Obenreizer,walkingtoandfrointhegallerywithoutceasing,signedtoVendaletohelphimunbucklehisknapsack。Theycouldseeeachother,butcouldnothaveheardeachotherspeak。Vendalecomplying,Obenreizerproducedhisbottleofwine,andpouredsomeout,motioningVendaletotakethatforwarmth’ssake,andnotbrandy。Vendaleagaincomplying,Obenreizerseemedtodrinkafterhim,andthetwowalkedbackwardsandforwardssidebyside;bothwellknowingthattorestorsleepwouldbetodie。
Thesnowcamedrivingheavilyintothegallerybytheupperendatwhichtheywouldpassoutofit,iftheyeverpassedout;forgreaterdangerslayontheroadbehindthemthanbefore。Thesnowsoonbegantochokethearch。Anhourmore,anditlaysohighastoblockouthalfthereturningdaylight。Butitfrozehardnow,asitfell,andcouldbeclamberedthroughorover。Theviolenceofthemountainstormwasgraduallyyieldingtosteadysnowfall。Thewindstillragedatintervals,butnotincessantly;andwhenitpaused,thesnowfellinheavyflakes。
Theymighthavebeentwohoursintheirfrightfulprison,whenObenreizer,nowcrunchingintothemound,nowcreepingoveritwithhisheadboweddownandhisbodytouchingthetopofthearch,madehiswayout。Vendalefollowedcloseuponhim,butfollowedwithoutclearmotiveorcalculation。ForthelethargyofBaslewascreepingoverhimagain,andmasteringhissenses。
Howfarhehadfollowedoutofthegallery,orwithwhatobstacleshehadsincecontended,heknewnot。HebecamerousedtotheknowledgethatObenreizerhadsetuponhim,andthattheywerestrugglingdesperatelyinthesnow。Hebecamerousedtotheremembranceofwhathisassailantcarriedinagirdle。Hefeltforit,drewit,struckathim,struggledagain,struckathimagain,casthimoff,andstoodfacetofacewithhim。
\"Ipromisedtoguideyoutoyourjourney’send,\"saidObenreizer,\"andIhavekeptmypromise。Thejourneyofyourlifeendshere。
Nothingcanprolongit。Youaresleepingasyoustand。\"
\"Youareavillain。Whathaveyoudonetome?\"
\"Youareafool。Ihavedruggedyou。Youaredoublyafool,forI
druggedyouoncebeforeuponthejourney,totryyou。Youaretreblyafool,forIamthethiefandforger,andinafewmomentsI
shalltakethoseproofsagainstthethiefandforgerfromyourinsensiblebody。\"
Theentrappedmantriedtothrowoffthelethargy,butitsfatalholduponhimwassosurethat,evenwhileheheardthosewords,hestupidlywonderedwhichofthemhadbeenwounded,andwhoseblooditwasthathesawsprinkledonthesnow。
\"WhathaveIdonetoyou,\"heasked,heavilyandthickly,\"thatyoushouldbe——sobase——amurderer?\"
\"Donetome?Youwouldhavedestroyedme,butthatyouhavecometoyourjourney’send。Yourcursedactivityinterposedbetweenme,andthetimeIhadcountedoninwhichImighthavereplacedthemoney。
Donetome?Youhavecomeinmyway——notonce,nottwice,butagainandagainandagain。DidItrytoshakeyouoffinthebeginning,orno?Youwerenottobeshakenoff。Thereforeyoudiehere。\"
Vendaletriedtothinkcoherently,triedtospeakcoherently,triedtopickuptheiron—shodstaffhehadletfall;failingtotouchit,triedtostaggeronwithoutitsaid。Allinvain,allinvain!Hestumbled,andfellheavilyforwardonthebrinkofthedeepchasm。
Stupefied,dozing,unabletostanduponhisfeet,aveilbeforehiseyes,hissenseofhearingdeadened,hemadesuchavigorousrallythat,supportinghimselfonhishands,hesawhisenemystandingcalmlyoverhim,andheardhimspeak。\"Youcallmemurderer,\"saidObenreizer,withagrimlaugh。\"Thenamemattersverylittle。ButatleastIhavesetmylifeagainstyours,forIamsurroundedbydangers,andmaynevermakemywayoutofthisplace。TheTourmenteisrisingagain。Thesnowisonthewhirl。Imusthavethepapersnow。Everymomenthasmylifeinit。\"
\"Stop!\"criedVendale,inaterriblevoice,staggeringupwithalastflashoffirebreakingoutofhim,andclutchingthethievishhandsathisbreast,inbothofhis。\"Stop!Standawayfromme!
GodblessmyMarguerite!HappilyshewillneverknowhowIdied。
Standofffromme,andletmelookatyourmurderousface。Letitremindme——ofsomething——lefttosay。\"
Thesightofhimfightingsohardforhissenses,andthedoubtwhetherhemightnotfortheinstantbepossessedbythestrengthofadozenmen,kepthisopponentstill。Wildlyglaringathim,Vendalefalteredoutthebrokenwords:
\"Itshallnotbe——thetrust——ofthedead——betrayedbyme——reputedparents——misinheritedfortune——seetoit!\"
Ashisheaddroppedonhisbreast,andhestumbledonthebrinkofthechasmasbefore,thethievishhandswentoncemore,quickandbusy,tohisbreast。Hemadeaconvulsiveattempttocry\"No!\"
desperatelyrolledhimselfoverintothegulf;andsankawayfromhisenemy’stouch,likeaphantominadreadfuldream。
Themountainstormragedagain,andpassedagain。Theawfulmountain—voicesdiedaway,themoonrose,andthesoftandsilentsnowfell。
TwomenandtwolargedogscameoutatthedooroftheHospice。Themenlookedcarefullyaroundthem,andupatthesky。Thedogsrolledinthesnow,andtookitintotheirmouths,andcastitupwiththeirpaws。
Oneofthemensaidtotheother:\"Wemayventurenow。WemayfindtheminoneofthefiveRefuges。\"Eachfastenedonhisbackabasket;eachtookinhishandastrongspikedpole;eachgirdedunderhisarmsaloopedendofastoutrope,sothattheyweretiedtogether。
Suddenlythedogsdesistedfromtheirgambolsinthesnow,stoodlookingdowntheascent,puttheirnosesup,puttheirnosesdown,becamegreatlyexcited,andbrokeintoadeeploudbaytogether。
Thetwomenlookedinthefacesofthetwodogs。Thetwodogslooked,withatleastequalintelligence,inthefacesofthetwomen。
\"Ausecours,then!Help!Totherescue!\"criedthetwomen。Thetwodogs,withaglad,deep,generousbark,boundedaway。
\"Twomoremadones!\"saidthemen,strickenmotionless,andlookingawayinthemoonlight。\"Isitpossibleinsuchweather!Andoneofthemawoman!\"
Eachofthedogshadthecornerofawoman’sdressinitsmouth,anddrewheralong。Shefondledtheirheadsasshecameup,andshecameupthroughthesnowwithanaccustomedtread。Notsothelargemanwithher,whowasspentandwinded。
\"Dearguides,dearfriendsoftravellers!Iamofyourcountry。WeseektwogentlemencrossingthePass,whoshouldhavereachedtheHospicethisevening。\"
\"Theyhavereachedit,ma’amselle。\"
\"ThankHeaven!OthankHeaven!\"
\"But,unhappily,theyhavegoneonagain。Wearesettingforthtoseekthemevennow。WehadtowaituntiltheTourmentepassed。Ithasbeenfearfuluphere。\"
\"Dearguides,dearfriendsoftravellers!Letmegowithyou。LetmegowithyoufortheloveofGOD!Oneofthosegentlemenistobemyhusband。Ilovehim,O,sodearly。Osodearly!YouseeIamnotfaint,youseeIamnottired。Iambornapeasantgirl。I
willshowyouthatIknowwellhowtofastenmyselftoyourropes。
Iwilldoitwithmyownhands。Iwillsweartobebraveandgood。
Butletmegowithyou,letmegowithyou!Ifanymischanceshouldhavebefallenhim,mylovewouldfindhim,whennothingelsecould。
Onmyknees,dearfriendsoftravellers!Bytheloveyourdearmothershadforyourfathers!\"
Thegoodroughfellowsweremoved。\"Afterall,\"theymurmuredtooneanother,\"shespeaksbutthetruth。Sheknowsthewaysofthemountains。Seehowmarvellouslyshehascomehere。ButastoMonsieurthere,ma’amselle?\"
