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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 3, 1907)
THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN. rORTLAND. NOVEMBER 3, 1907 9 j U 1.0 THE OLD XTSEBEK III IKE most South Africans, Sir I Charles Vandrift Is anything but sedentary. He hates siting down, He must always "trek." He cannot live without moving about freely. Six weeks In Mayfair at a time is as much as he can stand. Then he must run away Incontinently for rest. and change to Scotland, Homburg, Monte carlo, Biarritz. "I won't be a limpet on the rock," he says. Thus it came to pass that in the early Autumn we found ourselves stopping at the Metropole at Brighton. We were the accustomea nice little family party Sir Charles nnd Amelia, myself and Isabel, with the suite as usual. On the first Sunday morning after our arrival we strolled out, Charles and I I rerret to say during the hours allot ted fur divine service on to the King's road, to get a whiff of fresh air, and a glimpse of the waves that were churn ing the channel. The two laaies (wiui their bonnets) had gone to cfhurch; but Sir Charles had risen late,' fatigued from the week's toil, while I myself was suffering from a matutinal head ache, which I attributed to the close air of the billiard-room overnight, com hlned. nerhuos. with the insidious ef feet of a brand of soda water to' which I was little accustomed; I had used it to dilute my evening whisky. We were to meet our wives afterward at the church parade an institution to which I beliovo both Amelia and Isabel at tach even greater importance than to the sermon which precedes It. We sat down on a glass seat. Charles gazed Inquiringly up and down the King's road, on the lookout for a boy with Sunday naners. At last one passed. "Observer." my brother-in-law tailed out laconically. "Ain't got none," the boy answered, brandishing . his bundle in our faces, "Ave a Referee or a Pink "Un?" Charles, however. Is not a Refereeder while as to the Pink 'Un. he considers it unsuitable for public perusal on Sun day morning. It may be read indoors, hut in the onen air its blush betrays it. So he shook his head and muttered: "If you pass an Observer send him on hero at once to me. A polite stranger who sat close to us turned round with a pleasant smile. "Would you allow me to offer you one?" he said, drawing a copy from his pocket. "I fancy I bought the last. There's a run on them today, you see. Important news this morning from the Transvaal." Charles raised his eyebrows and ae ceDted it. as I thought. Just a trifle rrumnllv. So to remove the false Im pression his surliness might produce on so benevolent a mind, I entered- into conversation with the polite stranger. He was a man of middle age and medi um height, with a cultivated air and a pair of gold pince-nez; his eyes were sharp, his voice refined. He dropped into talk before long about dlstln- KU'-shed people Just then In Brighton It was clear at once that he was hand in glove with many of the very best kind. We compared notes as to Nice, Rome, Florence, Cairo. Our new acquaintance had scores of friends in common with us, it seemed; indeed, our circles so largely coincided that I wondered we had never happened till then to knock ud asralnnt one another. "And Sir Charles Vandrift. the great African millionaire, he said at last. "do you know anything about him? I'm told he's at present down here at the Metropole." I waved my hand toward the person In question. "This is Sir Charles Vandrift," I answered, with proprietary pride: "and I am his brother-in-law, jMr. Seymour Wentwortn. "Oh, indeed!" the stranger answered with a curious air of drawing in his horns. I wondered whether he had Just been going to pretend he knew Sir Charles, or whether perchance he was on the point of saying something high ly uncomplimentary, and was glad to have escaped it. By this time, however, Charles laid down the paper and chimed into our conversation. I could see at once from his mollified, tone that the news from the Transvaal was favorable to his operations In Cloetedorp Golcondas. He wab therefore In a friendly and affable temper. His whole manner changed at once. He grew polite in return to the polite stranger. Besides, we knew the man moved In the best society; he had acquaintances whom Amelia was most anxious to secure for her "at homes" in Mayfair young Faith, the novelist, and Sir Richard Montrose, the great Arctic traveler. As for the painters, it was