During the time that Mr. Moss was expounding his views they had not
met a soul, and Dr. Spenlove had seen nothing to sustain his hope of
finding Mrs. Turner. But now his observant eyes detected a movement in
the snow-laden road which thrilled him with apprehension, and caused
him to hasten hurriedly to the spot. It was as if some living creature
was striving feebly to release itself from the fatal white shroud. Mr.
Moss hurried after him, and they reached the spot at the same moment.
In a fever of anxiety Dr. Spenlove knelt and pushed the snow aside,
and then there came into view a baby's hand and arm.
"Good God!" he murmured, and gently lifted the babe from the cold bed.
"Is it alive, is it alive?" cried Mr. Moss, all his nerves tingling
with excitements "Give it to me--quick; there's someone else there."
He saw portions of female clothing in the snow which Dr. Spenlove was
pushing frantically away. He snatched up the babe, and opening his fur
coat, clasped the little one closely to his breast, and enveloped it
in its warm folds. To release Mrs. Turner from her perilous condition,
to raise her to her feet, to put his mouth to her mouth, his ear to
her heart, to assure himself that there was a faint pulsation in her
body--all this was the work of a few moments.
"Does she breathe, doctor?" asked Mr. Moss.
"She does," replied Dr. Spenlove, and added in deep distress, "but she
may die in my arms!"
"Not if we can save her. Here, help me off with this thick coat. Easy,
easy; I have only one arm free. Now let us get her into it. That's
capitally done. Put the baby inside as well; it will hold them both
comfortably. Button it over them. There, that will keep them nice and
warm. Do you know her? Does she live far from here? Is she the woman
you are looking for?"
"Yes, and her lodging is a mile away. How can we get her home?"
"We'll manage it. Ah, we're in luck! Here's a cab coming toward us.
Hold on to them while I speak to the driver."
He was off and back again with the cab, with the driver of which he
had made a rapid bargain, in a wonderfully short space of time. The
mother and her babe were lifted tenderly in, the address was given to
the driver, the two kind-hearted men took their seats, the windows
were pulled up, and the cab crawled slowly on toward Mrs. Turner's
lodging. Dr. Spenlove's skillful hands were busy over the woman,
restoring animation to her frozen limbs, and Mr. Moss was doing the
same to the child.
"How are you getting along, doctor? I am progressing famously. The
child is warming up, and is beginning to breathe quite nicely." He was
handling the babe as tenderly as if it were a child of his own.
"She will recover, I trust," said Dr. Spenlove, "but we were only just
in time. It is fortunate that I met you, Mr. Moss; you have been the
means of saving two helpless, unfortunate beings."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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