Author: Arthur Machen
Category: Fiction
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ADVENTURE OF THE MISSING BROTHER.
Mr. Charles Phillipps was, as has been hinted, a gentleman of pronouncedscientific tastes. In his early days he had devoted himself with fondenthusiasm to the agreeable study of biology, and a brief monograph onthe Embryology of the Microscopic Holothuria had formed his firstcontribution to the belles lettres. Later, he had somewhat relaxed theseverity of his pursuits, and had dabbled in the more frivolous subjectsof palaeontology and ethnology; he had a cabinet in his sitting-roomwhose drawers were stuffed with rude flint implements, and a charmingfetish from the South Seas was the dominant note in the decorativescheme of the apartment. Flattering himself with the title ofmaterialist, he was in truth one of the most credulous of men, but herequired a marvel to be neatly draped in the robes of science before hewould give it any credit, and the wildest dreams took solid shape to himif only the nomenclature were severe and irreproachable; he laughed atthe witch, but quailed before the powers of the hypnotist, lifting hiseyebrows when Christianity was mentioned, but adoring protyle and theether. For the rest, he prided himself on a boundless scepticism; theaverage tale of wonder he heard with nothing but contempt, and he wouldcertainly not have credited a word or syllable of Dyson's story of thepursuer and pursued unless the gold coin had been produced as visibleand tangible evidence. As it was he half suspected that Dyson hadimposed on him; he knew his friend's disordered fancies, and his habitof conjuring up the marvellous to account for the entirely commonplace;and on the whole he was inclined to think that the so-called facts inthe odd adventure had been gravely distorted in the telling. Since theevening on which he had listened to the tale, he had paid Dyson a visit,and had delivered himself of some serious talk on the necessity ofaccurate observation, and the folly, as he put it, of using akaleidoscope instead of a telescope in the view of things, to whichremarks his friend had listened with a smile that was extremely sardonic"My dear fellow," Dyson had remarked at last, "you will allow me to tellyou that I see your drift perfectly. However, you will be astonished tohear that I consider you to be the visionary, while I am a sober andserious spectator of human life. You have gone round the circle, andwhile you fancy yourself far in the golden land of new philosophies, youare in reality a dweller in a metaphorical Clapham; your scepticism hasdefeated itself and become a monstrous credulity; you are in fact in theposition of the bat or owl, I forget which it was, who denied theexistence of the sun at noonday, and I shall be astonished if you do notone day come to me full of contrition for your manifold intellectualerrors, with a humble resolution to see things in their true light forthe future." This tirade had left Mr. Phillipps unimpressed; heconsidered Dyson as hopeless, and he went home to gloat over someprimitive stone implements that a friend had sent him from India. Hefound that his landlady, seeing them displayed in all their rudeformlessness upon the table, had removed the collection to the dustbin,and had replaced it by lunch; and the afternoon was spent in malodorousresearch. Mrs. Brown, hearing these stones spoken of as very valuableknives, had called him in his hearing "poor Mr. Phillipps," and betweenrage and evil odors he spent a sorry afternoon. It was four o'clockbefore he had completed his work of rescue; and, overpowered with theflavors of decaying cabbage-leaves, Phillipps felt that he must have awalk to gain an appetite for the evening meal. Unlike Dyson, he walkedfast, with his eyes on the pavement, absorbed in his thoughts andoblivious of the life around him; and he could not have told by whatstreets he had passed, when he suddenly lifted up his eyes and foundhimself in Leicester Square. The grass and flowers pleased him, and hewelcomed the opportunity of resting for a few minutes, and glancinground, he saw a bench which had only one occupant, a lady, and as shewas seated at one end, Phillipps took up a position at the otherextremity, and began to pass in angry review the events of theafternoon. He had noticed as he came up to the bench that the personalready there was neatly dressed, and to all appearance young; her facehe could not see, as it was turned away in apparent contemplation of theshrubs, and moreover shielded with her hand; but it would be doingwrong to Mr. Phillipps to imagine that his choice of a seat was dictatedby any hopes of an affair of the heart; he had simply preferred thecompany of one lady to that of five dirty children, and having seatedhimself was immersed directly in thoughts of his misfortunes. He