\"DearMr。Joey,\"saidMarguerite,addressinghiminhisowntongue,\"youwillremainatthehouse,andwaitforme;willyounot?\"
\"IfIknow’dwhicho’youtworecommendedit,\"growledJoeyLadle,eyeingthetwomenwithgreatindignation,\"I’dfightyouforsixpence,andgiveyouhalf—a—crowntowardsyourexpenses。No,Miss。I’llstickbyyouaslongasthere’sanystickingleftinme,andI’lldieforyouwhenIcan’tdobetter。\"
Thestateofthemoonrenderingithighlyimportantthatnotimeshouldbelost,andthedogsshowingsignsofgreatuneasiness,thetwomenquicklytooktheirresolution。Theropethatyokedthemtogetherwasexchangedforalongerone;thepartyweresecured,Margueritesecond,andtheCellarmanlast;andtheysetoutfortheRefuges。Theactualdistanceofthoseplaceswasnothing:thewholefive,andthenextHospicetoboot,beingwithintwomiles;
buttheghastlywaywaswhitenedoutandsheetedover。
TheymadenomissinreachingtheGallerywherethetwohadtakenshelter。Thesecondstormofwindandsnowhadsowildlysweptoveritsince,thattheirtracksweregone。Butthedogswenttoandfrowiththeirnosesdown,andwereconfident。Thepartystopping,however,atthefurtherarch,wherethesecondstormhadbeenespeciallyfurious,andwherethedriftwasdeep,thedogsbecametroubled,andwentaboutandabout,inquestofalostpurpose。
Thegreatabyssbeingknowntolieontheright,theywanderedtoomuchtotheleft,andhadtoregainthewaywithinfinitelabourthroughadeepfieldofsnow。Theleaderofthelinehadstoppedit,andwastakingnoteofthelandmarks,whenoneofthedogsfelltotearingupthesnowalittlebeforethem。Advancingandstoopingtolookatit,thinkingthatsomeonemightbeoverwhelmedthere,theysawthatitwasstained,andthatthestainwasred。
Theotherdogwasnowseentolookoverthebrinkofthegulf,withhisforelegsstraightenedout,lestheshouldfallintoit,andtotrembleineverylimb。Thenthedogwhohadfoundthestainedsnowjoinedhim,andthentheyrantoandfro,distressedandwhining。
Finally,theybothstoppedonthebrinktogether,andsettinguptheirheads,howleddolefully。
\"Thereissomeonelyingbelow,\"saidMarguerite。
\"Ithinkso,\"saidtheforemostman。\"Standwellinward,thetwolast,andletuslookover。\"
Thelastmankindledtwotorchesfromhisbasket,andhandedthemforward。Theleadertakingone,andMargueritetheother,theylookeddown;nowshadingthetorches,nowmovingthemtotherightorleft,nowraisingthem,nowdepressingthem,asmoonlightfarbelowcontendedwithblackshadows。ApiercingcryfromMargueritebrokealongsilence。
\"MyGod!Onaprojectingpoint,whereawalloficestretchesforwardoverthetorrent,Iseeahumanform!\"
\"Where,ma’amselle,where?\"
\"See,there!Ontheshelfoficebelowthedogs!\"
Theleader,withasickenedaspect,drewinward,andtheywereallsilent。Buttheywerenotallinactive,forMarguerite,withswiftandskilfulfingers,haddetachedbothherselfandhimfromtheropeinafewseconds。
\"Showmethebaskets。Thesetwoaretheonlyropes?\"
\"Theonlyropeshere,ma’amselle;butattheHospice——\"
\"Ifheisalive——Iknowitismylover——hewillbedeadbeforeyoucanreturn。DearGuides!Blessedfriendsoftravellers!Lookatme。Watchmyhands。Iftheyfalterorgowrong,makemeyourprisonerbyforce。Iftheyaresteadyandgoright,helpmetosavehim!\"
Shegirdedherselfwithacordunderthebreastandarms,sheformeditintoakindofjacket,shedrewitintoknots,shelaiditsendsidebysidewiththeendoftheothercord,shetwistedandtwinedthetwotogether,sheknottedthemtogether,shesetherfootupontheknots,shestrainedthem,sheheldthemforthetwomentostrainat。
\"Sheisinspired,\"theysaidtooneanother。
\"BytheAlmighty’smercy!\"sheexclaimed。\"YoubothknowthatIambyfarthelightesthere。Givemethebrandyandthewine,andlowermedowntohim。Thengoforassistanceandastrongerrope。
Youseethatwhenitisloweredtome——lookatthisaboutmenow——I
canmakeitfastandsafetohisbody。Aliveordead,Iwillbringhimup,ordiewithhim。Ilovehimpassionately。CanIsaymore?\"
Theyturnedtohercompanion,buthewaslyingsenselessonthesnow。
\"Lowermedowntohim,\"shesaid,takingtwolittlekegstheyhadbrought,andhangingthemabouther,\"orIwilldashmyselftopieces!Iamapeasant,andIknownogiddinessorfear;andthisisnothingtome,andIpassionatelylovehim。Lowermedown!\"
\"Ma’amselle,ma’amselle,hemustbedyingordead。\"
\"Dyingordead,myhusband’sheadshalllieuponmybreast,orI
willdashmyselftopieces。\"
Theyyielded,overborne。Withsuchprecautionsastheirskillandthecircumstancesadmitted,theyletherslipfromthesummit,guidingherselfdowntheprecipitousicywallwithherhand,andtheylowereddown,andlowereddown,andlowereddown,untilthecrycameup:\"Enough!\"
\"Isitreallyhe,andishedead?\"theycalleddown,lookingover。
Thecrycameup:\"Heisinsensible;buthisheartbeats。Itbeatsagainstmine。\"
\"Howdoeshelie?\"
Thecrycameup:\"Uponaledgeofice。Ithasthawedbeneathhim,anditwillthawbeneathme。Hasten。Ifwedie,Iamcontent。\"
Oneofthetwomenhurriedoffwiththedogsatsuchtopmostspeedashecouldmake;theothersetupthelightedtorchesinthesnow,andappliedhimselftorecoveringtheEnglishman。Muchsnow—chafingandsomebrandygothimonhislegs,butdeliriousandquiteunconsciouswherehewas。
Thewatchremaineduponthebrink,andhiscrywentdowncontinually:\"Courage!Theywillsoonbehere。Howgoesit?\"Andthecrycameup:\"Hisheartstillbeatsagainstmine。Iwarmhiminmyarms。Ihavecastofftherope,fortheicemeltsunderus,andtheropewouldseparatemefromhim;butIamnotafraid。\"
Themoonwentdownbehindthemountaintops,andalltheabysslayindarkness。Thecrywentdown:\"Howgoesit?\"Thecrycameup:
\"Wearesinkinglower,buthisheartstillbeatsagainstmine。\"
Atlengththeeagerbarkingofthedogs,andaflareoflightuponthesnow,proclaimedthathelpwascomingon。Twentyorthirtymen,lamps,torches,litters,ropes,blankets,woodtokindleagreatfire,restorativesandstimulants,cameinfast。Thedogsranfromonemantoanother,andfromthisthingtothat,andrantotheedgeoftheabyss,dumblyentreatingSpeed,speed,speed!
Thecrywentdown:\"ThankstoGod,allisready。Howgoesit?\"
Thecrycameup:\"Wearesinkingstill,andwearedeadlycold。
Hisheartnolongerbeatsagainstmine。Letnoonecomedown,toaddtoourweight。Lowertheropeonly。\"
Thefirewaskindledhigh,agreatglareoftorcheslightedthesidesoftheprecipice,lampswerelowered,astrongropewaslowered。Shecouldbeseenpassingitroundhim,andmakingitsecure。
Thecrycameupintoadeathlysilence:\"Raise!Softly!\"Theycouldseeherdiminishedfigureshrink,ashewasswungintotheair。
Theygavenoshoutwhensomeofthemlaidhimonalitter,andothersloweredanotherstrongrope。Thecryagaincameupintoadeathlysilence:\"Raise!Softly!\"Butwhentheycaughtheratthebrink,thentheyshouted,thentheywept,thentheygavethankstoHeaven,thentheykissedherfeet,thentheykissedherdress,thenthedogscaressedher,lickedhericyhands,andwiththeirhonestfaceswarmedherfrozenbosom!
