At the close of my day's work, the hospitable5 merchant, whose references I had been engaged in verifying, refused to permit me to return to the hotel. His dinner-hour had been put off expressly to suit my convenience. "You will only meet the members of my family," he said, "and a cousin of my wife's who is here with her daughter, on a visit to us—Frau Meyer, of Wurzburg."
I accepted the invitation, feeling privately6 an Englishman's reluctance7 to confronting an assembly of strangers, and anticipating nothing remarkable8 in reference to Frau Meyer, although she did come from Wurzburg. Even when I was presented to the ladies in due form, as "the honored representative of Mr. Keller, of Frankfort," I was too stupid, or too much absorbed in the business on which I had been engaged, to be much struck by the sudden interest with which Frau Meyer regarded me. She was a fat florid old lady, who looked coarsely clever and resolute9; and she had a daughter who promised to resemble her but too faithfully, in due course of time. It was a relief to me, at dinner, to find myself placed between the merchant's wife and her eldest10 son. They were far more attractive neighbors at table, to my thinking, than Frau Meyer.
Dinner being over, we withdrew to another room to take our coffee. The merchant and his son, both ardent11 musicians in their leisure hours, played a sonata12 for pianoforte and violin. I was at the opposite extremity13 of the room, looking at some fine proof impressions of prints from the old masters, when a voice at my side startled me by an unexpected question.
"May I ask, sir, if you are acquainted with Mr. Keller's son?"
I looked round, and discovered Frau Meyer.
"Have you seen him lately?" she proceeded, when I had acknowledged that I was acquainted with Fritz. "And can you tell me where he is now?"
I answered both these questions. Frau Meyer looked thoroughly14 well satisfied with me. "Let us have a little talk," she said, and seated herself, and signed to me to take a chair near her.
"I feel a true interest in Fritz," she resumed, lowering her voice so as not to be heard by the musicians at the other end of the room. "Until to-day, I have heard nothing of him since he left Wurzburg. I like to talk about him—he once did me a kindness a long time since. I suppose you are in his confidence? Has he told you why his father sent him away from the University?"
My reply to this was, I am afraid, rather absently given. The truth is, my mind was running on some earlier words which had dropped from the old lady's lips. "He once did me a kindness a long time since." When had I last heard that commonplace phrase? and why did I remember it so readily when I now heard it again?
"Ah, his father did a wise thing in separating him from that woman and her daughter!" Frau Meyer went on. "Madame Fontaine deliberately15 entrapped16 the poor boy into the engagement. But perhaps you are a friend of hers? In that case, I retract17 and apologize."
"Quite needless," I said.
"You are not a friend of Madame Fontaine?" she persisted.
This cool attempt to force an answer from me failed in its object. It was like being cross-examined in a court of law; and, in our common English phrase, "it set my back up." In the strict sense of the word, Madame Fontaine might be termed an acquaintance, but certainly not a friend, of mine. For once, I took the prudent18 course, and said, No.
Frau Meyer's expansive bosom19 emitted a hearty20 sigh of relief. "Ah!" she said, "now I can talk freely—in Fritz's interest, mind. You are a young man like himself, he will be disposed to listen to you. Do all you can to back his father's influence, and cure him of his infatuation. I tell you plainly, his marriage would be his ruin!"
"You speak very strongly, madam. Do you object to the young lady?"
"Not I; a harmless insignificant21 creature—nothing more and nothing less. It's her vile22 mother that I object to."
"As I have heard, Frau Meyer, there are two sides to that question. Fritz is persuaded that Madame Fontaine is an injured woman. He assures me, for instance, that she is the fondest of mothers."
"Bah! What does that amount to? It's as much a part of a woman's nature to take to her child when she has got one, as it is to take to her dinner when she is hungry. A fond mother? What stuff! Why, a cat is a fond mother!—What's the matter?"
A cat is a fond mother. Another familiar phrase—and this time a phrase remarkable enough to lead my memory back in the right direction. In an instant I recollected23 the anonymous24 letter to Fritz. In an instant I felt the conviction that Frau Meyer, in her eagerness to persuade me, had unconsciously repeated two of the phrases which she had already used, in her eagerness to persuade Fritz. No wonder I started in my chair, when I felt that I was face to face with the writer of the anonymous letter!
I made some excuse—I forget what—and hastened to resume the conversation. The opportunity of making discoveries which might be invaluable25 to Fritz (to say nothing of good Mr. Engelman) was not an opportunity to be neglected. I persisted in quoting Fritz's authority; I repeated his assertion relative to the love of scandal at Wurzburg, and the envy of Madame Fontaine's superior attractions felt among the ladies. Frau Meyer laughed disdainfully.
"Poor Fritz!" she said. "An excellent disposition—but so easily persuaded, so much too amiable26. Our being all envious27 of Widow Fontaine is too ridiculous. It is a mere28 waste of time to notice such nonsense. Wait a little, Mr. David, and you will see. If you and Mr. Keller can only keep Fritz out of the widow's way for a few months longer, his eyes will be opened in spite of himself. He may yet come back to us with a free heart, and he may choose his future wife more wisely next time."
