第8章

Afterdinnerthegirlswenttotheirroom，Gretabearingwithherthebigscrew—driverofFritz。Atdusktheyslippeddownstairsandout。

Theyarrivedattheoldhouse，andstood，listening，intheshadowofthedoorway。Theonlysoundswerethoseofdistantbarkingdogs，andofthebuglesatthebarracks。

"Quick！"whisperedChristian;andGreta，withallthestrengthofhersmallhands，begantoturnthescrews。Itwassometimebeforetheyyielded;thethirdwasveryobstinate，tillChristiantookthescrew—

driverandpassionatelygavethescrewastartingtwist。

"Itislikeapig——thatone，"saidGreta，rubbingherwristsmournfully。

Theopeneddoorrevealedthegloomofthedankroomsandtwistingstaircase，thenfelltobehindthemwithaclatter。

Gretagavealittlescream，andcaughthersister’sdress。

"Itisdark，"shegasped;"OChris！itisdark！"

Christiangropedforthebottomstair，andGretafeltherarmshaking。

"Supposethereisamantokeepguard！OChris！supposetherearebats！"

"Youareababy！"Christianansweredinatremblingvoice。"Youhadbettergohome！"

Gretachokedalittleinthedark。

"Iam——not——goinghome，butI’mafraidofbats。OChris！aren’tyouafraid？"

"Yes，"saidChristian，"butI’mgoingtohavethepictures。"

Hercheekswereburning;shewastremblingallover。HavingfoundthebottomstepshebegantomountwithGretaclingingtoherskirts。

Thehazeaboveinspiredalittlecourageinthechild，who，ofallthings，hateddarkness。Theblanketacrossthedoorwayofthelofthadbeentakendown，therewasnothingtoveiltheemptyroom。

"Nobodyhere，yousee，"saidChristian。

"No—o，"whisperedGreta，runningtothewindow，andclingingtothewall，likeoneofthebatsshedreaded。

"Buttheyhavebeenhere！"criedChristianangrily。"Theyhavebrokenthis。"Shepointedtothefragmentsofaplastercastthathadbeenthrowndown。

Outofthecornershebegantopullthecanvasessetinrough，woodenframes，draggingthemwithallherstrength。

"Helpme！"shecried;"itwillbedarkdirectly。"

Theycollectedaheapofsketchesandthreelargepictures，pilingthembeforethewindow，andpeeringattheminthefailinglight。

Gretasaidruefully:

"OChris！theyareheavyones;weshallnevercarrythem，andthegateisshutnow！"

Christiantookapointedknifefromthetable。

"Ishallcutthemoutoftheframes，"shesaid。"Listen！What’sthat？"

Itwasthesoundofwhistling，whichstoppedbeneaththewindow。Thegirls，claspingeachother’shands，droppedontheirknees。

"Hallo！"criedavoice。

Gretacrepttothewindow，and，placingherfacelevelwiththefloor，peeredover。

"ItisonlyDr。Edmund;hedoesn’tknow，then，"shewhispered;"I

shallcallhim;heisgoingaway！"criedChristiancatchinghersister’s"Don’t！"criedChristiancatchinghersister’sdress。

"Hewouldhelpus，"Gretasaidreproachfully，"anditwouldnotbesodarkifhewerehere。"

Christian’scheekswereburning。

"Idon’tchoose，"shesaid，andbeganhandlingthepictures，feelingtheiredgeswithherknife。

"Chris！Supposeanybodycame？"

"Thedoorisscrewed，"Christianansweredabsently。

"OChris！Wescreweditunscrewed;anybodywhowishesshallcome！"

Christian，leaningherchininherhands，gazedatherthoughtfully。

"Itwilltakealongtimetocutthesepicturesoutcarefully;or，perhapsIcangetthemoutwithoutcutting。Youmustscrewmeupandgohome。Inthemorningyoumustcomeearly，whenthegateisopen，unscrewmeagain，andhelpcarrythepictures。"

Gretadidnotansweratonce。Atlastsheshookherheadviolently。

"Iamafraid，"shegasped。

"Wecan’tbothstayhereallnight，"saidChristian;"ifanyonecomestoourroomtherewillbenobodytoanswer。Wecan’tliftthesepicturesoverthegate。Oneofusmustgoback;youcanclimboverthegate——thereisnothingtobeafraidof"