Shebrokefromthemall,andsankoverhimonhislitter,withbothherlovinghandsupontheheartthatstoodstill。
ACTIV——THECLOCK—LOCK
ThepleasantscenewasNeuchatel;thepleasantmonthwasApril;thepleasantplacewasanotary’soffice;thepleasantpersoninitwasthenotary:arosy,hearty,handsomeoldman,chiefnotaryofNeuchatel,knownfarandwideinthecantonasMaitreVoigt。
Professionallyandpersonally,thenotarywasapopularcitizen。
HisinnumerablekindnessesandhisinnumerableodditieshadforyearsmadehimoneoftherecognisedpubliccharactersofthepleasantSwisstown。Hislongbrownfrock—coatandhisblackskull—
cap,wereamongtheinstitutionsoftheplace:andhecarriedasnuff—boxwhich,inpointofsize,waspopularlybelievedtobewithoutaparallelinEurope。
Therewasanotherpersoninthenotary’soffice,notsopleasantasthenotary。ThiswasObenreizer。
Anoddlypastoralkindofofficeitwas,andonethatwouldneverhaveansweredinEngland。Itstoodinaneatbackyard,fencedofffromaprettyflower—garden。Goatsbrowsedinthedoorway,andacowwaswithinhalf—a—dozenfeetofkeepingcompanywiththeclerk。
MaitreVoigt’sroomwasabrightandvarnishedlittleroom,withpanelledwalls,likeatoy—chamber。Accordingtotheseasonsoftheyear,roses,sunflowers,hollyhocks,peepedinatthewindows。
MaitreVoigt’sbeeshummedthroughtheofficeallthesummer,inatthiswindowandoutatthat,takingitfrequentlyintheirday’swork,asifhoneyweretobemadefromMaitreVoigt’ssweetdisposition。Alargemusicalboxonthechimney—pieceoftentrilledawayattheOverturetoFraDiavolo,oraSelectionfromWilliamTell,withachirrupinglivelinessthathadtobestoppedbyforceontheentranceofaclient,andirrepressiblybrokeoutagainthemomenthisbackwasturned。
\"Courage,courage,mygoodfellow!\"saidMaitreVoigt,pattingObenreizerontheknee,inafatherlyandcomfortingway。\"Youwillbeginanewlifeto—morrowmorninginmyofficehere。\"
Obenreizer——dressedinmourning,andsubduedinmanner——liftedhishand,withawhitehandkerchiefinit,totheregionofhisheart。
\"Thegratitudeishere,\"hesaid。\"Butthewordstoexpressitarenothere。\"
\"Ta—ta—ta!Don’ttalktomeaboutgratitude!\"saidMaitreVoigt。
\"Ihatetoseeamanoppressed。Iseeyouoppressed,andIholdoutmyhandtoyoubyinstinct。Besides,Iamnottoooldyet,toremembermyyoungdays。Yourfathersentmemyfirstclient。(Itwasonaquestionofhalfanacreofvineyardthatseldomboreanygrapes。)DoIowenothingtoyourfather’sson?Iowehimadebtoffriendlyobligation,andIpayittoyou。That’sratherneatlyexpressed,Ithink,\"addedMaitreVoigt,inhighgoodhumourwithhimself。\"Permitmetorewardmyownmeritwithapinchofsnuff!\"
Obenreizerdroppedhiseyestotheground,asthoughhewerenotevenworthytoseethenotarytakesnuff。
\"Domeonelastfavour,sir,\"hesaid,whenheraisedhiseyes。\"Donotactonimpulse。Thusfar,youhaveonlyageneralknowledgeofmyposition。Hearthecaseforandagainstme,initsdetails,beforeyoutakemeintoyouroffice。Letmyclaimonyourbenevolenceberecognisedbyyoursoundreasonaswellasbyyourexcellentheart。InTHATcase,Imayholdupmyheadagainstthebitterestofmyenemies,andbuildmyselfanewreputationontheruinsofthecharacterIhavelost。\"
\"Asyouwill,\"saidMaitreVoigt。\"Youspeakwell,myson。Youwillbeafinelawyeroneofthesedays。\"
\"Thedetailsarenotmany,\"pursuedObenreizer。\"Mytroublesbeginwiththeaccidentaldeathofmylatetravellingcompanion,mylostdearfriendMr。Vendale。\"
\"Mr。Vendale,\"repeatedthenotary。\"Justso。Ihaveheardandreadofthename,severaltimeswithinthesetwomonths。ThenameoftheunfortunateEnglishgentlemanwhowaskilledontheSimplon。
Whenyougotthatscaruponyourcheekandneck。\"
\"——Frommyownknife,\"saidObenreizer,touchingwhatmusthavebeenanuglygashatthetimeofitsinfliction。
\"Fromyourownknife,\"assentedthenotary,\"andintryingtosavehim。Good,good,good。Thatwasverygood。Vendale。Yes。Ihaveseveraltimes,lately,thoughtitdrollthatIshouldoncehavehadaclientofthatname。\"
\"Buttheworld,sir,\"returnedObenreizer,\"isSOsmall!\"
Neverthelesshemadeamentalnotethatthenotaryhadoncehadaclientofthatname。
\"AsIwassaying,sir,thedeathofthatdeartravellingcomradebeginsmytroubles。Whatfollows?Isavemyself。IgodowntoMilan。IamreceivedwithcoldnessbyDefresnierandCompany。
Shortlyafterwards,IamdischargedbyDefresnierandCompany。Why?
Theygivenoreasonwhy。Iask,dotheyassailmyhonour?Noanswer。Iask,whatistheimputationagainstme?Noanswer。I
ask,wherearetheirproofsagainstme?Noanswer。Iask,whatamItothink?Thereplyis,’M。Obenreizerisfreetothinkwhathewill。WhatM。Obenreizerthinks,isofnoimportancetoDefresnierandCompany。’Andthatisall。\"
\"Perfectly。Thatisall,\"assertedthenotary,takingalargepinchofsnuff。
\"Butisthatenough,sir?\"
\"Thatisnotenough,\"saidMaitreVoigt。\"TheHouseofDefresnieraremyfellowtownsmen——muchrespected,muchesteemed——buttheHouseofDefresniermustnotsilentlydestroyaman’scharacter。Youcanrebutassertion。Buthowcanyourebutsilence?\"
\"Yoursenseofjustice,mydearpatron,\"answeredObenreizer,\"statesinawordthecrueltyofthecase。Doesitstopthere?No。
For,whatfollowsuponthat?\"
\"True,mypoorboy,\"saidthenotary,withacomfortingnodortwo;
\"yourwardrebelsuponthat。\"
\"Rebelsistoosoftaword,\"retortedObenreizer。\"Mywardrevoltsfrommewithhorror。Mywarddefiesme。Mywardwithdrawsherselffrommyauthority,andtakesshelter(MadameDorwithher)inthehouseofthatEnglishlawyer,Mr。Bintrey,whorepliestoyoursummonstohertosubmitherselftomyauthority,thatshewillnotdoso。\"
\"——Andwhoafterwardswrites,\"saidthenotary,movinghislargesnuffboxtolookamongthepapersunderneathitfortheletter,\"thatheiscomingtoconferwithme。\"
\"Indeed?\"repliedObenreizer,ratherchecked。\"Well,sir。HaveI
nolegalrights?\"
\"Assuredly,mypoorboy,\"returnedthenotary。\"Allbutfelonshavetheirlegalrights。\"
\"Andwhocallsmefelon?\"saidObenreizer,fiercely。
\"Noone。Becalmunderyourwrongs。IftheHouseofDefresnierwouldcallyoufelon,indeed,weshouldknowhowtodealwiththem。\"
Whilesayingthesewords,hehadhandedBintrey’sveryshortlettertoObenreizer,whonowreaditandgaveitback。
\"Insaying,\"observedObenreizer,withrecoveredcomposure,\"thatheiscomingtoconferwithyou,thisEnglishlawyermeansthatheiscomingtodenymyauthorityovermyward。\"
\"Youthinkso?\"
