The Grand Babylon Hotel

"The Grand Babylon Hotel" is a novel by Arnold Bennett, published in 1902, about the mysterious disappearance of a German prince. It originally appeared as a serial in the "Daily Mail".

Plot introduction

The main protagonists are an American millionaire and his daughter. While staying at the Grand Babylon, his daughter wants a steak and Bass beer for dinner, but when he gives the order he is refused. In order to get what he wants he buys the entire hotel for £400,000.Strange things are happening in that hotel. First, Theodore Racksolenotices that the headwaiter, Jules, winking at her daughter's friend,Reginald Dimmock, while they consume their expensive steak. Hedismisses the headwaiter. The next day a Miss Spencer, prettyefficient hotel clerk who has been employed there for years,disappeared. She just took her things and left, no one knows when orwhere. And Prince Eugen, a prince regnant of Posen, who was to come tothe hotel and meet his youthful uncle Prince Aribert (he and the nephew are of thesame age), never turns up. A body of Drimmock, who came ahead toprepare for the both princes' visit is found. He was obviouslypoisoned. To crown it all, the body disappears.The same evening the hotel is having a ball in the the Gold Room, hosted bya Mr and Mrs Sampson Levi. There is a special secret window thoughwhich one can observe the room and the guests. Theodore Racksolelooks out of it and sees among the guests the dismissed headwaiter,Jules. Racksole runs out to confront him and throw him away, but can'tfind him. He comes back to the secret window to encounter Jules,staring intensely into the ball room. Racksole orders him out of thehotel the second time.Prince Aribert, who met Nella (Hellen) Racksole in Paris under thename of Count Steenbock, confides the whole story in her. He tells herthat Prince Eugene never arrived, and no one knows where he is. He waslast seen at Ostend. His Majesty the Emperor sent a telegram toAribert, requesting the whereabouts of Eugene. Aribert, who does notknow if there is a secret love affair, or an abduction, is facing adilemma. At last he decides to go to Berlin and state the facts to theemperor. Nella promises him help and support in London.After the departure of Aribert, an old lady signs into the hotel underthe name of 'Baroness Zerlinski'. Some chance remarks about hotelrooms convincedNella, who was substituting for the hotel clerk, that it was, in factmiss Spenser in disguise. When she finds out that miss Spensersuddenly checked out and departed to Ostend, Nella Racksole, too,departs to Ostend, leaving a short message to his father as to herwhereabouts.In Ostend, Nella follows Miss Spenser into a house, andtries to find out what's going on, threatening the later with arevolver. Miss Spenser does not divulge a lot: she says that she wasunder orders of Jules, the headwaiter, whose real name is Tom Jacksonand who is, she claims, her husband. She says that Jackson/Julesquarreled with Drimmock and that he had some "money business" withPrince Eugen. She admits that the Prince was a captive in that samehouse, and she looked after him. He was abducted to prevent himarriving to London, for it would have "upset the scheme". Then MissSpenser fakes a fain, and Nella, who comes nearer to see if she canhelp her, is overpowered. Nella loses consciousness.

External links

* [http://www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/ab/gbh.htm Full text]