The Notting Hill Mystery Read online

  The constant solicitations of these enthusiastic friends seem at lengthto have produced their effect, and the favourite operator of theneighbourhood was requested to try his skill on these new patients.On Mr. Anderton the only result seems to have been the inducingof such a state of irritation as might not unreasonably have beenexpected from so nervously excitable a temperament, in presence of the"manipulations" to which the votaries of mesmerism are subjected. Inthe case of Mrs. Anderton, however, the result was, or was supposedto be, different. Whether from some natural cause that, at the time,escaped attention, or whether solely from that force of imaginationfrom which such surprising results are often found to arise, I cannotof course say; but it is certain that some short time after themesmeric "seances" had commenced, a decided though slight improvementwas perceptible. This continued until the departure of the operator forGermany, which country he had only recently left on a short visit toEngland.

  Notwithstanding the worse than failure in his own case, the certainlycurious coincidence of his wife's recovery seems to have entirelyimposed on Mr. Anderton, whose susceptibility of disposition appearsindeed to have laid him especially open to the practices of quacksof every kind. So great was now his faith in this new remedy thathe actually proposed to accompany the Professor to Germany ratherthan that his wife should lose the benefit of the accustomed"manipulations." He had proceeded to London, for the purpose ofmaking the necessary preparations, when he was induced to pause bythe remonstrances of several of his friends, who represented to himthat a winter in the severe climate of Dresden--the place to which theProfessor was bound--would probably be fatal to one of Mrs. Anderton'sdelicate constitution.

  His medical adviser also, though himself professing belief inmesmerism, gave a similar opinion, while at the same time he obviatedthe difficulty respecting the mesmeric treatment of Mrs. Anderton, byoffering an introduction to "one of the most powerful mesmerists inEurope," who had recently arrived in London, and who eventually provedto be the so-styled Baron R**.

  This introduction appears to have finally decided Mr. Andertonagainst the Dresden expedition; and, after a brief experience ofhis manipulations, Mrs. Anderton herself seems to have derived, inimagination at least, more benefit from them than even from those ofher late attendant. So thoroughly were they both impressed with thebeneficial results of the Baron's "passes," &c., that Mr. Anderton, whohad now resolved to settle in London for the autumn and winter, went sofar as to take a ready-furnished house at Notting Hill, for the expresspurpose of having his new professor in his immediate neighbourhood.Here the _seances_ were continued often twice or three times a day,and though, of course, no one in his senses could really attributesuch a result to the exercises of the Baron, it is certain that, fromsome cause or other, the health of Mrs. Anderton continued steadily toimprove.

  Matters had continued in this position for some weeks, when objectionswere raised by some of Mr. Anderton's relations to what they notunnaturally considered the very questionable propriety of theproceeding. There seems to have been a good deal of discussion on thispoint in which, however, Mr. Anderton's constitutional susceptibilityfinally carried the day against his newly conceived predilectionswith respect to, a practice so obviously calculated to expose him tounpleasant comment. The Baron, however, was not disposed so easilyto relinquish a patient from whom he derived such large and regularprofits. On being made acquainted with the decision respecting thecessation of his visits, he at once declared that his own directmanipulations were unnecessary, and that, if considered improperfor one of the opposite sex, they could easily be made available atsecond-hand.

  Having once swallowed the original imposition, any additional absurditywas of course easily disposed of, and it was now determined toavoid all occasion for offence; Mrs. Anderton should henceforth beoperated upon through the medium of a certain Mademoiselle Rosalie, a_clairvoyante_ in the employment of the Baron, who, after being placed"_en rapport_" with the patient, was to convey to her the benefit ofthe manipulations to which she was herself subjected by the operator.

  Into the precise _modus operandi_ I need not now enter, but willonly remark upon the fresh instance of the extraordinary powersof imagination displayed in the still more rapid improvement ofMrs. Anderton under this new form of treatment, and the marvellous"sympathy" so rapidly induced between her and the Baron's "medium."