\"Iamsureofit。Iknowhim。Heisobstinateandcontentious。
Youwilltellme,mydearsir,whethermyauthorityisunassailable,untilmywardisofage?\"
\"Absolutelyunassailable。\"
\"Iwillenforceit。Iwillmakehersubmitherselftoit。For,\"
saidObenreizer,changinghisangrytonetooneofgratefulsubmission,\"Ioweittoyou,sir;toyou,whohavesoconfidinglytakenaninjuredmanunderyourprotection,andintoyouremployment。\"
\"Makeyourmindeasy,\"saidMaitreVoigt。\"Nomoreofthisnow,andnothanks!Behereto—morrowmorning,beforetheotherclerkcomes—
—betweensevenandeight。Youwillfindmeinthisroom;andIwillmyselfinitiateyouinyourwork。Goaway!goaway!Ihaveletterstowrite。Iwon’thearawordmore。\"
Dismissedwiththisgenerousabruptness,andsatisfiedwiththefavourableimpressionhehadleftontheoldman’smind,ObenreizerwasatleisuretoreverttothementalnotehehadmadethatMaitreVoigtoncehadaclientwhosenamewasVendale。
\"IoughttoknowEnglandwellenoughbythistime;\"sohismeditationsran,ashesatonabenchintheyard;\"anditisnotanameIeverencounteredthere,except——\"helookedinvoluntarilyoverhisshoulder——\"asHISname。IstheworldsosmallthatI
cannotgetawayfromhim,evennowwhenheisdead?Heconfessedatthelastthathehadbetrayedthetrustofthedead,andmisinheritedafortune。AndIwastoseetoit。AndIwastostandoff,thatmyfacemightremindhimofit。WhyMYface,unlessitconcernedME?Iamsureofhiswords,fortheyhavebeeninmyearseversince。Cantherebeanythingbearingonthem,inthekeepingofthisoldidiot?Anythingtorepairmyfortunes,andblackenhismemory?Hedweltuponmyearliestremembrances,thatnightatBasle。Why,unlesshehadapurposeinit?\"
MaitreVoigt’stwolargesthe—goatswerebuttingathimtobutthimoutoftheplace,asifforthatdisrespectfulmentionoftheirmaster。Sohegotupandlefttheplace。Buthewalkedaloneforalongtimeontheborderofthelake,withhisheaddroopedindeepthought。
Betweensevenandeightnextmorning,hepresentedhimselfagainattheoffice。Hefoundthenotaryreadyforhim,atworkonsomepaperswhichhadcomeinonthepreviousevening。Inafewclearwords,MaitreVoigtexplainedtheroutineoftheoffice,andthedutiesObenreizerwouldbeexpectedtoperform。Itstillwantedfiveminutestoeight,whenthepreliminaryinstructionsweredeclaredtobecomplete。
\"Iwillshowyouoverthehouseandtheoffices,\"saidMaitreVoigt,\"butImustputawaythesepapersfirst。Theycomefromthemunicipalauthorities,andtheymustbetakenspecialcareof。\"
Obenreizersawhischance,here,offindingouttherepositoryinwhichhisemployer’sprivatepaperswerekept。
\"Can’tIsaveyouthetrouble,sir?\"heasked。\"Can’tIputthosedocumentsawayunderyourdirections?\"
MaitreVoigtlaughedsoftlytohimself;closedtheportfolioinwhichthepapershadbeensenttohim;handedittoObenreizer。
\"Supposeyoutry,\"hesaid。\"Allmypapersofimportancearekeptyonder。\"
Hepointedtoaheavyoakendoor,thicklystuddedwithnails,atthelowerendoftheroom。Approachingthedoor,withtheportfolio,Obenreizerdiscovered,tohisastonishment,thattherewerenomeanswhateverofopeningitfromtheoutside。Therewasnohandle,nobolt,nokey,and(climaxofpassiveobstruction!)nokeyhole。
\"Thereisaseconddoortothisroom?\"saidObenreizer,appealingtothenotary。
\"No,\"saidMaitreVoigt。\"Guessagain。\"
\"Thereisawindow?\"
\"Nothingofthesort。Thewindowhasbeenbrickedup。Theonlywayin,isthewaybythatdoor。Doyougiveitup?\"criedMaitreVoigt,inhightriumph。\"Listen,mygoodfellow,andtellmeifyouhearnothinginside?\"
Obenreizerlistenedforamoment,andstartedbackfromthedoor。
\"Iknow!\"heexclaimed。\"IheardofthiswhenIwasapprenticedhereatthewatchmaker’s。PerrinBrothershavefinishedtheirfamousclock—lockatlast——andyouhavegotit?\"
\"Bravo!\"saidMaitreVoigt。\"Theclock—lockitis!There,myson!
Thereyouhaveonemoreofwhatthegoodpeopleofthistowncall,’DaddyVoigt’sfollies。’Withallmyheart!Letthoselaughwhowin。NothiefcanstealMYkeys。NoburglarcanpickMYlock。Nopoweronearth,shortofabattering—ramorabarrelofgunpowder,canmovethatdoor,tillmylittlesentinelinside——myworthyfriendwhogoes’Tick,Tick,’asItellhim——says,’Open!’ThebigdoorobeysthelittleTick,Tick,andthelittleTick,Tick,obeysME。
That!\"criedDaddyVoigt,snappinghisfingers,\"forallthethievesinChristendom!\"
\"MayIseeitinaction?\"askedObenreizer。\"Pardonmycuriosity,dearsir!YouknowthatIwasonceatolerableworkerintheclocktrade。\"
\"Certainlyyoushallseeitinaction,\"saidMaitreVoigt。\"Whatisthetimenow?Oneminutetoeight。Watch,andinoneminuteyouwillseethedooropenofitself。\"
Inoneminute,smoothlyandslowlyandsilently,asifinvisiblehandshadsetitfree,theheavydooropenedinward,anddisclosedadarkchamberbeyond。Onthreesides,shelvesfilledthewalls,fromfloortoceiling。Arrangedontheshelves,wererowsuponrowsofboxesmadeintheprettyinlaidwoodworkofSwitzerland,andbearinginscribedontheirfronts(forthemostpartinfancifulcolouredletters)thenamesofthenotary’sclients。
MaitreVoigtlightedataper,andledthewayintotheroom。
\"Youshallseetheclock,\"hesaidproudly。\"IpossessthegreatestcuriosityinEurope。Itisonlyaprivilegedfewwhoseeyescanlookatit。Igivetheprivilegetoyourgoodfather’sson——youshallbeoneofthefavouredfewwhoentertheroomwithme。See!
hereitis,ontheright—handwallatthesideofthedoor。\"
\"Anordinaryclock,\"exclaimedObenreizer。\"No!Notanordinaryclock。Ithasonlyonehand。\"
\"Aha!\"saidMaitreVoigt。\"Notanordinaryclock,myfriend。No,no。Thatonehandgoesroundthedial。AsIputit,soitregulatesthehouratwhichthedoorshallopen。See!Thehandpointstoeight。Ateightthedooropened,asyousawforyourself。\"
\"Doesitopenmorethanonceinthefour—and—twentyhours?\"askedObenreizer。
\"Morethanonce?\"repeatedthenotary,withgreatscorn。\"Youdon’tknowmygoodfriend,Tick—Tick!HewillopenthedoorasoftenasI
askhim。Allhewantsishisdirections,andhegetsthemhere。
Lookbelowthedial。Hereisahalf—circleofsteelletintothewall,andhereisahand(calledtheregulator)thattravelsroundit,justasMYhandchooses。Notice,ifyouplease,thattherearefigurestoguidemeonthehalf—circleofsteel。FigureI。means:
Openonceinthefour—and—twentyhours。FigureII。means:Opentwice;andsoontotheend。Isettheregulatoreverymorning,afterIhavereadmyletters,andwhenIknowwhatmyday’sworkistobe。Wouldyouliketoseemesetitnow?Whatisto—day?