Gretapressedherhandstogether。

"Doyouwantthepicturesbadly，Chris？"

Christiannodded。

"Verybadly？"

"Yes——yes——yes！"

Gretaremainedsittingwhereshewas，shiveringviolently，asalittleanimalshiverswhenitscentsdanger。Atlastsherose。

"Iamgoing，"shesaidinadespairingvoice。Atthedoorwaysheturned。

"IfMissNaylorshallaskmewhereyouare，Chris，Ishallbetellingherastory。"

Christianstarted。

"Iforgotthat—OGreta，Iamsorry！Iwillgoinstead。"

Gretatookanotherstep——aquickone。

"IshalldieifIstayherealone，"shesaid;"Icantellherthatyouareinbed;youmustgotobedhere，Chris，soitshallbetrueafterall。"

Christianthrewherarmsabouther。

"Iamsosorry，darling;IwishIcouldgoinstead。Butifyouhavetotellalie，Iwouldtellastraightone。"

"Wouldyou？"saidGretadoubtfully。

"Yes。"

"Ithink，"saidGretatoherself，beginningtodescendthestairs，"I

thinkIwilltellitinmyway。"Sheshudderedandwentongropinginthedarkness。

Christianlistenedforthesoundofthescrews。Itcameslowly，threateningherwithdangerandsolitude。

Sinkingonherkneesshebegantoworkatfreeingthecanvasofapicture。Herheartthrobbeddistressfully;atthestirofwind—

breathoranydistantnoteofclamourshestopped，andheldherbreathing。Nosoundscamenear。Shetoiledon，tryingonlytothinkthatshewasattheveryspotwherelastnighthisarmshadbeenroundher。Howlongagoitseemed！Shewasfullofvagueterror，overmasteredbythedarkness，dreadfullyalone。Thenewglowofresolutionseemedsuddenlytohavedieddowninherheart，andlefthercold。

Shewouldneverbefittobehiswife，ifatthefirsttesthercouragefailed！Shesetherteeth;andsuddenlyshefeltakindofexultation，asifshetoowereenteringintolife，wereknowingsomethingwithinherselfthatshehadneverknownbefore。Herfingershurt，andthepainevengavepleasure;hercheekswereburning;herbreathcamefast。Theycouldnotstophernow！Thisfeverishtaskindarknesswasherbaptismintolife。Shefinished;

androllingthepicturesverycarefully，tiedthemwithcord。Shehaddonesomethingforhim！Nobodycouldtakethatfromher！Shehadapartofhim！Thisnighthadmadehimhers！Theymightdotheirworst！Shelaydownonhismattressandsoonfellasleep……

ShewasawakenedbyScruff’stongueagainstherface。Gretawasstandingbyherside。

"Wakeup，Chris！Thegateisopen！"

Inthecoldearlylightthechildseemedtoglowwithwarmthandcolour;hereyesweredancing。

"Iamnotafraidnow;ScruffandIsatupallnight，tocatchthemorning——I——thinkitwasfun;andOChris！"sheendedwitharuefulgleaminhereyes，"Itoldit。"

Christianhuggedher。

"Come——quick！Thereisnobodyabout。Arethosethepictures？"

Eachsupportinganend，thegirlscarriedthebundledownstairs，andsetoutwiththeircorpse—likeburdenalongthewall—pathbetweentheriverandthevines。

XIX

Hiddenbytheshadeofrose—bushesGretalaystretchedatlength，cheekonarm，sleepingthesleepoftheunrighteous。Throughtheflowersthesunflickedherpartedlipswithkisses，andspilledthewitheredpetalsonher。Inadenserisletofshade，Scrufflaysnappingatafly。Hisheadlolleddrowsilyinthemiddleofasnap，andsnappedinthemiddleofaloll。

Atthreeo’clockMissNaylortoocameout，carryingabasketandpairofscissors。Liftingherskirtstoavoidthelakesofwaterleftbythegardenhose，shestoppedinfrontofarose—bush，andbegantosnipofftheshrivelledflowers。Thelittlelady’ssilveredheadandthin，brownfacesustainedtheshowerofsunlightunprotected，andhadagentledignityintheirfreedom。

Presently，asthescissorsflitteredinandoutoftheleaves，she，begantalkingtoherself。

"Ifgirlsweremorelikewhattheyusedtobe，thiswouldnothavehappened。Perhapswedon’tunderstand;it’sveryeasytoforget。"

