Isidore Ottavio Baldessare Fosco (35:20)
So that she could read and tamper with Marian's letters. The second occasion when the same means were employed was the occasion to which I shall soon Refer of Lady Glyde's arrival in London. Never at any other time was I indebted to my art as distinguished from myself to all other emergencies and complications. My natural capacity for grappling single handed with circumstances was invariably equal. I affirm the all pervading intelligence of that capacity at the expense of the chemist. I vindicate the man respect this outburst of generous indignation. It has inexpressibly relieved me en route. Let us proceed. Having suggested to Mrs. Clement or Clements, I am not sure which, that the best method of keeping Anne out of Percival's reach was to remove her to London. Having found that my proposal was eagerly received and having appointed a day to meet the travellers at the station and to see see them leave it, I was at liberty to return to the house and to confront the difficulties which still remained to be met. My first proceeding was to avail myself of the sublime devotion of my wife. I had arranged with Mrs. Clements that she should communicate her London address in Anne's interests to Lady Glyde. But this was not enough. Designing persons in my absence might shake the simple confidence of Mrs. Clements and she might not write. After all, who could I find capable of travelling to London by the train she travelled by and of privately seeing her home? I asked myself this question. The conjugal part of me immediately answered Madame Fosco. After deciding on my wife's mission to London, I arranged that the journey should serve a double purpose. A nurse for the suffering. Marian, equally devoted to the patient and to myself was a necessity of my position. One of the most eminently confidential and capable women in existence was, by good fortune, at my disposal. I refer to that respectable matron, Madame Rubell, to whom I addressed a letter at her residence in London by the hands of my wife. On the appointed day Mrs. Clements and Anne Catherick met me at the station. I politely saw them off. I politely saw Madame Fosco off by the same train. The last thing at night my wife returned to Blackwater. Having followed her instructions with the most unimpeachable accuracy. She was accompanied by Madame Rubelle and she brought me the London address of Mrs. Clements. After events proved this last precaution to have been unnecessary, Mrs. Clements punctually informed Lady Glyde of her place of abode. With a wary eye on future emergencies, I kept the letter. The same day I had a brief interview with the doctor at which I protested, in the sacred interests of humanity against the treatment of Marion's case. Case? He was insolent. All ignorant people are. I Showed no resentment. I deferred quarreling with him till it was necessary to quarrel to some purpose. My next proceeding was to leave Blackwater myself. I had my London residence to take in anticipation of coming events. Meaning he really does have to go to London as part of his job as a spy. I had also a little business of the domestic sort to transact with Mr. Frederick Fairlie. I found the house I wanted in St John's wood. I found Mr. Fairlie at Limmeridge, Cumberland. My own private familiarity with the nature of Marian's correspondence had previously informed me that she had written to Mr. Fairlie proposing as a relief to Lady Glyde's matrimonial embarrassments to take her on a visit to her uncle in Cumberland. This letter I had wisely allowed to reach its destination. Feeling at the time that it could do no harm and might do good. I now presented myself before Mr. Fairlie to succeed, support Marion's own proposal with certain modifications, which, happily, for the success of my plans, were rendered really inevitable by her illness, it was necessary that Lady Glyde should leave Blackwater alone by her uncle's invitation, and that she should rest a night on the journey at her aunt's house, the house I had in St. John's Wood by her uncle's express advice to achieve these results and secure a note of invitation which could be shown to Lady Glyde, were the objects of my visit to Mr. Fairlie. When I have mentioned that this gentleman was equally feeble in mind and body, and that I let loose the whole force of my character on him, I have said enough. I came, saw and conquered fairly. On my return to Blackwater park with the letter of invitation, I found that the doctor's imbecile treatment of Marian's case had led to the most alarming results. The fever had turned to typhus. Lady Glyde, on the day of my return, tried to find force herself into the room to nurse her sister. She and I had no affinities of sympathy. She had committed the unpardonable outrage on my sensibilities of calling me a spy. She was a stumbling block in my way and in Percival's. But for all that, my magnanimity forbade me to put her in danger of infection with my own hand. At the same time, I offered no hindrance to her putting herself in danger. If she had succeeded in doing so, the intricate knot which I was slowly and patiently operating on might perhaps have been cut by circumstances. Meaning if she had just caught Marion's illness and died, then they would have the money and he wouldn't have to do anything else. As