I turned back to the house, with my head feeling very old on my young shoulders.
Madame Fontaine"s manner to me was so charming, when we all met at the dinner-table, that I fell into a condition of remorseful silence.
Fortunately, Fritz took most of the talking on himself, and the general attention was diverted from me. His high spirits, his boisterous nonsense, his contempt for all lawful forms and ceremonies which placed impediments in the way of his speedy marriage, were amusingly contrasted by Mr. Engelman"s courteous simplicity in trying to argue the question seriously with his reckless young friend.
"Don"t talk to me about the customary delays and the parson"s duty!"
cried Fritz. "Tell me this: does he do his duty without being paid for it?"
"We must all live," pleaded good Mr. Engelman; "the parson must pay the butcher and the baker, like the rest of us."
"That"s shirking the question, my dear sir! Will the parson marry Minna and me, without being paid for it?"
"In all civilized countries, Fritz, there are fees for the performance of the marriage ceremony."
"Very well. Now follow my train of reasoning, Mr. Engelman! On your own showing, the whole affair is a matter of money. The parson gets his fee for making Minna my wife, after the customary delays."
There Minna modestly interposed. "Why do you object to the customary delays, dear Fritz?"
"I"ll tell you, my angel, when we are married. In the meantime, I resume my train of reasoning, and I entreat Mr. Engelman not to forget that this is a matter of money. Make it worth the parson"s while to marry us, _without_ the customary delays. Double his fee, treble his fee--give him ten times his fee. It"s merely a question of what his reverence can resist. My father is a rich man. Favor me with a blank cheque, papa--and I will make Minna Mrs. Keller before the end of the week!"
The father, hitherto content to listen and be amused, checked the son"s flow of nonsense at this point.
"There is a time for everything, Fritz," he said. "We have had laughing enough. When you talk of your marriage, I am sorry to observe that you entirely pa.s.s over the consideration which is due to your father"s only surviving relative."
Madame Fontaine laid down her knife and fork as if her dinner had come to an end. The sudden appearance in the conversation of the "surviving relative," had evidently taken her by surprise. Mr. Keller, observing her, turned away from his son, and addressed himself exclusively to the widow when he spoke next.
"I referred, Madame Fontaine, to my elder sister," he said. "She and I are the sole survivors of a large family."
"Does the lady live in this city, sir?" the widow inquired.
"No, she still lives in our birthplace--Munich."
"May I ask another question?"
"As many questions, dear madam, as you like."
"Is your sister married?"
"My sister has never been married."
"Not for want of suitors," said courteous Mr. Engelman. "A most majestic person. Witty and accomplished. Possessed of an enviable little fortune, entirely at her own disposal."
Mr. Keller gently reproved this latter allusion to the question of money.
"My good friend, Madame Fontaine has a mind above all mercenary considerations. My sister"s place in her esteem and regard will not be influenced by my sister"s fortune, when they meet (as I hope they will meet) at Fritz"s marriage."
At this, Fritz burst into the conversation in his usual headlong way.
"Oh, dear me, papa, have some consideration for us! If we wait for my aunt, we shall never be married on this side of eternity."
"Fritz!"
"Don"t be angry, sir, I meant no harm. I was thinking of my aunt"s asthma. At her age, she will never take the long journey from Munich to Frankfort. Permit me to offer a suggestion. Let us be married first, and then pay her a visit in the honeymoon."
Mr. Keller pa.s.sed his son"s suggestion over without notice, and addressed himself once more to Madame Fontaine.
"I propose writing to my sister in a day or two," he resumed, "to inform her of the contemplated marriage. She already knows your name through Mr.
Engelman, who kindly wrote to allay her anxiety about my illness."
"And to tell her," Mr. Engelman interposed, "to whose devotion he owes his recovery."
The widow received this tribute with eyes fixed modestly on her plate.
Her black dress, rising and falling over her bosom, betrayed an agitation, which her enemies at Wurzburg might have attributed to the discovery of the rich sister at Munich. Mr. Keller went on--
"I am sure I may trust to your womanly sympathies to understand the affection which binds me to my last living relative. My sister"s presence at the marriage will be an inexpressible comfort and happiness to me. In spite of what my son has said (you are sadly given to talking at random, Fritz), I believe she will not shrink from the journey to Frankfort, if we only make it easier to her by consulting her health and convenience.
Our young people have all their lives before them--our young people can wait."
"Certainly, sir."
She gave that short answer very quietly, with her eyes still on her plate. It was impossible to discover in what frame of mind she viewed the prospect of delay, involved in Mr. Keller"s consideration for his sister.
For the moment, Fritz was simply confounded. He looked at Minna--recovered himself--and favored his father with another suggestion.
"I have got it now!" he exclaimed. "Why not spare my aunt the fatigue of the journey? Let us all start for Bavaria to--morrow, and have the marriage at Munich!"
"And leave the business at Frankfort to take care of itself, at the busiest time of the year!" his father added ironically. "When you open your mouth again, Fritz, put food and drink into it--and confine yourself to that."
With those words the question of the marriage was closed for the time.
When dinner was over, Mr. Keller retired, to take some rest in his own room. Fritz and his sweetheart left the house together, on an errand in which they were both equally interested--the purchase of the ring which was to typify Minna"s engagement. Left alone with Mr. Engelman and the widow, I felt that I might be an obstacle to confidential conversation, and withdrew to the office. Though not regularly employed as one of the clerks, I had been admitted to serve as a volunteer, since my return from Hanau. In this way, I improved my experience of the details of our business, and I made some small return for the hospitable welcome which I had received from the two partners.
Half an hour or more had pa.s.sed, when some papers arrived from the bank, which required the signature of the firm. Mr. Engelman being still absent, the head-clerk, at my suggestion, proceeded to the dining-room with the papers in his charge.
He came back again immediately, looking very much alarmed.
"Pray go into the dining-room!" he said to me. "I am afraid something is seriously wrong with Mr. Engelman.
"Do you mean that he is ill?" I asked.
"I can hardly say. His arms are stretched out on the table, and his face is hidden on them. He paid no attention to me. I am almost afraid he was crying."
Crying? I had left him in excellent spirits, casting glances of the tenderest admiration at Madame Fontaine. Without waiting to hear more, I ran to the dining-room.
He was alone--in the position described by the clerk--and, poor old man, he was indeed weeping bitterly! I put my hand with all possible gentleness on his shoulder, and said, with the tenderness that I really felt for him: "Dear Mr. Engelman, what has happened to distress you?"
At the sound of my voice he looked up, and caught me fervently by the hand.
"Stay here with me a little while, David," he said. "I have got my death-blow."
I sat down by him directly. "Try and tell me what has happened," I went on. "I left you here with Madame Fontaine----"