The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-06-26
. nm, nExNroN,s pasAppEARANcE..

; ,s~- gA
e.Did your mistress leave no were Ma ~ mau -
when she wontd be ins as ,s m.. s nS
niou, comparing bis watch WIN u. ane h Mia,
ing.roon clock, aud addressing p,s !. s eesS
Do =. No dir. Mjssis went out after lnncheon.
e,,o nr,tercd dinner for Z. as usual, SO We
sunnoscd she would be IN. v. ~
'o !. n q $40 now said Dir. Bennloa' sn.
<,,osnr;nr to look composed. OF are
s,,re NO card or note was lefe tor me
.,nni,s s,,re. SIR" replied the butler, VINO
.,,a s,ea,, summoned MP four or ave times
LII ,,.,,h;n Inc last hour aud hah to answer
s Sraa in, esrogatories. Shalt serve up
the dinner, SIR sssy1..u. ss%.
-" = Yes. YOU had better; probably your
n,,s,ress has gone to dine with her parents.
+ dare say she sent me note TO my cnau'-
hers and ie must have miscarrseo.
Mr.. Bennion sought to qaicS hmselt es
saving this, but he was I'LL az ease' ne "sss
.'s ar S In large practice. vino had been
.a,nrr;aa ahont wear, aud this was the tIst
,;,,,a that there had been the slightest hatch
IN Inc clock-work regularity OF his hoine
ire EXCEPT on Sundays. during vacstlon'
,nI when he was absent on Circuit, nc was
-,cc,,stomed to leave his home at 9:3V every
morning and 10 return at GAO, Waen ~ae
.ron1d End his wife dressed TO receive him
a,d the dinner rcsdy 70 be served. kae was
. ,nethodicai man and she Il social tsftie Wo-
,non who knew her husbands liking Tor
nunc,ua.itp aud took care that ne shoufa
never be disturbed by anything amiss IN aee
domestic atranseafe nts.
Re sat down 10 his solitary dinner IN the
large, handsome dinnG-room. lac 'isea III
Russell Square, Tlsere all apaitmehes ste
snac;ous: and, being q prospereus man.
his surroundings were luxurious. The ta-
bie snread with taste, was decSea WIN
flowers and silver, and the soft light shihing
.brorob globes OF white glass she'd on 1t ON
mir OF festivity. But the chair OF the young
mistress CT the house remained empty; ana,
oazino, on that vacant seat, Henry Bennicn
couId neither eat nor drink. He had never
realized till that moment how very dear MS
wife was to bin. She had gfaced DIS home
and made him happy. From Tie hrst day
when she had sat III that place OF hohor nj
fhe head OF his board Still b'usDins bFlce
after their return from the honeymoon
tour-from that time until that very morn
ING OF this day. when she bad presided rs
usual over bis breakfast. Henry Bennion
had been accustomed TO find in her the most
tender and cheerful companloDshlp. lie
called 10 mind low often he had glanced
across the table aud met the beams
of her smiling eyes, how often ne
had been enlivened by her merry
prattlc and touched by the interest
which she expressed in his work, his plead
inc, and his growing fame, OF which she APP
peared 50 proud No cross word had ever
passed between them; no coldneSs or suIhs
had ever marred their intercourse Tor an
hour; on the contrary, in the smallest mat
fers. as we'll as in great cues, dear Maoel
Bsnnion had made her husband constantly
feel that e!ie was heipmate, on whose ioV-
ing devotion and entire frankness he could
rely wholly. Abruptly presentIment fell
upnn him that all this was past ana gone,
and that his wife would never more SIT IN
her place at that table-never! lie puSned
away his plate and stared ut the empty
chair with ba2gard glance. A creeping
OF the flesh came upon him rs II misfortune
had entered his home and were standing
near him with her chill shadow. lie had
started several times ut the sound Of cab
wheels. aud even bells, and now loud
knock at peighboring door made him
lump UP with the reflection that it was past
8, and that every moment added to his just
cause for alarm. s. - 49,
He walked into the hall. put on his hat,
and left the house without speaking to any
Of the servants. AT the first cab-stand he
hailed hansom and told the driver to take
him to Eaton Place, where Mr.. kurtbeW,
.Mabeps father, lived. ,.ft
Mr. Kurthew was a wealthy solicitor,
having large family OF sons and daugh-
tiers, whom he had all settled comfortably
in lie with the exception OF one daughter,
an invalid, who resided with him. Julia
Kurthew, with her father and mother, were
nil three in the drawing-room when Henry
Beunion arrived, and to the anxious ques-
ton which he stammered out, "Have you
seen Mabel" they answered in the mega
tive. Julia ut once saw that there was
something wronS, but she was not the per-
son to offer any comfort. Her general oc-
cupation was to lie on the sofa and say
snappish things. 's Has Mabel left you:"
she said, arching her eyebrows.
"She has Disappeared" answered Ben
Mon, addressing Mr.. aud Mrs. Kurthew
ruther than Julia, whose tone shocked him.
81 hoped she might have come here"
MFR. and Mrs. Kurthew both grew much
alarmed. They were too proud to attribute
their daughters disappearance to any scan-
dalous reason, and concluded that she must
have met with some terrible accident. Per-
haps she had been run over in the streets,
or been injured while riding IN cab. Mi.
Kurthew said he would accompany Bennlon
to Russell Square 10 see if any news oi Ma
bel had yet arrived, and il not they must go
to Scotland Yard. They lett the house ac-
cordinely, but at Bennion's residence they
learned nothing new. Sc in silent conSter-
nation they drove to the police office and
saw one OF the heads OF the department,
who took down Il description OF Mabel, and
obligingly promised that Inquiries should
be Instituted that night in al! the hospitals
and police stations, SO that the afflicted bus
baud might at least have tidings Of some
sort on the morrow.
But neither on the morrow nor on the
days following that could any intelligence
be obtained of Mabel Bennion. Her ser.
wants were greatly agitated, but in answer
ing The cross-qucstIons OF their master and
of detectives they were all agreed that no.
thing unusual was noticeable in their mis-
tress's appearance the last time they saw
her. Henry Bennion had now put aside
ii! professional work, and spent his time in
driving about TO police stations and hos
pitfalls. When ut home he employed him
self in examining all MabeFs drawers, her
dresses, desks, and papers to sec il haply
some clew to the woful mystery might he
discovered. But he found soothing at all
not single line OF 4 compromising charac.
ter-nothing TO shake tue melancholy belief
at which he had arrived that his wifc's dis
appearance could only be accounted for by
her death. AS a last resource, Just a week
after his loss, Henry Bennion caused this
advertisement to he inserted in the papers
"NysterionsIy disappeared from ner
house in Russell Square, on the 5th instant,
married lady aged twenty-one. Slight in
Igure, wavy chestnut hair. blue eyes, small