Missing, A Married Gentleman
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| - | "READERS of [[Nathaniel Hawthorne]]’s ''Twice-Told Tales'' will remember a very curious speculative essay on the subject of a gentleman who took the strange whim of suddenly absenting himself from his wife and family, and remaining concealed for many years in the neighbourhood of his own home, for the purpose of observing their conduct after his supposed death. It is an old newspaper story, and was found, I believe, by Mr. Hawthorne, in an American Journal. A year or two ago it was also related in a London weekly paper; the scene being then laid in the suburbs of the metropolis: and I remember it a few years back to have met with it in a French paper, wherein the circumstances were stated to be of recent occurrence – the mysterious husband being no other than our old friend the Sieur X, pro hac vice, a draper in the Rue St. Honoré. The various versions are evidently taken from one another; but the original story, from which they differ scarcely in anything, but in names and places, is found in Dr. [[William King (St Mary Hall)|William King]]’s “[[Political and Literary Anecdotes of his own Times]].” Dr. King was a well-known scholar and a busy literary man, in the early part of the last century. His anecdotes were discovered by accident, in manuscript, about forty years ago only; but they were well ascertained to be genuine. The story referred to appears to be authentic, and to those who have not yet met with it it may be found an interesting addition to the stories of “Disappearances” in earlier numbers of ''[[Household Words]]''." | + | "READERS of [[Nathaniel Hawthorne]]’s ''[[Twice-Told Tales]]'' will remember a very curious speculative essay on the subject of a gentleman who took the strange whim of suddenly absenting himself from his wife and family, and remaining concealed for many years in the neighbourhood of his own home, for the purpose of observing their conduct after his supposed death. It is an old newspaper story, and was found, I believe, by Mr. Hawthorne, in an American Journal. A year or two ago it was also related in a London weekly paper; the scene being then laid in the suburbs of the metropolis: and I remember it a few years back to have met with it in a French paper, wherein the circumstances were stated to be of recent occurrence – the mysterious husband being no other than our old friend the Sieur X, pro hac vice, a draper in the Rue St. Honoré. The various versions are evidently taken from one another; but the original story, from which they differ scarcely in anything, but in names and places, is found in Dr. [[William King (St Mary Hall)|William King]]’s “[[Political and Literary Anecdotes of his own Times]].” Dr. King was a well-known scholar and a busy literary man, in the early part of the last century. His anecdotes were discovered by accident, in manuscript, about forty years ago only; but they were well ascertained to be genuine. The story referred to appears to be authentic, and to those who have not yet met with it it may be found an interesting addition to the stories of “Disappearances” in earlier numbers of ''[[Household Words]]''." --[[Charles Dickens]], 1854 |
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| - | "[[The Long Absent Husband Returned]]" is the informal title of an [[anecdote]] first published by [[William King (St Mary Hall)|William King]] (1685–1763) in ''[[Political and Literary Anecdotes of His Own Times]]''[https://archive.org/stream/politicalandlit00kinggoog#page/n6/mode/2up]. It was the inspiration[https://archive.org/stream/politicalandlit00kinggoog#page/n252/mode/2up] for Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "[[Wakefield (short story)|Wakefield]]". | + | "[[Missing, A Married Gentleman]]" (aka "The Long Absent Husband Returned") is the informal title of an [[anecdote]] first published by [[William King (St Mary Hall)|William King]] (1685–1763) in ''[[Political and Literary Anecdotes of His Own Times]]''[https://archive.org/stream/politicalandlit00kinggoog#page/n6/mode/2up]. It was the inspiration[https://archive.org/stream/politicalandlit00kinggoog#page/n252/mode/2up] for Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "[[Wakefield (short story)|Wakefield]]". |
| ==Full text[https://archive.org/stream/politicalandlit00kinggoog/politicalandlit00kinggoog_djvu.txt]== | ==Full text[https://archive.org/stream/politicalandlit00kinggoog/politicalandlit00kinggoog_djvu.txt]== | ||
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"READERS of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Twice-Told Tales will remember a very curious speculative essay on the subject of a gentleman who took the strange whim of suddenly absenting himself from his wife and family, and remaining concealed for many years in the neighbourhood of his own home, for the purpose of observing their conduct after his supposed death. It is an old newspaper story, and was found, I believe, by Mr. Hawthorne, in an American Journal. A year or two ago it was also related in a London weekly paper; the scene being then laid in the suburbs of the metropolis: and I remember it a few years back to have met with it in a French paper, wherein the circumstances were stated to be of recent occurrence – the mysterious husband being no other than our old friend the Sieur X, pro hac vice, a draper in the Rue St. Honoré. The various versions are evidently taken from one another; but the original story, from which they differ scarcely in anything, but in names and places, is found in Dr. William King’s “Political and Literary Anecdotes of his own Times.” Dr. King was a well-known scholar and a busy literary man, in the early part of the last century. His anecdotes were discovered by accident, in manuscript, about forty years ago only; but they were well ascertained to be genuine. The story referred to appears to be authentic, and to those who have not yet met with it it may be found an interesting addition to the stories of “Disappearances” in earlier numbers of Household Words." --Charles Dickens, 1854 |
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"Missing, A Married Gentleman" (aka "The Long Absent Husband Returned") is the informal title of an anecdote first published by William King (1685–1763) in Political and Literary Anecdotes of His Own Times[1]. It was the inspiration[2] for Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "Wakefield".
