Volume II Part 39 (1/2)
When I saw the linen which she had concealed under her clothes to bring it out, I could not disguise ht would killof consolingwell kept
”Ah! what do I care!” I exclaimed ”Provided she lives, let the whole world know that she is my wife!”
At any other tih; but in such a sad e to be merry
”Our dear patient,” added Laura, ”s your letter, and she said that, with you so near her, she was certain not to die”
Those words did ood, but a rief
”When the nuns are at their dinner,” said Laura, ”I will go back to the convent with as much linen as I can conceal aboutto wash all this”
”Has she had any visitors?”
”Oh, yes! all the convent; but no one has any suspicion of the truth”
”But in such hot weather as this she can have only a very light blanket over her, and her visitors reat bulk of the napkins”
”There is no fear of that, because she is sitting up in her bed”
”What does she eat?”
”Nothing, for she must not eat”
Soon afterwards Laura went out, and I followed her I called upon a physician, where I wastedprescription which was useless, for it would have put all the convent in possession of the secret, or, to speak more truly, her secret would have been known to the whole world, for a secret known to a nun soon escapes out of the convent's walls Besides, the physician of the convent hih a spirit of revenge
I returned sadly to my miserable hole in Laura's house Half an hour afterwards she ca bitterly, and she placed in ible:
”I have not strength enough to write to you,all my blood, and I am afraid there is no remedy I abandonsaved me from dishonour Do not make yourself unhappy My only consolation is to know that you are near me Alas! if I could see you but for one ht of a dozen napkins brought by Laura ined that she affordedme that as much linen could be soaked with a bottle of blood My mind was not disposed to taste such consolation; I was in despair, and I addressed tomyself as the cause of the death of that adorable creature I threw myself on the bed, and remained there, almost stunned, for more than six hours, until Laura's return froht had co I passed a fearful night without food, without sleep, looking uponall the kind attentions that Laura's daughters tried to shew ht when Laura same to announce to me, in the saddest tone, that ht she was dead, and I screamed loudly,
”Oh! she is no , sir; but I fear she will not outlive this day, for she is worn out She can hardly open her eyes, and her pulse is scarcely to be felt”
A weight was taken offwas saved
”Laura,” I said, ”this is not bad news; provided the flooding has ceased entirely, all that is necessary is to give her soht food”
”A physician has been sent for He will prescribe whatever is right, but to tell you the truth I have not ive me the assurance that she is still alive”
”Yes, she is, I assure you; but you understand very well that she will not tell the truth to the doctor, and God knohat he will order I whispered to her not to take anything, and she understood me”
”You are the best of women Yes, if she does not die from weakness before to-morrow, she is saved; nature and love will have been her doctors”
”May God hear you! I shall be back by twelve”
”Why not before?”