Buryinghernoseandlipsinarose，shesniffed。"Poordeargirl！

It’ssuchapityhisfatheris——a——"

"Afarmer，"saidasleepyvoicebehindtherosebush。

MissNaylorleaped。"Greta！Howyoustartledme！Afarmer——thatis—

—an——anagriculturalist！"

"Afarmerwithvineyards——hetoldus，andheisnotashamed。Whyisitapity，MissNaylor？"

MissNaylor’slipslookedverythin。

"Formanyreasons，ofwhichyouknownothing。"

"Thatiswhatyoualwayssay，"pursuedthesleepyvoice;"andthatiswhy，whenIamtobemarried，thereshallalsobeapity。"

"Greta！"MissNaylorcried，"itisnotproperforagirlofyouragetotalklikethat。"

"Why？"saidGreta。"Becauseitisthetruth？"

MissNaylormadenoreplytothis，butvexedlycutoffasoundrose，whichshehastilypickedupandregardedwithcontrition。Gretaspokeagain:

"Chrissaid:’Ihavegotthepictures，Ishalltellher’;butIshalltellyouinstead，becauseitwasIthattoldthestory。"

MissNaylorstared，wrinklinghernose，andholdingthescissorswideapart……

"Lastnight，"saidGretaslowly，"IandChriswenttohisstudioandtookhispictures，andso，becausethegatewasshut，Icamebacktotellit;andwhenyouaskedmewhereChriswas，Itoldit;becauseshewasinthestudioallnight，andIandScruffsatupallnight，andinthemorningwebroughtthepictures，andhidthemunderourbeds，andthatiswhy——we——are——so——sleepy。"

Overtherose—bushMissNaylorpeereddownather;andthoughshewasobligedtostandontiptoethisdidnotaltogetherdestroyherdignity。

"Iamsurprisedatyou，Greta;IamsurprisedatChristian，moresurprisedatChristian。Theworldseemsupsidedown。"

Greta，asunbeamentangledinherhair，regardedherwithinscrutable，innocenteyes。

"Whenyouwereagirl，Ithinkyouwouldbesuretobeinlove，"shemurmureddrowsily。

MissNaylor，flushingdeeply，snippedoffaparticularlyhealthybud。

"Andso，becauseyouarenotmarried，Ithink——"

Thescissorshissed。

Gretanestleddownagain。"Ithinkitiswickedtocutoffallthegoodbuds，"shesaid，andshuthereyes。

MissNaylorcontinuedtopeeracrosstherosebush;butherthinface，closetotheglisteningleaves，hadbecomeoddlysoft，pink，andgirlish。AtadeeperbreathfromGreta，thelittleladyputdownherbasket，andbegantopacethelawn，followeddubiouslybyScruff。ItwasthusthatChristiancameonthem。

MissNaylorslippedherarmintothegirl’sandthoughshemadenosound，herlipskeptopeningandshutting，likethebeakofabirdcontemplatingaworm。

Christianspokefirst:

"MissNaylor，Iwanttotellyouplease——"

"Oh，mydear！Iknow;Gretahasbeenintheconfessionalbeforeyou。"Shegavethegirl’sarmasqueeze。"Isn’titalovelyday？

Didyoueversee’FiveFingers’looksobeautiful？"AndshepointedtothegreatpeaksoftheFunffingerspitzeglitteringinthesunlikegiantcrystals。

"Ilikethembetterwithcloudsaboutthem。"

"Well，"agreedMissNaylornervously，"theycertainlyarenicerwithcloudsaboutthem。Theylookalmosthotandgreasy，don’tthey……

Mydear！"shewenton，givingChristian’sarmadozenlittlesqueezes，"weallofus——thatis，weallofus——"

Christianturnedhereyesaway。

"Mydear，"MissNaylortriedagain，"Iamfar——thatis，Imean，toallofusatsometimeoranother——andthenyousee——well——itishard！"

Christiankissedtheglovedhandrestingonherarm。MissNaylorbobbedherhead;ateartrickledoffhernose。

"Doletuswindyourskeinofwoof！"shesaidwithresoundinggaiety。

Somehalf—hourlaterMrs。DeciecalledChristiantoherroom。

"Mydear！"shesaid;"comehereaminute;Ihaveamessageforyou。"