Wednesday。Good!Thisisthedayofourrifle—club;thereislittlebusinesstodo;Igrantahalf—holiday。Noworkhereto—day,afterthreeo’clock。Letusfirstputawaythisportfolioofmunicipalpapers。There!NoneedtotroubleTick—Ticktoopenthedooruntileighttomorrow。Good!Ileavethedial—handateight;I
putbacktheregulatortoI。;Iclosethedoor;andclosedthedoorremains,pastallopeningbyanybody,tillto—morrowmorningateight。\"
Obenreizer’squicknessinstantlysawthemeansbywhichhemightmaketheclock—lockbetrayitsmaster’sconfidence,andplaceitsmaster’spapersathisdisposal。
\"Stop,sir!\"hecried,atthemomentwhenthenotarywasclosingthedoor。\"Don’tIseesomethingmovingamongtheboxes——onthefloorthere?\"
(MaitreVoigtturnedhisbackforamomenttolook。Inthatmoment,Obenreizer’sreadyhandputtheregulatoron,fromthefigure\"I。\"
tothefigure\"II。\"Unlessthenotarylookedagainatthehalf—
circleofsteel,thedoorwouldopenateightthatevening,aswellasateightnextmorning,andnobodybutObenreizerwouldknowit。)
\"Thereisnothing!\"saidMaitreVoigt。Yourtroubleshaveshakenyournerves,myson。Someshadowthrownbymytaper;orsomepoorlittlebeetle,wholivesamongtheoldlawyer’ssecrets,runningawayfromthelight。Hark!Ihearyourfellow—clerkintheoffice。
Towork!towork!andbuildto—daythefirststepthatleadstoyournewfortunes!\"
Hegood—humouredlypushedObenreizeroutbeforehim;extinguishedthetaper,withalastfondglanceathisclockwhichpassedharmlesslyovertheregulatorbeneath;andclosedtheoakendoor。
Atthree,theofficewasshutup。Thenotaryandeverybodyinthenotary’semployment,withoneexception,wenttoseetherifle—
shooting。Obenreizerhadpleadedthathewasnotinspiritsforapublicfestival。Nobodyknewwhathadbecomeofhim。Itwasbelievedthathehadslippedawayforasolitarywalk。
Thehouseandofficeshadbeenclosedbutafewminutes,whenthedoorofashiningwardrobeinthenotary’sshiningroomopened,andObenreizerstoppedout。Hewalkedtoawindow,unclosedtheshutters,satisfiedhimselfthathecouldescapeunseenbywayofthegarden,turnedbackintotheroom,andtookhisplaceinthenotary’seasy—chair。Hewaslockedupinthehouse,andtherewerefivehourstowaitbeforeeighto’clockcame。
Heworehiswaythroughthefivehours:sometimesreadingthebooksandnewspapersthatlayonthetable:sometimesthinking:
sometimeswalkingtoandfro。Sunsetcameon。Heclosedthewindow—shuttersbeforehekindledalight。Thecandlelighted,andthetimedrawingnearerandnearer,hesat,watchinhand,withhiseyesontheoakendoor。
Ateight,smoothlyandsoftlyandsilentlythedooropened。
Oneafteranother,hereadthenamesontheouterrowsofboxes。NosuchnameasVendale!Heremovedtheouterrow,andlookedattherowbehind。Thesewereolderboxes,andshabbierboxes。Thefourfirstthatheexamined,wereinscribedwithFrenchandGermannames。
Thefifthboreanamewhichwasalmostillegible。Hebroughtitoutintotheroom,andexamineditclosely。There,coveredthicklywithtime—stainsanddust,wasthename:\"Vendale。\"
Thekeyhungtotheboxbyastring。Heunlockedthebox,tookoutfourloosepapersthatwereinit,spreadthemopenonthetable,andbegantoreadthem。Hehadnotsooccupiedaminute,whenhisfacefellfromitsexpressionofeagernessandavidity,tooneofhaggardastonishmentanddisappointment。But,afteralittleconsideration,hecopiedthepapers。Hethenreplacedthepapers,replacedthebox,closedthedoor,extinguishedthecandle,andstoleaway。
Ashismurderousandthievishfootfallpassedoutofthegarden,thestepsofthenotaryandsomeoneaccompanyinghimstoppedatthefrontdoorofthehouse。Thelampswerelightedinthelittlestreet,andthenotaryhadhisdoor—keyinhishand。
\"Praydonotpassmyhouse,Mr。Bintrey,\"hesaid。\"Domethehonourtocomein。Itisoneofourtownhalf—holidays——ourTir——
butmypeoplewillbebackdirectly。ItisdrollthatyoushouldaskyourwaytotheHotelofme。Letuseatanddrinkbeforeyougothere。\"
\"Thankyou;notto—night,\"saidBintrey。\"ShallIcometoyouattento—morrow?\"
\"Ishallbeenchanted,sir,totakesoearlyanopportunityofredressingthewrongsofmyinjuredclient,\"returnedthegoodnotary。
\"Yes,\"retortedBintrey;\"yourinjuredclientisallverywell——but—
—awordinyourear。\"
Hewhisperedtothenotaryandwalkedoff。Whenthenotary’shousekeepercamehome,shefoundhimstandingathisdoormotionless,withthekeystillinhishand,andthedoorunopened。
OBENREIZER’SVICTORY
Thesceneshiftsagain——tothefootoftheSimplon,ontheSwissside。
InoneofthedrearyroomsofthedrearylittleinnatBrieg,Mr。
BintreyandMaitreVoigtsattogetherataprofessionalcounciloftwo。Mr。Bintreywassearchinginhisdespatch—box。MaitreVoigtwaslookingtowardsacloseddoor,paintedbrowntoimitatemahogany,andcommunicatingwithaninnerroom。
\"Isn’tittimehewashere?\"askedthenotary,shiftinghisposition,andglancingataseconddoorattheotherendoftheroom,paintedyellowtoimitatedeal。
\"HeIShere,\"answeredBintrey,afterlisteningforamoment。
Theyellowdoorwasopenedbyawaiter,andObenreizerwalkedin。
AftergreetingMaitreVoigtwithacordialitywhichappearedtocausethenotarynolittleembarrassment,ObenreizerbowedwithgraveanddistantpolitenesstoBintrey。\"ForwhatreasonhaveI
beenbroughtfromNeuchateltothefootofthemountain?\"heinquired,takingtheseatwhichtheEnglishlawyerhadindicatedtohim。
\"Youshallbequitesatisfiedonthatheadbeforeourinterviewisover,\"returnedBintrey。\"Forthepresent,permitmetosuggestproceedingatoncetobusiness。Therehasbeenacorrespondence,Mr。Obenreizer,betweenyouandyourniece。Iamheretorepresentyourniece。\"
\"Inotherwords,you,alawyer,areheretorepresentaninfractionofthelaw。\"
\"Admirablyput!\"saidBintrey。\"IfallthepeopleIhavetodealwithwereonlylikeyou,whataneasyprofessionminewouldbe!I
amheretorepresentaninfractionofthelaw——thatisyourpointofview。Iamheretomakeacompromisebetweenyouandyourniece——
thatismypointofview。\"
\"Theremustbetwopartiestoacompromise,\"rejoinedObenreizer。
\"Idecline,inthiscase,tobeoneofthem。Thelawgivesmeauthoritytocontrolmyniece’sactions,untilshecomesofage。
Sheisnotyetofage;andIclaimmyauthority。\"
AtthispointMaitreattemptedtospeak。Bintreysilencedhimwithacompassionateindulgenceoftoneandmanner,asifhewassilencingafavouritechild。
\"No,myworthyfriend,notaword。Don’texciteyourselfunnecessarily;leaveittome。\"Heturned,andaddressedhimselfagaintoObenreizer。\"Icanthinkofnothingcomparabletoyou,Mr。
Obenreizer,butgranite——andeventhatwearsoutincourseoftime。
Intheinterestsofpeaceandquietness——forthesakeofyourowndignity——relaxalittle。IfyouwillonlydelegateyourauthoritytoanotherpersonwhomIknowof,thatpersonmaybetrustednevertolosesightofyourniece,nightorday!\"
\"Youarewastingyourtimeandmine,\"returnedObenreizer。\"Ifmynieceisnotrendereduptomyauthoritywithinoneweekfromthisday,Iinvokethelaw。Ifyouresistthelaw,Itakeherbyforce。\"
