The
business was for sale, and Miss Vernelt wanted a big sum for it.
However, as her books showed a very satisfactory annual increase in
receipts and her clientele included a duchess and other society
leaders, I considered the bargain a tolerably safe one, and we came to
terms. Within a week I was running the business, and, exactly a month
after I had taken it over, I was greatly astonished to receive a visit
from Miss Vernelt. She came into the shop quite beside herself with
agitation. 'It's all a mistake!' she screamed. 'I didn't want to sell
it. I can't do anything with my capital. Let me buy it back.' I
listened to her politely, and then informed her that as I had gone to
all the trouble of taking over the business and had already succeeded
in extending it, I most certainly had no intention of selling it--at
least not for some time. Well, she behaved like a lunatic, and in the
end created such a disturbance that I had to summon my assistants and
actually turn her out. After that I had no peace for six weeks. She
came every day, at any and all times, and I was at last obliged to
take legal proceedings. I then discovered that her mind was really
unhinged, and that she had been suffering from softening of the brain
for many months. Her medical advisers had, it appeared, warned her to
give up business and place herself in the hands of trustworthy friends
or relations, who would see that her money was properly invested, but
she had delayed doing so; and when, at last, she did make up her mind
to retire, the excitement, resulting from so great a change in her
mode of living, accelerated the disease, and, exactly three weeks
after the sale of her business, she became a victim to the delusion
that she was ruined.
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