As she said this her eyes wandered away to her daughter, at the other end of the room. Unless her face betrayed her, she had evidently planned, at some past time, to possess herself of Fritz as a son-in-law, and she had not resigned the hope of securing him yet. Madame Fontaine might be a deceitful and dangerous woman. But what sort of witness against her was this abusive old lady, the unscrupulous writer of an anonymous letter? "You prophesy29 very confidently about what is to come in the future," I ventured to say.
Frau Meyer's red face turned a shade redder. "Does that mean that you don't believe me?" she asked.
"Certainly not, madam. It only means that you speak severely30 of Doctor Fontaine's widow—without mentioning any facts that justify31 you."
"Oh! you want facts, do you? I'll soon show you whether I know what I am talking about or not. Has Fritz mentioned that among Madame Fontaine's other virtues32, she has paid her debts? I'll tell you how she has paid them—as an example, young gentleman, that I am not talking at random33. Your admirable widow, sir, is great at fascinating old men; they are always falling in love with her, the idiots! A certain old man at Wurzburg—close on eighty, mind—was one of her victims. I had a letter this morning which tells me that he was found dead in his bed, two days since, and that his nephew is the sole heir to all that he leaves behind him. Examination of his papers has shown that he paid the widow's creditors34, and that he took a promissory note from her—ha! ha! ha!—a promissory note from a woman without a farthing!—in payment of the sum that he had advanced. The poor old man would, no doubt, have destroyed the note if he had known that his end was so near. His sudden death has transferred it to the hands of his heir. In money-matters, the nephew is reported to be one of the hardest men living. When that note falls due, he will present it for payment. I don't know where Madame Fontaine is now. No matter! Sooner or later, she is sure to hear of what has happened—and she must find the money, or see the inside of a debtor's prison. Those are the facts that I had in my mind, Mr. David, when I spoke35 of events opening Fritz's eyes to the truth."
I submitted with all possible humility36 to the lady's triumph over me. My thoughts were with Minna. What a prospect37 for the innocent, affectionate girl! Assuming the statement that I had just heard to be true, there was surely a chance that Madame Fontaine (with time before her) might find the money. I put this view of the case to Frau Meyer.
"If I didn't know Mr. Keller to be a thoroughly resolute man," she answered, "I should say she might find the money too. She has only to succeed in marrying her daughter to Fritz, and Mr. Keller would be obliged to pay the money for the sake of the family credit. But he is one of the few men whom she can't twist round her finger. If you ever fall in with her, take care of yourself. She may find your influence with Fritz an obstacle in her way—and she may give you reason to remember that the mystery of her husband's lost chest of poisons is not cleared up yet. It was all in the German newspapers—you know what I mean."
This seemed to me to be passing all bounds of moderation. "And you know, madam," I answered sharply, "that there was no evidence against her—nothing whatever to associate her with the robbery of the medicine chest."
"Not even suspicion, Mr. David?"
"Not even suspicion."
I rose from my chair as I spoke. Minna was still in my thoughts; I was not merely unwilling38, I was almost afraid to hear more.
"One minute," said Frau Meyer. "Which of the two hotels here are you staying at? I want to send you something to read to-night, after you have left us."
I told her the name of the hotel; and we joined our friends at the other end of the room. Not long afterwards I took my leave. My spirits were depressed39; a dark cloud of uncertainty40 seemed to hang over the future. Even the prospect of returning to Frankfort, the next day, became repellent to me. I was almost inclined to hope that my aunt might (as Mr. Keller had predicted) recall me to London.
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1
confided
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| v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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3
fidelity
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| n.忠诚，忠实；精确 | |
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discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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hospitable
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| adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的 | |
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6
privately
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| adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地 | |
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7
reluctance
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| n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿 | |
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8
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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10
eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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sonata
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| n.奏鸣曲 | |
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extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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16
entrapped
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| v.使陷入圈套，使入陷阱( entrap的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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17
retract
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| vt.缩回，撤回收回，取消 | |
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18
prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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19
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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21
insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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vile
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| adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的 | |
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23
recollected
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| adj.冷静的；镇定的；被回忆起的；沉思默想的v.记起，想起( recollect的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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24
anonymous
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| adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的 | |
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invaluable
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| adj.无价的，非常宝贵的，极为贵重的 | |
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amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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envious
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| adj.嫉妒的，羡慕的 | |
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28
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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29
prophesy
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| v.预言；预示 | |
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30
severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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31
justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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32
virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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33
random
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| adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动 | |
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34
creditors
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| n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 ) | |
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35
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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36
humility
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| n.谦逊，谦恭 | |
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37
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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38
unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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39
depressed
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| adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的 | |
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40
uncertainty
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| n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物 | |
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