When Claudius awoke at daybreak he had a strong impression that he had
been dreaming. His first action was to open his iron box and read the
will over again. That being done, he reflected that his determination to
keep his fortune a secret was a wise one, and that for the present he
would abide by it. So he went out and got a notary to attest his
signature to the letter, and posted it to Messrs. Screw and Scratch, and
returned to his books. But the weather was intensely hot, and the sun
beat down fiercely on the roof over his head, so that after two or three
hours he gave it up and sallied forth to seek coolness abroad. His steps
turned naturally upwards towards the overhanging castle where he was
sure of a breeze and plenty of shade; and as he passed the famous old
"Wirthshaus zum faulen Pelz" on the ascent, he turned in and took a
drink of the cool clear ale and a pretzel, an operation termed in
Germany the "Frühschoppen," or "early glass," and as universal a
practice as the early tea in the tropics before the sun is up, or the
"vermouth" of the Italian before the evening meal. Having offered this
customary libation to the summer deities, the Doctor leisurely climbed
the hill and entered the precincts of the Schloss. Sure enough, there
was a breeze here among the ruins, and shade in abundance wherein to
lie and read all through the summer day, with an occasional shift of
position as the sun rose and sank in the blazing sky.
Claudius stretched himself out near the great ruined tower under a bit
of wall, and, pulling out a book, began to read. But the book did not
interest him, and before long he let it drop and fell to thinking. The
light wind stirred the broad green foliage over him, and the sun struck
fiercely down beyond the border of shade; but then, again, beyond there
were more trees and more shade. The nameless little crickets and flies
and all manner of humming things panted musically in the warm air; the
small birds chirped lazily now and then in desultory conversation, too
hot to hop or fly; and a small lizard lay along the wall dazed and
stupid in the noontide heat. The _genius loci_ was doubtless cooling
himself in the retirement of some luxurious hole among the ruins, and
the dwarf Perkéo, famous in song and toast, had the best of it that day
down in the cellar by the great tun.
But Claudius was of a tough nature, and minded neither heat nor cold;
only when a large bluebottle fly buzzed round his nose he whisked his
broad hat to drive the tormentor away, and said to himself that summer
had its drawbacks even in Germany, though there were certainly more
flies and mosquitoes and evil beasts on the wing in Sweden during the
two months' heat there. On the whole, he was pretty comfortable among
the ruins on this June day, though he ought to begin considering where
his summer foot tour was to take him this year. It might be as well,
certainly. Where could he go? There was the Black Forest, but he knew
that thoroughly; Bohemia--he had been there; Switzerland; the
Engadine--yes, he would go back to Pontresina and see what it had grown
into since he was there six years ago. It used to be a delightful place
then, as different from St. Moritz as anything could well be. Only
students and artists and an occasional sturdy English climber used to go
to Pontresina, while all Europe congregated at St. Moritz half a dozen
miles away. He would go there as he went everywhere, with a knapsack and
a thick stick and a few guldens in his pocket, and be happy, if so be
that he had any capacity for enjoyment left in him.
"It is absurd," said Claudius to himself, argumentatively. "I am barely
thirty years old, as strong as an ox, and I have just inherited more
money than I know what to do with, and I feel like an old cripple of
ninety, who has nothing left to live for. It must be morbid imagination
or liver complaint, or something."
But it was neither liver nor imagination, for it was perfectly genuine.
Tired of writing, tired of reading, of seeing, of hearing, and speaking;
and yet blessed with a constitution that bid fair to carry him through
another sixty years of life. He tried to argue about it. Was it possible
that it came of living in a foreign country with whose people he had but
a fancied sympathy? There are no folk like our own folk, after all; and
there is truly a great gulf between Scandinavians and every other kind
of people. But it seemed to Claudius that he loved the Germans and their
ways--and indeed he did; but does not everyday experience show that the
people we admire, and even love, the most are not necessarily those with
whom we are most in sympathy or with whom it is best for us to live? He
would have been better among his own Northern people; but that did not
strike him, and he determined he would go to the Engadine to-morrow or
next day.
