Mild excitement prevailed throughout the
town. At first the newspapers took the matter somewhat jocosely. 'Where
is Mr. Morton?' was the usual placard on the evening's contents bills,
but after three days had gone by and the worthy Brighton resident was
still missing, while Mrs. Morton was seen to look more haggard and
careworn every day, mild excitement gave place to anxiety.
"There were vague hints now as to foul play. The news had leaked out
that the missing gentleman was carrying a large sum of money on the day
of his disappearance. There were also vague rumours of a scandal not
unconnected with Mrs. Morton herself and her own past history, which in
her anxiety for her husband she had been forced to reveal to the
detective-inspector in charge of the case.
"Then on Saturday the news which the late evening papers contained was
this:
"'Acting on certain information received, the police to-day forced an
entrance into one of the rooms of Russell House, a high-class furnished
apartment on the King's Parade, and there they discovered our missing
distinguished townsman, Mr. Francis Morton, who had been robbed and
subsequently locked up in that room since Wednesday, the 17th. When
discovered he was in the last stages of inanition; he was tied into an
arm-chair with ropes, a thick wool shawl had been wound round his mouth,
and it is a positive marvel that, left thus without food and very
little air, the unfortunate gentleman survived the horrors of these four
days of incarceration.
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