Herosetohisfeetashesaidthelastword。MaitreVoigtlookedroundagaintowardsthebrowndoorwhichledintotheinnerroom。
\"Havesomepityonthepoorgirl,\"pleadedBintrey。\"Rememberhowlatelyshelostherloverbyadreadfuldeath!Willnothingmoveyou?\"
\"Nothing。\"
Bintrey,inhisturn,rosetohisfeet,andlookedatMaitreVoigt。
MaitreVoigt’shand,restingonthetable,begantotremble。MaitreVoigt’seyesremainedfixed,asifbyirresistiblefascination,onthebrowndoor。Obenreizer,suspiciouslyobservinghim,lookedthatwaytoo。
\"Thereissomebodylisteninginthere!\"heexclaimed,withasharpbackwardglanceatBintrey。
\"Therearetwopeoplelistening,\"answeredBintrey。
\"Whoarethey?\"
\"Youshallsee。\"
Withthisanswer,heraisedhisvoiceandspokethenextwords——thetwocommonwordswhichareoneverybody’slips,ateveryhouroftheday:\"Comein!\"
Thebrowndooropened。SupportedonMarguerite’sarm——hissun—burntcolourgone,hisrightarmbandagedandclungoverhisbreast——
Vendalestoodbeforethemurderer,amanrisenfromthedead。
Inthemomentofsilencethatfollowed,thesingingofacagedbirdinthecourtyardoutsidewastheonesoundstirringintheroom。
MaitreVoigttouchedBintrey,andpointedtoObenreizer。\"Lookathim!\"saidthenotary,inawhisper。
Theshockhadparalysedeverymovementinthevillain’sbody,butthemovementoftheblood。Hisfacewaslikethefaceofacorpse。
Theonevestigeofcolourleftinitwasalividpurplestreakwhichmarkedthecourseofthescarwherehisvictimhadwoundedhimonthecheekandneck。Speechless,breathless,motionlessalikeineyeandlimb,itseemedasif,atthesightofVendale,thedeathtowhichhehaddoomedVendalehadstruckhimwherehestood。
\"Somebodyoughttospeaktohim,\"saidMaitreVoigt。\"ShallI?\"
EvenatthatmomentBintreypersistedinsilencingthenotary,andinkeepingtheleadintheproceedingstohimself。CheckingMaitreVoigtbyagesture,hedismissedMargueriteandVendaleinthesewords:—\"Theobjectofyourappearancehereisanswered,\"hesaid。
\"Ifyouwillwithdrawforthepresent,itmayhelpMr。Obenreizertorecoverhimself。\"
Itdidhelphim。Asthetwopassedthroughthedoorandcloseditbehindthem,hedrewadeepbreathofrelief。Helookedroundhimforthechairfromwhichhehadrisen,anddroppedintoit。
\"Givehimtime!\"pleadedMaitreVoigt。
\"No,\"saidBintrey。\"Idon’tknowwhatusehemaymakeofitifI
do。\"HeturnedoncemoretoObenreizer,andwenton。\"Ioweittomyself,\"hesaid——\"Idon’tadmit,mind,thatIoweittoyou——toaccountformyappearanceintheseproceedings,andtostatewhathasbeendoneundermyadvice,andonmysoleresponsibility。Canyoulistentome?\"
\"Icanlistentoyou。\"
\"RecallthetimewhenyoustartedforSwitzerlandwithMr。Vendale,\"
Bintreybegin。\"YouhadnotleftEnglandfour—and—twentyhoursbeforeyourniececommittedanactofimprudencewhichnotevenyourpenetrationcouldforesee。Shefollowedherpromisedhusbandonhisjourney,withoutaskinganybody’sadviceorpermission,andwithoutanybettercompaniontoprotectherthanaCellarmaninMr。
Vendale’semployment。\"
\"Whydidshefollowmeonthejourney?andhowcametheCellarmantobethepersonwhoaccompaniedher?\"
\"Shefollowedyouonthejourney,\"answeredBintrey,\"becauseshesuspectedtherehadbeensomeseriouscollisionbetweenyouandMr。
Vendale,whichhadbeenkeptsecretfromher;andbecausesherightlybelievedyoutobecapableofservingyourinterests,orofsatisfyingyourenmity,atthepriceofacrime。AsfortheCellarman,hewasone,amongtheotherpeopleinMr。Vendale’sestablishment,towhomshehadapplied(themomentyourbackwasturned)toknowifanythinghadhappenedbetweentheirmasterandyou。TheCellarmanalonehadsomethingtotellher。Asenselesssuperstition,andacommonaccidentwhichhadhappenedtohismaster,inhismaster’scellar,hadconnectedMr。Vendaleinthisman’smindwiththeideaofdangerbymurder。Yourniecesurprisedhimintoaconfession,whichaggravatedtenfoldtheterrorsthatpossessedher。Arousedtoasenseofthemischiefhehaddone,theman,ofhisownaccord,madetheoneatonementinhispower。’Ifmymasterisindanger,miss,’hesaid,’it’smydutytofollowhim,too;andit’smorethanmydutytotakecareofYOU。’Thetwosetforthtogether——and,foronce,asuperstitionhashaditsuse。Itdecidedyournieceontakingthejourney;anditledthewaytosavingaman’slife。Doyouunderstandme,sofar?\"
\"Iunderstandyou,sofar。\"
\"Myfirstknowledgeofthecrimethatyouhadcommitted,\"pursuedBintrey,\"cametomeintheformofaletterfromyourniece。Allyouneedknowisthatherloveandhercouragerecoveredthebodyofyourvictim,andaidedtheafter—effortswhichbroughthimbacktolife。WhilehelayhelplessatBrieg,underhercare,shewrotetometocomeouttohim。Beforestarting,IinformedMadameDorthatIknewMissObenreizertobesafe,andknewwhereshewas。MadameDorinformedme,inreturn,thataletterhadcomeforyourniece,whichsheknewtobeinyourhandwriting。Itookpossessionofit,andarrangedfortheforwardingofanyotherletterswhichmightfollow。ArrivedatBrieg,IfoundMr。Vendaleoutofdanger,andatoncedevotedmyselftohasteningthedayofreckoningwithyou。
DefresnierandCompanyturnedyouoffonsuspicion;actingoninformationprivatelysuppliedbyme。Havingstrippedyouofyourfalsecharacter,thenextthingtodowastostripyouofyourauthorityoveryourniece。Toreachthisend,Inotonlyhadnoscrupleindiggingthepitfallunderyourfeetinthedark——Ifeltacertainprofessionalpleasureinfightingyouwithyourownweapons。
Bymyadvicethetruthhasbeencarefullyconcealedfromyouuptothisday。Bymyadvicethetrapintowhichyouhavewalkedwassetforyou(youknowwhy,now,aswellasIdo)inthisplace。Therewasbutonecertainwayofshakingthedevilishself—controlwhichhashithertomadeyouaformidableman。Thatwayhasbeentried,and(lookatmeasyoumay)thatwayhassucceeded。Thelastthingthatremainstobedone,\"concludedBintrey,producingtwolittleslipsofmanuscriptfromhisdespatch—box,\"istosetyourniecefree。Youhaveattemptedmurder,andyouhavecommittedforgeryandtheft。Wehavetheevidencereadyagainstyouinbothcases。Ifyouareconvictedasafelon,youknowaswellasIdowhatbecomesofyourauthorityoveryourniece。Personally,Ishouldhavepreferredtakingthatwayoutofit。ButconsiderationsarepressedonmewhichIamnotabletoresist,andthisinterviewmustend,asIhavetoldyoualready,inacompromise。Signthoselines,resigningallauthorityoverMissObenreizer,andpledgingyourselfnevertobeseeninEnglandorinSwitzerlandagain;andIwillsignanindemnitywhichsecuresyouagainstfurtherproceedingsonourpart。\"
Obenreizertookthepeninsilence,andsignedhisniece’srelease。
Onreceivingtheindemnityinreturn,herose,butmadenomovementtoleavetheroom。HestoodlookingatMaitreVoigtwithastrangesmilegatheringathislips,andastrangelightflashinginhisfilmyeyes。
\"Whatareyouwaitingfor?\"askedBintrey。
Obenreizerpointedtothebrowndoor。\"Callthemback,\"heanswered。\"IhavesomethingtosayintheirpresencebeforeIgo。\"
\"Sayitinmypresence,\"retortedBintrey。\"Ideclinetocallthemback。\"
