David Dimsdale, M.D. A story

Prologue

: DAVID DIMSDALE's STRANGE WILL I CHAP. I. CYRIL HAMILTON DIMSDALE, M.P. . . . 1 8 II. AT MILLINGHAM 32 III. AFTER MANY YEARS ... 63 IV. his father's son 85 V. THE BRITANNIC CONFEDERATION ... 96 VI. MUSIC HATH CHARMS Il6 VII. AN OLD STORY ...... 126 VIII. R.I.P 138 IX. THE HOLY GRAIL 1 46 X. CONSTANCE SOLVES A PROBLEM . . 157 XI. DAVID HAS HIS WISH 1 73 XII. THE COMTESSE SAVES A MAIL . . .187 XIII. ARMA VIRUMQUE . . . . . 1 98 XIV. CONFIDENCES 211 XV. DAVID TAKES HIMSELF TO TASK . . .222 XVI. AT HYERES ....... 230 VI i CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE XVII. CASTING THE DIE .... • 246 XVIII. CLEANSING FIRES . . ■ 2SS XIX. AN IMMORTAL BROTHERHOOD .... 269 XX. A LENGTHENING CHAIN ..... 284 XXI. BY SPECIAL LICENCE . . . . 297 XXII. "IT WERE BEST THAT WE SHOULD SEVER" 305 XXIII. THE HAND OF FATE . . . . . 318 XXIV. MORE LIGHT . . -328 XXV. AT LAST . . . . THE

PROLOGUE.

DAVID DIMSDALE'S STRANGE WILL Doctor Di.msdale's eccentricities had long been the talk of the county for miles around Millingham, near which quiet Dorset village he had purchased a small property in 1892. It was known amongst his London friends that he had recently inherited a very consider able fortune, and that he had spent some time upon a Continental tour; but why, upon his return from abroad, he should have abandoned society for this out-of-the way spot, no one could tell. He had previously been regarded as a man of great energy, and devotedly attached to his profession ; yet, although but forty years of age, he had thus suddenly withdrawn into absolute retirement. Rumour, of course, was busy, and had it, variously, that he had been crossed in love, that some skeleton in the family-closet had rattled its bones and so scared him away, and that he had devoted him self to Theosophic research.

At all events, he disap peared ; the tide of London life closed over his vacant place, and he was speedily forgotten. The estate which he had bought consisted of about forty acres of indifferent land, surrounding an old- A fashioned residence known as The Grange. This he furnished (report said very comfortably) and proceeded to inhabit. He at once made it known that he would neither receive nor return visits, and the neighbouring gentry accordingly set him down as an ill-conditioned re cluse. He brought with him two elderly female servants, a groom, two horses, and a dogcart ; and he hired two labourers to look after the farm. Such was about all the villagers had to tell about Dr. Dimsdale's establishment. But concerning the Doctor himself strange stories circulated. He would lock himself up in his bedroom for days at a stretch, it was said, taking neither meat nor drink ; and, as the groom himself was the authority for this report (often repeated during his not infrequent visits to the Grey Goose Inn), it was naturally believed.

According to the same trustworthy informant, his master occasionally received visits from mysterious strangers (but never more than one at a time, and never the same person twice), whom he would similarly lock up in a room and, as the servants all believed, starve for a week, or even longer. Of course, he might have private means of feeding both himself and them. But why not have meals served in the ordinary way ? It was agreed amongst the rustic wiseacres, in taproom assembled, that there was something very uncanny about these proceedings. But, stranger still, this incomprehensible doctor was addicted to treating animals in similar barbarous fashion, and it was no uncommon thing for the gardener to bury half-a-dozen corpses of dogs, or rabbits, or cats, in the course of a month. Indeed, the housekeeper had a standing commission to buy such animals, at highest current values, if offered for sale alive and in healthy DAVID DIMSDALE'S STRANGE WILL 3 condition.

Now, what possible motive could this strange man have for starving dogs, cats, and rabbits to death ? " Mebbe he doan't starve 'em," suggested Sam Black wood, who was known to read a newspaper now and then, and was a high authority upon science; "mebbe he coots 'em oop alive, same as t'other Lunnon doctors does, just t' keep his hand in loik." But, as the groom's evidence went to show that he had never seen any mangled remains handed over for interment, this explanation was clearly inadmissible. Moreover, the servant resented such gratuitous addi tions to his master's presumed inhumanity, stoutly maintaining that, whatever his treatment of himself, his visitors, and the animals might be, he never stinted the kitchen, and paid good wages with commendable regularity. At intervals Dr. Dimsdale would disappear altogether for weeks at a time, always making ample provision for the household.

