The Begum's Millions

19. A Family Affair

 on a solid footing and have the forces it had accumulated for evil turn to the good. Herr Schultze has only one possible heir, Doctor , and that heir is you. We must not let his work perish. We believe too much in this world that we can only profit from a rival’s destruction. That’s a great mistake, and you will agree with me, I hope, that on the contrary we must save out of this immense disaster everything that can serve the good of mankind. Now, for that task I am ready to devote myself entirely.” “Marcel is right,” said Octave, shaking his friend’s hand, “so here I am, ready to work under his orders, if my father consents to it.” “I certainly approve, my dear young men,” said Dr. Sarrasin. “Yes, Marcel, you will have all the capital you need, and, thanks to you, we will soon have from a resuscitated Stahlstadt such an arsenal that no one in the world will think of attacking us! And, while being the strongest, we’ll also try to be the most just and bring the benefits of peace and justice to everyone around us. Oh, Marcel, such beautiful dreams! And when I sense that by you and with you, I will be able to see a good part of this accomplished, I wonder why . . . yes! why I don’t have two sons! Why are you not the brother of Octave! For the three of us, nothing would have seemed impossible!” A Family Affair Perhaps, in the course of this narrative, the personal lives of those who play the heroes have not been discussed enough. That is just one more reason for us to return to them now and provide more details about them. The good doctor, it must be said, was not so taken with humanity as a collective being that the concept of the individual disappeared in his eyes, even when he was completely immersed in his idealism. He was thus struck by the sudden pallor which had 19  come to cover Marcel’s face when he spoke these last words. His eyes sought to read in those of the young man the hidden meaning of this sudden emotion. The silence of the old practitioner questioned the silence of the young engineer and waited, perhaps for the latter to break it; but Marcel, regaining mastery of himself by a strong effort of will, had not been long to recover his composure. His complexion had returned to its natural color, and his attitude was only that of a man awaiting the remainder of an interrupted conversation. Dr. Sarrasin, perhaps a bit put off by Marcel’s prompt return to his cool-headed self, approached his young friend then, and with a familiar gesture of the medical profession, he took his arm and held it as he would have done with that of a patient whose pulse he wanted to take, discreetly or distractedly. Marcel had gone along, but without quite recognizing the doctor ’s intention, and said nothing. “My good Marcel,” his old friend said to him, “later on we’ll pick up our conversation about the future destiny of Stahlstadt. But now it is not forbidden, just when we are vowing to better the fate of all, to also take care of the fate of those whom we love, of those who touch us most deeply. I think the moment has come to tell you what a young woman—whose name I will give you shortly—replied to her father and mother when, at least twenty times this past year, her hand was asked for in marriage. The requests were generally from those whom the most demanding would have had no reason to refuse , and yet the young lady consistently replied no, always no!” At that moment, Marcel, with a rather brusque movement, removed his wrist from the doctor’s grasp. But whether the latter felt sufficiently edified about the health of his patient or he had not noticed that the young man had withdrawn both hand and confidence at the same moment, he continued his story without seeming to have noticed the incident. “But finally the mother said to the young person I’m speaking about, ‘Tell us at least the reasons for these multiple refusals. Education , wealth, honorable situation, physical advantages, every-  thing is there! Why these “nays” so firm, so resolute, so...