Darkness and Fog E-Book

melissa amy

• Herausgeber: Amy Melissa
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

The Grill is the membership maximum hard of get entry to withinside the world. To be
located on its rolls distinguishes the brand new member as significantly as aleven though he
had acquired a vacant Garter or were caricatured in “Vanity Fair.”

Men who belong to the Grill Club in no way point out that truth. If you have been
to invite one in all them which golf equipment he frequents, he's going to call all shop that
precise one. He is afraid if he informed you he belonged to the Grill,
that it might sound like boasting.

The Grill Club dates lower back to the times whilst Shakespe

Leseprobe

Darkness and Fog

Amy Melissa

CHAPTER I

The Grill is the membership maximum hard of get entry to withinside the world. To be

located on its rolls distinguishes the brand new member as significantly as aleven though he

had acquired a vacant Garter or were caricatured in “Vanity Fair.”

Men who belong to the Grill Club in no way point out that truth. If you have been

to invite one in all them which golf equipment he frequents, he's going to call all shop that

precise one. He is afraid if he informed you he belonged to the Grill,

that it might sound like boasting.

The Grill Club dates lower back to the times whilst Shakespeare’s Theatre stood

on the existing webweb page of the “Times” office. It has a golden Grill which

Charles the Second provided to the Club, and the unique manuscript

of “Tom and Jerry in London,” which became bequeathed to it via way of means of Pierce Egan

himself. The participants, after they write letters on the Club, nevertheless use

sand to blot the ink.

The Grill enjoys the difference of getting blackballed, with out

political prejudice, a Prime Minister of every birthday birthday celebration. At the equal sitting

at which this type of fell, it elected, resulting from his brogue and his

bulls, Quiller, Q. C., who became then a penniless barrister.

When Paul Preval, the French artist who got here to London via way of means of royal command

to color a portrait of the Prince of Wales, became made an honorary

member--best foreigners can be honorary participants--he stated, as he signed

his first wine card, “I could instead see my call on that, than on a

photograph withinside the Louvre.”

At which Quiller remarked, “That is a satan of a compliment, due to the fact

the best guys who can examine their names withinside the Louvre to-day had been

useless fifty years.”

On the night time after the first-rate fog of 1897 there have been 5 participants in

the Club, 4 of them busy with supper and one studying in the front of the

fireplace. There is best one room to the Club, and one lengthy desk. At

the a long way stop of the room the hearthplace of the grill glows purple, and, whilst the

fats falls, blazes into flame, and at the alternative there's a large bow

window of diamond panes, which appears down upon the road. The 4 guys

on the desk have been strangers to every different, however as they picked on the

grilled bones, and sipped their Scotch and soda, they conversed with

such captivating animation that a traveler to the Club, which does

now no longer tolerate site visitors, could have counted them as buddies of lengthy

acquaintance, sincerely now no longer as Englishmen who had met for the primary

time, and with out the shape of an introduction. But it's miles the etiquette

and subculture of the Grill, that whoever enters it have to talk with

whomever he reveals there. It is to put into effect this rule that there's however

one lengthy desk, and whether or not there are twenty guys at it or , the

waiters, helping the rule, will region them facet via way of means of facet.

For this motive the 4 strangers at supper have been seated collectively, with

the candles grouped approximately them, and the lengthy period of the desk cutting

a white direction via the outer gloom.

“I repeat,” stated the gentleman with the black pearl stud, “that the times

for romantic journey and deeds of silly bold have passed, and that

the fault lies with ourselves. Voyages to the pole I do now no longer catalogue

as adventures. That African explorer, younger Chetney, who became up

the day before today after he became speculated to have died in Uganda, did not anything

adventurous. He made maps and explored the reassets of rivers. He became

in steady chance, however the presence of chance does now no longer constitute

journey. Were that so, the chemist who research excessive explosives, or

who investigates lethal poisons, passes via adventures daily. No,

‘adventures are for the adventurous.’ But one not ventures. The

spirit of it has died of inertia. We are grown too practical, too simply,

above all, too sensible. In this room, for instance, participants of this

Club have, on the sword’s point, disputed the right scanning of one

of Pope’s couplets. Over so weighty a count as spilled Burgundy on a

gentleman’s cuff, ten guys fought throughout this desk, every together along with his

rapier in a single hand and a candle withinside the different. All ten have been wounded. The

query of the spilled Burgundy worried however of them. The eight

others engaged due to the fact they have been guys of ‘spirit.’ They have been, indeed, the

first gents of the day. To-night time, have been you to spill Burgundy on

my cuff, have been you even to insult me grossly, those gents could now no longer

recollect it incumbent upon them to kill every different. They could separate

us, and to-morrow morning seem as witnesses towards us at Bow Street.

We have right here to-night time, withinside the humans of Sir Andrew and myself, an

instance of the way the approaches have changed.”

The guys across the desk became and glanced closer to the gentleman in

the front of the fireplace. He became an aged and truly portly man or woman,

with a kindly, wrinkled countenance, which wore constantly a smile

of virtually infantile self belief and good-nature. It became a face which the

illustrated prints had made in detail acquainted. He held a ee-e book from him

at arm’s-period, as though to modify his eyesight, and his brows have been knit

with hobby.

[Illustration: 03 The men around the table turned]

“Now, have been this the eighteenth century,” endured the gentleman with

the black pearl, “whilst Sir Andrew left the Club to-night time I could have

him sure and gagged and thrown right into a sedan chair. The watch could now no longer

interfere, the passers-via way of means of could take to their heels, my employed bullies

and ruffians could bring him to a few lonely spot in which we might guard

him till morning. Nothing could come of it, besides introduced recognition to

myself as a gentleman of adventurous spirit, and in all likelihood an essay in

the ‘Tatler,’ with stars for names, entitled, allow us to say, ‘The Budget

and the Baronet.’”

