DarqueDante/test2 · Datasets at Hugging Face

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from the first. Pray give me the results of your newspaper
selections."

"Here is the first notice which I can find. It is in the personal
column of the Morning Post, and dates, as you see, some weeks back:

"'A marriage has been arranged [it says] and will, if rumour is
correct, very shortly take place, between Lord Robert St. Simon,
second son of the Duke of Balmoral, and Miss Hatty Doran, the only
daughter of Aloysius Doran. Esq., of San Francisco, Cal., U.S.A.'

That is all."

"Terse and to the point," remarked Holmes, stretching his long, thin
legs towards the fire.

"There was a paragraph amplifying this in one of the society papers
of the same week. Ah, here it is:

"'There will soon be a call for protection in the marriage market,
for the present free-trade principle appears to tell heavily against
our home product. One by one the management of the noble houses of
Great Britain is passing into the hands of our fair cousins from
across the Atlantic. An important addition has been made during the
last week to the list of the prizes which have been borne away by
these charming invaders. Lord St. Simon, who has shown himself for
over twenty years proof against the little god's arrows, has now
definitely announced his approaching marriage with Miss Hatty Doran,
the fascinating daughter of a California millionaire. Miss Doran,
whose graceful figure and striking face attracted much attention at
the Westbury House festivities, is an only child, and it is currently
reported that her dowry will run to considerably over the six
figures, with expectancies for the future. As it is an open secret
that the Duke of Balmoral has been compelled to sell his pictures
within the last few years, and as Lord St. Simon has no property of
his own save the small estate of Birchmoor, it is obvious that the
Californian heiress is not the only gainer by an alliance which will
enable her to make the easy and common transition from a Republican
lady to a British peeress.'"

"Anything else?" asked Holmes, yawning.

"Oh, yes; plenty. Then there is another note in the Morning Post to
say that the marriage would be an absolutely quiet one, that it would
be at St. George's, Hanover Square, that only half a dozen intimate
friends would be invited, and that the party would return to the
furnished house at Lancaster Gate which has been taken by Mr.
Aloysius Doran. Two days later--that is, on Wednesday last--there is
a curt announcement that the wedding had taken place, and that the
honeymoon would be passed at Lord Backwater's place, near
Petersfield. Those are all the notices which appeared before the
disappearance of the bride."

"Before the what?" asked Holmes with a start.

"The vanishing of the lady."

"When did she vanish, then?"

"At the wedding breakfast."

"Indeed. This is more interesting than it promised to be; quite
dramatic, in fact."

"Yes; it struck me as being a little out of the common."

"They often vanish before the ceremony, and occasionally during the
honeymoon; but I cannot call to mind anything quite so prompt as
this. Pray let me have the details."

"I warn you that they are very incomplete."

"Perhaps we may make them less so."

"Such as they are, they are set forth in a single article of a
morning paper of yesterday, which I will read to you. It is headed,
'Singular Occurrence at a Fashionable Wedding':

"'The family of Lord Robert St. Simon has been thrown into the
greatest consternation by the strange and painful episodes which have
taken place in connection with his wedding. The ceremony, as shortly
announced in the papers of yesterday, occurred on the previous
morning; but it is only now that it has been possible to confirm the
strange rumours which have been so persistently floating about. In
spite of the attempts of the friends to hush the matter up, so much
public attention has now been drawn to it that no good purpose can be
served by affecting to disregard what is a common subject for
conversation.
"'The ceremony, which was performed at St. George's, Hanover Square,
was a very quiet one, no one being present save the father of the
bride, Mr. Aloysius Doran, the Duchess of Balmoral, Lord Backwater,
Lord Eustace and Lady Clara St. Simon (the younger brother and sister
of the bridegroom), and Lady Alicia Whittington. The whole party
proceeded afterwards to the house of Mr. Aloysius Doran, at Lancaster
Gate, where breakfast had been prepared. It appears that some little
trouble was caused by a woman, whose name has not been ascertained,
who endeavoured to force her way into the house after the bridal
party, alleging that she had some claim upon Lord St. Simon. It was
only after a painful and prolonged scene that she was ejected by the
butler and the footman. The bride, who had fortunately entered the

from the first. Pray give me the results of your newspaper

selections."