Christianwentwithanodd，setlookabouthermouth。

Herauntwassitting，backtothelight，tappingabowlofgoldfishwiththetipofapolishedfinger—nail;theroomwasverycool。Sheheldaletterout。"Youruncleisnotcomingbacktonight。"

Christiantooktheletter。Itwascurtlyworded，inathin，topplinghand:

"DEARCON——Can’tgetbackto—night。SendingDominiqueforthings。

TellChristiantocomeoverwithhimfornightifpossible。——Yr。

aff。brother，NICLS。TREFFRY。"

"Dominiquehasacarriagehere，"saidMrs。Decie。"Youwillhavenicetimetocatchthetrain。Givemylovetoyouruncle。YoumusttakeBarbiwithyou，Iinsistonthat。"SherosefromherchairandheldChristian’shand:"Mydear！Youlookverytired——very！Almostill。Idon’tliketoseeyoulooklikethat。Come！"Shethrustherpalelipsforward，andkissedthegirl’spalercheek。

ThenasChristianlefttheroomshesankbackinherchair，withcreasesinherforehead，andbeganlanguidlytocutamagazine。

’PoorChristian！’shethought，’howhardlyshedoestakeit！Iamsorryforher;butperhapsit’sjustaswell，asthingsareturningout。Psychologicallyitisinteresting！’

Christianfoundherthingspacked，andthetwoservantswaiting。Inafewminutestheyweredrivingtothestation。ShemadeDominiquetaketheseatopposite。

"Well？"sheaskedhim。

Dominique’seyebrowstwitched，hesmileddeprecatingly。

"M’mselle，Mr。Treffrytoldmetoholdmytongue。"

"Butyoucantellme，Dominique;Barbican’tunderstand。"

"Toyou，then，M’mselle，"saidDominique，asonewhoacceptshisfate;"toyou，then，whowilldoubtlessforgetallthatIshalltellyou——mymasterisnotwell;hehasterriblepainhere;hehasacough;heisnotwellatall;notwellatall。"

Afeelingofdismayseizedonthegirl。

"Wewereacaravanforallthatnight，"Dominiqueresumed。"Inthemorningbynoonweceasedtobeacaravan;SignorHarztookamulepath;hewillbeinItaly——certainlyinItaly。Asforus，westayedatSanMartino，andmymasterwenttobed。Itwastime;Ihadmuchtroublewithhisclothes，hislegswereswollen。Intheafternooncameasignorofpolice，onhorseback，redandhot;IpersuadedhimthatwewereatPaneveggio，butaswewerenot，hecamebackangry——

MonDie！asangryasacat。Itwasnotgoodtomeethim——whenhewaswithmymasterIwasoutside。Therewasmuchnoise。Idonotknowwhatpassed，butatlastthesignorcameoutthroughthedoor，andwentawayinahurry。"Dominique’sfeatureswerefixedinasardonicgrin;herubbedthepalmofonehandwiththefingeroftheother。

"Mr。Treffrymademegivehimwhiskyafterwards，andhehadnomoneytopaythebill——thatIknowbecauseIpaidit。Well，M’mselle，to—

dayhewouldbedressedandveryslowlywecameasfarasAuer;therehecoulddonomore，sowenttobed。Heisnotwellatall。"

Christianwasoverwhelmedbyforebodings;therestofthejourneywasmadeinsilence，exceptwhenBarbi，acountrygirl，filledwiththedeliriumofrailwaytravel，sighed:"Ach！gnadigeFriiulein！"lookingatChristianwithpleasanteyes。

Atonce，onarrivingatthelittlehostel，Christianwenttoseeheruncle。Hisroomwasdarkened，andsmeltofbeeswax。

"Ah！Chris，"hesaid，"gladtoseeyou。"

Inablueflannelgown，witharugoverhisfeet，hewaslyingonacouchlengthenedartificiallybychairs;thearmhereachedoutissuedmanyinchesfromitssleeve，andshowedthecordedveinsofthewrist。Christian，settlinghispillows，lookedanxiouslyintohiseyes。

"I’mnotquitethething，Chris，"saidMr。Treffry。"Somehow，notquitethething。I’llcomebackwithyouto—morrow。"

"LetmesendforDr。Dawney，Uncle？"

"No——no！PlentyofhimwhenIgethome。Verygoodyoungfellow，asdoctorsgo，butIcan’tstandhispuddin’s——slopsandpuddin’s，andallthattrumperymedicineonthetop。SendmeDominique，mydear——

