Most Secret
Page 27
For this I am indebted to the scholarly work of the Rev. William R. Eccles, Reminiscences of a Country Parish, privately published in 1882. His account of Roderick Kinsmere, as one of the famous figures out of the past, is fairly brief and highly discreet. After detailing “Rowdy” Kinsmere’s ancestry and birth (May 15th, 1649), Mr. Eccles goes on:
“After he had gone to court in the year 1670, his pecuniary resources were embarrassed by the failure of Stainley’s Bank. Although this was only temporary, and Stainley’s Bank is today one of the great financial institutions of the domain, he never recovered the more substantial portion of his inheritance. Fortunately, however, he was awarded a pension by Charles II, doubtless from one of those happy caprices which make us feel a certain kindliness for that king despite his manifold weaknesses, vacillations of character, and the temptations to which even the strongest wills are prone to succumb in a licentious and profligate age,” etc., etc., etc.
“In 1670, moreover, he married Miss Dorothy Jane Landis, a lady of most esteemed birth and happy accomplishments. Though malicious tongues might hint that this lady had been associated professionally with theatrical enterprises in the metropolis, such reports were contradicted by her sweetness of temper, the calm dignity and nobility of her character, which shone about her during her visits to Blackthorn.
“Their union was blessed with four children, viz.: Bygones (1672), Dorothy (1674), Charles (1675), Alan (1680). Due to unhappy eventualities which overtook the two older sons, it fell to the lot of Alan to take into his capable hands the management of the estate. In 1687 Dorothy Kinsmere passed gently from this life, mourned by all who knew her, but leaving behind those tender memories which must cling for ever round the couches of the blest.
“The revolution of 1688 occurring not long afterwards, her husband retired to Blackthorn, passing the rest of his life in the beauty and serenity of pastoral surroundings. He was much given to study and good works, and set an example to his descendants worthy of being followed in these, alas, much different days. He died November 28th, 1748, and lies amid the eternal calmness which in life his lofty spirit loved so well.”
At this discreet summing-up let no irreverent reader commit what the Rev. Mr. Eccles would not have called “the vulgar error of a horse-laugh.” For us who grub in diaries and try to puzzle out the characters of Sizzlers long dust it is, rather, a solemn thought. Awesome as it seems, this is what they call the Verdict of History—that jack-o’-lantern which has teased so many students. And, in leaving it for the reader’s consideration, the editor has one consolation. It is probably fully as accurate as most of the estimates made by the gravest Victorian scholars of the life and character of King Charles the Second.
About the Author
John Dickson Carr (1906–1977) was one of the most popular authors of Golden Age British-style detective novels. Born in Pennsylvania and the son of a US congressman, Carr graduated from Haverford College in 1929. Soon thereafter, he moved to England where he married an Englishwoman and began his mystery-writing career. In 1948, he returned to the US as an internationally known author. Carr received the Mystery Writers of America’s highest honor, the Grand Master Award, and was one of the few Americans ever admitted into the prestigious, but almost exclusively British, Detection Club.
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 1964 by John Dickson Carr
Cover design by Jason Gabbert
978-1-4804-7242-6
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