hadmeditated changing his lodgings; but now, on a judicial review of thecase in all its bearings, his calmer judgment told him that the race oflandladies is like to the race of the leaves, and that there was butlittle to choose between them. He resolved, however, to talk to Mrs.Brown, the offender, very coolly and yet severely, to point out theextreme indiscretion of her conduct, and to express a hope for betterthings in the future. With this decision registered in his mind,Phillipps was about to get up from the seat and move off, when he wasintensely annoyed to hear a stifled sob, evidently from the lady, whostill continued her contemplation of the shrubs and flower-beds. Heclutched his stick desperately, and in a moment would have been in fullretreat, when the lady turned her face towards him, and with a muteentreaty bespoke his attention. She was a young girl with a quaint andpiquant rather than a beautiful face, and she was evidently in thebitterest distress, and Mr. Phillipps sat down again, and cursed hischances heartily. The young lady looked at him with a pair of charmingeyes of a shining hazel, which showed no trace of tears, though ahandkerchief was in her hand; she bit her lip, and seemed to strugglewith some overpowering grief, and her whole attitude was all beseechingand imploring. Phillipps sat on the edge of the bench gazing awkwardlyat her, and wondering what was to come next, and she looked at him stillwithout speaking.
"Well, madam," he said at last, "I understood from your gesture that youwished to speak to me. Is there anything I can do for you? Though, ifyou will pardon me, I cannot help saying that that seems highlyimprobable."
"Ah, sir," she said in a low murmuring voice, "do not speak harshly tome. I am in sore straits, and I thought from your face that I couldsafely ask your sympathy, if not your help."
"Would you kindly tell me what is the matter?" said Phillipps. "Perhapsyou would like some tea?"
"I knew I could not be mistaken," the lady replied. "That offer ofrefreshment bespeaks a generous mind. But tea, alas! is powerless toconsole me. If you will let me, I will endeavor to explain my trouble."
"I should be glad if you would."
"I will do so, and I will try and be brief, in spite of the numerouscomplications which have made me, young as I am, tremble before whatseems the profound and terrible mystery of existence. Yet the griefwhich now racks my very soul is but too simple; I have lost my brother."
"Lost your brother! How on earth can that be?"
"I see I must trouble you with a few particulars. My brother, then, whois by some years my elder, is a tutor in a private school in the extremenorth of London. The want of means deprived him of the advantages of aUniversity education; and lacking the stamp of a degree, he could nothope for that position which his scholarship and his talents entitledhim to claim. He was thus forced to accept the post of classical masterat Dr. Saunderson's Highgate Academy for the sons of gentlemen, and hehas performed his duties with perfect satisfaction to his principal forsome years. My personal history need not trouble you; if will be enoughif I tell you that for the last month I have been governess in a familyresiding at Tooting. My brother and I have always cherished the warmestmutual affection; and though circumstances into which I need not enterhave kept us apart for some time, yet we have never lost sight of oneanother. We made up our minds that unless one of us was absolutelyunable to rise from a bed of sickness, we would never let a week pass bywithout meeting, and some time ago we chose this square as ourrendezvous on account of its central position and its convenience ofaccess. And indeed, after a week of distasteful toil, my brother feltlittle inclination for much walking, and we have often spent two orthree hours on this bench, speaking of our prospects and of happierdays, when we were children. In the early spring it was cold and chilly;still we enjoyed the short respite, and I think that we were of
ten takenfor a pair of lovers, as we sat close together, eagerly talking.Saturday after Saturday we have met each other here, and though thedoctor told him it was madness, my brother would not allow the influenzato break the appointment. That was some time ago; last Saturday we hada long and happy afternoon, and separated more cheerfully than usual,feeling that the coming week would be bearable, and resolving that ournext meeting should be if possible still more pleasant. I arrived hereat the time agreed upon, four o'clock, and sat down and watched for mybrother, expecting every moment to see him advancing towards me fromthat gate at the north side of the square. Five minutes passed by, andhe had not arrived; I thought he must have missed his train, and theidea that our interview would be cut short by twenty