clear that he was sworn friends with the whole lot of them. He dined with academicians and gave weekly breakfasts to the members of the in stitute. Now Amelia is particularly desirous that her salon should not be considered too exclusively financial and political in character. With a solid basis of M. P.'s and millionaires she loves a delicate undercurrent of litera ture, art. and the musical glasses. Our new acquaintance was extremely com municative. "Knows his place in so ciety, Sey." Sir Charles said to me fterward. "and is therefore not afraid of talking freely, as so many people re who have doubts about their posi tion." We exchanged cards before we rose. Our new friend's named turned out to be Dr. Edward Polperro. "In practice here?" I Inquired, though his garb belled it. "Oh, no! medical," he answered. "I am an LL.D., don't you know. I In terest myself in art, and buy to some I extent for the National Gallery." J The very man for - Amelia's "at j homes!" Sir Charles snapped at him Instantly. . "I've brought my four-in-hand down here with me," he said, in his beet friendly manner, "andi we 1 think of tooling over tomorrow to Lewes. If you'd care to take a seat ' I'm sure Lady Vandrift would be charmed to see you." I "You're very kind," the doctor said, "on so casual an Introduction. I'm sure I shall be delighted." "We start from the Metropole at 10:30," Charles went on. "I shall be there. Good morning." And with a satisfied smile he rote and left us, nodding. We returned to the lawn, to Amelia and Isabel. Our new friend passed us once or twice. Charles stopped him and Introduced him. He was walking with two ladles, most elegantly dressed In rather peculiar artistic dresses. Amelia was taken at first sight by his manner. "One could see at a glance," she said, "he was a per Ron of culture and of real distinction. I wonder whether he could bring the P. R. A. to my Parliamentary 'at home' on Wednesday fortnight?" Next day at 10:30 we started on our drive. Our team has been consid ered the best In Sussex. Charles is an excellent, though somewhat anx ious or, might I say better, somewhat MASTER careful? whip. He finds the management of two leaders and two wheelers fills his hands for the moment, both literally and figuratively, leaving very little time for general conversation. Lady Belleisle of Beacon bloomed beside him on the box (her bloom Is perennial, and applied by her maid): Dr. Polperro occupied the seat Just behind with myself and Amelia. The Doctor talked most of the time to Lady Vandrift; his discourse was of picture galleries, which Amelia detests, but in which she thinks it incumbent upon her. as Sir Charles' wife, to affect now and then a cultivated interest. Noblesse oblige: and the walls of Castle Seldon, our place in Ross-shire, are almost cov ered now with readers and with Or- chardsons. This result was first arrived at by a singular accident. Sir Charles wanted a leader for his coach, you un derstandand told an artistic friend so. The artistic friend brought him a Leader next week with a capital L, and Sir Charles was so taken aback that he felt ashamed to confess the error. So he was turned unawares Into a patron of paint ing. Dr. Polperro, in spite of his too pro nouncedly artistic talk, proved on closer view a most agreeable companion. He diversified his art cleverly with anec dotes and scandals: he told us exactly which famous painters had married their cooks, and which had only married their models; and otherwise showed himself a most diverting talker. Among other things, however, he happened to mention once that he had recently discovered a genuine Rembrandt a quite undoubted Rembrandt, which had remained for years in the keeping of a certain obscure Dutch family. It had always been al lowed to be a masterpiece of the painter, hut It had seldom been seen for the last half century save by a few intimate ac quaintances. It was a portrait of one Maria Vanrenen of Haarlem, and he had bought it of her descendants at Gonda, In Holland. I saw Charles prick up his ears, though he took no open notice. This Maria Van renen, as it happened, was a remote col lateral ancestress of the Vandrifts be fore they emigrated to the Cape in 17S0; and the existence of the portrait, though not its whereabouts, was well known in the family. Isabel had often mentioned it. If it was to be had at anything like a reasonable price It would be a splendid thing for the boys (Sir Charles, I ought to say, has two sons at Eton) to pos