The Doctor, having made up his mind, shifted his position and sat up,
pulling a pipe from his pocket, which he proceeded to fill and to light.
The flame of the match was white and transparent in the mid-day glare,
and the smoke hung lazily about as he puffed at the ungainly instrument
of enjoyment.
Before he had half finished his pipe he heard footsteps on the path. He
looked up idly and saw a lady--_two_ ladies--coming leisurely towards
him. Beyond the fact that it was an unusual hour for strangers to visit
the Schloss--and they evidently were strangers--there was nothing
unusual in the apparition; and Claudius merely rose to his feet and
moved slowly on, not from any desire to get out of the way, but merely
because he was too well bred to remain seated by the path while a lady
passed, and having risen, he could not very well stand still. So he
moved on till he stood by the broken tower, and seeing that by climbing
down he could reach a more secure resting-place, with the advantage of a
view, he let himself drop easily on to a projecting ledge of masonry and
resumed his pipe with philosophic indifference. Before long he heard
voices above him, or more properly a voice, for one of the parties
confined her conversation strictly to yea and nay, while the other spoke
enthusiastically, and almost as if soliloquising, about the scene.
It was a deep-strung voice, that would have been masculine if it had
been the least harsh; but it was not--it was only strong and large and
smooth, a woman's voice with the gift of resonance that lends interest
where there might otherwise seem to be none. There is a certain kind of
voice in woman that seems to vibrate in a way especially its own.
Whether it be that under certain conditions of the vocal organs
harmonic sounds are produced as they may be upon a stringed instrument
or upon an organ pipe; or whether, again, the secret lies deeper,
depending on the subtile folding and unfolding of new-shaped waves of
sound to which our ordinary ears are not used--who can tell? And yet
there are voices that from the first produce upon us a strange
impression unlike anything else in the world. Not that we necessarily
become interested in the possessor of the voice, who may remain for ever
utterly indifferent to us, for the magic lies in the tone merely, which
seems to have a power of perpetuating itself and rebounding among the
echoes of our recollections. Barely, very rarely, singers possess it,
and even though their powers be limited there comes a strange thrill
into their singing which fixes it indelibly on the memory.
Such a voice it was that Claudius heard as he lay on his ledge of
masonry some ten feet below, and listened to the poetic flow of the
strange lady's thoughts on Heidelberg and the scene at her feet. He did
not move, for he was sure she had not seen him; and he supposed she
would go away in a few minutes. He was destined to be seen, however. She
stopped talking, and was apparently lost in thought; but in a moment
there was a small cry.
"O mon Dieu!" and a dainty lace-covered parasol fell over the edge, and,
striking the platform where Claudius was lying, went straight to the
bottom of the ruin, some twenty feet farther.
"What a nuisance," said the thrilling voice from above, "I can never get
it back now; and there are no gardeners or people about."
"Permit me, Madam," said Claudius, stepping as far out as he dared, and
looking up to catch a glimpse of a beautiful woman in black and white
staring down at the unlucky parasol in a rather helpless fashion. "Do
not be disturbed, Madam; I will get it for you in a moment." And he
began to descend.
The fair unknown protested--Monsieur must not trouble himself; Monsieur
would certainly break his neck--_enfin_, it was very obliging on the
part of Monsieur to risk himself in such a terrible gulf, etc. etc. But
"Monsieur," when once he had caught sight of those dark eyes, climbed
steadily down to the bottom, and had reached the lost parasol before the
string of polite protestations had ceased. The ascent was quickly
accomplished, and he stood at the summit, hat in hand, to return the
object of his search to its rightful owner. There was not a trace of
embarrassment on his face; and he looked the foreign lady boldly in the
eyes as he bowed. She could not express her thanks sufficiently, and
would probably have wished to continue expressing them for some time
longer to the handsome and herculean young man, who had apparently
started out of space to her assistance; but when Claudius had taken a
good look he simply answered--
"Il n'y a pas de quoi, Madame," and bowing low walked off. Perhaps the
least contraction of curiosity was in his eyes; and he would have liked
to know who the lady was who had the crown and the large M carved in the
ivory of her parasol stick. But, after all, he came to the conclusion
that he did not care, and so went strolling down the path, wondering
where he could hide himself if visitors were to infest the Schloss at
this time of year, and in the hottest hours of the day.
