Varbarriere in the Sick-room.
"Well, Jekyl, my dear fellow--and how do you feel now? There, don't; you
must not move, they told me," said Dives, taking his brother's hand, and
looking with very anxious eyes in his face, while he managed his best
smile.
"Pretty well--nothing. Have they been talking? What do they say?" asked
Sir Jekyl.
"Say? Well, not much; those fellows never do; but they expect to have
you all right again, if you'll just do what you're bid, in a week or
two."
"Pratt's coming at five," he said. "What is it now?"
Dives held his watch to Jekyl, who nodded.
"Do you think I'll get over it, Dives?" he asked at length, rather
ruefully.
"Get over? To be sure you will," answered Dives, doing his best. "It
might be better for you, my dear Jekyl, if it _were_ a little more
serious. We all need to be pulled up a little now and then. And there's
nothing like an alarm of--of that kind for making a man think a little;
for, after all, health is only a long day, and a recovery but a
reprieve. The sentence stands against us, and we must, sooner or later,
submit."
"Yes, to be sure. We're all mortal, Dives--is not that your discovery?"
said Sir Jekyl.
"A discovery it is, my dear fellow, smile as we may--a discovery to me,
and to you, and to all--whenever the truth, in its full force, opens on
our minds."
"That's when we're going to die, I suppose," said Sir Jekyl.
"_Then_, of course; but often, in the mercy of God, long before it.
That, in fact, is what we call people's growing serious, or religious;
their perceiving, as a fact, that they _are_ mortal, and resolving to
make the best preparation they can for the journey."
"Come, Dives, haven't those fellows been talking of me--eh?--as if I
were worse than you say?" asked the Baronet, oddly.
"The doctors, you mean? They said exactly what I told you. But it is
not, my dear Jekyl, when we are sick and frightened, and maybe
despairing, that these things are best thought on; but when we are, like
you and me, likely to live and enjoy life--_then_ is the time. I've been
thinking myself, my dear Jekyl, a good deal for some time past. I have
been living too much in the spirit of the world; but I hope to do
better."
"To do better--to be sure. You've always been hoping to do better; and
I've given you a lift or two," said the Baronet, who, in truth, never
much affected his brother's pulpit-talk, as he called it, and was
falling into his old cynical vein.
"But, seriously, my dear fellow, I do. My mind has been troubled
thinking how unworthy I have been of my calling, and how fruitless have
been my opportunities, my dear brother, with you. I've never improved
them; and I'd be so glad--now we are likely to have a few quiet days--if
you'll let me read a little with you."
"Sermons, do you mean?" interposed the Baronet.
"Well, what's better?--a little of the Bible?"
"Come now, Dives, those doctors _have_ been shaking their heads over me.
I say, you must tell me. Do they say I'm in a bad way?"
"They think you'll recover."
"Did they tell you what it is?"
"Yes. A wound."
"They had no business, d---- them," said Sir Jekyl, flushing.
"Don't, don't, my dear Jekyl; they could not help it. I pressed that
doctor--I forget his name--and he really could not help saying."
"Well, well, it doesn't much signify; I'd have told you myself
by-and-by. But you must not tell--I've a reason--you must not tell
anyone, mind. It was my fault, and I'm greatly to blame; and I'll tell
you in a little while--a day or two--all about it."
"Yes, so you can. But, my dear Jekyl, you look much fatigued; you are
exerting yourself."
Here the nurse interposed with the claret-jug, and intimated that the
Rev. Dives was making her patient feverish, and indeed there was an
unpleasantly hot hectic in each cheek. But the Baronet had no notion of
putting himself under the command of the supernumerary, and being a
contumacious and troublesome patient, told her to sit in the study and
leave him alone.
"I've a word to say, Dives. I must see that fellow Herbert Strangways."
"_Who?_" said Dives, a good deal alarmed, for he feared that his
brother's mind was wandering.
"Herbert--that fellow Varbarriere. I forgot I had not told you. Herbert
Strangways, you remember; they're the same. And I want to see him.