ObenreizerturnedtoMaitreVoigt。\"DoyouremembertellingmethatyouoncehadanEnglishclientnamedVendale?\"heasked。
\"Well,\"answeredthenotary。\"Andwhatofthat?\"
\"MaitreVoigt,yourclock—lockhasbetrayedyou。\"
\"Whatdoyoumean?\"
\"Ihavereadthelettersandcertificatesinyourclient’sbox。I
havetakencopiesofthem。Ihavegotthecopieshere。Isthere,oristherenot,areasonforcallingthemback?\"
Foramomentthenotarylookedtoandfro,betweenObenreizerandBintrey,inhelplessastonishment。Recoveringhimself,hedrewhisbrother—lawyeraside,andhurriedlyspokeafewwordscloseathisear。ThefaceofBintrey——afterfirstfaithfullyreflectingtheastonishmentonthefaceofMaitreVoigt——suddenlyaltereditsexpression。Hesprang,withtheactivityofayoungman,tothedooroftheinnerroom,enteredit,remainedinsideforaminute,andreturnedfollowedbyMargueriteandVendale。\"Now,Mr。
Obenreizer,\"saidBintrey,\"thelastmoveinthegameisyours。
Playit。\"
\"BeforeIresignmypositionasthatyounglady’sguardian,\"saidObenreizer,\"Ihaveasecrettorevealinwhichsheisinterested。
Inmakingmydisclosure,Iamnotclaimingherattentionforanarrativewhichshe,oranyotherpersonpresent,isexpectedtotakeontrust。Iampossessedofwrittenproofs,copiesoforiginals,theauthenticityofwhichMaitreVoigthimselfcanattest。Bearthatinmind,andpermitmetoreferyou,atstarting,toadatelongpast——themonthofFebruary,intheyearonethousandeighthundredandthirty—six。\"
\"Markthedate,Mr。Vendale,\"saidBintrey。
\"Myfirstproof,\"saidObenreizer,takingapaperfromhispocket—
book。\"Copyofaletter,writtenbyanEnglishlady(married)tohersister,awidow。ThenameofthepersonwritingtheletterI
shallkeepsuppresseduntilIhavedone。ThenameofthepersontowhomtheletteriswrittenIamwillingtoreveal。Itisaddressedto’Mrs。JaneAnneMiller,ofGroombridgeWells,England。’\"
Vendalestarted,andopenedhislipstospeak。Bintreyinstantlystoppedhim,ashehadstoppedMaitreVoigt。\"No,\"saidthepertinaciouslawyer。\"Leaveittome。\"
Obenreizerwenton:
\"Itisneedlesstotroubleyouwiththefirsthalfoftheletter,\"
hesaid。\"Icangivethesubstanceofitintwowords。Thewriter’spositionatthetimeisthis。ShehasbeenlonglivinginSwitzerlandwithherhusband——obligedtolivethereforthesakeofherhusband’shealth。TheyareabouttomovetoanewresidenceontheLakeofNeuchatelinaweek,andtheywillbereadytoreceiveMrs。Millerasvisitorinafortnightfromthattime。Thissaid,thewriternextentersintoanimportantdomesticdetail。Shehasbeenchildlessforyears——sheandherhusbandhavenownohopeofchildren;theyarelonely;theywantaninterestinlife;theyhavedecidedonadoptingachild。Heretheimportantpartoftheletterbegins;andhere,therefore,Ireadittoyouwordforword。\"
Hefoldedbackthefirstpageoftheletterandreadasfollows。
\"***Willyouhelpus,mydearsister,torealiseournewproject?
AsEnglishpeople,wewishtoadoptanEnglishchild。Thismaybedone,Ibelieve,attheFoundling:myhusband’slawyersinLondonwilltellyouhow。Ileavethechoicetoyou,withonlytheseconditionsattachedtoit——thatthechildistobeaninfantunderayearold,andistobeaboy。WillyoupardonthetroubleIamgivingyou,formysake;andwillyoubringouradoptedchildtous,withyourownchildren,whenyoucometoNeuchatel?
\"Imustaddawordastomyhusband’swishesinthismatter。Heisresolvedtosparethechildwhomwemakeourownanyfuturemortificationandlossofself—respectwhichmightbecausedbyadiscoveryofhistrueorigin。Hewillbearmyhusband’sname,andhewillbebroughtupinthebeliefthatheisreallyourson。Hisinheritanceofwhatwehavetoleavewillbesecuredtohim——notonlyaccordingtothelawsofEnglandinsuchcases,butaccordingtothelawsofSwitzerlandalso;forwehavelivedsolonginthiscountry,thatthereisadoubtwhetherwemaynotbeconsideredasI
domiciled,inSwitzerland。Theoneprecautionlefttotakeistopreventanyafter—discoveryattheFoundling。Now,ournameisaveryuncommonone;andifweappearontheRegisteroftheInstitutionasthepersonsadoptingthechild,thereisjustachancethatsomethingmightresultfromit。Yourname,mydear,isthenameofthousandsofotherpeople;andifyouwillconsenttoappearontheRegister,thereneedbenofearofanydiscoveriesinthatquarter。Wearemoving,bythedoctor’sorders,toapartofSwitzerlandinwhichourcircumstancesarequiteunknown;andyou,asIunderstand,areabouttoengageanewnurseforthejourneywhenyoucometoseeus。Underthesecircumstances,thechildmayappearasmychild,broughtbacktomeundermysister’scare。Theonlyservantwetakewithusfromouroldhomeismyownmaid,whocanbesafelytrusted。AsforthelawyersinEnglandandinSwitzerland,itistheirprofessiontokeepsecrets——andwemayfeelquiteeasyinthatdirection。Sothereyouhaveourharmlesslittleconspiracy!Writebyreturnofpost,mylove,andtellmeyouwilljoinit。\"***
\"Doyoustillconcealthenameofthewriterofthatletter?\"askedVendale。
\"Ikeepthenameofthewritertillthelast,\"answeredObenreizer,\"andIproceedtomysecondproof——amereslipofpaperthistime,asyousee。MemorandumgiventotheSwisslawyer,whodrewthedocumentsreferredtointheletterIhavejustread,expressedasfollows:—\"AdoptedfromtheFoundlingHospitalofEngland,3dMarch,1836,amaleinfant,called,intheInstitution,WalterWilding。
Personappearingontheregister,asadoptingthechild,Mrs。JaneAnneMiller,widow,actinginthismatterforhermarriedsister,domiciledinSwitzerland。’Patience!\"resumedObenreizer,asVendale,breakingloosefromBintrey,startedtohisfeet。\"Ishallnotkeepthenameconcealedmuchlonger。Twomorelittleslipsofpaper,andIhavedone。Thirdproof!CertificateofDoctorGanz,stilllivinginpracticeatNeuchatel,datedJuly,1838。Thedoctorcertifies(youshallreaditforyourselvesdirectly),first,thatheattendedtheadoptedchildinitsinfantmaladies;second,that,threemonthsbeforethedateofthecertificate,thegentlemanadoptingthechildashissondied;third,thatonthedateofthecertificate,hiswidowandhermaid,takingtheadoptedchildwiththem,leftNeuchatelontheirreturntoEngland。Onemorelinknowaddedtothis,andmychainofevidenceiscomplete。Themaidremainedwithhermistresstillhermistress’sdeath,onlyafewyearssince。Themaidcansweartotheidentityoftheadoptedinfant,fromhischildhoodtohisyouth——fromhisyouthtohismanhood,asheisnow。ThereisheraddressinEngland——andthere,Mr。Vendale,isthefourth,andfinalproof!\"
\"WhydoyouaddressyourselftoME?\"saidVendale,asObenreizerthrewthewrittenaddressonthetable。
Obenreizerturnedonhim,inasuddenfrenzyoftriumph。
\"BECAUSEYOUARETHEMAN!Ifmyniecemarriesyou,shemarriesabastard,broughtupbypubliccharity。Ifmyniecemarriesyou,shemarriesanimpostor,withoutnameorlineage,disguisedinthecharacterofagentlemanofrankandfamily。\"
\"Bravo!\"criedBintrey。\"Admirablyput,Mr。Obenreizer!Itonlywantsonewordmoretocompleteit。Shemarries——thanksentirelytoyourexertions——amanwhoinheritsahandsomefortune,andamanwhoseoriginwillmakehimprouderthaneverofhispeasant—wife。