it was, the doctor interfered and she was kept out of the room. I had myself previously recommended sending for advice to London. This course had now been taken. The physician, on his arrival, confirmed my view of the case. The crisis was serious, but we had hope of our charming patient. On the fifth day from the appearance of the typhus. I was only once absent from Blackwater at this time, when I went to London by the morning train to make the final arrangements at my house in St. John's Wood. To assure myself by private inquiry that Mrs. Clements had not moved, and to settle one or two little preliminary matters with the husband of Madame Rubell. I returned at night. Five days afterwards. The physician pronounced our interesting Marian to be out of all danger and to be in need of nothing but careful nursing. This was the time I had waited for. Now that medical attendance was no longer indispensable, I played the first move in the game by asserting myself against the doctor. He was one among many witnesses in my way, whom it was necessary to remove A lively altercation between us in which Percival, previously instructed by me, refused to interfere, served the purpose in view. I descended on the miserable man in an irresistible avalanche of indignation and swept him from the house. The servants were the next encumbrances to get rid of. Again I instructed Percival, whose moral courage required perpetual stimulants. And Mrs. Mickelson was amazed one day by hearing from her master that the establishment was to be broken up. We cleared the house of all the servants but one, who was kept for domestic purposes and whose lumpish stupidity we could trust to make no embarrassing discoveries. When they were gone, nothing remained but to relieve ourselves of Mrs. Mickleson, a result which was easily achieved by sending this amiable lady to find lodgings for her mistress. Mistress at the seaside. The circumstances were now exactly what they were required to be. Lady Glyde was confined to her room by nervous illness. And the lumpish housemaid, I forget her name, was shut up there at night, in attendance on her mistress. Marian, though fast recovering still kept her bed with Mrs. Rubell for nurse. No other living creatures but my wife, myself and Percival were in the house. With all the chances thus in our favor, I confronted the next emergency and played the second move in the game. The object of the second move was to induce Lady Glyde to leave Blackwater unaccompanied by her sister. Unless we could persuade her that Marian had gone on to Cumberland first. There was no chance of removing her of her own free will from the house to produce this necessary operation in her mind. We concealed our interesting invalid in one of the uninhabited bedrooms at Blackwater. At the dead of night, Madame Fosco, Madame Rubelle and myself. Percival, not being cool enough to be trusted, accomplished the concealment. The scene was picturesque, mysterious, dramatic to the highest degree. By my directions, the bed had been made in the morning on a strong movable framework of wood. We had only to lift the framework gently at the head and foot and to transport our patient where we pleased without disturbing herself or her bed. No chemical assistance was needed or used in this case. Our interesting Marion lay in the deep repose of convalescence. We placed the candles and opened the doors beforehand. I, in right, of my great personal strength, took the head of the framework. My wife and Madame Rebel took the foot. I bore my share of that inestimably precious burden with a manly tenderness and a fatherly care. Where is the modern Rembrandt who could depict our midnight procession? Alas for the arts, alas for this most pictorial of subjects, the modern Rembrandt is nowhere to be found. The next morning my wife and I started for London, leaving Marion secluded in the uninhabited middle of the house under care of Madame Rubelle, who kindly consented to imprison herself with her patient for two or three days before taking our departure. I gave Percival Mr. Fairlie's letter of invitation to his niece, instructing her to sleep on the journey to Cumberland at her aunt's house, with directions to show it to Lady Glyde. On hearing from me, I also obtained from him the address of the asylum in which Anne Catherick had been confined and a letter to the proprietor announcing to that gentleman the return of his runaway patient to medical care. I had arranged at my last visit to the metropolis to have our modest domestic establishment ready to receive us when we arrived in London by the early train. In consequence of this wise precaution, we were enabled that same day to play the third move in the game, the getting possession of Anne Catherick. Dates are of importance here. I combine in myself the opposite characteristics of a man of sentiment and a man of business. I have all the dates at my fingers ends on Wednesday 24th July, 1850, I sent my wife in a cab to clear Mrs. Clements out of the way. In the first place, a supposed message from Lady Glyde in London was sufficient to obtain this result. Mrs. Clements was taken away in the cab and was left in the cab while my wife on pretence of purchasing something at a shop, gave her the slip and returned to receive her expected visitor at our house in St. John's Wood.
