Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 113: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

100 “None, Miss,” was the reply. “As for what he did with himself, nobody exactly could tell— unless it was old Janson and his wife, who kept everything very close to themselves; for they are close people, Miss!” “TI suppose, then, that this foreigner possessed independent means, and had a fancy for the re- tirement in which he dwelt ?” “ Well, Miss, there was certainly something mysterious about him; and people in a little village like this wild talk, you know. Some one said that he was a great chemist — but that having meddled in the politics of his native country, he was turned away from the College or University at which he was a professor—and that he was a writer of books on chemistry. How true all this might be, I can’t tell: but if he didn’t go on practising his chemistry up at the Manor, he did something oes 0 it was this that made people talk.” “What, then, did they think that he did?” I asked, perceiving by the landlady’s look that she had some mysterious communication to make— though I more than half fancied there was a great deal of idle gossip and tittle-tattle in all she was telling me. “Why, Miss,” she replied, “I am not one of those who like to repeat unpleasant things; and heaven forbid that I should say a word to take away a person’s character, particularly when he’s dead and gone, and has had to give an account elsewhere for his actions. So you must bear in mind I am only going to tell what I heard other people whisper amongst themselves.” “T give you credit, my good woman, for the most charitable motives,” I said, wearied by her verbiage; “and therefore you can tell me with- out further preface what it was that people whis- pered about this Professor Steinbach ?” ‘© Well, Miss,” answered the landlady, with an air of mysterious confidence, “I know it was some people’s opinion that he was acoiner. You know what I mean?—a person who manufactures base money.” * But that was a very serious accusation,” I observed ; “and whether true or false, there was doubtless some cause for it.” “Oh, to be sure, there was some cause!” re- joined the landlady; “and I must tell you for my own sake, for fear you should think I am capable of inventing anything about this foreigner. No sooner had he, with Mr. Humphreys’ consent, taken up his abode at the Manor, than a brick- layer was sent for to make something in the room which he occupied. And what do you think it was, Miss? Why, a sort of furnace.” « And probable enough!” I interjected, “if the gentleman were really a professor of chemistry, and desired to pursue his studies and experiments in the retirement which he thus sought. The incident you have just mentioned seems to corroborate the | idea that he was really what he represented him- self—or what the more charitably disposed portion of your little community thought fit to represent him.” “Well, Miss, so I used to say,” rejoined the landlady: “ but somehow or another the folks who visited my bar-parlour seemed to have got it into their heads that all was not righi with the Ger- man professor, and that if he wasn’t a chemist, he ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS. must be a coiner; for every now and then the carrier brought from the neighbouring town @ package of strange-looking instruments a “How did you happen to see them?” I in- quired. “Oh! you musn’t think, Miss,” exclaimed the landlady, “that I myself was given to curiosity and opened the packages: but some of my customers did—TI couldn’t very well prevent them, you know, for they were good customers of mine; and they were very anxious to find out whatever they could in respect to the queer-looking old German.” “And what, then, did you see in these pack- ages,” I asked. “ Strange instruments,” rejoined the landlady— *‘ some of glass and some of iron.” “Rest assured,” I exclaimed, “that the poor German was nothing more nor less than what he represented himself to be, and that all the things to which you allude were implements and materials for his chemical experiments.” * Well, Miss, I daresay it was so,” answered the landlady: “and I hope it was for his sake.” At this moment a recollection flashed to my mind. I remembered that strange odour which i had emanated from the shut-up room at the Manor; and I could not help associating it with the idea that a laboratory had probably been fitted up there—though I was still at a loss to conceive how Lord Frederick Ravenscliffe could be in any way following in the wake of Proisssor Steinbach ; for I had never heard that the young nobleman had the slightest taste for chemical experiments, or that he indeed possessed any knowledge of them. “ Do you believe,” I inquired, “ that the Jansons are now altogether alone at the Manor? or does any one else reside there P” “ Well, Miss,” answered the landlady, “I have heard it said within the last few weeks, that a gen- tleman was seen walking two or three times through the grounds: but I really do not know how true it may be and that was the reason I said nothing to you on the subject, and should not even have hinted at it unless you had mentioned it yourself; for I want to be as cautious as possi- ble in saying anything in respect to the Manor. But as you have just been over the premises, per- haps you know best “My good woman,” I interrupted her, “it certainly did strike me that there was some one iA * And if you have been through all the rooms, Miss,” exclaimed the landlady, “ you must have seen whether there is one with a little furnace in it—unless indeed the Jansons had jt pulled down again, after the Professor died.” “T saw no furnace,” I answered, thus telling the actual truth, though somewhat evasively perhaps ; for I said nothing about the room that was shut up. “Then no doubt old Janson pulled it down,” rejoined the landlady; “for I know that there was a furnace there—because the bricklayer who made it to the Professor’s own directions, has said so twenty times in my hearing. However, nothing of all this can be considered as having any concern with the property itself, whether or not it is eligi- ble as a purchase; and the only thing I can pos- sibly have to say against it is the ruined condition (E@)