"I will leave here to-morrow," he said, "and see if I cannot be more
comfortable in Pontresina." He reached another part of the Schloss, and
sitting down resumed his pipe, which seemed destined to interruptions.
The lady of the parasol had made an impression on Dr. Claudius, for all
his apparent indifference. It was rarely, indeed, nowadays that he
looked at a woman at all; and to-day he had not only looked, but he
owned to himself, now it was past, that he would like to look again. If
he had had any principle in avoiding women during the last few years, he
would not have admitted now that he would like to see her again--just
for one moment. But he had no principle in the matter. It was choice,
and there it ended; and whenever he should take it into his head to
associate with the fair sex again, he would consider it a sign that his
youth had returned, and he would yield without the smallest struggle.
But in this ease--"Pshaw!" thought the humble _privat-docent_, "she is
some great lady, I suppose. How should I make her acquaintance? Oh! I
forgot--I am a millionaire to-day; I have only to ask and it shall be
opened." He smiled to himself, and, with the returning sense of the
power to do what he pleased, the little undefined longing for another
glimpse of the fair stranger subsided for a time.
Then he regretted it. He was sorry it was gone; for while it had been
there he had felt a something telling him he was not old after all, but
only very young--so young that he had never been in love. As a
consequence of his wishing his little rag of sentiment back again, it
came; but artificially this time, and as if expecting to be criticised.
He would contemplate for a space the fair picture that had the power to
rouse his weary soul, even for an instant, from the sea of indifference
in which it was plunged.
Claudius lay back in the grass and crossed one leg over the other. Then
he tried to recall the features of the woman who had begun to occupy his
thoughts. She was certainly very beautiful. He could remember one or two
points. Her skin was olive-tinted and dark about the eyes, and the eyes
themselves were like soft burning amber, and her hair was very black.
That was all he could recollect of her--saving her voice. Ah yes! he had
seen beautiful women enough, even in his quiet life, but he had never
heard anything exactly like this woman's tones. There are some sounds
one never forgets. For instance, the glorious cry of the trumpeter swans
in Iceland when they pass in full flight overhead in the early morning;
or the sweet musical ring of the fresh black ice on the river as it
clangs again to sweep of the steel skate. Claudius tried to compare the
sound of that voice to something he had heard, but with little success.
Southern and Eastern born races fall in love at first sight in a way
that the soberer Northener cannot understand. A face in a crowd, a
glance, a droop of the lashes, and all is said. The seed of passion is
sown and will grow in a day to all destroying proportions. But the
Northern heart is a very different affair. It will play with its
affections as a cat plays with a mouse; only the difference is, that the
mouse grows larger and more formidable, like the one in the story of the
Eastern sage, which successively changed its shape until it became a
tiger, and the wise man was driven to take precautions for his own
safety. There is never the least doubt in the mind of an Italian or an
Oriental when he is in love; but an Englishman will associate with a
woman for ten years, and one day will wake up to the fact that he loves
her, and has loved her probably for some time past. And then his whole
manner changes immediately, and he is apt to make himself very
disagreeable unless indeed the lady loves him--and women are rarely in
doubt in their inmost hearts as to whether they love or not.
The heart of the cold northern-born man is a strange puzzle. It can only
be compared in its first awakening to a very backward spring. In the
first place, the previous absence of anything like love has bred a rough
and somewhat coarse scepticism about the existence of passion at all.
