Cora and The Doctor; or, Revelations of A Physician's WifeLeslie, Madeline
General
Cora and The Doctor; or, Revelations of A Physician's Wife
Leslie, Madeline
Physicians -- Fiction
Still encouraging prospects! For the first time since Emily's sickness,
Frank passed an undisturbed and quiet night. Strange as it may appear,
my mind has been so occupied with sister's immediate danger, I have
never thought to inquire of her brother where he found her. It now
appears that the young woman, he mentioned in his hurried note to me,
was in reality the insane wanderer. But he lost all trace of her after
dark, and was about to return home in despair of success in that
quarter, when he overheard two women talking earnestly at the door of a
house. His attention was arrested by hearing one of them say, "She is
every inch a lady." The reply was in a lower tone.
"Well, I can't tell as to that," added the first speaker; "Here she is,
away from all her folks, and what is to be done with her?"
Frank says, his heart sprang into his mouth as he rode up to them, and
asked if they had seen or heard anything of a lady who had escaped from
her friends in a sudden fit of insanity.
"She is here! she is here!!" they both exclaimed.
Frank speedily made arrangements for a driver, and for shawls to wrap
around the poor girl, who was alternately shivering with cold or
consumed with heat.
_Tuesday Morning, September 1st._
The nurse left us this morning. She was summoned to a family where she
had been previously engaged, and we could not detain her. Mother, Miss
Proctor, and I take her place. We succeed admirably. Each of us take our
turn in sleeping on a couch beside the bed. Frank wished to take my
place, but I decidedly refused. He is often called out during the night;
and though he says he is used to it, yet I know he needs sleep when he
can get it.
Emily requires but little attention. Only toast-water or arrowroot once
in a while. She sleeps most of the time.
I rode to-day with Frank to see Caroline, who fails very fast. I was
shocked to observe the alteration. She longs to depart, and wished the
Doctor, when he was about to pray, to ask God to give her patience to
wait her appointed time. Her mother appears deeply affected, and when
Frank addressed a few words of consolation to her, she wept aloud. Then,
after a short pause, "I am willing to give up my beloved daughter, if it
is God's will; but it comes so suddenly upon me, I am not prepared for
it."
As we passed Squire Lee's, I begged my husband to stop and let me speak
to Lucy. Mrs. Burns came to the carriage and said if I would alight and
go into the parlor, she would take Lucy's place with her father, and
request her to come down. I imagined the dear girl looked happier than
she did when I saw her last. She said "Though my sad duty at home has
prevented my going to you in your trouble, yet I have constantly thought
of you."
Joseph is still away, and the Squire continues about the same; but Lucy
hopes he will soon be better, as he takes neither wine, nor brandy. It
was melting to me to hear her speak of him with such affection. What a
dutiful heart he has trampled upon!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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