone.

Alton, who-was- visible embarrassed, started and stared at Mr Claverton as he entered, with a puzzled expression.

" Mr Claverton ! " he exclaimed, making a step forward.

"Yes sir," said the outraged husband, waving him back: " I have been seeking this interview some time."

: " Indeed ! Pray be seated," said Alton, recovering his coolness, and staring intently at his visitor.

Mr Claverton dropped into a chair, partly from sheer weariness,-:' and partly because, now that the supreme moment had come, he felt strangely at a loss what to say. He forgot all about the deadly weapon which he carried in his pocket, and was only conscious of keen and poignant emotion at the prospect of meeting his faithless wife face to face.

"Captain Alton," he said.'as soon as he recovered his speech, " you must be aware what has brought me here. You—you cannot deny that you have a certain lady with you."

Alton bowed rather defiantly, but said nothing.

" I—l have tracked you from place to place since you left England," continued Mr Claverton, rather taken aback by the sang froid of the niati who had wronged him. " I vowed that you should not escape me."

"Then you are the person who has been persistently dodging our Footsteps?" exclaimed Alton, suddenly, in a tone of astonishment.

"Yes, sir; who else should it be?" said Mr Claverton, severely.

Before Alton could reply, the .door of communication with the adjoining room was thrown open, and a pretty girl made her appearance, looking pale and agitated. Mr Claverton started violently at the apparition, and the room seemed to swim round him. He only just caught a glimpse of the lady's face, for Alton .quickly interposed, and led her out, gently, but firmly ; but that glance was sufficient to convey to his bewildered mind that Alton's companion was not Mrs Claverton.

"My darling ! Look up. It's all right. He is not your guardian. There has been some mistake," were the first words that he grasped of the hurried dialogue which was going on in the next room ; and the next moment Alton entered in great agitation, and rang a peal at the bell. 11 Excuse me a moment, Mr Claverton," he said, as he went out again, "my wife has fainted. You will, find yesterday's Times on the table. It has just arrived." Mr Claverton mechanically unfolded the newspaper, and spread out the sheet before him. Overwhelmed by the intensity of his emotions, life was too agitated to read, or even think coherently; so he sat for several minutes in a dazed state, with his eyes fixed vacantly on a column of the police intelligence. By degrees he became conscious that his own name stared him in the face, and he read slowly the following interesting item :—

Gbeat Mablbohough stbbet. —Another Mysterious Disappearance.— -Mr Wright, a solicitor, asked the magistrate's permission to make a statement with reference to Mr Spencer Claverton, who mysteriously disappeared from his home on the 20th inst., and has not yet been heard of. The missing gentleman left his residence at Sydenham suddenly on the evening of the day named, with the ostensible object of joining his wife, who had been summoned to the death-bed of her mother in London. He never reached his destination, and, though every inquiry has been made, bis relatives had not succeeded in tracing him. Mr Claverton was described as a stout middle aged gentleman, of medium height, with grey hair, inclined to baldness, and short, black whiskers. Mr Wright added that his unfortunate client had been very strange and excited in his manner for some weeks previous to his disappearance, and there was reason to fear he bad gone out of his mind. The magistrate expressed his sympathy with the wife and relatives of the missing gentleman, and said that no douubt the press would notice the application.— Truth.