“But to what stop, sir?” inquired the youngest of the participants. “And

why Sir Andrew, of all humans--why must you pick out him for this

journey?”

The gentleman with the black pearl shrugged his shoulders.

“It could save you him speakme withinside the House to-night time. The Navy Increase

Bill,” he introduced gloomily. “It is a Government measure, and Sir Andrew

speaks for it. And so first-rate is his have an effect on and so big his following

that if he does”--the gentleman laughed ruefully--“if he does, it will

cross via. Now, had I the spirit of our ancestors,” he exclaimed, “I

could convey chloroform from the closest chemist’s and drug him in that

chair. I could tumble his subconscious shape right into a hansom cab, and preserve

him prisoner till daylight. If I did, I could shop the British taxpayer

the fee of 5 extra battleships, many hundreds of thousands of pounds.”

[Illustration: 04 I would tumble his unconscious form into a hansom cab]

The gents once more became, and surveyed the baronet with freshened

hobby. The honorary member of the Grill, whose accessory already had

betrayed him as an American, laughed softly.

“To examine him now,” he stated, “one could now no longer wager he became deeply

worried with the affairs of state.”

The others nodded silently.

“He has now no longer lifted his eyes from that ee-e book on the grounds that we first entered,”

introduced the youngest member. “He in reality can't imply to talk to-night time.”

“Oh, yes, he's going to talk,” muttered the only with the black pearl moodily.

“During those closing hours of the consultation the House sits late, however whilst

the Navy invoice comes up on its 0.33 studying he may be in his region--and

he's going to byskip it.”

The fourth member, a stout and florid gentleman of a truly sporting

appearance, in a quick smoking-jacket and black tie, sighed enviously.

“Fancy one folks being as cool as that, if he knew he needed to stand up

inside an hour and rattle off a speech in Parliament. I ‘d be in a satan

of a funk myself. And but he's as eager over that ee-e book he’s studying as

aleven though he had not anything earlier than him till bedtime.”

“Yes, see how keen he's,” whispered the youngest member. “He does

now no longer elevate his eyes even now whilst he cuts the pages. It might be an

Admiralty Report, or a few different weighty paintings of facts which bears

upon his speech.”

The gentleman with the black pearl laughed morosely.

“The weighty paintings wherein the eminent statesman is so deeply

engrossed,” he stated, “is referred to as ‘The Great Rand Robbery.’ It is a

detective novel, on the market in any respect bookstalls.”

The American raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

“‘The Great Rand Robbery’?” he repeated incredulously. “What an odd

taste!”

“It isn't a taste, it's miles his vice,” lower back the gentleman with the

pearl stud. “It is his one dissipation. He is referred to for it. You, as a

stranger, ought to rarely be anticipated to understand of this idiosyncrasy. Mr.

Gladstone sought rest withinside the Greek poets, Sir Andrew reveals his in

Gaboriau. Since I had been a member of Parliament I even have in no way visible him

withinside the library with out a shilling shocker in his palms. He brings them

even into the sacred precincts of the House, and from the Government

benches reads them hid internal his hat. Once began out on a story of

homicide, robbery, and unexpected dying, not anything can tear him from it, now no longer

even the decision of the department bell, nor of hunger, nor the prayers of

the birthday birthday celebration Whip. He gave up his united states residence due to the fact whilst he journeyed

to it withinside the educate he could emerge as so absorbed in his detective

tales that he became continuously carried beyond his station.” The member of

Parliament twisted his pearl stud nervously, and bit at the brink of his

mustache. “If it best have been the primary pages of ‘The Rand Robbery’ that

he have been studying,” he murmured bitterly, “as opposed to the closing! With such

every other ee-e book as that, I swear I ought to preserve him right here till morning. There

could be no want of chloroform to hold him from the House.”

The eyes of all have been mounted upon Sir Andrew, and every noticed with

fascination that together along with his forefinger he became now isolating the closing

pages of the ee-e book. The member of Parliament struck the desk softly with

his open palm.

“I could deliver one hundred pounds,” he whispered, “if I ought to region in his

palms at this second a brand new tale of Sherlock Holmes--one thousand pounds,”

he introduced wildly--“5 thousand pounds!”

The American found the speaker sharply, as aleven though the phrases bore to

him a few unique application, after which at an concept which seemingly had

however simply come to him, smiled in first-rate embarrassment.

Sir Andrew ceased studying, however, as aleven though nevertheless beneathneath the have an effect on of

the ee-e book, sat searching blankly into the open fire. For a quick area no

one moved till the baronet withdrew his eyes and, with a unexpected start

of recollection, felt anxiously for his watch. He scanned its face

eagerly, and scrambled to his toes.

The voice of the American right away broke the silence in a excessive, nervous

accessory.

“And but Sherlock Holmes himself,” he cried, “couldn't decipher the

thriller which to-night time baffles the police of London.”

At those sudden phrases, which carried in them some thing of the tone

of a challenge, the gents approximately the desk began out as abruptly as

aleven though the American had fired a pistol withinside the air, and Sir Andrew halted

all at once and stood looking at him with grave marvel.

The gentleman with the black pearl became the primary to get better.

“Yes, yes,” he stated eagerly, throwing himself throughout the desk. “A

thriller that baffles the police of London.

[Illustration: 05 “My name,” he said, “is Sears.”]