sess an undoubted portrait of an ances tress by Rembrandt. Dr. Polperro talked a great deal after that about this valuable find. He had tried to sell it at first to the National gallery, but, though the directors ad mired the work immensely, and admitted its genuineness, they regretted that the funds at their disposal this year did not permit them to acquire so important a canvas at a proper figure. South Ken sington again was too poor, but the doc tor was in treaty ot present with the Louvre and with Berlin. Still, it i was a pity a fine work of art like that, once brought into the country, should be al lowed to go out of it. Some patriotic pat ron of the fine arts ought to buy it for his own house, or else munificently pre sent it to the nation. All the time Charles said nothing. But I could feel him cogitating. He even looked behind him once, near a difficult corner (while the guard was actually en gaged In tooting his horn to let passers- by know that the coach was coming), and gave Amelia a warning glance to say nothing committing, which had at once the requisite effect of sealing her mouth for the moment. It Is a very unusual thing for Charles to look back while driving. I gathered from his doing so that he was Inordinately eager to pos sess this Rembrandt. When we arrived at Lewis we put up our horses at the inn, and Charles or dered a lunch on his wonted scale of princely magnificence. Meanwhile we wandered, two and two, about the town and castle. I annexed Lady Belleisle, who Is at least amusing. Charles drew me aside before starting. "Look here, Sey," he said, "we must be very careful. This man Polperro is a chance acquain tance. There is nothing an astute rogue can take one in over more easily than an old master. If the Rembrandt Is genuine I ought to have It; If It really represents Maria Vanrenen, It's a duty I owe to the boys to buy It. But I've been done twice lately, and I won't be done a third time. We must go to work cautiously." "You are right," I answered. "No more seers and curates!" "If this man's an lmposter," Charles went on "and in spite of what he says about the National gallery arid so forth, we knew nothing of him the story he told is Just the sort of one such a fel low would trump up In a moment to de ceive me. He could easily learn who I was I'm a well-known figure; he knew I was in Brighton, and he may have been sitting on that glass seat on Sun day on purpose to entrap me." "He Introduced your name," 1 said, "and the moment he found out who 1 was he plunged into talk with me." "Yes,". Charles continued. "He may have learned about the portrait of Maria Vanrenen, which my grandmoth er always said was preserved at Gouda; and indeed, I myself have often mentioned It; as you doubtless remem ber. If so, what more natural, say, for a rogue than to begin talking about the portrait In that innocent way to Amelia? If he wants a Rembrandt, I believe they can be turned out to order to any amount in Birmingham. The moral of all which is, it behooves us to be careful." BEING BPI50DE5 IN 'TM& 11F& OF A mjIEK ROGUE; GftOTAMEN0 1 "Rlght you are!" I answered. "And I am keeping my eyes upon him." We drove back by another road, over shadowed by beech trees in Autumnal gold. It was a delightful excursion. Dr. Polperro's heart was elated by upch and the excellent dry Monopole. He talked amazingly. I never heard a man with a great or more varied flow of anecdote. He had been everywhere and knew all about everybody. Amelia booked him at once for her "At Home" on Wednesday week, and he promised to introduce her to several artistic and literary celebrities. That evening, however, about 7:30, Charles and I strolled out together on the King's road for a blow before din ner. We dine at 8. The air was de licious. We passed a small new hotel, very smart and exclusive, with a big bow window. There, in evening dress, lights burning and blind up, sat our friend. Dr. Polperro, with a lady facing him, young, graceful and pretty. A bottle of champagne stood open before hl.m He was helping himself plenti fully to hothouse grapes, and full of good humor. It was clear he and the lady were occupied in the Intense en joyment of Bome capital 'Joke, for they looked queerly at one another, and burst now and again into merry peals of laughter. I drew back. So did Sir Charles. One idea passed at once through both our minds. I murmured "Colonel Clay!" He answered, "And Madame Picardet!" They were not In the least like the Rev. Richard and