Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1895-05-09
A CAPTIOUS CRITIC.

l am not u great novelist, albeit a
fairly popular ono. 1t is far better
to be popular than great and makes
NIL the difference to ones material
comfort \ great author il rarely
appreciated, nj least until he Is dead,
whereas tho popular ono winters in
tho RiNiora and has portraits of his
drawing room furniture in Tho
Strand Magazine. Anyway my work
Is in good demand. Commissions
arc plentiful, SO plentiful that last
summer ! rather OvCrdid the thing,
the natural consequence being nCrv-
GUS irritability and n tendency to
lie awake o nights, and as greater
writer than myself says That way
madness lies.
"What you want, - remarked my
doctor, who is ono Of those charm
ing practitioners who always pre-
scribe exactly what the patient most
longs for, lis a thorough change.
Give up work altogether for month.
Go to some quiet, breezy spot on the
coast and simply live out of doors. >"
i had no difficulty in summoning up
enough will power to follow out this
request. Solitude has no tcrrors for
mo. packed up my bag and took
tho first train to Barnstaplo, whence
/ drlftrd to u place called Morthoc,
and there pitched my tcnt-if the
expression may be allowrd-in n
thr tn n
welcome was all that could possibly
be expected for the money.
/ did not tell any ono what my
profession was, and consequently /
passed for an ordinary individual.
After time / naturally made &C
QuaintanceS-tho parSon and the
squire and that kind of thing. There
was nobody with whom to talk shop,
which was n drawback. But cvon
that comes i'll time. l found my
hdus AchatCS ono morning on the
sands, whore had como in search of
n bath HO was tall, rather mol
ancholy looking man, with n restless
eye. Being anything but bold
swimmer, aHi the coast being dan
gorous, l was naturally indisposcd
to try the briny dccp, and my now
acquaintance obligingly pointed out
perfect natural bath Wherein
could diSpOrt myself.
almost rs if it were mado on
purpose, no remarked. Il always
como here myself. Two got house
behind the sand hills there l shall
be pleased to SEQ You any evening
that you care to drop III. "
thanked tho speaker, and for the
time being we parted. Subsequent
inquiry elected the fact that my
friends namc was Walter WanlcsS,
and that he was stranger who had
taken furnished house there for n
year. Usually, was informed, he
preserved u reserved attitude. He
was inclined to be eccentric, and all
his houscwOrk, cooking, etc, was
done for him by II solitary mansorv-
ant, who, so the gOSSipS limited, was
employed moro in tho capacity of n
keeper than anything else.
AS novelist this suggestion mere
ly served to piquo my curiosity. a
writer looks unconSciously for copy
oven in moments of leisure But /
am bound to confess that saw moth
ing peculiar in the behavior of Wan
less when ono day ! lunchcd with
him. The sole was done to the turn,
subsequent dish of curry left moth
ing to be desired, the sherry WAS
really dry and not merely acid, and
the luSty S"rvitOr waited in u man
ncr which would havr done credit to
professional Yet at tho Same time
| could not help seeing that WHnlrIs
was very much afraid of his man
BollamN. iur instance, when no at
tempted to help himself to n third
glass of sherry Bcllamy calmly re-
moved tho glass and placed the de-
canter at my end of the table. The
thing was donc so coolly that / could
hardly restrain my aStOnishment
For moment l saw lurid light
flash into the peculiar dark eyes of
my host. His hand Clinched then
he laughed pleasantly. "Bcllamy
prcsumos, rs all old servants do, ;"
WanlcsS said. But he is right, all
the Same. lam n wrctchcd drinkcr."
Bcllamy said nothing. He did not
even smile. He handed round n box
of cigars, from which Wanlcss So
lcctcd ono, and then he locked up
the box and put tho key in his
pocket
You don't want to sit hero all
day, sir, " he said respectfully, but
firmly lyon had bottor go for a
walk l think
Wanless rose obcdicntly, and fol
lowed. As W" passed through tho
hall l caught n glimpse of small
but complete looking library, which
was lined with books. With the
fascination that volumes of any kind
possess for mo, was about to enter
when Bellamy closed tho door and
locked it. ssh" no said to his en-
ployer, lyon arc wasting tho after
noon