"Charles's wound was thought of such little consequence that the
preparations went forward, as usual, for the wedding entertainment on
Sunday. But on Friday night he grew restless and feverish, and on
Saturday (yesterday) morning felt so ill that it was deemed necessary to
obtain additional medical advice. Two physicians and a surgeon met in
consultation about twelve o'clock in the day, and the dreadful
intelligence was announced, that unless a change, hardly hoped for, took
place before night, death must happen within twenty-four hours after.
The wound, it seems, had been too tightly bandaged, and otherwise
injudiciously treated. The physicians were right in their anticipations.
No favourable symptom appeared, and long before we reached Spring House
every ray of hope had vanished. The scene we witnessed on our arrival
would have wrung the heart of a demon. We heard briefly at the gate that
Mr. Charles was upon his death-bed. When we reached the house, the
information was confirmed by the servant who opened the door. But just
as we entered we were horrified by the most appalling screams issuing
from the staircase. My mother thought she heard the voice of poor Mrs.
Mac Carthy, and sprung forward. We followed, and on ascending a few
steps of the stairs, we found a young woman, in a state of frantic
passion, struggling furiously with two men-servants, whose united
strength was hardly sufficient to prevent her rushing upstairs over the
body of Mrs. Mac Carthy, who was lying in strong hysterics upon the
steps. This, I afterwards discovered, was the unhappy girl I before
described, who was attempting to gain access to Charles's room, to 'get
his forgiveness,' as she said, 'before he went away to accuse her for
having killed him.' This wild idea was mingled with another, which
seemed to dispute with the former possession of her mind. In one
sentence she called on Charles to forgive her, in the next she would
denounce James Ryan as the murderer, both of Charles and her. At length
she was torn away; and the last words I heard her scream were, 'James
Ryan, 'twas you killed him, and not I--'twas you killed him, and not I.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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