Mrs. Brabazon. But that clinched the matter. Nor did I see a sign of the aquiline nose or the Mex ican seer. Still, I had learnt by then to discount appearances. If these were indeed the famous sharper and his wi.e or accomplice, we must be very careful. We were forewarned this time. Suppos ing he had the audacity to try a third trick of the sort upon us we had him under our thumbs. Only, we must take steps to prevent his dexterously slipping through our fingers. "He can wriggle like an ell," said the Commissary at Nice. We both recalled those words, and laid our plans deep to prevent the man's wriggling away from us on this third occasion. "I tel! you what it is, Sey," my brother-in-law said, with Impressive slowness. "This time ws must deliberately lay our selves out to be swindled. We must pro pose of our own accord to buy the pic ture, making him guarantee it in writing as a genuine Rembrandt, and taking caro to tie him down by most stringent condi tions. But .we must seem at the same time to be unsuspicious- and innocent as babes; we must swallow whole whatever lies he tells us; pay his price nominally by cheque for the portrait; and '.hen ar rest him the moment the bargain is com plete, with the proofs of his guilt then and there upon him. Of course, what he will try to do will be to vanish into thin air at once, as he did at Nice and Paris: but,' this time, we'll haveithe police in waiting and everything ready. We 11 avoid precipitancy, but we'll avoid delay, too. We must hold our hands off till he's actually accepted and pocketed the money; and then we must nab him in stantly, and walk him off to the local Bow street. That's my plan of campaign. Meanwhile, we should appear all trustful innocence and confiding guilelessness." In pursuance of this ".ell-laid scheme we called next day on Dr. Polperro at his hotel, and were introduced to his wife, a dainty little woman, in whom we affected not to recognize that arch Mad ame Picardet or that simple "White Heather." The doctor talked charmingly (as usual) about art what a well-informed rascal he was, to be sure! and Sir Charles expressed some Interest in the supposed Rembrandt. Our new friend was delighted; we could see by his well suppressed eagerness of tone that he knew us at once for probable purchasers. He would run up to town next day, he said, and bring down the portrait. And, in effect, when Charles anu I took our wonted places In the Pullman next morn ing, on our way to the half-yearly meet ing at Cloetedorp Goicondas, there was our doctor, leaning back in his armchair as if the car belonged to him. Charles gave me an expressive look. "Does it in Btyle," he whispered, "doesn't he? Takes It out of my five thousand, or discounts the amount he means to chouse me of with his spurious Rembrandt." Arrived in town, we went to work at once. We set a private detective from Marvilller's to watch our friend, and from him we learned that the so-called doctor dropped In for a picture that day at a dealer's In the West End (I suppress the name, having a Judicious fear of the law of libel ever before my eyes), a dealer who was known to be mixed up before then In several shady or disreputable transactions. Though, to be sure, my experience has been that picture dealers are picture dealers. Horses rank first in my mind as begetters and producers of unscrupulous agents, but pictures ran them a very good second. Anyhow, we found out that our distinguished art critic picked up his Rembrandt at this dealer's shop and came down with it In his care the same night to Brighton. In order not to act precipitately, and so ruin our plans, we induced Dr. Polperro fwhat a cleverly chosen name) to bring tne Rembrandt round to the "Metropole' for our inspection, and to leave it with us while we got the opinion 'of an expert irom ijondon. The expert came down, and gave us a full report upon tho alleged old master. In his Judgment it was not a Rembrandt at all. but a cunningly painted and well begrimed modern Dutch imitation. More over, he showed us by documentary evi dence that the real portrait of Maria Van renen, had, as a matter of fact, been brought to England five years before and sold to Sir J. H. Tomllnson, the well known connoisseur, for 8000. Dr. Pol perro's picture was, therefore, at best either a replica by Rembrandt, or else, more probably, a copy by a pupil, or most likely of all, a mere modern forgery. We were thus well prepared to fasten our charge of criminal conspiracy upon the