What he did or where he went to, no one knew ; and once, when his absence extended over a period of nearly two months, it was believed he would return no more. But he did ; and resumed his normal life as calmly as ever,subjecting an unfortunate foreigner, whom he had brought back with him, to an unprecedent edly long incarceration and deprivation of sustenance. " Without he feeds that bloomin' furriner on the quiet, at night," asserted Mr. Tibbett, the groom, one evening, " there'll be a funeral. He's had him locked up now a matter of three weeks ! " This certainly sounded like pushing an experiment rather too far. Yet, within the month, the visitor was released, alive and well, from jejune confinement, and departed apparently quite satisfied. " Dang me if I bain't got it noo ! " cried Sam, who had stumbled across an old account of M. Succi's performance at the Royal Aquarium.

" Hoo's that, Sam ? " eagerly inquired his auditors. " T' Doctor he be just huntin' oop a Champion Fast ing Man ! " was the triumphant reply. And all were at length satisfied that Sam's literary researches had solved the mystery. Doubtless fasting dogs and cats were to be added as a novelty. But Dr. Dimsdale had yet another surprise in store for his unknown critics, and, indeed, for half the county, to gossip over. One day a contractor, accompanied by a gang of workmen, invaded the old house ; an abundance of building materials followed ; and The Grange, as everybody thought, was going to be rebuilt, or, at least, patched up in up-to-date style. But, as often happens, everybody thought wrong. The work of laying the foundations of a new building was com menced in the centre of a meadow, at some distance from the house : and, from the shape which these foundations presently took, it became clear that no ordinary habi tation was designed.

Once more did Sam Blackwood's fertile brain come to the rescue of his bewildered gossips. " Thot be t' show he be a goin' to put up," he conde scended to explain. " Call oi a danged ijjut if yon bean't a goin' to be t' Millingham Aquarium ! " An aquarium had somehow become indissolubly associated in Sam's mind with the fasting business • and this solution of the problem remained unchallenged until the completion of the building. It presented the appearance of a circular tower, about thirty feet in height, and a couple of feet less in circumference. The interior consisted of two rooms, one above the other DAVID DIMSD ALE'S STRANCE WILL 5 and separated by substantial oak joists and flooring. The lower contained a fireplace, and was clearly in tended for habitation. The upper chamber had no fireplace, and was merely ventilated by the omission of bricks at intervals ; it was accessible by means of an ordinary ladder.

The roof was formed of red tiles, sloping from a central point, and beneath this roof was an oak ceiling. A surreptitious inspection of these premises demo lished Sam Blackwood's aquarium-theory, even in the eyes of that oracle himself. And there the strange building stood for many months, unoccupied, unutilised, a brick-and-mortar puzzle to the entire district. At length, in June 1 894, the tower was handed over to some artificers, brought specially down from London, who first put up a door and then, under the Doctor's own superintendence, set to work upon the interior. Whatever the work done was, it was effected with secrecy and despatch. The men were Italians, who spoke not a word of English, and were never allowed out of their employer's sight until their task was com pleted, when they were escorted back to London.

The Doctor kept the key of the tower door ; so that the improvements effected inside remained another mystery. A month later, July 19th, came the climax to the whole extraordinary affair. For upwards of a week Dr. Dimsdale had been locked up in his bedroom, in train ing, as Tibbett and the others supposed, for the Fasting Championship, whenever the latter might be destined to come off. At the expiration of this period a foreign gentleman arrived at The Grange, and insisted on seeing its owner. In vain the servants pleaded their stringent orders and their master's habits of isolated abstinence. DAVID DIMSDALE, M D. The visitor, who gave his name as Herr Doctor Strumpf of Vienna, insisted that his friend must be aroused, and, findinc the servants deaf to his remonstrances, betook himself to the residence of the nearest local medical practitioner — a Mr. Hartop, L.R.C.P. He found this gentleman at home, and much impressed by a visit from the celebrated German specialist, whose name was widely known.