Young Boreas scoffs at the mere mention of a serious affection, and
turns up his nose at a love-match. He thinks young women no end of fun;
his vanity makes him fancy himself the heartless hero of many an
adventure, and if, as frequently happens, he is but an imperfect
gentleman, he will not scruple to devise, imagine, and recount (to his
bosom friend, of course, in strictest secrecy) some hairbreadth escape
from an irate husband or an avenging father, where he has nearly lost
his life, he says, in the pursuit of some woman, generally a lady of
spotless reputation whom he barely knows. But put him in her society for
an hour, with every opportunity of pressing his suit, and the veriest
lambkin could not be more harmless. He has not yet tasted blood, though
he will often smack his lips and talk as if he had.
It is generally chance that makes him fall in love the first time. He is
thrown together with his fate--tall or short, dark or fair, it makes no
difference--in some country house or on some journey. For a long time
her society only amuses him and helps to pass the hours, for Boreas is
easily bored and finds time a terrible adversary. Gradually he
understands that she is a necessity to his comfort, and there is nothing
he will not do to secure her on every possible opportunity for himself.
Then perhaps he allows to himself that he really does care a little, and
he loses some of his incrustation of vanity. He feels less sure of
himself, and his companions observe that he ceases to talk of his
alleged good fortunes. Very, very slowly his real heart wakes up, and
whatever is manly and serious and gentle in his nature comes
unconsciously to the surface. Henceforth he knows he loves, and because
his love has been slow to develop itself it is not necessarily sluggish
or deficient when once it is come. But Englishmen are rarely heroic
lovers except in their novels. There is generally a little bypath of
caution, a postern gate of mercantile foresight, by which they can slip
quietly out at the right moment and forget all about the whole thing.
Claudius was not an Englishman, but a Scandinavian, and he differed from
the imaginary young man described above in that he had a great broad
reverence of woman and for woman's love. But it was all a theory, of
which the practice to him was as yet unknown. He had soon wearied of the
class of women he had met in his student-life--chiefly the daughters of
respectable Heidelberg Philistines, of various degrees of south Teutonic
prettiness; and the beautiful women of the world, of whom he had caught
a glimpse in his travels had never seemed real enough to him to be in
any way approached. He never had realised that his own personality,
combined with his faultless manners, would have soon made him a
favourite in what is called society, had he chosen to court it.
After all, it was very vague this passing fancy for the dark-eyed woman
of the Schloss. Perhaps Dr. Claudius watched his symptoms too narrowly,
and was overmuch pleased at finding that something could still rouse a
youthful thrill in him, after the sensation of old age that had of late
oppressed him. A man, he said to himself, is not old so long as he can
love--and be loved--well, so long as he can love, say, and let the rest
take care of itself. And by and by the sun went westering down the hill,
and he shook himself out of his dreams, and pocketed his book and turned
homeward. His day, he thought, had not amounted to much after all, and
he would spend the evening in sober study, and not dream any more until
bedtime. But he would be sociable this evening and eat his supper--now
he thought about it, it would be dinner and supper combined--in the
company of his colleagues at their favourite haunt. And he would go
to-morrow, he would certainly go to the Engadine.
But to-morrow came, and the Herr Doctor looked out of his window as
usual, and he did not go to Pontresina or anywhere else, nor the next
day, nor the day after. Only up to the Schloss every day through the hot
week, with his book and his pipe, and there he would lie and read and
smoke, and say to himself, "To-morrow I will certainly go." There was
something almost pathetic in Claudius, thus day after day revisiting the
scene where he had experienced a momentary sensation of youth and
vitality, where he had discovered, somewhat to his surprise, that he was
still alive and full of strength and sanguine hope, when he thought
himself so old. And lying among the ruins he called up the scene again
and again, and the strange woman gradually got possession of his mind,
as a cunning enchantress might, and she moulded his thoughts about her
till they clung to her and burned. He did not seriously think to meet
her again in the Schloss, if he thought of it at all, for he knew of
course that she must have been a bird of passage, only pausing an
instant on that hot day to visit some scene long familiar to her memory.
