The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-04-02
A CAUTIOUS CRITIC.
An Authors Strange Adventure
with a Maniac.

fairly popular one. 1t is far better to
be popular than great, and makes all
the difference to ones material com
fort. A great author is rarely apprc-
ciated, at least until he is dead; where
as the popular one winters in the
Riviera, and has portraits of his draw
ing-room furniture in the Strang Mag
azine. Anyway, my work is in good
demand; commissions are plentiful, so
plentiful last summer that 1 rather
overdid the thing, the natural consc-
quence being nervous irritability and a
tendency to lie awake o. nights; and.
as a greater writer than myself says:
THAT way madness lies"
'What you want" remarked my doc
tor-who is one of those charming
practitioners who always prescribe eX-
actly what the patient most longs for
lis thorough change. Give up
work altogether for month; 90 to
some quiet breezy spot on the coast,
and simply live out of DOORS"
had no difficulty in summoning up
enough will power to follow out this
request. Solitude has no terrors for
me. packed up my bag, and took the
first train to Barnstaple, whence l
driftcd to place called Morthoe and
there pitched my tcnt-if the express
sion may be allowcd-in Il comfortable
farmhouse, where the welcome was all
that could possibly be expected for the
money.
did not tell anyone what my pro-
fcssion was, and consequently passed
TO" an ordinary individual After n
time, naturally made acquaintance
tho parson and the squire, and that
kind of thing. There was nobody with
whom to talk shop, which was draw
back. But that comes in time. 1 found
my .tidas AcAates one morning on the
sands, where l had gone in search of a
bath. He was tall, rather lnelan-
choly-loolsing man with restless eye.
Being anything but bold swimmer,
and the coast being dangerous, was
naturally indisposed to try the briny
deep, and my new acquaintance oblig-
ingly pointed out a perfect natural
bath wherein could disport myself.
almost rs if it were made on pur-
pose" he remarked. II always come
here myself. I've got house behind
the sandhills there. shall be pleased
to see you any evening that you care
to drop in"
1 thanked the speaker, and for tho
time being we parted subsequently
inquiry elected the fact that my
friends name was Walter Waulcss. and
that he was stranger, who had taken
furnished house there for a year.
Usually, was informed, he preserved
n reserved attitude. lie was inclined
TO be eccentric; and all his houscwork,
cooking, etc, was done for him by n
solitary man servant who, so the COS
sips limited, was employed moro in the
capacity of a keeper than anything
else.
AS Q novelist, this suggestion merely
served to piquc my curiosity. a writer
looks unconsciously for copy, even in
moments of leisure. But am bound
to confess that saw nothing peculiar
in the behavior of Wanless when one
day ] lunchcd with him. The sole was
done to the turn; u subsequent dish of
curry left nothing to be desired: the
sherry was really dry, and not merely
acid; and the lusty servitor waited in
manner which would have done
credit to professional. Yet at the
same time | could not help seeing
that Wanless was very much afraid
of his man Bellamy. For instance,
when he attempted to help himself to
a third glass of sherry, Bcllamy calmly
removed the glass, and placed the de-
canter at my end of the table The
thing was done SO coolly that could
hardly restrain my establishment.
For n moment / saw n lurid light
flash into the peculiar dark eyes of my
host; his hand clcnchcd, then he
laughed pleasantly. ''Bcllamy pre-
| sumcs, as all old servants do" Wan
less said. "But he is right. all the
same; 1 am a wretchcd drinlscr"
Bellamy said nothing; he did not
even smile. He handed round box of
cigars, from which Nanlcss selected
one; and then he locked up the box and
put the key in his pocket.
You don't want to sit here all day,
SIR" he said, respectfully but firmly.
"You had better go for walk, I
think"
Wanless rose obcdiently, and l fol-
lowed. AS we passed through the
hall, caught glimpse of n small but
complcte-loolsing library which was
lined with books. With the fascina-
ton that volumes of any kind possess
for me, l was about to enter, when
Bellamy closed the door and locked it.
Sir" he said to his employer, you
are wasting the afternoon"
We'll, it wasn't for inc TO interfere, if
Wanless was disposed to put up with
that kind of thing. We had very
pleasant afternoon upon the sands,
when | found my friend to be wonder
fully entertaining companion, exceed
ingly well read, but shy, thought, on
speaking of modern writer's of fiction.
We parted, at length, with mutual re-