" My dear sir," said Dr. Strumpf, " I have known Dimsdale for years. He is a pupil of mine, and I have come on account of a letter I received from him, in which he describes the results of certain experiments with narcotics which he has been performing upon himself and others. His heart, I know, is weak, and I have hastened here to remonstrate with him upon the folly of his conduct. Now I find that he has been locked in his room for a week, and his servants refuse to disobey his orders and arouse him. He must be aroused, even if we have to break open the door." " A week ! " repeated Mr. Hartop. " I have heard something of Dr. Dimsdale's queer habits, but 1 agree with you that immediate action should be taken. I will accompany you back to The Grange, and will call for Constable Horrocks on the way."

" I trust nothing serious has happened," returned Dr. Strumpf, who spoke English with remarkable fluency; " but I confess I am anxious to see my friend and former pupil." Constable Horrocks was summoned, and duly accompanied the two doctors. Before this display of authority the servants gave way, and a vigorous thumping was soon in progress at the door of Dr. Dimsdale's bedroom. But no answer whatever could be obtained. " It is no moment to hesitate," said the German savant gravely. " The door must be forced." " Most certainly," assented Mr. Hartop. With the aid of a chisel the muscular constable soon forced the door, and the medical men pressed into the room. Upon the bed lay Dr. Dimsdale, fully dressed, and quite motionless. " Mein Golt ! " cried Herr Strumpf, relapsing into German in his excitement, " der Mann ist todt !

The man is dead ! — stone dead ! " " There is no doubt about it, poor fellow," assented Mr. Hartop after a rapid examination. " And he can not have been dead long either. He was very possibly still alive when these addle-headed fools refused to disturb him." And he glared threateningly at the terrified domestics. " Lor', sir," sobbed the housekeeper, " how was we to guess such a thing as this could happen ? Often and often the poor gentleman has lain up here for clays and clays — hasn't he, Jane ? " "That he have, sir," confirmed Jane, also dissolved in tears. As for Mr. Tibbett, he could only stare, with mouth wide open, in horrified amazement. The constable looked perplexed. It struck him that somebody ought to be taken into custody, but he could not quite decide whom to arrest. His eye rested upon the groom, and that eye was full of meaning.

This loosened Mr. Tibbett's tongue. "Well, I'm jiggered!" he exclaimed. "If the Master ain't overdid the trainin' racket at last ! " " Take notice that anything you now say may here after be used against you at your trial," interrupted the guardian of the law sternly. He felt called upon to say or do something, and so fell back upon a formula. "My trial!" repeated the groom, turning pale. " You don't mean to say, Mr. Horrocks, as how you suspects me of starving the master to death, do you ? " " It ain't for me to say what I suspects nor yet what I don't," retorted the constable enigmatically. " I only warns you to be careful, young man; that's all." Meanwhile the two doctors concluded their examina tion of the body, and of certain small bottles which stood upon a table beside the bed. These, to the number of five, Herr Strumpf successively uncorked, smelt, tasted, and passed to his companion.

" Clearly preparations of morphia and chloral," observed Mr. Hartop. " Quite so," assented the German. " Equally clearly poor Dimsdale has fallen a victim to his craze for ex perimenting with those and other narcotics. Were I called upon, I should have no hesitation in certifying death to be due to syncope resulting therefrom." "My own opinion, Dr. Strumpf," assented Mr. Har top; "and, as I am acting-coroner for the district, I am glad that we are agreed in the matter. A post mortem examination may be advisable, as a matter of form, and, of course, an inquest will be necessary ; but I think we may safely anticipate a verdict of death through misadventure. It is a very sad affair, very sad indeed. May I ask if you are acquainted with Dr. Dimsdale's relatives ? They should at once be com municated with ; but I have reason to believe that no one in this neighbourhood knows anything of the de ceased gentleman's affairs or connections."

"Oh yes," replied Herr Strumpf; "I know a good deal about my unfortunate pupil's antecedents. He studied for many years under me, and we have ever since been, oft' and on, in correspondence. Perhaps the best thing will be to telegraph for his solicitor, whose address I know, and leave the room exactly as it is, until his arrival, in charge of the police. Mr. Langdon could be here by the evening express." This was accordingly done. The room was locked up, the coroner retaining the key, and Mr. Horrocks remained in possession of the premises. A telegram was despatched to Mr. Langdon, of Lincoln's Inn Fields, and Herr Strumpf accepted the hospitality of Mr. Hartop's house for the time being. Mr. Langdon duly arrived, and with him came a Mr. Cyril Dimsdale, a distant cousin of the deceased and his presumptive heir.