"Here is the first notice which I can find. It is in the personal

column of the Morning Post, and dates, as you see, some weeks back:

"'A marriage has been arranged [it says] and will, if rumour is

correct, very shortly take place, between Lord Robert St. Simon,

second son of the Duke of Balmoral, and Miss Hatty Doran, the only

daughter of Aloysius Doran. Esq., of San Francisco, Cal., U.S.A.'

That is all."

"Terse and to the point," remarked Holmes, stretching his long, thin

legs towards the fire.

"There was a paragraph amplifying this in one of the society papers

of the same week. Ah, here it is:

"'There will soon be a call for protection in the marriage market,

for the present free-trade principle appears to tell heavily against

our home product. One by one the management of the noble houses of

Great Britain is passing into the hands of our fair cousins from

across the Atlantic. An important addition has been made during the

last week to the list of the prizes which have been borne away by

these charming invaders. Lord St. Simon, who has shown himself for

over twenty years proof against the little god's arrows, has now

definitely announced his approaching marriage with Miss Hatty Doran,

the fascinating daughter of a California millionaire. Miss Doran,

whose graceful figure and striking face attracted much attention at

the Westbury House festivities, is an only child, and it is currently

reported that her dowry will run to considerably over the six

figures, with expectancies for the future. As it is an open secret

that the Duke of Balmoral has been compelled to sell his pictures

within the last few years, and as Lord St. Simon has no property of

his own save the small estate of Birchmoor, it is obvious that the

Californian heiress is not the only gainer by an alliance which will

enable her to make the easy and common transition from a Republican

lady to a British peeress.'"

"Anything else?" asked Holmes, yawning.

"Oh, yes; plenty. Then there is another note in the Morning Post to

say that the marriage would be an absolutely quiet one, that it would

be at St. George's, Hanover Square, that only half a dozen intimate

friends would be invited, and that the party would return to the

furnished house at Lancaster Gate which has been taken by Mr.

Aloysius Doran. Two days later--that is, on Wednesday last--there is

a curt announcement that the wedding had taken place, and that the

honeymoon would be passed at Lord Backwater's place, near

Petersfield. Those are all the notices which appeared before the

disappearance of the bride."

"Before the what?" asked Holmes with a start.

"The vanishing of the lady."

"When did she vanish, then?"

"At the wedding breakfast."

"Indeed. This is more interesting than it promised to be; quite

dramatic, in fact."

"Yes; it struck me as being a little out of the common."

"They often vanish before the ceremony, and occasionally during the

honeymoon; but I cannot call to mind anything quite so prompt as

this. Pray let me have the details."

"I warn you that they are very incomplete."

"Perhaps we may make them less so."

"Such as they are, they are set forth in a single article of a

morning paper of yesterday, which I will read to you. It is headed,

'Singular Occurrence at a Fashionable Wedding':

"'The family of Lord Robert St. Simon has been thrown into the

greatest consternation by the strange and painful episodes which have

taken place in connection with his wedding. The ceremony, as shortly

announced in the papers of yesterday, occurred on the previous

morning; but it is only now that it has been possible to confirm the

strange rumours which have been so persistently floating about. In

spite of the attempts of the friends to hush the matter up, so much

public attention has now been drawn to it that no good purpose can be

served by affecting to disregard what is a common subject for

conversation.

"'The ceremony, which was performed at St. George's, Hanover Square,

was a very quiet one, no one being present save the father of the

bride, Mr. Aloysius Doran, the Duchess of Balmoral, Lord Backwater,

Lord Eustace and Lady Clara St. Simon (the younger brother and sister

of the bridegroom), and Lady Alicia Whittington. The whole party

proceeded afterwards to the house of Mr. Aloysius Doran, at Lancaster

Gate, where breakfast had been prepared. It appears that some little

trouble was caused by a woman, whose name has not been ascertained,

who endeavoured to force her way into the house after the bridal

party, alleging that she had some claim upon Lord St. Simon. It was

only after a painful and prolonged scene that she was ejected by the

butler and the footman. The bride, who had fortunately entered the