Full text[3]
About the year 1706, I knew one Mr. Howe, a sensible well-natured man, possessed of an estate of 700/. or 800/, per annum: he married a young lady of a good family in the west of England, her maiden name was Mallet ; she was agreeable in her person aud manners, and proved a very good wife. Seven or eight years after they had been married, he rose one morning very early, and told his wife he was obliged to go to the Tower to transact some particular business: the same day, at noon, his wife received a note from him, in which he informed her that he was under a necessity of going to Holland, and should probably be absent three weeks or a month. He was absent from her seventeen years, during which time she neither heard from him, or of him. The evening be- fore he returned, whilst she was at sup- per, and with her some of her friends and relations, particularly one Dr. Rose*, a physician, who had married her sister,
- I was very well acquainted with Dr. Ross ; he was of a French family. I often met him at King's Coffee-house, near Golden-square, and he frequently entertained me with this remarkable story.
a billet, without any name subscribed, was delivered to her, in which the writer requested the favour of her to give him a meeting the next evening in the Bird* cage Walk, in St* James's Park. When she had read her billet, she tossed it to Dr. Rose, and laughing, "You see, brother, " said she, " as old as I am, I have got a gallant." Rose, who perused the note with more attention, declared it to be Mr. Howe's hand- writing: this surprised all the company, and so much affected Mrs. Howe, that she fainted away; however, she soon recovered, when it was agreed that Dr. Rose and his wife, with the other gentlemen and ladies who were then at supper, should attend Mrs. Howe the next evening to the Bird-cage Walk : they had not been there more than five or six minutes, when Mr. Howe came to them, and after saluting his friends, and embracing his wife, walked home with her, and they lived together in great harmony from that time to the day of his death. But the most curious part of my tale remains to be related.
- When Howe left his wife, they lived
in a house in Jermyn-street, hear St. James's church ; he went no farther than to a little street in Westminster, where he took a room, for which he paid five or six shillings a week, and changing his
- London is the only place in all Europe where: a man can find a secure retreat, or remain, if he pleases, many years unknown. If he pays constantly for his lodging, for his provisions, and for whatsoever else he wants, nobody will ask a question, concerning him, or inquire whence he comes, whither he goes, &c.
name, and disguising himself by wearing a black wig (for he was a fair man), he remained in this habitation during the whole time of his absence. He had had two children by his wife when he de- parted from her, who were both living at that time : but they both died young in a few years after. However, during their lives, the second or third year after their father disappeared, Mrs. Howe was obliged to apply for an act of par- liament to procure a proper settlement of her husband's estate, and a provision for herself out of it during his absence, as it was uncertain whether he was alive or dead: this act he suffered to be solicited and passed, and enjoyed the pleasure of reading the progress of it in the votes, in a little coffee-house, near his lodging, which he frequented. Upon his quitting his house and family in the manner I have mentioned, Mrs. Howb at first imagined, as she could not con- ceive any other cause for such an abrupt elopement, that he had contracted a large debt unknown to her, and by that means involved himself in difficulties which he could not easily surmount ; and for some days she lived in continual apprehensions of demands from creditors, of seizures, executions, &c. But nothing of this kind happened ; on the contrary, he did not only leave his estate quite free and unencumbered, but he paid the bills of every tradesman with whom he had any dealings ; and upon examining his papers, in due time after he was gone, proper receipts and discharges were found from all persons, whether tradesmen or others, with whom he had any manner of trans- actions or money concerns. Mrs. Howe, after the death of her children, thought proper to lessen her family of servants, and the expenses of her housekeeping ; and therefore removed from her house in Jermyn-street to a little house in Brewer-street, near Golden-square. Just over against her lived one Salt # , a corn- chandler. About ten years after Howe's abdication, he contrived to make an ac- quaintance with Salt, and was at length in such a degree of intimacy with him, that he usually dined with Salt once or
- I knew Salt, whom I often met at a coffeehouse called King's Coffee-house, near Golden-square. He related to me the particulars which I have here mentioned, and many others, which have escaped my memory.
twice a week. From the room in which they eat, it was not difficult to look into Mrs. Howe's dining-room, where she . generally sate and received her company; and Salt, who believed Howe to he a bachelor, frequently recommended his own wife to him as a suitable match. During the last seven years of this gen- tleman's absence, he went every Sunday to St. James's church, and used to sit in Mr. Salt's seat, where he had a view of his wife, but could not easily be seen by her. After he returned home, he never would confess, even to his most intimate friends, what was the real cause of such a singular conduct; apparently, there was none : but whatever it was, he was certainly ashamed to own it. Dr. Rose has often said to me, that he believed his brother Howe* would never have returned to his wife, if the money which he took with him, which was supposed to have been 1000/. or 2000/. had not been all spent : and he must have been a good economist, and frugal in his man- ner of living, otherwise his money would scarce have held out ; for I imagine he had his whole fortune by him, I mean what he carried away with him in money or bank bills, and daily took out of his bag, like the Spaniard in Gil Blas, what was sufficient for his expenses.
* And yet I have seen him after bis return addressing his wife in the language of a young bridegroom. And 1 have been assured by some of his most intimate friends, that he treated her during the rest of their lives with the greatest kindness and affection.