  Mademoiselle Rosalie was a brunette rather below the medium height,with a slight but beautifully proportioned and active figure, sallowcomplexion, and dark hair and eyes. The only fault a _connoisseur_would probably find with her person would be the extreme breadth ofher feet, though this might perhaps be accounted for by her formeroccupation, to be noticed later on. It is necessary for our purposethat this peculiarity should be kept in mind. In appearance she wasat that time about thirty years old, but might very possibly havebeen younger, as the nature of her profession would probably entaila premature appearance of age. Altogether she formed a remarkablecontrast to Mrs. Anderton, who was slight but tall, and very fair,with remarkably small feet, and notwithstanding her ill-health, stilllooking a year or two less than her age. Between these very differentpersons, however, if we are to credit the enclosed letters, such a"sympathy" sprang up as would, on all ordinary hypotheses, be perfectlyunaccountable. Mrs. Anderton could feel--or imagined that she felt--theapproach of Mademoiselle Rosalie even before she entered the room; themere touch of her hand seemed to afford immediate benefit, and within avery few weeks she became perfectly convalescent, and stronger than shehad ever been before.

  At this point I must again refer you to the depositions themselves,that of Mr. Morton, which here follows, being of too much importance toadmit of condensation.

  2. _Statement of Frederick Morton, Esq., late Lieutenant, R.A._

  My name is Frederick George Morton. In 1854, I was a lieutenant in theRoyal Artillery, and was slightly wounded at the battle of Inkermann,on the 5th of November of that year, the day after my arrival in theCrimea. It was before joining the battery to which I was appointed. Ihave since quitted the service, on the death of my father, and am nowresiding with my mother at Leeds. I was an old school friend of thelate Mr. William Anderton, and knew him intimately for nearly fifteenyears. I was present at his marriage with Miss Boleton, in August,1851, and have since frequently visited at their house. During thetime I was at Woolwich Academy, I spent every leave-out day with them,and frequently a good portion of the vacations. My father encouragedthe intimacy, and I was as much at home in their house as in our own.My father was junior partner of one of the large manufacturing firmsin Leeds. The Andertons generally lived in London, when they were notabroad; and on one occasion I went with them to Wiesbaden. I saw verylittle of them in 1854, as they were away the earlier part of theyear, first at Ilfracombe, and then at Malvern, but I spent the 13thof October with them. I particularly remember the date, as I was on myway to the Crimea, where I was afterwards wounded, and the order hadcome very suddenly. When it came I had just gone to a friend's housefor some pheasant-shooting, and I remember I was obliged to leave thesecond morning, and I spent the night at Anderton's, and embarked thenext morning. I was to have gone for the first, but could not getaway, and I lost the shooting altogether. It was on a Saturday that Iembarked, because I remember we had church parade next day. That wasthe last time I saw Anderton. I was in Italy all that winter with mywound and rheumatic fever; and in the summer of 1855 I was sent for tomy father, who was ill for several months before he died, and afterthat I could not leave my mother. We only took in a weekly paper, andI did not hear of his having been taken up till three or four daysafter. I started to see him immediately, but was too late. It was noton account of any quarrel that we had not met. Quite the reverse. Wewere as good friends as ever to the last, and I would have given mylife to serve him. I was on the most friendly terms with Mrs. Anderton.He was dotingly fond of her. I used to laugh, and say I was jealous ofher, and they used to laugh too. I never saw two people so fond of oneanother. He was the best and
kindest-hearted fellow I over knew, onlyawfully nervous, and very sensitive about his family and his name. Theonly time we ever quarrelled was once at school, when I tried to chaffhim by pretending to doubt something he had said: it made him quiteill. He often said he would rather die than have any stain upon hisname, which he was very proud of. On the day I speak of--13th October,1854--I telegraphed to them at Notting Hill that I would dine and sleepthere on my way out. I found Mrs. Anderton better than I had ever seenher before. She said it was all Baron R**'s doing, and that sinceRosalie came she had got well faster than ever. She wanted to put offthe Baron for that night, that we might have a quiet talk, but I wouldnot let her; and, besides, I wanted to see him and Rosalie. They cameat about nine o'clock, and Mrs. Anderton lay on the sofa, and Rosaliesat on a chair by her side, and held her hand while the Baron sent herto sleep. It was Rosalie he put to