When, late that night, I entered my bedroom again, how I blessed the lucky accident of my six hours\' sleep, after a night\'s watching at Mr. Keller\'s bedside!
If I had spoken to Doctor Dormann as I had positively resolved to speak, he would, beyond all doubt, have forbidden the employment of Madame Fontaine\'s remedy; Mr. Keller would have died; and the innocent woman who had saved his life would have been suspected, perhaps even tried, on a charge of murdering him. I really trembled when I looked back on the terrible consequences which must have followed, if I had succeeded that morning in keeping myself awake.
The next day, the doses of the wonderful medicine were renewed at the regular intervals; and the prescribed vegetable diet was carefully administered. On the day after, the patient was so far advanced on the way to recovery, that the stopper of the dark-blue bottle was permanently secured again under its leather guard. Mr. Engelman told me that nearly two doses of it were still left at the bottom. He also mentioned, on my asking to look at it again, that the widow had relieved him of the care of the bottle, and had carefully locked it up in her own room.
Late on this day also, the patient being well-enough to leave his bed and to occupy the armchair in his room, the inevitable disclosure took place; and Madame Fontaine stood revealed in the character of the Good Samaritan who had saved Mr. Keller\'s life.
By Doctor Dormann\'s advice, those persons only were permitted to enter the bedroom whose presence was absolutely necessary. Besides Madame Fontaine and the doctor himself, Mr. Engelman and Minna were the other witnesses of the scene. Mr. Engelman had his claim to be present as an old friend; and Minna was to be made useful, at her mother\'s suggestion, as a means of gently preparing Mr. Keller\'s mind for the revelation that was to come. Under these circumstances, I can only describe what took place, by repeating the little narrative with which Minna favored me, after she had left the room.
"We arranged that I should wait downstairs," she said, "until I heard the bedroom bell ring—and then I myself was to take up Mr. Keller\'s dinner of lentils and cream, and put it on his table without saying a word."
"Exactly like a servant!" I exclaimed.
Gentle sweet-tempered Minna answered my foolish interruption with her customary simplicity and good sense.
"Why not?" she asked. "Fritz\'s father may one day be my father; and I am happy to be of the smallest use to him, whenever he wants me. Well, when I went in, I found him in his chair, with the light let into the room, and with plenty of pillows to support him. Mr. Engelman and the doctor were on either side of him; and poor dear mamma was standing back in a corner behind the bed, where he could not see her. He looked up at me, when I came in with my tray. \'Who\'s this?\' he asked of Mr. Engelman—\'is she a new servant?\' Mr. Engelman, humoring him, answered, \'Yes.\' \'A nice-looking girl,\' he said; \'but what does Mother Barbara say to her?\' Upon this, Mr. Engelman told him how the housekeeper had left her place and why. As soon as he had recovered his surprise, he looked at me again. \'But who has been my nurse?\' he inquired; \'surely not this young girl?\' \'No, no; the young girl\'s mother has nursed you,\' said Mr. Engelman. He looked at the doctor as he spoke; and the doctor interfered for the first time. \'She has not only nursed you, sir,\' he said; \'I can certify medically that she has saved your life. Don\'t excite yourself. You shall hear exactly how it happened.\' In two minutes, he told the whole story, so clearly and beautifully that it was quite a pleasure to hear him. One thing only he concealed—the name. \'Who is she?\' Mr. Keller cried out. \'Why am I not allowed to express my gratitude? Why isn\'t she here?\' \'She is afraid to approach you, sir,\' said the doctor; \'you have a very bad opinion of her.\' \'A bad opinion,\' Mr. Keller repeated, \'of a woman I don\'t know? Who is the slanderer who has said that of me?\' The doctor signed to Mr. Engelman to answer. \'Speak plainly,\' he whispered, behind the chair. Mr. Engelman did speak plainly. \'Pardon me, my dear Keller, there is no slanderer in this matter. Your own action has spoken for you. A short time since—try if you cannot remember it yourself—a lady sent a letter to you; and you sent the letter back to her, refusing to read it. Do you know how she has returned the insult? That noble creature is the woman to whom you owe your life.\' When he had said those words, the doctor crossed the room, and returned again to Mr. Keller, leading my mother by the hand."
Minna\'s voice faltered; she stopped at the most interesting part of her narrative.
"What did Mr. Keller say?" I asked.
"There was silence in the room," Minna answered softly. "I heard nothing except the ticking of the clock."
"But you must have seen something?"
"No, David. I couldn\'t help it—I was crying. After a while, my mother put her arm round me and led me to Mr. Keller. I dried my eyes as well as I could, and saw him again. His head was bent down on his breast—his hands hung helpless over the arms of the chair—it was dreadful to see him so overwhelmed by shame and sorrow! \'What can I do?\' he groaned to himself. \'God help me, what can I do?\' Mamma spoke to him—so sweetly and so prettily—\'You can give this poor girl of mine a kiss, sir; the new servant who has waite............