minutes, or perhapshalf an hour, saddened me; I had hoped we should be so happy togetherto-day. Suddenly, moved by I know not what impulse, I turned abruptlyround, and how can I describe to you my astonishment when I saw mybrother advancing slowly towards me from the southern side of thesquare, accompanied by another person. My first thought, I remember, hadin it something of resentment that this man, whoever he was, shouldintrude himself into our meeting; I wondered who it could possibly be,for my brother had, I may say, no intimate friends. Then as I lookedstill at the advancing figures, another feeling took possession of me;it was a sensation of bristling fear, the fear of the child in the dark,unreasonable and unreasoning, but terrible, clutching at my heart aswith the cold grip of a dead man's hands. Yet I overcame the feeling,and looked steadily at my brother, waiting for him to speak, and moreclosely at his companion. Then I noticed that this man was leading mybrother rather than walking arm-in-arm with him; he was a tall man,dressed in quite ordinary fashion. He wore a high bowler hat, and, inspite of the warmth of the day, a plain black overcoat, tightlybuttoned, and I noticed his trousers, of a quiet black and gray stripe.The face was commonplace too, and indeed I cannot recall any specialfeatures, or any trick of expression; for though I looked at him as hecame near, curiously enough his face made no impression on me, it was asthough I had seen a well-made mask. They passed in front of me, and tomy unutterable astonishment I heard my brother's voice speaking to me,though his lips did not move, nor his eyes look into mine. It was avoice I cannot describe, though I knew it, but the words came to my earsas if mingled with plashing water and the sound of a shallow brookflowing amidst stones. I heard, then, the words, 'I cannot stay,' andfor a moment the heavens and the earth seemed to rush together with thesound of thunder, and I was thrust forth from the world into a blackvoid without beginning and without end. For, as my brother passed me, Isaw the hand that held him by the arm, and seemed to guide him, and inone moment of horror I realized that it was as a formless thing that hasmouldered for many years in the grave. The flesh was peeled in stripsfrom the bones, and hung apart dry and granulated, and the fingers thatencircled my brother's arm were all unshapen, claw-like things, and onewas but a stump from which the end had rotted off. When I recovered mysenses I saw the two passing out by that gate. I paused for a moment,and then with a rush as of fire to my heart I knew that no horrorcould, stay me, but that I must follow my brother and save him, eventhough all hell rose up against me. I ran out and looked up thepavement, and saw the two figures walking amidst the crowd. I ran acrossthe road, and saw them turn up that side street, and I reached thecorner a moment later. In vain I looked to right and left, for neithermy brother nor his strange guardian was in sight; two elderly men werecoming down arm-in-arm, and a telegraph boy was walking lustily alongwhistling. I remained there a moment horror-struck, and then I bowed myhead and returned to this seat, where you found me. Now, sir, do youwonder at my grief? Oh, tell me what has happened to my brother, or Ifeel I shall go mad."
Mr. Phillipps, who had listened with exemplary patience to this tale,hesitated a moment before he spoke.
"My dear madam," he said at length, "you have known how to engage me inyour service, not only as a man, but as a student of science. As afellow-creature I pity you most profoundly; you must have sufferedextremely from what you saw, or rather from what you fancied you saw.For, as a scientific observer, it is my duty to tell you the plaintruth, which, indeed, besides being true, must also console you. Allowme to ask you then to describe your brother."
"Certainly," said the lady, eagerly; "I can describe him accurately. Mybrother is a somewhat young-looking man; he is pale, has small blackwhiskers, and wears spectacles. He has rather a timid, almost afrightened expression, and looks about him nervously from side to side.Think, think! Surely you must have seen him. Perhaps you are an_habitue_ of this engaging quarter; you may have met him on someprevious Saturday. I may have been mistaken in supposing that he turnedup that side street; he may have gone on, and you may have passed eachother. Oh, tell me, sir, whether you have not seen him?"
"I am afraid I do not keep a very sharp lookout when I am walking," saidPhillipps, who would have passed his mother unnoticed; "but I am sureyour description is admirable. And now will you describe the person,who, you say, held your brother by the arm?"
"I cannot do so. I told you, his face seemed devoid of expression orsalient feature. It was like a mask."
