It was complicated enough to fill all the time it took Schwieger to measure tea and then all the time they waited for the kettle to boil. Elizabeth reached her conclusion just as the first whistle pierced the air, and Schwieger shook his head in wonder, pouring. He handed her one of the cups, and they returned to the table in the sitting room.
“These pocket watches,” Schwieger said, “they defy understanding. Where did you acquire such a magical device, if not through Mr. Maxwell?”
She started to say, In fact, it was through Mr. Maxwell, then decided she would rather not tread that story all the way through again. “It was sent to me at my father’s house in Hartwich. No letter of explanation, nothing to identify the sender.”
“Extraordinary. And where did Herr Maxwell acquire his?”
“He fo