sleep, not Mrs. Anderton. The latterdid not go to sleep, but lay quite still on the sofa, while Andertonand I sat together at the farther end of the room, because he saidwe might "cross the mesmeric fluid." I don't know what he meant. Ofcourse I know that it was all nonsense; but I don't think Rosalie wasshamming. I should go to sleep myself, if a man went on that way. Whenit was over, Mrs. Anderton said she felt much better, and I couldn'thelp laughing; then Anderton sent her up to bed, and he and I and theBaron sat talking for an hour and more. I never saw Mrs. Andertonagain, for I went away before she was up, but I used to hear of herfrom Anderton. What we talked of after she was gone was mesmerism. Ofcourse I did not believe in it, and I said so; and Anderton and theBaron tried to persuade me it was true. We were smoking, but Rosaliewas there, and said she did not mind it. She always seemed to saywhatever the Baron wanted, but I don't think she liked him. She did notjoin in the conversation. She said--or at least the Baron said--shecould not speak English, but I am quite sure she must have understoodit, or at all events a good deal. I have learned German, and sometimesI said something to her, and she answered; and once I saw her look upso quickly when Anderton said something about "Julie," and the Baronsaid directly, in German, "not your Julie, child." I asked her, asshe was going away, who Julie was, and she had just told me that shewas her great friend, and a dancing girl, when the Baron gave her alook, and she stopped. That was as they were leaving. Before that,Rosalie was doing crochet, and we three were talking about mesmerism.They tried to make me believe it, and the Baron was telling all sortsof stories about a wonderful _clairvoyante._ That was his Julie, notRosalie's. Of course I laughed at it all, and then they got talkingabout sympathies, and what a wonderful sympathy there was betweentwins, and the Baron told some more extraordinary stories. And when Iwouldn't believe it, Anderton got quite vexed, and reminded me aboutthe twin sister his wife had had, and who had been stolen by gipsies.And then the Baron asked him about it, and he told him the whole story,only making him promise not to tell it again, because they were afraidof her being reminded of it, and that was why it was never spoken of.The Baron seemed quite interested, and drew his chair close in betweenus. We were speaking low, that Rosalie might not hear. I remember theBaron said it was so curious he must take a note of it, and he wrote itall down in his pocket-book. He took down the dates, and all about it.He was very particular about the dates. I am sure Rosalie could haveheard nothing of all this; not even if she had understood English. Wehad gone to the window, and were too far off. Besides, we spoke low.Afterwards the Baron seemed thoughtful, and did not speak for sometime. Anderton and I got to mesmerism again, and he got a number ofsome magazine--the "Zoist," or something of that sort--to prove to mesomething. He read me some wonderful story about eating by deputy, andwhen I would not believe it, he called the Baron and asked if it wasnot true, and he said perfectly, he had known it himself. He startedwhen Anderton spoke to him, as if he had been thinking of somethingelse, and he had to repeat it again. I know it was something abouteating by deputy, because afterwards, when I was wounded and had thefever, I used to think of it and wish I could take physic that way.You will find it in the "Zoist" for that month--October, 1854.[3] Iremember saying at the time, that it was lucky for the young woman thatthe fellow didn't eat anything unwholesome, and Anderton laughed atit. The Baron did not laugh. He stood for ever so long without sayinga word, and looking quite odd. I thought that I had offended him bylaughing. Anderton spoke to him, and he jumped again, and I saw thistime he had let his cigar out. I remember that, because he tried tolight it again by mine, and his hand shook so he put mine out instead.He said he was cold, and shut the window. He would not have anothercigar, but said he must go away, for it was late. Anderton and I satsmoking for some time. I tried to persuade him to give up mesmerism,and he said Mrs. Anderton was so well now, he thought she could dowithout it, and that she would give it up in a few weeks. I heard fromhim afterwards, in November, that the Baron had left town for someweeks. When I was ill at Scutari, after my wound, I wrote to ask himto meet me at Naples, and he started with Mrs. Anderton in December,but was stopped at Dover by Mrs. Anderton's illness. I have had severalletters from him since, and am quite ready to give copies of them;all but the bits that are private. I have read over this statement,and it is all quite true. I am quite ready to swear to it in a courtof justice, if required. I wish to add, that I am quite certain poorAnderton had nothing to do with his poor wife's death. I will swear tothat.

