The Warwickshire Herald. — 1895-05-23 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

MAGNIFICENT YOUNG MAN.  By JOHN STRANGE WINI ER,  AUTHOR OF  "Soothes Baby," "Cavalry Life," "Army Society," "Garrison Gesell)," Beautiful Jim," "A Born Soldier," "Red Coate,' " Mrs. Bob," "The Stranger Woman," etc., etc.  And Mrs. Bladensbrook did wait for a few days, but no word or .sign came from Godfrey or indeed from anyone else. Then she lost all patience and set off to Blaukhampton to see whether she could discover any trace of him herself. At the end of three days she wrote to the rector., •-I oan find no trace of Godfrey. whatever. I don't understand this mystery. I feel convinced that he has been murdered or got out of the roar) in some way. I have put the matter in the hands of the police, and the colonel of the regiment thinks that lam doing perfectly wisely. Mast of Godfrey's things are at the hotel at Marley Spa, that is to say, most of the things which he seems to have taken with him from Blankhamptons They tell me that he was perfectly well in health but complained the day before he asked for his leave .of feeling not quite the thing. He started from Blankhampton to go to Marley Spa .for a short course of the waters, but has never slept in the hoteL The rooms are paid for and his things are still there. The landlord has not the smallest idea whether he slept in the town or not. I can find no trace of him at the station. Nobody seems to have noticed anything about him, which seems very remarkable as Godfrey is particularly noticeable in appearance. Some of his belongings are missing. I. took his portmanteau and all flu th:..gs that I found at the hotel at Marley Spa back to Blankhampton, and his body servant tells me that a similar portmanteau and several suits of clothing together with his combs and brushes and other toilet appliances are all missing." It is almost impossible to describe with what mixed feelings Margot read this letter. She knew but too well that all Godfrey's toilet appliances had been destroyed in the railway accident. They had found the debris of certain ivory-backed brushes and such things in the shed at Rumford and Godfrey had pointed them out to her privately with a laugh at their ruined condition, but had not claimed them because of the crest and monogram emblazoned upon them. - - - -  "It is no use claiming these," he said to her, "they are completely done for, and as I have given the name of Smith, it will be best not to claim anything with G.B. stamped on it, more particularly as you have claimed things marked with other initials than those under which you are passing.  After ten days or so, Mrs. Bladensbrook returned home no wiser than she had been when she left. Apparently Godfrey had disappeared utterly and entirely. Ile had disappeared as completely as if the earth had opened and wallowed him up; there was, apparently, no trace of him. It was as if he had vanished from off the face of the earth. The day after her return Mrs. Bladensbrook drove down to the rectory in order to talk it all over and to tell the rector and Margot the very latest news, or want of news.  "If there were any reason for it," said Mrs. Biz. denbrook for about the twentieth time, when she had told them all that she knew or did not know, "If there were any reason for it then it would be understandable enough, but Godfrey was not like other young men, he is so rich, so free in his circumstances, it is so unlike him. I cannot make it out. And really, there is nothing about his rooms to show that he was mixed in any way with anybody outside. His colonel and I looked over his letters—such as were lying about—but they were all the veriest and most unimportant trifles, invitations and such-like. There are no signs of his being entangled in any way. There is a portrait of myself and Margot and your two boys and a set of photographs of Bladensbrook, but all things that he has had about him for years. I cannot understand it. And, of course, his leave is long since at an end. He is absent without leave, a grave military offence. I,t seems impossible that a Bladensbrook could deliberately absent himself when his leave was finished. What do you think, Margot?" "I don't know what to think," said Margot-which was true enough.