I’llputmyselftorightsabit！"Hefingeredhisunshavencheek，andclutchedthegowntogetheronhischest。"Gotthisfromthelandlord。Whenyoucomebackwe’llhavealittletalk！"

Hewasasleepwhenshecameintotheroomanhourlater。Watchinghisuneasybreathing，shewonderedwhatitwasthathewasgoingtosay。

Helookedill！Andsuddenlysherealisedthatherthoughtswerenotofhim……Whenshewaslittlehewouldtakeheronhisback;hehadbuiltcockedhatsforherandpaperboats;hadtaughthertoride;

slidherbetweenhisknees;givenherthingswithoutnumber;andtakenhispaymentinkisses。Andnowhewasill，andshewasnotthinkingofhim！Hehadbeenallthatwasmostdeartoher，yetbeforehereyeswouldonlycomethevisionofanother。

Mr。Treffrywokesuddenly。"Notbeenasleep，haveI？Thebedshereareinfernalhard。"

"UncleNic，won’tyougivemenewsofhim？"

Mr。Treffrylookedather，andChristiancouldnotbearthatlook。

"He’ssafeintoItaly;theyaren’tverykeenafterhim，it’ssolongago;Isquared’emprettyeasily。Now，lookhere，Chris！"

Christiancameclose;hetookherhand。

"I’dliketoseeyoupullyourselftogether。’Tisn’tsomuchtheposition;’tisn’tsomuchthemoney;becauseafterallthere’salwaysmine——"Christianshookherhead。"But，"hewentonwithshakyemphasis，"there’sthedifferenceofblood，andthat’saseriousthing;andthere’sthisanarch——thispoliticalaffair;andthere’sthesortoflife，an’that’saseriousthing;but——whatI’mcomingtoisthis，Chris——there’stheman！"

Christiandrewawayherhand。Mr。Treffrywenton:

"Ah！yes。I’manoldchapandfondofyou，butImustspeakoutwhatIthink。He’sgotpluck，he’sstrong，he’sinearnest;buthe’sgotadamnedhottemper，he’sanegotist，and——he’snotthemanforyou。

Ifyoumarryhim，assureasIliehere，you’llbesorryforit。

You’renotyourfather’schildfornothing;nicefellowaseverlived，butsoftasbutter。Ifyoutakethischap，it’llbelikemixingearthandironstone，andtheydon’tblend！"Hedroppedhisheadbackonthepillows，andstretchingouthishand，repeatedwistfully:"Takemywordforit，mydear，he’snotthemanforyou。"

Christian，staringatthewallbeyond，saidquietly:"Ican’ttakeanyone’swordforthat。"

"Ah！"mutteredMr。Treffry，"you’reobstinateenough，butobstinacyisn’tstrength。

You’llgiveupeverythingtohim，you’lllickhisshoes;andyou’llneverplayanythingbutsecondfiddleinhislife。He’llalwaysbefirstwithhimself，heandhiswork，orwhateverhecallspaintingpictures;andsomedayyou’llfindthatout。Youwon’tlikeit，andIdon’tlikeitforyou，Chris，andthat’sflat。"

Hewipedhisbrowwheretheperspirationstoodinbeads。

Christiansaid:"Youdon’tunderstand;youdon’tbelieveinhim;youdon’tsee！IfIdocomeafterhiswork——ifIdogivehimeverything，andhecan’tgiveallback——Idon’tcare！He’llgivewhathecan;I

don’twantanymore。Ifyou’reafraidofthelifeforme，uncle，ifyouthinkit’llbetoohard——"

Mr。Treffrybowedhishead。"Ido，Chris。"

"Well，then，Ihatetobewrappedincottonwool;Iwanttobreathe。

IfIcometogrief，it’smyownaffair;nobodyneedmind。"

Mr。Treffry’sfngerssoughthisbeard。"Ah！yes。Justso！"

Christiansankonherknees。

"Oh！Uncle！I’maselfishbeast！"

Mr。Treffrylaidhishandagainsthercheek。"IthinkIcoulddowithanap，"hesaid。

Swallowingalumpinherthroat，shestoleoutoftheroom。

ByastrokeofFateMr。Treffry’sreturntoVillaRubeinbefellatthepsychologicalmomentwhenHerrPaul，inasuitofrathertoobrightblue，wasstartingforVienna。