self-styled doctor. But in order to make assurance still more certain, we threw out vague hints to him that the portrait of Miss Maria Vanrenen might really be elsewhere, and even suggested in his hearing that it might not improb ably have got into the hands of that omnivorous collector. Sir J. H. Tomlln son. But the vender was proof against ail such attempts to decry his goods. He had the effrontery to brush away the documentary evidence and to declare that Sir J. H. Tomllnson (one of the most learned and astute picture buyers in Eng land) had been smartly Imposed upon by a needy Dutch artist with a talent for forgery. The real Maria Vanrenen, he declared and swore, was the one he of fered us. "Success has turned the man's head,". Charles said to me, well pleased. "He thinks we will swallow any obvious lie he chooses to palm off upon us. But the bucket has come once too often to the well. This time we checkmate him." It was a mixed metaphor, I admit, but Sir Charless' tropes are not always entirely superior to criticism. So we pretended to believe our man and accepted his assurances. Next cameUhe question of price. This was warmly de bated, for form's sake only. Sir J. H. Tomllnson had paid 5000 for his genuine Maria. The doctor demanded 10.000 for his spurious one. There was really no reason why we should higgle and dispute, for Charles meant merely to give his check for the sum and then to arrest the fel low; but still, we thought it best for the avoidance of suspicion to make a show of resistance, and we at last beat him down to 9000 guineas. For this amount he was to give us a written warranty that the work he sold us was a genuine Rem brandt, that it represented Maria Van renen of Haarlem, and that he had bought It direct, without doubt or question, from that good lady's descendants at Gouda, in Holland. It- was capitally ddne. We arranged the thing to perfection. We had a con stable In waiting in our rooms at the Metropole, and we settled that Dr. Pol perro was to call at the hotel at a certain fixed hour to sign the warranty and receive his money. A regular agreement on sound stamped paper was drawn out between us. At tins ap pointed time the "party of the flret part" came, having already given us over possession of the portrait. Charles drew a check for the amount agreed upon, and signed it. Then he handed It to the doctor. Polperro Just clutched at it. Meanwhile I took my post by the door, while two men in plain clothes, detectives from the police sta tion, atood as men servants and watched the windows. We feared lest the Impostor, once he had got the check, should dodge us somehow, as he had already done at Nice and In Paris. The moment lie had pocketed his mgn ye with a smile of triumph, I advanced to him rapidly. I had in my posses sion a pair of handcuffs. Before he knew .what was happening I had slipped them on his wrists and secured them dexterously, while the Constable stepped forward. "We have got you this time!" I cried. "We know who you are. Dr. Polperro. You are Colonel Clay, alias Senor An tonio Herrcra, alias the Rev. Richard Peploe Brabazon." I never saw any man so astonished In my life! He was utterly flabber gasted. Charles thought he must have expected to get clear away at once, and that this prompt action on our part had taken the fellow so much by surprise as to simply unman him. He gazed about him as If he hardly real ized what was happening. "Are these two raving maniacs?" he asked, at last, "or what do they mean by this nonsensical gibberish about An tonio Herrera?" The Constable laid his hand on the prisoner's shoulder. "It's all right, my man," he said. "We've got warrants out against you. I arrest you. Edward Polperro, alias the Rev. Richard Pcploe Brabazon. on a charge of obtaining money under falsf pretenses from Sir Charles Vandrift. K. C. M. G., M. P.. on his sworn Information now here subscribed to." For Charles had had the thing drawn out in readiness be forehand. Our prisoner drew himself up. "Look here, officer." i:e said. In an offended tone, "there'se some mistake here In till! matter. I have never given an alias al any time in my life. How do you knon this is Sir diaries Vandrift? It may be a case of bullying personation. My be lief is, though, they're a pair of escaped lunatics." "We'll see about that tomorrow." the constable said, collaring him. "At present you've got to go off with me quietly to the station, where these gentlemen will enter up the charge against you." They