Patient never had more assiduous attention than Mary Salis received from
Dr North. He had formed his opinions about her case, but insisted upon
having further advice, and Mr Delton--the old _savant_ of the lecture--
was proposed.
"I'm afraid he will want a heavy fee, Salis," said North; "but you ought
to make a sacrifice at a time like this, and his opinion is the best."
"Any sacrifice; every sacrifice," said the curate. "Send for him at
once."
Mr Delton came down and held a consultation with North.
He seated himself afterwards by Mary's couch, where she, poor girl, lay,
flushed, and suffering agony mentally and bodily, consequent upon this
visit.
But when the grey-headed old man took her hand between both his, and sat
gazing in her eyes, those eyes brimmed over with tears. The fatherly
way won upon her, and she said softly, as she clung to him:
"Tell me the worst."
He remained silent, gazing at her fixedly for some time, but at last he
raised and kissed her hand.
"I will speak out," he said gently, "because I can read in your sweet
young face resignation and patience. To another, perhaps, I should have
preached patience and hope; to you I feel that it would be a mockery,
and I only say, bear your misfortune by palliating it with the work your
intellect will supply."
"Always to be a cripple, doctor--a helpless cripple?" she moaned.
"My child, your life has been spared. Patience. What seems so black
now may appear brighter in time. You have those you love about you, and
there is the faint hope that some day you may recover."
"Faint hope, doctor?"
"I must say faint, my child. And now good-bye. I shall hear about you
from our friend North. I congratulate you on having so able a friend.
You may trust him implicitly. Good-bye."
He raised her hand to his lips--a very unprofessional proceeding, but it
did not seem so to Mary, as she lay there and watched the bedroom door
close.
"Trust him? Yes," sighed Mary, as she lay with her hands clasped,
thinking of Horace North's many kindly attentions to his patient. "Yes,
to his patient!" she said bitterly. "A hopeless cripple! Oh, God, give
me strength to bear it without repining. Good-bye, good-bye, my love--
my love!"
There was a little scene going on in the dining-room at the Rectory, for
in spite of Mrs Berens' protestations, Mary Salis had been carried
home.
The curate had thanked the old surgeon for coming down, and the old man
had nodded, to stand thoughtfully, hat in hand, gazing out of the window
with Salis.
"A very sad case, Mr Salis--a very sad case. So young and innocent and
sweet."
"Then there is no hope, sir?" said the curate hoarsely.
"Of her regaining her strength, sir?"
"Very little. But of her recovering sufficiently to lead a gentle,
resigned, patient life, yes. You are a clergyman, sir. I need not
preach to you of duty. Ah, Mr North, what about the train?"
"One moment, sir," said the doctor, interrupting the whispered
conversation he was holding with the curate.
The next minute he had asked the great surgeon a question, and received
a short decisive answer, which was communicated to Salis.
"But, my dear sir," he said, in remonstrance, "I have brought you down
here on professional business. I am not a rich man. but still not so
poor that--"
"My dear Mr Salis, I am a rich man," said the old surgeon, smiling,
"and partly from my acquaintance with Dr North, partly from the
pleasure it has given me to meet your sweet sister, I feel so much
interest in her case that I must beg of you not to spoil a pleasant
friendly meeting by introducing money matters. No, no; don't be proud,
my dear sir. I possess certain knowledge. Don't deprive me of the
pleasure of trying to benefit Miss Salis."
"He's a fine old fellow as ever breathed," said North, returning to the
Rectory, after seeing the great surgeon to the station.
"A true gentleman," said the curate sadly. "How can I ever repay him?"
"He told me--by helping your poor sister to get well."
"Ah!" sighed the curate; "it is a terrible blow."
"Terrible," acquiesced North. "But she'll bear it, sir, ten times
better than her sister Leo would. By the way, I haven't seen her."
"No; I have just been asking about her. The scene was too painful for
her, poor girl, and she went out so as to be away."
"Oh!" said North quietly; and then to himself: "I can't bear that girl!"
Just as he spoke he saw Leo Salis enter the meadow gate after her walk,
and soon after she came into the room, looking perfectly quiet and
composed.
"What does the London doctor say?" she asked, after shaking hands with
North.
"Don't ask, Leo," said the curate, with a groan.
"Poor Mary!" said Leo, with a sigh, but she did not seem stirred. There
were no tears in her eyes, and she might have been making inquiry about
the health of some parishioner.
So North thought.
"I'll go up and sit with her now, Hartley," she said quickly, and turned
to leave the room, when Horace North's eyes became fixed upon a white
mark at the back of the young girl's sleeve--a mark which looked exactly
as if her arm had been held by some one wearing a well pipe-clayed
glove.
The next moment the young girl, the dark sleeve, and the white mark had
passed from Horace North's sight, and soon after from his mind.