Part 51 (1/2)
Holden gave her his arreat docility by Ar, who broke out into occasional snatches of music, once a coe for a long tireat breach in his abused nature!
The untuned and jarring senses O, wind up!
KING LEAR
As soon as they reached the house of Ar, Dr Elmer was sent for, and to hi, not concealing his own relationshi+p This last particular was a case not provided for in the books, or coood doctor's practice Contenting hi,
”Is this the lord Talbot, Uncle Gloster, That hath so long been resident in France?”
he shook Holden by the hand as an evidence of welcome, and, without hesitation, assented to the propriety of the Solitary's suggestion, that the insanity of Ar and his attempted violence, should be kept secret Rest was prescribed by the doctor for Faith, whom, contrary to her inclinations, he co draught, with assurances that her father was doing well, which declaration, probably, had quite asthe slumbers that succeeded, as the anodyne He next turned his attention to her father
No one, without particular observation, would have re hoe ar first around with a grave and pleased expression His daughter ith him then, who, indeed, until the arrival of the physician, had re soher hand in one of his, to pass the other over her silken hair, and let it slide down over the pale cheeks, all the ti at her with an appearance of infinite affection But when the doctor felt his pulse, he found it bounding like a frightened steed; and this syhtened cri blackness of the eyes, but too plainly revealed the access of violent fever Bleeding was in vogue in those days, andbetter for the pressure of blood on the brain, than letting blood Having had, therefore, Ar conducted to his cha him till he fainted, he afterwards ad the strictest quiet, proe was passive, yielding hi to be in a beatitude, which ht occur of but little concern, he accepted of Holden's proposal, which was rather uttered as a deterht Elht to stay; if not, he has at least saved Faith's life, as she says herself, and he knows after all, a 'hawk fro Holden, too, is a sensible fellow, and I think I h Elmer's e Bernard's house, to let Anne know that her friend Faith is indisposed, and ask her to sleep with her to-night” Such, accordingly, was, for a short ti's roof
Once or twice daring the night Faith started in her sleep, and threw her arm around her lovely companion, as if to ask for protection, and Anne heard herindistinctly; but, on the whole, her sleep was refreshi+ng, and in theshe awoke, paler, indeed, and weaker than cons of illness about her
”They will soon pass off,” said the doctor ”It was a severe shock, but youth and a good constitution are great odds”
But it was not so with Ar The combined effects of loss of blood and of the medicines he had taken, were unable to calm the exciteht he lay with eyes wide open, burning with fever, and calling for drink
But, although his body suffered, the exaltation of his mind continued to triumph over pain, and, from the words that escaped him, from time to time, it would seem as if he felt himself absolutely happy
When Doctor El, and heard the report of Holden, he expressed no surprise
”It is as I supposed,” he said ”He must have a run of fever, and what the result may be, no mortal man can divine Let us hope for the best, while prepared for the worst”
Faith, from the moment she was permitted, was assiduous by the bed-side of her father The delusion with respect to Holden, which had taken possession of hie, he would not believe was alive, fancying it was his spirit, extended itself after a tihter, whoathered from the disjointed utterances that escaped hi to escape frohter had been sent to co on a heated bed, which the delicious breath of June, streah the open s, could not cool for hi which the confinement of both Holden and Faith was almost incessant, for whenever either moved fro would intreat thee, which neither the brother's nor daughter's heart could withstand, not to leave hile was necessary, and he should be free And besides carrying into his insanity a habit, of which we have spoken, he would insist on holding their hands The touch of their heavenly bodies, he said, sent a sensation of roses and lilies through his earthly body; they refined him and attracted him upward, and he was sure he had sometimes risen a little way into the air ”O!” he would exclaim, ”I never knew before, how h alike, and their voices are very si gradually fell into a long, deep sleep So long, so profound was the sluht be one fro But the orders of the doctor, who, at the crisis was present the whole time, were peremptory that the patient should not be disturbed, but Nature allowed, in her oay, to work out her beneficent purposes Ar then slept many, many hours, in that still and darkened roo to the deeper drawn breath, and anxious eyes watching the slightest change of countenance
At last he awoke, and the first word he spoke, so low, that even in the hushed chamber it was scarcely audible, was, ”Faith” A smile of wonderful sweetness illuminated his face, as he tried to extend his hand, white as the snowy coverlet on which it rested, toward her, but so as he, that only a h the tears which fell upon the hand she covered with kisses, could ence, and her heart swelled with an al e to Elmer, ”say he is safe”
”I hope so,” answered Elitation”
The life of Arer, vibrated in the balance So excessive was the weakness consequent upon the treh which he had passed, that sometimes it appeared hardly possible that nature could sufficiently rally, to bring the delicate , insensibly, the gracious ent on, until one day the anxious daughter had the happiness to hear froer
It see, but so it is, that the events of the dreadful day, when, as if by a heavenly interposition, his hand had been arrested when raised to take away the life of his daughter, and also of the time when he lay insane upon his bed, were blotted co The scratches of a school-boy on a slate were never e All his conduct proves this When he beheld his brother after the return of reason, he addressed him as Mr Holden, and never, in conversation with any one, did hethe short period while he remained on earth, did he know of his conduct on the banks of the Wootuppocut The secret was confined to the bosoreed that it isest it should be concealed
It was not until the health of Ar seemed completely restored that his brother, in the presence of his son and of Faith, disclosed his relationshi+p He had made it known before to his son, to whom, as well as to his father, we must, for the brief period our acquaintance with the Ithad no objections to recognize in the lovely Faith a cousin, nor was she unwilling to find a relative in the a man
But, if they were pleased, how shall we express the happiness of Ja of a sorrow that had poisoned so many years of his life was extracted If he had been the cause of misfortune to his brother, he had it now in his power to repair, in a degree, the wrong he had inflicted Nor had he recovered only a brother, but also a nephehom he could love and respect, and ould, in so his faard with indifference