My medical enterprise (as Betteredge calls it) must now, inevitably, be delayed until Monday next.To-morrow evening the workmen will be late in the house.On the next day, the established Sunday tyranny which is one of the institutions of this free country, so times the trains as to make it impossible to ask anybody to travel to us from London.Until Monday comes, there is nothing to be done but to watch Mr.Blake carefully, and to keep him, if possible, in the same state in which I find him to-day.
In the meanwhile, I have prevailed on him to write to Mr.Bruff, making a point of it that he shall be present as one of the witnesses.I especially choose the lawyer, because he is strongly prejudiced against us.If we convince him , we place our victory beyond the possibility of dispute.
Mr.Blake has also written to Sergeant Cuff; and I have sent a line to Miss Verinder.With these, and with old Betteredge (who is really a person of importance in the family), we shall have witnesses enough for the purpose -- without including Mrs.Merridew, if Mrs.Merridew persists in sacrificing herself to the opinion of the world.
June 23rd.-- The vengeance of the opium overtook me again last night.
No matter; I must go on with it now till Monday is past and gone.
Mr.Blake is not so well again to-day.At two this morning, he confesses that he opened the drawer in which his cigars are put away.He only succeeded in locking it up again by a violent effort.His next proceeding, in case of temptation, was to throw the key out of window.The waiter brought it in this morning, discovered at the bottom of an empty cistern -- such is Fate! I have taken possession of the key until Tuesday next.
June 24th.-- Mr.Blake and I took a long drive in an open carriage.
We both felt beneficially the blessed influence of the soft summer air.
I dined with him at the hotel.To my great relief -- for I found him in an over-wrought, over-excited state this morning -- he had two hours' sound sleep on the sofa after dinner.If he has another bad night, now -- I am not afraid of the consequence.
June 25th, Monday.-- The day of the experiment! It is five o'clock in the afternoon.We have just arrived at the house.
The first and foremost question, in the question of Mr.Blake's health.
So far as it is possible for me to judge, he promises (physically speaking)to be quite as susceptible to the action of the opium to-night as he was at this time last year.He is, this afternoon, in a state of nervous sensitiveness which just stops short of nervous irritation.He changes colour readily;his hand is not quite steady; and he starts at chance noises, and at unexpected appearances of persons and things.
These results have all been produced by deprivation of sleep, which is in its turn the nervous consequence of a sudden cessation in the habit of smoking, after that habit has been carried to an extreme.Here are the same causes at work again, which operated last year; and here are, apparently, the same effects.Will the parallel still hold good, when the final test has been tried? The events of the night must decide.
While I write these lines, Mr.Blake is amusing himself at the billiard-table in the inner hall, practising different strokes in the game, as he was accustomed to practise them when he was a guest in this house in June last.
I have brought my journal here, partly with a view to occupying the idle hours which I am sure to have on my hands between this and to-morrow morning;partly in the hope that something may happen which it may be worth my while to place on record at the time.
Have I omitted anything, thus far? A glance at yesterday's entry shows me that I have forgotten to note the arrival of the morning's post.Let me set this right before I close these leaves for the present, and join Mr.Blake.
I received a few lines then, yesterday, from Miss Verinder.She has arranged to travel by the afternoon train, as I recommended.Mrs.Merridew has insisted on accompanying her.The note hints that the old lady's generally excellent temper is a little ruffled, and requests all due indulgence for her, in consideration of her age and her habits.I will endeavour, in my relations with Mrs.Merridew, to emulate the moderation which Betteredge displays in his relations with me.He received us to-day, portentously arrayed in his best black suit, and his stiffest white cravat.Whenever he looks my way, he remembers that I have not read Robinson Crusoe since I was a child, and he respectfully pities me.
Yesterday, also, Mr.Blake had the lawyer's answer.Mr.Bruff accepts the invitation -- under protest.It is, he thinks, clearly necessary that a gentleman possessed of the average allowance of common sense, should accompany Miss Verinder to the scene of, what we will venture to call, the proposed exhibition.For want of a better escort, Mr.Bruff himself will be that gentleman.-- So here is poor Miss Verinder provided with two `chaperons.' It is a relief to think that the opinion of the world must surely be satisfied with this!
Nothing has been heard of Sergeant Cuff.He is no doubt still in Ireland.
We must not expect to see him to-night.
Betteredge has just come in, to say that Mr.Blake has asked for me.
I must lay down my pen for the present.*Seven o'clock.-- We have been all over the refurnished rooms and staircases again; and we have had a pleasant stroll in the shrubbery, which was Mr.
Blake's favourite walk when he was here last.In this way, I hope to revive the old impressions of places and things as vividly as possible in his mind.
We are now going to dine, exactly at the hour at which the birthday dinner was given last year.My object, of course, is a purely medical one in this case.The laudanum must find the process of digestion, as nearly as may be, where the laudanum found it last year.