On this occasion, I travelled straight to Frizinghall--the town being
now the central point in my field of inquiry. I arrived too late in the
evening to be able to communicate with Betteredge. The next morning, I
sent a messenger with a letter, requesting him to join me at the hotel,
at his earliest convenience.
Having taken the precaution--partly to save time, partly to accommodate
Betteredge--of sending my messenger in a fly, I had a reasonable
prospect, if no delays occurred, of seeing the old man within less than
two hours from the time when I had sent for him. During this interval, I
arranged to employ myself in opening my contemplated inquiry, among the
guests present at the birthday dinner who were personally known to
me, and who were easily within my reach. These were my relatives, the
Ablewhites, and Mr. Candy. The doctor had expressed a special wish to
see me, and the doctor lived in the next street. So to Mr. Candy I went
first.
After what Betteredge had told me, I naturally anticipated finding
traces in the doctor's face of the severe illness from which he had
suffered. But I was utterly unprepared for such a change as I saw in him
when he entered the room and shook hands with me.
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