This Cyril Dimsdale was quite a young man, barely three and twenty, who had recently been called to the Bar. A very pleasant-looking, manly, straightforward young fellow he was, and very evidently deeply shocked by the event which would probably place him in possession of the large fortune which David Dimsdale was known to have inherited. In the presence of the heir, the two medical men, and a local magistrate, the lawyer made a careful exa mination of the deceased gentleman's papers in the library at The Grange. Amongst the documents the most important was a will, of which Mr. Langdon had brought down a duplicate, agreeing in every respect, and which had been properly signed and witnessed six months previously. This will the lawyer now read out. It ran as follows : — " This is the last Will and Testament of me, David Dimsdale, of The Grange, Millingham, in the County of Dorset.

I hereby revoke all former Wills and Codicils made by me. To my kinsman, Cyril Hamilton Dimsdale, I bequeath the sum of Twenty Thousand Pounds now standing to my name in the Consolidated Funds, and to him I also devise and bequeath my free hold estate known as The Grange, aforesaid, absolutely, together with all such goods and chattels as may be thereon. Both these bequests are made by me absolutely and unconditionally. The remainder of my estate, amounting in value to a sum of Ninety Thou sand Pounds, more or less, I have converted into Bank of England notes, gold coin, jewels, and works of art, the whole of which I have concealed in a place outside the limits of the United Kingdom. I have furthermore made provision whereby the whereabouts of this treasure shall be made known to the said Cyril Hamilton Dims dale, or to his heirs or assigns, should he not survive, at the end of Twenty-five years dating from the first day of January 1895, that is, upon the first day of January 1920, Provided that he, his heirs, or assigns do respect and faithfully carry out these my last wishes and instructions with regard to the disposal of my Body.

I desire that my remains be placed, unmutilated and fully clothed, in the receptacle which I have caused to be prepared for this purpose in the upper chamber of the tower erected in the Broad Meadow, and according to the more particular instructions which will be found in a letter addressed by me to my friend, Professor Rudolf Strumpf, of Vienna. I desire that the lower chamber of this tower be occupied by a male caretaker, for whose maintenance provision will be made in a Codicil to this my last Will and Testament. I desire that the fencing of the meadow be kept in proper repair, and that no other building be erected thereupon. And I solemnly adjure my kinsman, Cyril Hamilton Dimsdale, his heirs or assigns, faithfully to carry out these my last wishes. Whereto I have set my hand and seal this first day of January 1894, in the presence of Robert Langdon, Esq., of Lincoln's Inn Fields, solicitor, and of the witnesses undersigning.

" David Dimsdale, M.D. " Witnesses to signature : " Edward Jackson, clerk. 101 Euston Road, London. " James Malcolm, clerk, 24 Ivy Terrace, Holloway, N. Robert Langdon, 22 Lincoln's Inn Fields, Solicitor to Testator." The codicil referred to was very short, and bore date March nth. In it testator confirmed the will, be queathed Consols to his dear friend, Dr. Rudolf Strumpf; the interest upon £3000 Consols in trust to Dr. Strumpf also, for the proper maintenance of the tower and its custodian; and a sum of _£iooo to Mr. Langdon. There were also legacies of to each of the three servants at The Grange. " A truly remarkable testament," remarked Mr. Langdon, handing the will and codicil round for in spection. " I was myself in entire ignorance of its contents until now, as both original and duplicate are in Mr. David Dimsdale's handwriting, and were merely signed by him at my office.

I may add that although the phraseology is not exactly as a lawyer would have worded it, the testator's intentions are clear, and the documents prima facie valid. Of course, were it possible to ascertain the whereabouts of my late client's large residuary fortune, it might be practicable to upset the twenty-five years' proviso, which seems rather hard upon you, Mr. Dimsdale, as heir. But whatever your cousin's motives in so locking up the money, he has clearly put it out of the power of a court of law to interfere, and unless you succeed in tracing the missing values, you will have to wait the lapse of the prescribed period." " It is enough for me," replied the young heir frankly, " that poor David chose so to dispose of his property. He was always somewhat eccentric, and doubtless had some strong reason for his action.

