The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1870-02-18
BIDDEFoRD, ME-, FRIDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 1s, 1870
anxiety .sou, tn, Diamond a. .Ai. time las,

anxiety about the Diamond at this time last
yearf
Il had the strongest reasons for feeling anxi-
ETY. about the Diamond. knew II 10 be the
object Of q conspiracy; and was warned to
take measures for Miss Verinder's protection, as
the possessor Of the stone
Was the safety Of the Diamond the subject
Of conversation between you and any other per-
son Immediately before you retired to rest on
the birthday nightf'
1T was the subject Of conversation between
Lady Verinder and her daughter
which took place in your hearingr
YES
Ezra Jennings took up his notes from the Ia
bic and placed them in my hands.
'Mr. Blake he said, If you read those
notes now. by the light which my questions and
your answers have thrown on them, you will
make two astounding discoveries concerning
yourself. You will find: First, that you entered
Miss Verinder's sitting-room and took the Dia-
mond, in q state Of trance produced by opium.
Secondly. that the opium was given TO you by
Mr.. Candy-without your own knowledge-as
apractical refutation Of the opinions which you
had expressed at the birthday dinner
sat. with the papers in my hand, complete
ly stupefed.
Try and forgive poor Mr.. Candy said the
assistant, gently. 'IIe has done dreadful mis-
chief. own; but he has done il innocently. II
you will look Mt the notes you will see that-but
for his ilness-he would have returned 10 Lady
Verinder's the morning afler the party, and
would have acknowledge the trick that he had
played you. Miss Verinder would have heard
Of Il, and would have questioned him-and the
truth which has laid hidden for year would
have been discovered in day.
began to regain my sclf-posscssion. Mr.
Candy is beyond the reach Of my resentment,
said, angrily. But the trick that he played
me is not the less an act Of trcachery for all
that. may forgive, but shall not forget II.
Every medical man commits that act Of
treachery, Mr.. Blake, in the course Of his prac-
tice. The ignorant distrust Of opium Tin Eng
land) is by no means confined 10 the lower and
less cultivated classes. Every doctor in large
practice finds himself, every now and then,
obliged to deceive his patients, rs Mr.. Candy
deceived you. don't defend the folly Of play
ing you q trick under the circumstances. |
only plead with you for more accurate and
more merciful construction Of motives
How was II done p asked. who gave me
the laudanum without my knowing il myselff'
Il am not able to tell you. Nothing relating
to that part Of the matter dropped from Mr..
Candy's lips, all through his illness. Perhaps
your own memory may point to the person to be
suspectedi'
.No.'
1T is useless in that case to pursue the in
quiry. The laudanum was secretly given to
you In some way. Let us leave II there and &c
on to matters Of more immediate Importance.
Read my notes, IL you can. PamilariIe your
mind with what has happened in the past.
have something very startling and very bold
to propose to you which relates to the future.
Those last words reused me.
looked at the papers, in the order in which
Ezra Jennings had placed them in my hands
The paper which contained the smaller quantity
Of writing was uppermost Of the two. On this
the disconnected words and fragments Of gen.
tcnees which had dropped from Mr.. Candy in
delrium appeared, as follows:
'....Mr. Franklin Blake. ..and agreeable. down
peg. ---medcine. ..confesses sleep Mt night.
tell him. ...out Of order medicine. tells me
....and cropping In the dark mean one and the same
thlng. the company Mt the dinner-tablc. 81
cropping after sleep. nothing but medicine
..:he leading The blind. know % what m !!
teeth. ...wants sleep. Lady vcrinder's medicine
chest .... hve-and.twenty minims .... without his
knowing II .... tomorrow morning....Well, Mr
Blake. medicine to-day .... never 80. down on
him. truth .something besides. ..wha
....medicine now.'
There the first Of the two sheets Of paper
came to an end. | handed II back to Err
Jennings.
''That is what you heard at his bcdside!"
said.
Literally and exactly what heard" h,
answered "eIcept that the repetitions are moi
transferred here from my short-hand-notes. liz
reiterated certain words and phrases q dozen
times over, Just rs he attached more or less i'm,
portanec TO the idea which they represented
The repetitions, In this sense, were Of some as.
sistance to me in putting together those frag'
ments. Don't suppose" he added, pointing tc
the second sheet Of paper, "that claim to have
REPRODUCED the expressions which Mr.. Candy
himself would have used II he had been capa.
bic Of speaking connectelly. only say that
have penetrated through the obstacle Of thu
disconnected expression to the thought which
was underlying it connectedly all the time
Judge for yourself"
turned to the second sheet Of paper, which
now knew to be the key to the FIRST.
Once more, Mr.. Candys wanderings appear
ell copied in black ink the intervals between
the phrases being filed by Ezra Jennings In
rel ink. I reproduce the result here, In one
plain form the original language AMI the
Interpretation Of il coming close enough togeth.
er in these pages to be easily compared and
verified.
'......Mr. Franklin Blake is clever and agree
able, but he wants taking down n peg when
he talks Of melicine. lie confcsses that he has
been suffering from want Of sleep at night.
tell him that his nerves are out of orler, and he
ought to take medicine. lie tells me that TAX
ing medicine and cropping in the dark mean
one and the same thing. This before all the
company at the dinner-table. l say to him,
YOU are cropping after sleep, and nothing but
medicine can help you to find II. lie says to
me, I have heart Of the blind leading the blind,
and now know what IL means. Witty-but
can give him nights rest in spite Of his teeth.
lie really wants sleep and Lady Vcrinder's
medicine chest Is at my disposal. Give him
fye-and-twenty minims Of laudanum tonight,
without his knowing Il and then call to-mor-
row morning. We'll, Mr.. Blake, viii you try
n little medicine TO dayf You win never sleep
without it'-'Therc you are out, Mr.. Candy ;
I have had an excellent nights rest without IL.
Then como down ON him with tho truth you
have had something besides an excellent nights
rest you had n dose OF laudanum, Sir, before
you went to bel. What do you say to the art
Of medicine nowi'
Admiration of the ingenuity which had wo-
ven this smooth and finished texture out OF the
rayeld skein was naturally the first impression
that felt on handing the manuscript back to
Ezra Jennings. lie moiestly interrupted the
first few words in which my sense Of surprise
expressed itself. by asking me II the conclusion
which he had drawn from his notes was also
the conclusion at which my own mind had ar
rived.
DO YOU believe as believe, he said, 'that
YOU wcrc acting under the influence OF the laud-
snum in doing all that you did. on the night
Of Miss verinder's birthday, in Lady Verin-
der's housel'
Il am too ignorant Of the influence Of lauda-
nun to have an opinion, Of my own,' answer
cl. Il can only follow your opinion, and feel
convinced that you are right
~. .-.u irt,a ,axt oue<fion Il this Yau