el. He called aloud, as if speaking to another person:
"If she be good to the child, I will no longer make her feel how she hurt
me, though I can never forget it."

But it was not granted to him to show by his actions that he had forgiven
her, for during the night fever supervened, and before morning she died.

Her hot hand had lain in his, just before her heart ceased to beat, and
had pressed it, as if in farewell.

Frau Schimmel followed her darling's unfortunate wife shortly afterwards.
Her death was a peaceful and happy one, for Zeno held her withered hand,
and talked to her of the days when she had dressed him in his beautiful
light-blue frocks. He closed her eyes himself, and followed her coffin to
the churchyard.

Only Herr Winckler remained to the widower, who lived alone with his son
in The Three Kings, and like a father, more than a friend, aided him in
his researches concerning the elixir.

They discovered that it produced its effect only on those who were
connected with the Ueberhell family. This was a great disappointment to
Zeno, for he set a high value upon truth, and had heard from his father's
friend what great blessings for mankind the dead man had anticipated from
his discovery. All his hopes of using it in his profession to make
hardened sinners confess their misdeeds, were therefore, vain. For this
purpose it was certainly useless and Zeno and Herr Winckler concluded
that the reason why its effect was so limited was because it owed its
power to the blood of a child of the Ueberhell race.

That its potency extended to those who married into the Ueberhell house
was proved by its effect upon Frau Rosalie. As it had also once
vanquished Frau Schimmel, they argued that the Court apothecary must have
used other blood beside his own, for he certainly had never been
connected with his housekeeper by marriage. What had been intended to
benefit the whole world, exercised its influence only in one direction,
and on the members of one small family; this grieved the old notary when
he recalled the happy and triumphant death-bed of his friend.

The elixir had undoubtedly changed Melchior's son to an incredible
extent; from an easily-led, pleasure-loving youth, Zeno became a
self-contained man--almost a recluse--and he won for himself the
reputation of being one of the severest judges on the Leipsic bench.

High and low doffed their hats to him with respect, but he was not
popular.

After he had worked a