"
He whispered to the notary and walked off. When the notary's housekeeper
came home, she found him standing at his door motionless, with the key
still in his hand, and the door unopened.
OBENREIZER'S VICTORY
The scene shifts again--to the foot of the Simplon, on the Swiss side.
In one of the dreary rooms of the dreary little inn at Brieg, Mr. Bintrey
and Maitre Voigt sat together at a professional council of two. Mr.
Bintrey was searching in his despatch-box. Maitre Voigt was looking
towards a closed door, painted brown to imitate mahogany, and
communicating with an inner room.
"Isn't it time he was here?" asked the notary, shifting his position, and
glancing at a second door at the other end of the room, painted yellow to
imitate deal.
"He _is_ here," answered Bintrey, after listening for a moment.
The yellow door was opened by a waiter, and Obenreizer walked in.
After greeting Maitre Voigt with a cordiality which appeared to cause the
notary no little embarrassment, Obenreizer bowed with grave and distant
politeness to Bintrey. "For what reason have I been brought from
Neuchatel to the foot of the mountain?" he inquired, taking the seat
which the English lawyer had indicated to him.
"You shall be quite satisfied on that head before our interview is over,"
returned Bintrey. "For the present, permit me to suggest proceeding at
once to business. There has been a correspondence, Mr. Obenreizer,
between you and your niece.
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