carried him off protesting, narles and I signed the charge sheet, and the officer locked him up to await his exam ination next day before the magistrate. We were half afraid even now the fel low would manage somehow to get out on ball and give us the slip in spite of everything; and. Indeed, he protested in the most violent manner against the treatment to which we were subjecting "a gentleman In his position." But Charles took care to tell tho police It was all right: that he was a dangerous and pe culiarly slippery criminal, and that on no account must they let him go on any pretext whatever till he had been prop erly examined before the magistrates. We learned at the hotel that night, curiously enough, that there really was a Dr. Polperro, a distinguished art critic, whose name, we didn't doubt, our impos tor had been assuming. Next morning when we reached the court an inspector met us with a very long face. "Look here, gentlemen," he said, "I'm afraid you've committed a very serious blunder. You've made a precious bad mess of it. You've got yourselves Into a scrape, and, what's worse, you've got us Into one also. You were a deal too smart with your sworn information. We've made inquiries about this gentle man, and we find the account he gives of himself is perfectly correct. His name Is Polperro: he's a well-known art critic and collector of pictures, employed abroad by the National Gallery. He was formerly an official In the South Kensington Mu seum, and he's a C. B. and LL. D., very highly respected. You've made a sad mis take, that's where It Is, and you'll prob ably have to answer Vi charge of false imprisonment, in which I'm afraid you have also Involved our own department." Charles gasped with horror. "You havn't let him out," he cried, "on those absurd representations? You haven't let him slip through your hands as you did that murderer fellow?" "Let him slip through our hands?" the Inspector cried. "I only wisli he would. There's no chance of that, unfortunately. He's in the court there this moment, breathing out fire and slaughter against you both; and we're here to protect you if he should happen to fail upon you. He's been locked up all night on your mistaken affidavits.- and, naturally' enough, he's mad with anger." "If you haven't let him go, I'm satis fled," Charles answered. "He's a fox for cunning. Where Is he? Let me see him." We went Into the court. There we saw our prisoner conversing amicably in the most decided way with the magistrate (who. It seems was a personal friend of his), and Charles at once went up and spoke to them. Dr. Polperro turned round and glared at him through ilia pince-nez. "The only possible explanation of this person's extraordinary and incredible con duct," he said, "is that he must be mad and his secretary equally so. He mad my acquaintance, unasked, on a glasi seat on the King's Road; Invited me ta go on his coach to Lewes; volunteered tij buy a valuable picture of me, and then, at the last moment, unaccountably gavi me in charge on this silly and preposter ous trumped-up accusation. I demand summons for false imprisonment." , Suddenly it began to dawn upon us thai the tables were turned. By degrees li came out that we had made a mistake. Dr. Polperro was really the person he represented himself to be, and had been always. His picture, we found out, was the real Maria Vanrenen, and a genuine Rembrandt, which he had merely de posited for cleaning and restoring at the suspicious dealer's. Sir. J. H. Tomlln son had been imposed upon and cheated by a cunning Dutchman; his picture. though also an undoubted Rembrandt. was not the Maria, and was an inferior specimen In bad preservation. The auth ority we had consulted turned out to bo an Ignorant, self-sufficient quack. The Maria, however, was valued by other ex perts at no more than 5000 or 6000 guineas. Charles wanted to cry on his bargain, but Dr. Polperro naturally would not hear of It. The agreement was a legally, binding instrument, and what passed in Charles' mind at the moment had nothing to do with the written contract. Our adversary only consented to forego thu action for false imprisonment on condi tion that Charles Inserted a printed apology in the Times, and paid him 500 compensation for damage to character. So that was the end of our well planned attempt to arrest the swindler. Not quite- the end. however, for, of course, after this, the whole affair got by degrees Into the papers. Dr. Polperro. (.Concluded on Page 11.)