As for myself, I shall do my utmost to respect his wishes in every par ticular." Herr Strumpf seized the young man's hand and shook it cordially. " Your words do you honour, sir," he said. " Upon the face of it, most heirs would regard the concealment as proof positive of insanity upon the testator's part. But, knowing him as I did for many years, I can con fidently assert him to have been quite sound in mind. We had a long discussion upon his physiological inves tigations less than two months ago, and I warned him him then not to push them too far. Unfortunately, he neglected the advice." " I should be disposed to regard the entire will as rather eccentric than insane," remarked Mr. Hartop. " The idea of being buried in a quaintly-constructed mausoleum is not at all a novel one. I have heard of many similar dispositions, and I believe they have been duly carried into effect.

My only difficulty concerns the inquest. Mention is made of certain instructions left for you, Dr. Strumpf. Might it not be as well to know how far these tally with statutory provisions for the disposal of the dead ? " Mr. Langdon selected an addressed, sealed envelope from amongst the papers and handed it to the Pro fessor, who read the contents, first to himself and then aloud, remarking that they had in them nothing of a particularly private nature : — " The Grange, May 2.0th, 1894. " My dear Strumpf, — I may want your last friendly offices, and I know that I can count on them. If you ever read these lines, that will be proof that I shall have succumbed to the danger which, of course, must always attend such experiments as I am making ; and the careful preparations which I have made will satisfy you and every reasonable person that I am thoroughly prepared for accidents.

What may happen is, that I shall, one of these days, be found dead. Already I am sure that I have several times been near the ill-defined ' bourne from whence no traveller returns,' and that my forthcoming tests of what I believe to be an entirely new discovery are as likely to terminate fatally as successfully. No matter ; the prize I seek is worth the risk. " Now, should I fall a victim to my hobby, you must on no account permit an autopsy of my remains. There can be no possible suspicion of foul play, nor any valid reason for mangling my body, against the very idea of which my whole nature revolts. Call it hypersensitive ness if you will, but humour my wishes. You can easily have the cause of death certified by other medical men in addition to yourself, and so fulfil the require ments of the law without desecrating my person.

" Make an examination of the upper chamber in the tower. You will there find a glass-covered coffin. Place me in it, screw down the lid, and leave me. You will easily divine the object of the glass. If my calcu lations are correct, decomposition cannot possibly set in for a considerable period, perhaps not for the full term of twenty-five years. At all events, unless evident signs of decay become visible before then, I desire to remain undisturbed in the coffin. But should such signs appear at any of the periodical inspections which you, or your authorised agent, may make of my remains, then these latter are to be cremated at Woking. If, after the lapse of the time specified, my theory is justified by the result, then my body may be dissected for the benefit of science, as per enclosed directions, or — well, you know the alternative.

One other point. If you will show Cyril Dimsdale this letter, he will accept it as authoris ing you to take possession of all my medical works and manuscripts, which you may make any use of jtou please. For myself, I live and shall die firm to my conviction that decay may be arrested without resort ing to the mummifying processes of the ancient Egyptians. Time will tell. Et forsitan resurgam. — Affectionately yours, David Dimsdale. Doctor Rudolf Strumpf." " The enclosed paper," added Herr Strumpf, " merely contains directions for the deferred post-mortem." And he handed it to Mr. Hartop. " The letter which you have just read," remarked Mr. Langdon, " certainly throws some light upon Mr. David Dimsdale's motives for experimenting upon himself. Rightly or wrongly, he believed himself to be upon the track of some important medical discovery, and very clearly foresaw the risks involved in his researches."

"The question chiefly at issue now is," said Herr Strumpf, " How far can I go, according to the law, in carrying out the testator's wishes ?" The magistrate — Edward Joyce, Esq., J.P. — coughed and looked profoundly wise, but discreetly awaited the lawyer's opinion before committing himself to one. Mr Langdon pointed out that unless some busybody chose to set the Home Office to work, there was absolutely no reason why the expressed desires of the deceased should not be carried out, provided that the two medical men would agree in certifying the cause of death. He added that whatever arrangements Dr. Dimsdale had made to insure the revelation of the whereabouts of the concealed treasure upon the expira tion of the specified period, might be entirely upset by so direct an infringement of his wishes as an immediate post-mortem examination.