GeorgeVendale,asbrother—executors,letuscongratulateeachother!Ourdeardeadfriend’slastwishonearthisaccomplished。
WehavefoundthelostWalterWilding。AsMr。Obenreizersaidjustnow——youaretheman!\"
ThewordspassedbyVendaleunheeded。Forthemomenthewasconsciousofbutonesensation;heheardbutonevoice。
Marguerite’shandwasclaspinghis。Marguerite’svoicewaswhisperingtohim:
\"Ineverlovedyou,George,asIloveyounow!\"
THECURTAINFALLS
May—day。Thereismerry—makinginCrippleCorner,thechimneyssmoke,thepatriarchaldining—hallishungwithgarlands,andMrs。
Goldstraw,therespectedhousekeeper,isverybusy。For,onthisbrightmorningtheyoungmasterofCrippleCornerismarriedtoitsyoungmistress,faraway:towit,inthelittletownofBrieg,inSwitzerland,lyingatthefootoftheSimplonPasswhereshesavedhislife。
ThebellsringgailyinthelittletownofBrieg,andflagsarestretchedacrossthestreet,andrifleshotsareheard,andsoundingmusicfrombrassinstruments。Streamer—decoratedcasksofwinehavebeenrolledoutunderagayawninginthepublicwaybeforetheInn,andtherewillbefreefeastingandrevelry。Whatwithbellsandbanners,draperieshangingfromwindows,explosionofgunpowder,andreverberationofbrassmusic,thelittletownofBriegisallinaflutter,liketheheartsofitssimplepeople。
Itwasastormynightlastnight,andthemountainsarecoveredwithsnow。Butthesunisbrightto—day,thesweetairisfresh,thetinspiresofthelittletownofBriegareburnishedsilver,andtheAlpsarerangesoffar—offwhitecloudinadeepbluesky。
TheprimitivepeopleofthelittletownofBrieghavebuiltagreenwoodarchacrossthestreet,underwhichthenewlymarriedpairshallpassintriumphfromthechurch。Itisinscribed,onthatside,\"HONOURANDLOVETOMARGUERITEVENDALE!\"forthepeopleareproudofhertoenthusiasm。Thisgreetingofthebrideunderhernewnameisaffectionatelymeantasasurprise,andthereforethearrangementhasbeenmadethatshe,unconsciouswhy,shallbetakentothechurchbyatortuousbackway。AschemenotdifficulttocarryintoexecutioninthecrookedlittletownofBrieg。
So,allthingsareinreadiness,andtheyaretogoandcomeonfoot。AssembledintheInn’sbestchamber,festivelyadorned,arethebrideandbridegroom,theNeuchatelnotary,theLondonlawyer,MadameDor,andacertainlargemysteriousEnglishman,popularlyknownasMonsieurZhoe—Ladelle。AndbeholdMadameDor,arrayedinaspotlesspairofglovesofherown,withnohandintheair,butbothhandsclaspedroundtheneckofthebride;toembracewhomMadameDorhasturnedherbroadbackonthecompany,consistenttothelast。
\"Forgiveme,mybeautiful,\"pleadsMadameDor,\"forthatIeverwashisshe—cat!\"
\"She—cat,MadameDor?
\"Engagedtositwatchingmysocharmingmouse,\"aretheexplanatorywordsofMadameDor,deliveredwithapenitentialsob。
\"Why,youwereourbestfriend!George,dearest,tellMadameDor。
Wasshenotourbestfriend?\"
\"Undoubtedly,darling。Whatshouldwehavedonewithouther?\"
\"Youarebothsogenerous,\"criesMadameDor,acceptingconsolation,andimmediatelyrelapsing。\"ButIcommencedasashe—cat。\"
\"Ah!Butlikethecatinthefairy—story,goodMadameDor,\"saysVendale,salutinghercheek,\"youwereatruewoman。And,beingatruewoman,thesympathyofyourheartwaswithtruelove。\"
\"Idon’twishtodepriveMadameDorofhershareintheembracesthataregoingon,\"Mr。Bintreyputsin,watchinhand,\"andIdon’tpresumetoofferanyobjectiontoyourhavinggotyourselvesmixedtogether,inthecornerthere,likethethreeGraces。ImerelyremarkthatIthinkit’stimeweweremoving。WhatareYOUR
sentimentsonthatsubject,Mr。Ladle?\"
\"Clear,sir,\"repliesJoey,withagraciousgrin。\"I’mcleareraltogether,sir,forhavinglivedsomanyweeksuponthesurface。I
neverwashalfsolonguponthesurfaceafore,andit’sdonemeapowerofgood。AtCrippleCorner,Iwastoomuchbelowit。AtopoftheSimpleton,Iwasadealtoohighaboveit。I’vefoundthemediumhere,sir。AndifeverItakeitinconvivial,inalltherestofmydays,Imeantodoitthisday,tothetoastof’Bless’emboth。’\"
\"I,too!\"saysBintrey。\"Andnow,MonsieurVoigt,letyouandmebetwomenofMarseilles,andallons,marchons,arm—in—arm!\"
Theygodowntothedoor,whereothersarewaitingforthem,andtheygoquietlytothechurch,andthehappymarriagetakesplace。
Whiletheceremonyisyetinprogress,thenotaryiscalledout。
Whenitisfinished,hehasreturned,isstandingbehindVendale,andtoucheshimontheshoulder。
\"Gotothesidedoor,onemoment,MonsieurVendale。Alone。LeaveMadametome。\"
Atthesidedoorofthechurch,arethesametwomenfromtheHospice。Theyaresnow—stainedandtravel—worn。Theywishhimjoy,andtheneachlayshisbroadhanduponVendale’sbreast,andonesaysinalowvoice,whiletheothersteadfastlyregardshim:
\"Itishere,Monsieur。Yourlitter。Theverysame。\"
\"Mylitterishere?Why?\"
\"Hush!ForthesakeofMadame。Yourcompanionofthatday——\"
\"Whatofhim?\"
Themanlooksathiscomrade,andhiscomradetakeshimup。EachkeepshishandlaidearnestlyonVendale’sbreast。
\"HehadbeenlivingatthefirstRefuge,monsieur,forsomedays。
Theweatherwasnowgood,nowbad。\"
\"Yes?\"
\"HearrivedatourHospicethedaybeforeyesterday,and,havingrefreshedhimselfwithsleeponthefloorbeforethefire,wrappedinhiscloak,wasresolutetogoon,beforedark,tothenextHospice。Hehadagreatfearofthatpartoftheway,andthoughtitwouldbeworseto—morrow。\"
\"Yes?\"
\"Hewentonalone。Hehadpassedthegallerywhenanavalanche——
likethatwhichfellbehindyouneartheBridgeoftheGanther——\"
\"Killedhim?\"
\"Wedughimout,suffocatedandbrokenalltopieces!But,monsieur,astoMadame。Wehavebroughthimhereonthelitter,tobeburied。Wemustascendthestreetoutside。Madamemustnotsee。
Itwouldbeanaccursedthingtobringthelitterthroughthearchacrossthestreet,untilMadamehaspassedthrough。Asyoudescend,wewhoaccompanythelitterwillsetitdownonthestonesofthestreetthesecondtotheright,andwillstandbeforeit。ButdonotletMadameturnherheadtowardsthestreetthesecondtotheright。Thereisnotimetolose。Madamewillbealarmedbyyourabsence。Adieu!\"
Vendalereturnstohisbride,anddrawsherhandthroughhisunmainiedarm。Aprettyprocessionawaitsthematthemaindoorofthechurch。Theytaketheirstationinit,anddescendthestreetamidsttheringingofthebells,thefiringoftheguns,thewavingoftheflags,theplayingofthemusic,theshouts,thesmiles,andtears,oftheexcitedtown。Headsareuncoveredasshepasses,handsarekissedtoher,allthepeopleblessher。\"Heaven’sbenedictiononthedeargirl!Seewhereshegoesinheryouthandbeauty;shewhosonoblysavedhislife!\"
Nearthecornerofthestreetthesecondtotheright,hespeakstoher,andcallsherattentiontothewindowsontheoppositeside。
Thecornerwellpassed,hesays:\"Donotlookround,mydarling,forareasonthatIhave,\"andturnshishead。Then,lookingbackalongthestreet,heseesthelitteranditsbearerspassingupaloneunderthearch,asheandsheandtheirmarriagetraingodowntowardstheshiningvalley。