There is no hope that Engelman will be able to travel to London,in his present state of health,and no possibility of Mr.Keller taking his place until something is settled at Frankfort.I want you to explain all this to Mr.Hartrey,and to help him in the management of the business.
There is nobody else here,David,whom I can trust,as I trust you.I see no alternative but to ask you to go to London."On my side,I had no alternative but to submit--and,what is more (remembering all that I owed to my aunt),to submit with my best grace.
We consulted Mr.Keller;and he entirely agreed that I was the fittest person who could be found to reconcile Mr.Hartrey to the commercial responsibilities that burdened him.After a day's delay at Bingen,to study the condition of Mr.Engelman's health and to write the fullest report to Frankfort,the faster I could travel afterwards,and the sooner I could reach London,the better.
So hard necessity compelled me to leave the stage,before the curtain rose on the final acts of the drama.The mail-post started at six in the morning.I packed up,and took leave of everybody,overnight--excepting Madame Fontaine,who still kept her room,and who was not well enough to see me.The dear kind-hearted Minna offered me her cheek to kiss,and made me promise to return for her marriage.She was strangely depressed at my departure."You first consoled me,"she said;"you have brought me happiness.I don't like your leaving us.Oh,David,I do wish you were not going away!""Come!come!"my aunt interposed;"no crying,young lady!Always keep a man's spirits up when he leaves you.Give me a good hug,David--and think of the time when you will be a partner in the business."Ah!what a woman she was!Look as you may,my young friends,you will not find the like of her now.
Jack Straw was the one person up and stirring when the coach stopped the next morning at the door.I expected to be amused--but there was no reckoning with Jack.His farewell words literally frightened me.
"I say!"he whispered,as I hurried into the hall,"there's one thing Iwant to ask you before you go."
"Be quick about it,Jack."
"All right,David.I had a talk with Minna yesterday,about Mr.Keller's illness.Is it true that he was cured out of the blue-glass bottle?""Perfectly true.
"Look here,David!I have been thinking of it all night._I_was cured out of the blue-glass bottle."I suddenly stood still,with my eyes riveted on his face.He stepped close up to me,and lowered his voice suddenly.
"And _I_was poisoned,"he said."What I want to know is--Who poisoned Mr.Keller?"
BETWEEN THE PARTS
MR.DAVID GLENNEY PRODUCES HIS CORRESPONDENCE,AND THROWS SOME NEW LIGHTSON THE STORY
Be pleased to read the following letter from Mr.Lawyer's-Clerk-Schmuckle to Mr.Town-Councilor-Hof:
"My honored Sir,--I beg to report that you may make your mind easy on the subject of Madame Fontaine.If she leaves Frankfort,she will not slip away privately as she did at Wurzburg.Wherever she may go now,we need not apply again to her relations in this place to help us to find her.
Henceforth I undertake to keep her in view until the promissory note falls due.
"The lady is at present established as housekeeper in the employment of the firm of Wagner,Keller,and Engelman;and there (barring accidents,which I shall carefully look after)she is likely to remain.
"I have made a memorandum of the date at which her promissory note falls due--viz.the 31st December in the present year.The note being made payable at Wurzburg,you must take care (in the event of its not being honored)to have the document protested in that town,and to communicate with me by the same day's post.I will myself see that the law takes its regular course.
"Permit me most gratefully to thank you for the advance on my regular fees which you have so graciously transmitted,and believe me your obedient humble servant to command."
I next submit a copy of a letter addressed by the late Chemistry-Professor Fontaine to an honored friend and colleague.This gentleman is still living;and he makes it a condition of supplying the copy that his name shall not appear:--"Illustrious Friend and Colleague,--You will be surprised at so soon hearing from me again.The truth is,that I have some interesting news for you.An alarming accident has enabled me to test the value of one of my preparations on a living human subject--that subject being a man.
"My last letter informed you that I had resolved on ****** no further use of the Formula for recomposing some of the Borgia Poisons (erroneously supposed to be destroyed)left to me on the death of my lamented Hungarian friend--my master in chemical science.
"The motives which have led me to this decision are,I hope,beyond the reach of blame.
"You will remember agreeing with me,that the two specimens of these resuscitated poisons which I have succeeded in producing are capable--like the poisons already known to modern medical practice--of rendering the utmost benefit in certain cases of disease,if they are administered in carefully regulated doses.Should I live to devote them to this good purpose,there will still be the danger (common to all poisonous preparations employed in medicine)of their doing fatal mischief,when misused by ignorance or crime.
"Bearing this in mind,I conceive it to be my duty to provide against dangerous results,by devoting myself to the discovery of efficient antidotes,before I adapt the preparations themselves to the capacities of the healing art.I have had some previous experience in this branch of what I call preservative chemistry,and I have already in some degree succeeded in attaining my object.
"The Formula in cipher which I now send to you,on the slip of paper enclosed,is an antidote to that one of the two poisons known to you and to me by the fanciful name which you suggested for it--'Alexander's Wine.'