Well, what we succeeded in finding out, that day, concerning our search or quest:
1).Doctor Talvik has a small estate, which he supposedly has purchased, supposedly on the occasion of his retirement.
2).The Doctor starts a new business which he named SALON ALMODIS.
3).The Doctor has a fiancée, the female who Clem feels interested in, which discovery could break Clem's heart.
4).The fiancée said that if she were Clem, she would go to Mr Aboleo to ask about Clem's mother.
5).Mr Aboleo could be found in Brumburg. Sic.
Ergo, we should go to Brumburg.
5 points, and only one conclusion. Only one of 5 points is about my cousins' mother. Not much.
Now, finishing his narration, Clem said, "Like it was then, on the way back, I can say now, when I am with you, Oscar… As usual, I fidgeted, today, and it was in vain, as usual. But could I leave it without my inquiry? It all about Mlle Delamarche proved to be so entangled and close to my mother's case, no?"
"You are right," I said, while thinning a pencil, "But you look so nervous and concerned when the question is that Mlle. Nervous and vexed. Too much concerned, I'd say. Could you tell me why?"
"Why…" he moved in his chair, "Feeling concerned about my mother's fate."
"I believe not."
"What do you mean?"
"I suspect… you feel concerned about Mlle Delamarche more than about your missing mother."
"Dis donc -- are you kidding?"
"While doing your search and any inquiry, when telling about it to me, you look forgetting of your mother."
"I was vexed because…"
"A little more and I think that you don't love your mother. Your mind is confused, unsure whether to think of her or of Mlle Delamarche."
"Well… yes."
"It's infatuation."
"No, it isn't."
"It's impossible to love both your mother and Mlle Delamarche."
Clem shrugged shoulders.
I went on, "Did you think of that?" Mr Sigmund F himself could not say it better.
He said, "True, there is something bizarre about all I know of Mlle Delamarche… and yes, I think that there's some connection between her actions and my mother… an obscure connection."
"Both of them are female, that's what they have in common." I paused. Clem kept silence. Then I said, "Dear me!.." I sighed affectedly, "My dear… I'm forty, and I had a chance to experience much in my life, love including. Some day, I'll tell you about this most intoxicating and toxic experience. I tremble for you, for you intoxicate yourself. Take care and stop lest it's too late! A female's heart is a place for gods and not for God. Man is about to rest upon it, but this support is brittle as glass, and it will cut you up. Always remember: you love hard and with difficulty, and her heart -- with eases. What's more… It's impossible to love both me and a female. Don't you think so?" I gazed at his face. The mature youth's look showed helplessness. I smiled, "Just kidding. Relax."
"All right. I'm all right."
"And I say don't get me wrong. Listening to you, I've got a bizarre impression that your recent adventures are much dearer to you than the problem with your missing mother."
"Adventures?" he moved in his chair, "In the apartment in St Benedict Street I've been because of the damned Locker, and to Padrik I went to find out anything about Mother's whereabouts."
I sipped milk from my glass.
Leaning back, Clem said, "My only tragedy is that I can't know Mother's whereabouts."
"Tragedy. Is there any use to name it in this sublime way?"
"What's it, in your view?"
"A most scandalous case, as your brothers believe."
"Oh well, and a tragedy too."
I smiled.
Clem, said, "Oscar… please, reproach me about Mlle Delamarche never again!"
"No thought of that. Apropos, she'll be Mme Talvik-Aschersleben soon. Do you remember?"
"I do." Clem looked weary. "I never forgot of my mother's case and her image is always on my mind.
"That's all right. Relax."
"I have my mother, and I don't care about that Mlle Delamarche."
"You'd not care, if you never said that you don't care. Relax." Leaning back, I closed my eyes thinking to myself that my Clem said that he had his mother but he never said that he had his mother and me.