Assoonashesawthecarriageappearbetweenthepoplarshebecameaspensiveasaboycaughtintheactofstealingcherries。PitchinghishatboxtoFritz，herecoveredhimself，however，intimetowhistlewhileMr。Treffrywasbeingassistedintothehouse。Havingforgottenhisanger，hewasonlyanxiousnowtosmoothoutitsaftereffects;intheglanceshecastatChristianandhisbrother—in—lawtherewasakindofshamedentreatywhichseemedtosay:"Forgoodness’sake，don’tworrymeaboutthatbusinessagain！Nothing’scomeofit，yousee！"

Hecameforward:"Ah！Moncher！Soyoureturn;Iputoffmydeparture，then。Viennamustwaitforme——thatpoorVienna！"

ButnoticingtheextremefeeblenessofMr。Treffry’sadvance，heexclaimedwithgenuineconcern:

"Whatisit？You’reill？MyGod！"Afterdisappearingforfiveminutes，hecamebackwithawhitishliquidinaglass。

"There！"hesaid，"goodforthegout——foracough——foreverything！"

Mr。Treffrysniffed，drainedtheglass，andsuckedhismoustache。

"Ah！"hesaid。"Nodoubt！Butit’suncommonlylikegin，Paul。"

ThenturningtoChristian，hesaid:"Shakehands，youtwo！"

Christianlookedfromonetotheother，andatlastheldoutherhandtoHerrPaul，whobrusheditwithhismoustache，gazingafterherasshelefttheroomwithaqueerexpression。

"Mydear！"hebegan，"yousupportherinthisexecrablematter？Youforgetmyposition，youmakemeridiculous。Ihavebeenobligedtogotobedinmyownhouse，absolutelytogotobed，becauseIwasindangerofbecomingfunny。"

"Lookhere，Paul！"Mr。Treffrysaidgruffly，"ifanyone’stobullyChris，it’sI。"

"Inthatcase，"returnedHerrPaulsarcastically，"IwillgotoVienna。"

"Youmaygotothedevil！"saidMr。Treffry;"andI’lltellyouwhat—

—inmyopinionitwaslowtosetthepoliceonthatyoungchap;alow，dirtytrick。"

HerrPauldividedhisbeardcarefullyintwo，tookhisseatontheveryedgeofanarm—chair，andplacinghishandsonhispartedknees，said:

"Ihaveregretteditsince——mais，quediable！Hecalledmeacoward—

—itisveryhotweather！——thereweredrinksattheKurhaus——Iamherguardian——theaffairisaverybeastlyone——thereweremoredrinks——I

wasalittleenfin！"Heshruggedhisshoulders。"Adieu，mydear;I

shallbesometimeinVienna;Ineedrest！"Heroseandwenttothedoor;thenheturned，andwavedhiscigar。"Adieu！Begood;getwell！Iwillbuyyousomecigarsupthere。"Andgoingout，heshutthedooronanypossibilityofanswer。

Mr。Treffrylaybackamongsthiscushions。Theclockticked;pigeonscooedontheveranda;adooropenedinthedistance，andforamomentatreblevoicewasheard。Mr。Treffry’sheaddroopedforward;acrosshisface，gloomyandrugged，fellathinlineofsunlight。

Theclocksuddenlystoppedticking，andoutside，inmysteriousaccord，thepigeonsrosewithagreatflutteringofwings，andflewoff’。Mr。Treffrymadeastartled，heavymovement。Hetriedtogetontohisfeetandreachthebell，butcouldnot，andsatonthesideofthecouchwithdropsofsweatrollingoffhisforehead，andhishandsclawinghischest。Therewasnosoundatallthroughoutthehouse。Helookedabouthim，andtriedtocall，butagaincouldnot。

Hetriedoncemoretoreachthebell，and，failing，satstill，withathoughtthatmadehimcold。

"I’mdonefor，"hemuttered。"ByGeorge！IbelieveI’mdoneforthistime！"Avoicebehindhimsaid:

"Canwehavealookatyou，sir？"

"Ah！Doctor，bearahand，there’sagoodfellow。"

Dawneyproppedhimagainstthecushions，andloosenedhisshirt。

Receivingnoanswertohisquestions，hesteppedalarmedtowardsthebell。Mr。Treffrystoppedhimwithasign。