  3. _Statement of Julie._[4]

  "Manchester, 3 Aug., 1857.

  "DEAR SIR,

  "In compliance with your instructions of the 11th ult., I forwarddeposition of Julia Clark, _alias_ Julie, _alias_ Miss Montgomery, &c.,at present of the Theatre Royal, duly attested. "Dear Sir, "Yours faithfully, "WILLIAM SMITH."

  "I am a dancer, and my name is Julia Clark: I have performed under thename of Julie, and other names. I am at present called Miss Montgomery.I knew the girl called Rosalie. She was my particular friend. We werefor several years together in Signor Leopoldo's company. I forget howmany. She did the tight-rope business, and had ten shillings a week andher keep. In our company she was called the 'Little Wonder.' Her realname was Charlotte Brown. She was about ten years old when I joinedthe company. I do not know her history. She did not know it herself.She often told me so. She would have told me if she did. She passedas the niece of old Mrs. Brown. Mrs. Brown was the money-taker. Shetook Lotty's money and found her in clothes. Lotty is Rosalie. Someof our ladies said she had been bought from a tramp. Of course I didnot believe it. They said it out of spite. Lotty did the tight-ropebusiness for about five years after I knew her. She was a beautifulfigure, only her feet were very broad.[5] All tight-rope dancersare. The rope spreads them. Otherwise her figure was perfect. She wasnervous. Not very, but rather. She used to tremble before she wenton. It was not from fear. She was ill sometimes. Not often. Sometimesshe caught cold from sitting on the damp ground to undress when shewas hot with dancing. She got stronger as she grew up. Sometimes shefelt ill, and did not know why. She had bad headaches. When she wasin that way physic was no good, only brandy. Brandy took away theheadaches. She used to drink brandy sometimes, but not like some ofour ladies. I never saw her the worse for liquor. Her headaches werenot from drinking. Certainly not. They came and went away again.Brandy took them away. I only know of once that she has been ill sinceshe left the company. She wrote and told me of it. I have the letterstill. It is not dated, but there was an extract from a newspaper init about her which is dated some time in October, 1852.[6] The day ofthe month is cut off. She gave up the tight-rope business because ofa fall. That was from being nervous. She was not drunk. She had notbeen drinking. She was nervous. A glass drop fell from the chandelierand frightened her. That was all. She was very much hurt. One foot wassprained, and the doctors at the hospital said she must never go onthe wire again. She was two months there. When she came out the circuswas shut up. The company was all dispersed except her and me and Mr.Rogers, and the gentleman who did the comic business. Mr. Rogers wasSignor Leopoldo. He took a
music-hall. I think it was in Liverpool. Hegot another singing lady and gentleman, and we gave entertainments.Every evening Mr. Rogers gave a short lecture on mesmerism, and Lottywas his subject. She was very clever at that. Of course she was notreally asleep. One night she stopped in the middle. The manager wasvery angry. She tried to go on, but she fainted, and had to be carriedoff. She said some gentleman in the stalls had done it. Next morningthe gentleman called and took her away. He gave the Signor 50_l_. Hewas the Baron R**. I knew it from Lotty. She has written to me severaltimes. These are her letters. They are rubbed at the edges. It is fromkeeping them in my pocket. I do not think she ever left the Baron, butI do not know. The last letter I ever had from her was from his house.It was in the first week of November, 1854. I got it in Plymouth.It was the only week I was there before I went to Dublin for thepantomime. She said she was going to be married, but must not tell mewho to just yet. I never heard from her since. I have written severaltimes, but my letters have been returned. I have no idea who shemarried. It could not have been the Baron. She disliked him too much.She stayed with him because he paid her well. Partly that, and partlybecause she said she couldn't help doing what he told her. She said hereally did mesmerise her, and that she could see in her sleep. She didnot live with the Baron as his wife. Only as his medium. If she hadshe would have told me. I am quite sure she would. I am quite certainthere was never any connection between her and the Baron except what Ihave said. Of course I cannot swear she did not marry him, but I shouldthink it very unlikely. Why should she when she disliked him so much?All this is true. I believe Signor Leopoldo is now somewhere abroad.

  (Signed) "JULIA CLARK, _alias_ JULIE."