Oct. 10, 1884.] 



KNOWLEDGE ♦ 



297 



previously inferred from the number of its ferns, and 

 the continuity of its forests for hundreds of miles; but 

 it is satisfactory to have at length obtained such positive 

 proofs of showers of rain, the drops of which resembltd in 

 their average size those which now fall from the clouds. 

 From such data, we may presume that the atmosphere of 

 the carboniferous period corresponded in density with that 

 now investing the globe, and that dillerent currents of air 

 varied then, as now, in temperature, so as to give rise, by 

 their mixture, to the condensation of aqueous vapour." 

 (To be continued.) 



DICKENS'S STORY LEFT HALF TOLD. 



A (Jl-ASI-SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY INTO 



THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD. 

 By Thomas Foster. 



(Continiied from page 277.) 



SIX months pass and we find Crisparkle waiting at the 

 office of the Haven of Philanthropy for Mr. Honey- 

 thunder. We notice in this interview enough to show that 

 Grewgious has not yet confided to Crisparkle his knowledge 

 of Drood's safety. If we could feel any doubt on this point 

 it would be removed by the interview between Crisparkle 

 and young Landless. The interview between Crisparkle 

 and Grewgions is much more significant however. We 

 find that Grewgious is keeping a watch upon Neville Land- 

 less, obviously in the young man's interests. Can one doubt 

 — seeing this — that Grewgious knows that about the dis- 

 appearance of Drood which no one but Drood himself could 

 have told him 1 In passing note that Mr. Grewgious could 

 not possibly maintain this watch alone, and that un- 

 doubtedly Bazzard would be the man he would employ to 

 share the work with him, — which would fully account for 

 what he afterwards tells Rosa about Bazzard being " oflF 

 duty in the office.'' Grewgious sits at the window watch- 

 ing, and even while Crisparkle is with him, detects the 

 slinking figure of Jasper, who has followed Crisparkle to 

 town. The two agree that Jasper's object is to keep a 

 watch on NevUle, haunting and torturing his life, and 

 exposing him to perpetually reviving suspicion. Grewgious 

 begs Crisparkle to leave him, — for " I entertain," he says, 

 " a fancy for having our local friend under my eye to- 

 night " — as well as Neville, and )Wt in Jasper's interests. 

 Mr. Grewgious's watch is maintained till late. Even when 

 he retires to his bedroom, he looks out on Neville's cham- 

 bers. Grewgious is thoughtful and anxious about Neville, 

 and looks at the stars as if he would have read from them 

 something that was hidden from him. He feels naturally 

 anxious after what Crisparkle has told him about Neville's 

 state, and after what they have both seen of Jasper's pur- 

 suit of him. Is it purely accidental that the next words — 

 the opening words of a new chaptei-, bring Datchery — the 

 most terrible of all Jasper's foes — upon the scene 1 I 

 cannot think so. 



" At about this time," we read, as if partly in pursuance 

 of Mr. Grewgious's plans for relieving Neville, a " stranger 

 appeared in Cloisterham ; a wliite-haired personage with 

 black eyebrows," — who describes himself as " a single 

 buffer living on his means," and to the jackass Sapsea as 

 " a diplomatic bird." In passing, I remark that recog- 

 nising Datchery as Drood, all that relates to him is full of 

 fun (save for here and there a touch of pathos), but re- 

 garding him as any one else is stupid and unmeaning. If 

 Bazzard were Datchery, the " Datchery assumption " is 

 worse than unmeaning, it is bad literary workmanship. If 



Datchery is a mere professional detective (a view which 

 Dickens himself enables us to reject), the Datchery matter 

 is dull and heavy. Datchery can be no one else, unless he 

 is Drood. But regarding him as Drood, every line about 

 him is in Dickens's beat manner, — and the character of 

 Drood is very cleverly maintained, with just such modifica- 

 tion as the terrible experience through which he has passed 

 would render necessary. The " Mystery of Edwin Drood " 

 would be worth reading if for nothing else but this clever 

 bit of writing. 



Datchery cleverly leads the waiter at the Crozier to 

 suggest Mr. Tope as a likely party to tell him what he 

 wants, or even to let the very lodgings he wishes to occupy 

 for his watch on Jasper. On his way he becomes be- 

 wildered, boggling around the Tower, as if he felt " hot " in 

 his search when he saw it, and " ' cold ' when he didn't 

 see it." This, of course, is to prevent the ordinary reader 

 from recognising Drood in Datchery ; for Drood might 

 be expected to know his way to Topes's. Yet any one who 

 has wandered through the back streets of Cloisterham 

 (Rochester) knows that even a resident might easily be 

 bewildered there, and Drood was not a resident. The 

 Crozier, we are expressly told, was a hotel of a most retiring 

 disposition. But the description may easily be regarded as 

 applying only to what Mr. Datchery seemed to do. It 

 would have had a most susiiicious appearance if, as a 

 stranger in Cloisterham, Mr. Datchery had found his way 

 too readily. Asking the way from the Deputy would 

 serve a double purpose, nay a triple one ; — 1, testing his 

 disguise ; 2, starting an acquaintance with that useful 

 little imp ; and, 3, confirming the idea that he was a 

 stranger in Cloisterham (for the Deputy was likely enough 

 to talk at the Travellers' Rest). 



The scene which follows is worth careful studying. 

 Edwin Drood tries his Datchery assumption on four per- 

 sons any one of whom might be expected to have recog- 

 nised him unless his disguise were very perfect, — on Mrs. 

 Tope, on Mr. Sapsea, on Durdles, and on Jasper (though 

 Jasper assuredly had good reason for knowing, as he sup- 

 posed, that, whoever Mr. Datchery might be, he could 

 not possibly be Edwin Drood — Jasper in fact would be 

 likely to be as blind to the truth, here, as the average 

 reader whose ways Dickens so well understood). No 

 wonder we find Datchery saying at the close of his after- 

 noon's work, that " for a single buffer, living idly on his 

 means, he has had a rather busy afternoon." Were he 

 other than Drood the afternoon's work would have been 

 easy enough. 



Datchery's confu.sed knowledge " of the Drood mystery, 

 and the necessity under which he places Mrs. Tope to 

 correct him in every detail," would be a little overdone 

 were not Mrs. Tope so foolish a woman. His talk with 

 " The worshipful the Mayor " is irresistibly funny when we 

 think of him as Drood, but would be silly enough for any 

 other detective. " Might I ask his Honor," he says, 

 " whether that gentleman we have just left is the gentleman 

 of whom I have heard in the neighbourhood as being much 

 afflicted by the loss of a nephew, and concentrating his life 

 on avenging the loss 1 " (Only a few minutes before Mr. 

 Datchery had told Mrs. 'Tope he knew scarcely anything 

 about the matter in which he now expresses so much inte- 

 rest). "That is the gentleman, John Jasper, sir." "Would 

 his Honor allow me to inquire whether there are strong 

 suspicions of anyone 1 " " More than suspicions, sir," 

 returns the Jackass Mayor ; "all but certainties." " Onli/ 

 think now/" cries Mr. Datchery. There is a world of 

 meaning in this Droodlike and Dickenslike reply. 



Later we have a touch of Dickens's observant manner, 

 in the way in which Datchery puts his hand to his head, 