And of course, like a true philosophical student, he did not attempt to
explain to himself his own conduct, nor to catalogue the reasons for and
against a daily visit to the old castle.
So the week passed, and another after it, and one day, late in the
afternoon, Claudius descended the hill and went up as usual to his
chamber above the river, to spend an hour indoors before going to
supper. It was a beautiful evening, and he left his door partly open on
to the landing that the breeze might blow through the room as he sat by
the window. A book was in his hand before he had sat many moments, from
sheer force of habit; but he did not read. The sounds of the street rose
pleasantly to his ear as the little boys and girls played together
across each other's doorsteps. To tell the truth, it all seemed very far
off, much farther than three flights of steps from the little crowd
below to the solitary nest of learning aloft where he sat; and Dr.
Claudius was, in his thoughts, incalculably far away from the
shoemaker's Hans and the tinman's Gretel and their eight-year-old
flirtation. Claudius was flirting with his fancies, and drawing pretty
pictures in the smoke, with dark eyes and masses of black hair; and then
he moved uneasily, and came back to his threadbare proposition that he
was old, and that it was absurd that he should be.
"Ah! what would I not give to enjoy it all--to feel I could wish one
moment to remain!" He sighed and leaned back in the straight-backed
chair. The door creaked slightly, he thought it was the evening wind. It
creaked again; he turned his head, and his gaze remained riveted on the
opening. A beautiful pair of dark eyes were fixed on him, deep and
searching, and on meeting his, a great silky black head was pushed
forward into the room, and a magnificent black hound stalked slowly
across the floor and laid his head on the Doctor's knee with a look of
evident inquiry.
Claudius was fond of animals, and caressed the friendly beast, wondering
to whom he might belong, and speculating whether the appearance of the
dog heralded the approach of a visitor. But the dog was not one of those
that he knew by sight in the streets of Heidelberg--one of those superb
favourites of the students who are as well known as the professors
themselves to every inhabitant of a university town in Germany. And the
Doctor stroked the beautiful head and listened for steps upon the
stairs. Before long he heard an ominous stumbling, as of some one
unfamiliar with the dark and narrow way, and in a moment more a young
man stood in the doorway, dazzled by the flood of the evening sunshine
that faced him.
"Mr. Claudius live here?" interrogated the stranger in a high and
metallic, but gentlemanly voice.
"I am Dr. Claudius," said the tenant of the old chair, rising politely.
"Pray be seated, sir," and he offered his one seat to his visitor, who
advanced into the middle of the room.
He was a young man, dressed in the extreme of the English fashion. He
was probably excessively thin, to judge by his face and neck and hands,
but he was made up admirably. He removed his hat and showed a forehead
of mediocre proportions, over which his dark hair was conscientiously
parted in the middle. Though not in appearance robust, he wore a
moustache that would not have disgraced a Cossack, his eyes were small,
gray, and near together, and his complexion was bad. His feet were
minute, and his hands bony.
He took the offered chair, and Claudius sat down upon the bed, which was
by no means so far removed in the little room as to make conversation at
that distance difficult.
"Dr. Claudius?" the stranger repeated, and the Doctor nodded gravely.
"Dr. Claudius, the nephew of the late Mr. Gustavus Lindstrand of New
York?"
"The same, sir. May I inquire to what good fortune I am indebted--"
"Oh! of course," interrupted the other, "I am Mr. Barker--Silas B.
Barker junior of New York, and my father was your uncle's partner."
"Indeed," said Claudius, rising and coming forward, "then we must shake
hands again," and his face wore a pleasant expression. He thought
nothing of first impressions, and was prepared to offer a hearty welcome
to any friend of his uncle, even of the most unprepossessing type. Mr.