Better now than to-morrow. I may be feverish then."
"By Jove! It's very surprising. Do you really mean--"
"Yes; he is. I do; they are the same. You remember Herbert, of
course--Herbert Strangways--the fellow I had that long chase after all
over Europe. He has things to complain of, you know, and we might as
well square the account in a friendlier way, eh?--don't you think?"
"And was it he--was there any altercation?" stammered Dives.
"That did _this_, you mean," said Sir Jekyl, moving his hand toward the
wound. "Not a bit--no. He seems reasonable; and I should like--you know
they are very old blood, and there's nothing against it--that all should
be made up. And if that young fellow and Beatrix--don't you see? Is
Tomlinson there?"
"In the outer room," said Dives.
"Call him. Tomlinson, I say, you take my compliments to Monsieur
Varbarriere, and say, if he has no objection to see me for a few minutes
here, I should be very happy. Try and make him out, and bring me word."
So Tomlinson disappeared.
"And, Dives, it tires me;--so will you--I'm sure you will--see Pelter,
after we've spoken with that fellow Herbert, and consult what we had
best do, you know. I dare say the young people would come to like one
another--he's a fine young fellow; and that, you know, would be the
natural way of settling it--better than law or fighting."
"A great deal--a great deal, certainly."
"And you may tell him I have that thing--the deed, you know--my poor
father--"
"I--I always told you, my dear Jekyl, I'd rather know nothing of all
that--in fact, I _do_ know nothing; and I should not like to speak to
Pelter on that subject. You can, another time, you know," said Dives.
"Well, it's in the red trunk in there."
"Pray, dear Jekyl, don't--I assure you I'd rather know nothing--I--I
can't; and Pelter will understand you better when he sees you. But I'll
talk to him with pleasure about the other thing, and I quite agree with
you that any reasonable arrangement is better than litigation."
"Very well, be it so," said Sir Jekyl, very tired.
"I'm always drinking claret now--give me some--the only quick way of
making blood--I've lost a lot."
"And you must not talk so much, Jekyl," said Dives, as he placed the
glass at his lips; "you'll wear yourself out."
"Yes, I _am_ tired," said the Baronet; "I'll rest till Strangways
comes."
And he closed his eyes, and was quiet for a time. And Dives, leaning
back in his chair at the bedside, felt better assured of Jekyl's
recovery, and his thoughts began to return to their wonted channel, and
he entertained himself with listlessly reading and half understanding a
tedious sculling match in a very old copy of "Bell's Life," which
happened to lie near him.
A tap at the outer door called up Dives from Sandy Dick's sweep round a
corner, and Jekyl said--
"Tell him to come in--and stay--you're not to say I'm hurt--do you
mind?"
"My dear Jekyl, I--I shan't say anything. There he's knocking again."
"Well, tell him--come in!"
"Come in!" echoed Dives, in a louder key.
And Monsieur Varbarriere entered with that mysterious countenance and
cautious shuffle with which men enter a sick-chamber.
"Very sorry to hear you've been suffering," began Varbarriere, in a low
tone.
"Thanks--you're very good, I'm sure," said Sir Jekyl, with a faint
smile. "I--I wished very much to see you. I expect to be better very
soon, and I thought I might have a word, as you are so good, in the
meantime."
"Very happy, indeed--most happy, as long as you please; but you must not
try too much. You know they say you may disturb gout if you try too
much, particularly at first," said Varbarriere, knowing very well how
little gout really had to do with it.
"Oh! no danger--doing very nicely," said Sir Jekyl.
"That's well--that's very good," said Varbarriere, with a leisurely
sympathy, looking on him all the time, and calling to mind how the Comte
de Vigny looked after he received the sword-thrust of which he died in
Varbarriere's house, to which he had been carried after his duel with
young D'Harnois. And he came to the conclusion that Sir Jekyl looked a
great deal better than the Comte had done--and, in fact, that he would
do very well.