As he shrewdly pointed out, the secret was most probably in the keeping of some trusted confidant of the testator, and that this person would certainly resent so gross a violation of the con ditions named in the will. In justice, therefore, both to the testator and the heir, these conditions should be fulfilled to the letter. With this view Mr. Joyce was pleased to express his concurrence, as did also the coroner, Mr. Hartop. It was, therefore, decided to hold an inquest and to take the verdict of the jury, upon the certificates of the medical men, without an autopsy. A jury was accordingly empannelled, of which, as it happened, Sam Blackwood was foreman ; and the eccentric habits of the late owner of The Grange were already so well known, that a verdict of " death through misadventure " was unhesitatingly returned, somewhat to the disap pointment of Constable Horrocks, and greatly to the relief of the servants, who could now contemplate their unexpected legacies without misgivings.

An examination of the upper chamber in the tower revealed merely a large coffin-shaped box, of some sweet-smelling wood, thickly padded inside, and, when the glass cover was removed, exuding a pungent, over powering aroma, which the doctors considered to in dicate the presence of some preparation of cinchona bark. This coffin, placed upon a trestle, was the only object in the room. With some little difficulty the body was carried up the ladder and deposited in its destined receptacle, upon which the lid was then placed and screwed clown. After a last look at the deceased through the glass, the party quitted the death-chamber, and saw that the trap-door was securely nailed clown upon the outside. So far, David Dimsdale's instructions had been complied with to the letter. Mr. Cyril Dimsdale and Herr Strumpf remained a few days at The Grange.

The former took a fancy to the quaint, out-of-the-way old place, and decided to keep it on as a quiet retreat to which he might run down occasionally. He accordingly made arrangements with Mr. Horrocks, whereby the latter was empowered to transfer his wife and family to the servants' quarters, and undertook to look after the place during the new owner's absence. Tibbett having expressed his willingness to undertake the duties of custodian of the tower, was therein duly installed, and, upon the proceeds of the money invested, had a very easy and lazy time of it. The new heir and the Professor then returned to London, whence Herr Strumpf shortly afterwards proceeded to Vienna. A garbled version, under the heading " A Strange Tomb," went the rounds of the Press in a small para graph. But, within a few months, the whole strange affair had become, even locally, well-nigh forgotten, or remembered only when Tibbett and Sam Blackwood were at a loss for some other subject to discuss in the taproom of the Grey Goose Inn. B

Chapter I Cyril Hamilton Dimsdale

M.P. It is December 31st, 19 19. Twenty-five years and five months have elapsed since the death of his cousin David placed Cyril Dimsdale in possession of ,£20,000 and the small Dorsetshire property. And the world has apparently not gone very smoothly with him ; for, as he sits in his library, this crisp, frosty afternoon, his face shows wrinkles, and his forehead furrows, and his dark hair streaks of grey, which should not be con spicuous in a well-preserved man of forty-eight. A copy of The Times, the Parliamentary Report upper most, lies before him ; but he is not reading it. He is staring, in a brown study, at the fire which burns brightly in the old-fashioned grate ; for, like many others, Cyril Dimsdale has a strong prejudice against the modern invisible heating-apparatus. His reflections are very clearly not pleasant ones, and, judging from the far-away look in his eyes, are chiefly retrospective.

" A mistake throughout," he mutters presently, not bitterly, but with a half-sigh of unavailing regret. And he speaks truly. His career has been a mistake through out. Like many an abler man, he has mistaken im pulse for principle, hope for probability, obstinacy for conviction. We need a retrospect also. Let us follow his thoughts. When David Dimsdale died, in July 1894, Cyril, instead of devoting himself to the practice of his profession at the Bar, thought he had discovered an easier road to fame and fortune by entering Parliament. His succession to the £20,000 smoothed the way for him ; he was on terms of considerable intimacy with the ducal house of Cerdique-Oswald ; and he managed to be chosen as Conservative candidate for Tamborough at a bye-election late in the same year. Now, Tam borough had always been regarded almost as a pocket borough of the dukes of Brunanburgh ; but upon this occasion the contest was a keen one, and Cyril was returned by a very narrow majority.