Barker was not exactly unprepossessing; he was certainly not handsome,
but there was a look of action about him that was not unpleasing.
Claudius felt at once, however, that the American belonged to a type of
humanity of which he knew nothing as yet. But they shook hands
cordially, and the Doctor resumed his seat.
"And is it long since you received the news, Professor?" inquired Mr.
Barker, with the ready Transatlantic use of titles.
"I heard of my uncle's death about three weeks ago--rather less."
"Ah yes! And the news about the will--did you hear that?"
"Certainly," said the Doctor; "I received the intelligence
simultaneously."
"Well," said the American, "do you propose to continue living here?"
Claudius looked at his visitor. He was as yet unfamiliar with New World
curiosity, and thought the question a rather strange one. However, he
reflected that Mr. Barker's father might have some moral claim to know
what his old partner's heir meant to do with his money; so he answered
the question categorically.
"I was, as perhaps you may imagine, greatly surprised at the
intelligence that I had inherited a great fortune. But you will hardly
understand, with your tastes,"--the Doctor glanced at Mr. Barker's
faultless costume,--"that such abundant and unexpected wealth may not be
to me a wholly unalloyed blessing." Claudius proceeded to explain how
little he cared for the things that his money might bring him, and
announced his intention of continuing his present mode of life some time
longer. Mr. Silas B. Barker junior of New York opened his small eyes
wider and wider, as his host set forth his views.
"I should think you would be bored to death!" he said simply.
"_Ennui_, in the ordinary sense, does not exist for a man whose life is
devoted to study. What corresponds to it is a very different thing. I
sometimes feel oppressed with a sense of profound dissatisfaction with
what I am doing--"
"I should think so," remarked Mr. Barker. Then, checking himself, he
added, "I beg your pardon, don't misunderstand me. I can hardly conceive
of leading such a life as yours. I could never be a professor."
Claudius judged the statement to be strictly true. Mr. Barker did not
look like a professor in the least. However, the Doctor wanted to be
civil.
"Have you just arrived? Have you seen our sights?"
"Came last night from Baden-Baden. I have been here before. You had
better come around to my hotel, and take dinner with me. But first we
will drive somewhere and get cool."
Claudius put on his best coat and combed his hair, apologising to Mr.
Barker for the informality. Mr. Barker watched him, and thought he would
make a sensation in New York.
"We might go up to the castle," said the American, when they were seated
in the carriage. So to the castle they went, and, leaving their carriage
at the entrance, strolled slowly through the grounds till they reached
the broken tower.
"If they had used dynamite," said Mr. Barker, "they would have sent the
whole thing flying across the river."
"It would have been less picturesque afterwards," said Claudius.
"It would have been more effective at the time."
Claudius was thinking of the dark woman and her parasol, and how he had
climbed down there a few weeks before. To show to himself that he did
not care, he told his companion the incident as graphically as he could.
His description of the lady was so graphic that Mr. Barker screwed up
his eyes and put out his jaw, so that two great lines circled on his
sallow face from just above the nostril, under his heavy moustache to
his chin.
"I could almost fancy I had seen her somewhere," said he.
"Where?" asked Claudius eagerly.
"I thought he would give himself away," was the American's terse inward
reflection; but he answered coolly--
"I don't know, I am sure. Very likely I am mistaken. It was pretty
romantic though. Ask me to the wedding, Professor."
"What wedding?"
"Why, when you marry the fascinating creature with the parasol."
Claudius looked at Mr. Barker with some astonishment.
"Do you generally manage things so quickly in your country?"
"Oh, I was only joking," returned the American. "But, of course, you can
marry anybody you like, and why not the dark lady? On the whole, though,
if I were you, I would like to astonish the natives before I left. Now,
you might buy the castle here and turn it into a hotel."
"Horrible!" ejaculated Claudius.
