Part 9 (1/2)
”All right; but you want soot some dinner or supper yonder; come and have a bit”
”No”
”Then I'll have so Tell the for the doctor”
But almost as she spoke the door was softly opened, and the old housekeeper appeared with a tray
One long dreaht, as it appeared to Chester--a night in which the world seeular delirium Time stood still apparently for both nurse and doctor, who hardly left the room, but aited on by the housekeeper and the two ladies, who ca to take Marion's place; but she invariably refused
Nature grew stern at times towards the watchers at the wounded man's side, and sometimes one, so which, whether it were one hour or many, the other remained perfectly awake and watchful
And day after day, night after night, the dual fight went on--the fight with death and that with honour There were ti in both encounters, but as often he felt that his patient was slowly slipping away froht to have held dear
Everything was, in the latter case, against hiely influenced hi, with her eyes constantly seeking his appealingly as the sufferer's life rose and fell--flickering like the fla candle, he felt that his position was too hard for man to bear He owned hiled on he felt hiht, he was to become this woman's slave
One day was like that which followed, in its wild deliriueness Chester had alrew startled at last as the feeling was impressed upon hirown unnecessary and that if the door had stood open he would not now have attee thrall held him more than locks and bars, and he was ready to sacrifice everything to stay there by Marion's side and fight the griratitude and love
The great trouble Chester had to fight was the succession of strange convulsive fits which attacked his patient, each of which seemed to have snapped the frail thread which held the wounded man to life; but as they passed off the flale recommenced
At last came the day when, hopeless and despondent, Chester bent over to dress the wound, feeling that the struggle had been all in vain, and that his skill was far less than he had believed
The old housekeeper aiting upon hione to the other end of the room
”You unnerve me,” he whispered
She looked at him reproachfully, and went aithout a word, to seat herself with her ar her brow
As a rule, the sufferer had , but this time he winced sharply at every touch, and the old housekeeper looked up questioningly
”Is that a bad sign?” she whispered, with her face all drawn and ghastly with fear
”No; a sign of greater vitality,” said Chester, quickly, and the nextthe inner bandage, his fingers caular and hard, which he held up to the light and exa at his ear made him start round, to find that his every ers of the hand which covered the watcher's face, and she had hurried to his side
”Worse?” she whispered faintly, too ony and excitement of the earlier days of their intercourse
”No,” he cried triuhting against us so long, and produced, I believe, those terrible convulsive attacks”
Marion looked at hily, and her lips parted, but no words caht to have known, and found it out sooner,” Chester said bitterly, ”and I feel that I aed lead, broken from the conical bullet by the explosion; it has re all the trouble”
”Ah! Then he will recover now?”