Dear mamma, the pa.s.sages which ensued were too sacred even for your dear eyes. When he left me I felt certain it was to dream of him. I know that, all night long, I dreamt of him. And, on my knees, beside my bed, I registered a vow that, in the time to come, I will be as good as I possibly can.
Do not forget the shoes, and the stockings, and the chocolates! And do give Tom his ring! I am registering this letter, so you are sure to get it safe.
I will bring, or send, Charlie to you, on approval, whenever you please.
I am, my dearest mamma,
Your ever loving daughter,
MAY.
AUNT JANE"S JALAP.
CHAPTER I.
BEFORE TAKING.
"There"s a fortune in it!"
"For the bottlemakers."
"If for them, then what for us? We shan"t want more bottles than we can sell. Besides, we can make our own bottles if it comes to that.
Cost of bottle, contents, cork, label, and all, one penny. Selling price, eightpence. Sale, at a moderate estimate, one million bottles a year. How does that figure for a profit?"
"It figures nicely. But give me facts. How long do you suppose it will take us to reach that sale?"
"No time. The name will sell it! "Aunt Jane"s Jalap!" There isn"t an old woman in England who, seeing those words staring her in the face, won"t press a longing hand to her inside."
"Outside, I presume, you mean. But no matter."
Hughes placed the bottle on the table. He looked at it with loving eyes. Then he shook his head.
"There"s only one thing we want."
"Customers?"
"Testimonials! There"s something in it. I know there is."
"Not much, perhaps, but still something."
"That bottle, sir, contains a remedy for all known diseases, and all unknown ones, for all that I can tell. In fact, I have a suspicion that it is to the unknown diseases that it will come as the greatest blessing. Patent medicines generally do. Those mysterious maladies which, up to the advent of "Aunt Jane"s Jalap," have baffled all the resources of medical science. Give me a day or two and I will prove it. I will bring you testimonials which will make your hair stand up on end, and--" He paused, looking me fixedly in the face--"all genuine."
That evening I had a small dinner-party. It was rather an occasion.
The suggestion, I am bound to admit, had come from Margaret.
"My dear George, it"s the easiest thing in the world, and you could do it nicely! Why don"t you ask us to dinner? Aunt and I, and old Pybus to round it off." Square it off, I suspect she meant, because, of course, that would make four with me. But I didn"t correct her. "And then you and I could look over the house together--after dinner."
So I asked them. And they came. Old Pybus said he would be delighted.
I don"t care for Pybus myself, but Mrs. Chalmers does, and this was an occasion on which her taste had to be consulted rather than mine. And during dinner I began on "Aunt Jane"s Jalap."
"Well, it"s all settled with Hughes."
I addressed myself to Margaret.
"What about?"
""Aunt Jane"s Jalap.""
Mrs. Chalmers put down her spoon. This was while the soup was on.
""Aunt Jane"s Jalap!" Whatever"s that?"
"The new patent medicine--the coming boom. You must know that my friend Francis Hughes has a wonderful old nurse, and this wonderful old nurse has the most wonderful medicine, which she used to administer to all her charges. Hughes has obtained the receipt from her."
"How much did he give her for it? Half-a-crown?"
I crushed Pybus.
"That is a private matter, but _rather_ more than half-a-crown."
As a plain statement of fact he hadn"t given her anything as yet. But, of course, we should both of us see that she made a good thing of it when the sale got up.
"I need scarcely observe what fortunes have been made in patent medicines."
"And lost in them, my boy."
This was just like Pybus--but I let it pa.s.s.
"Millions, literally millions, have been made, and, I may safely say, that none of them can compare with "Aunt Jane"s Jalap.""
"Have you tried the stuff upon yourself?"
"No, Pybus, I have not. I am ready at any time to try it upon you.
Well, Hughes has supplied the medicine, and I am going to supply part of the capital."
"What part?"
"That is another private matter, Pybus. Sufficient, I trust, to bring the matter before the public eye."
"Don"t you think the name is rather a funny one?--"Aunt Jane"s Jalap!""
This was hard, coming from Margaret.
"My dear Margaret, the name is half the battle. Hughes thinks it"s a splendid one."