Bonus

This story works like clockwork because, the story that Fritz tells is happens precisely and exactly just as we know that a clocks hours happen precisely and in a set order, for example we don't expect six o'clock to immediately follow after one o'clock, and it doesn't work like clockwork because the catalyst, Dr. Kalmenius carried on the rest of the story that was unfinished. I think the author chose to do this because you can build drama believing something dreadful is going to happen, because Fritz has told us it will happen.