"No worse than making a hotel of Switzerland, which is an older and more
interesting monument than the castle of Heidelberg."
"Epigrammatic, but fallacious, Mr. Barker."
"Epigrams and proverbs are generally that."
"I think," said Claudius, "that proverbs are only fallacious when they
are carelessly applied."
"Very likely. Life is too short to waste time over weapons that will
only go off in some singular and old-fashioned way. When I start out to
do any shooting, I want to hit."
So they went to dinner. Claudius found himself becoming gayer in the
society of his new acquaintance than he had been for some time past. He
could not have said whether he liked him or thought him interesting, but
he had a strong impression that there was something somewhere, he could
not tell what, which Mr. Barker understood thoroughly, and in which he
might show to great advantage. He felt that however superficial and
unartistic the American might be, he was nevertheless no fool. There was
something keen and sharp-edged about him that proclaimed a character
capable of influencing men, and accustomed to deal boldly and daringly
with life.
They dined as well as could be expected in a country which is not
gastronomic, and Mr. Barker produced a rare brand of cigars, without
which, he informed his guest, he never travelled. They were fat brown
Havanas, and Claudius enjoyed them.
"Let us go to Baden-Baden," said Barker, sucking at his weed, which
protruded from his immense moustache like a gun under the raised
port-hole of an old-fashioned man-of-war.
"If I were seeking innocent recreation from my labours, that is not
exactly the spot I would choose to disport myself in," replied Claudius.
"The scenery is good, but the people are detestable."
"I agree with you; but it is a nice place for all that. You can always
gamble to pass the time."
"I never play games of chance, and there is no play in Baden now."
"Principle or taste, Professor?"
"I suppose I must allow that it is principle. I used to play a little
when I was a student; but I do not believe in leaving anything to
fortune. I would not do it in anything else."
"Well, I suppose you are right; but you miss a great deal of healthy
excitement. You have never known the joys of being short of a thousand
N.P. or Wabash on a rising market."
"I fear I do not understand the illustration, Mr. Barker."
"No? Well, it is not to be wondered at. Perhaps if you ever come to New
York you will take an interest in the stock market."
"Ah--you were referring to stocks? Yes, I have read a little about your
methods of business, but that kind of study is not much in my line. Why
do you say Baden, though, instead of some quiet place?"
"I suppose I like a crowd. Besides, there are some people I know there.
But I want you to go with me, and if you would rather not go to
Baden-Baden, we can go somewhere else. I really think we ought to become
better acquainted, and I may prevail on you to go with me to New York."
Claudius was silent, and he blew a great cloud of smoke. What sort of a
travelling companion would Mr. Barker be for him? Could there be a
greater contrast to his own nature? And yet he felt that he would like
to observe Mr. Barker. He felt drawn to him without knowing why, and he
had a presentiment that the American would drag him out of his quiet
life into a very different existence. Mr. Barker, on the other hand,
possessed the showman's instinct. He had found a creature who, he was
sure, had the elements of a tremendous lion about town; and having found
him, he meant to capture him and exhibit him in society, and take to
himself ever after the credit of having unearthed the handsome, rich,
and talented Dr. Claudius from a garret in Heidelberg. What a story that
would be to tell next year, when Claudius, clothed and clipped, should
be marrying the girl of the season, or tooling his coach down the
Newport avenue, or doing any of the other fashionable and merry things
that Americans love to do in spring and summer!
So Mr. Barker insisted on driving Claudius back to his lodging, though
it was only five minutes' walk, and exacted a promise that the Doctor
should take him on the morrow to a real German breakfast at the Fauler
Pelz, and that they would "start off somewhere" in the afternoon.
Claudius said he had enjoyed a very pleasant evening, and went up to his
room, where he read an elaborate article on the vortex theory by
Professor Helmholtz, with which, having dipped into transcendental
geometry, he was inclined to find fault; and then he went calmly to bed.