"Exactly; you cannot describe what you have never seen. I need hardlypoint out to you the conclusion to be drawn; you have been the victim ofan hallucination. You expected to see your brother, you were alarmedbecause you did not see him, and unconsciously, no doubt, your brainwent to work, and finally you saw a mere projection of your own morbidthoughts; a vision of your absent brother, and a mere confusion ofterrors incorporated in a figure which you can't describe. Of courseyour brother has been in some way prevented from coming to meet you asusual. I expect you will hear from him in a day or two."
The lady looked seriously at Mr. Phillipps, and then for a second thereseemed almost a twinkling as of mirth about her eyes, but her faceclouded sadly at the dogmatic conclusions to which the scientist wasled so irresistibly.
"Ah," she said, "you do not know. I cannot doubt the evidence of mywaking senses. Besides, perhaps I have had experiences even moreterrible. I acknowledge the force of your arguments, but a woman hasintuitions which never deceive her. Believe me, I am not hysterical;feel my pulse, it is quite regular."
She stretched out her hand with a dainty gesture, and a glance thatenraptured Phillipps in spite of himself. The hand held out to him wassoft and white and warm, and as, in some confusion, he placed hisfingers on the purple vein, he felt profoundly touched by the spectacleof love and grief before him.
"No," he said, as he released her wrist, "as you say, you are evidentlyquite yourself. Still, you must be aware that living men do not possessdead hands. That sort of thing doesn't happen. It is, of course, barelypossible that you did see your brother with another gentleman, and thatimportant business prevented him from stopping. As for the wonderfulhand, there may have been some deformity, a finger shot off by accident,or something of that sort."
The lady shook her head mournfully.
"I see you are a determined rationalist," she said. "Did you not hear mesay that I have had experiences even more terrible? I too was once asceptic, but after what I have known I can no longer affect to doubt."
"Madam," replied Mr. Phillipps, "no one shall make me deny my faith. Iwill never believe, nor will I pretend to believe, that two and two makefive, nor will I on any pretences admit the existence of two-sidedtriangles."
"You are a little hasty," rejoined the lady. "But may I ask you if youever heard the name of Professor Gregg, the authority on ethnology andkindred subjects?"
"I have done much more than merely hear of Professor Gregg," saidPhillipps. "I always regarded him as one of our most acute andclear-headed observers; and his last publication, the 'Text-book ofEthnology,' struck me as being quite admirable in its kind. Indeed, thebook had but come into my hands when I heard of the terrible accidentwhich cut short Gregg's career. He had, I think, taken a country housein the West of England for the summer, and is supposed to have falleninto a river. So far as I remember,
his body was never recovered."
"Sir, I am sure that you are discreet. Your conversation seems todeclare as much, and the very title of that little work of yours whichyou mentioned, assures me that you are no empty trifler. In a word, Ifeel that I may depend on you. You appear to be under the impressionthat Professor Gregg is dead; I have no reason to believe that that isthe case."
"What?" cried Phillipps, astonished and perturbed. "You do not hint thatthere was anything disgraceful? I cannot believe it. Gregg was a man ofclearest character; his private life was one of great benevolence; andthough I myself am free from delusions, I believe him to have been asincere and devout Christian. Surely you cannot mean to insinuate thatsome disreputable history forced him to flee the country?"
"Again you are in a hurry," replied the lady. "I said nothing of allthis. Briefly, then, I must tell you that Professor Gregg left his houseone morning in full health both of mind and body. He never returned, buthis watch and chain, a purse containing three sovereigns in gold andsome loose silver, with a ring that he wore habitually, were found threedays later on a wild and savage hillside, many miles from the river.These articles were placed beside a limestone rock of fantastic form;they had been wrapped into a parcel with a kind of rough parchment whichwas secured with gut. The parcel was opened, and the inner side of theparchment bore an inscription done with some red substance; thecharacters were undecipherable, but seemed to be a corrupt cuneiform."
"You interest me intensely," said Phillips. "Would you mind continuingyour story? The circumstance you have mentioned seems to me of the mostinexplicable character, and I thirst for an elucidation."
The young lady seemed to meditate for a moment, and she then proceededto relate the