He began to busy himself about setting the tea-things, and cutting the
bread, while he occupied Hazlet in pouring out the water and attending
to the kettle. Hazlet started violently every now and then, and looked
with a terrified side-glance at Lillyston, as though apprehensive of
some wrong.
At last Lillyston got him to sit down quietly, and gave him a cup of tea
and some bread. He ate it in silence, except that every now and then he
uttered a sort of wail, and looked up at Lillyston. The look didn't
seem to satisfy him, for, after a few minutes, he seized his knife, and
said, "I shall cut off your whiskers."
What put the grotesque fancy into his head, Lillyston did not know;
probably some faint reminiscence of having been forced to shave after
the trick which Bruce had played on him by painting his face with
lamp-black and ochre.
Lillyston decidedly declined the proposition, and they both started up
from their seats--Hazlet brandishing his knife with determined purpose,
and looking at his companion with a strange savage glare under his
spectacles.
After darting round the room once or twice to escape his attack,
Lillyston managed with wonderful skill to clutch the wrist of Hazlet's
right hand, and, being very strong, he held him with the grasp of a
vice, while with his left hand he forced the knife out of his clutch,
and dropped it on the floor. He held him tight for a minute or two,
although Hazlet struggled so fiercely that it was no easy task, and then
quietly forced him into a chair, and spoke to him in a firm
authoritative voice--
"No mischief, Hazlet; we shan't allow it. Now listen to me: you must go
to bed."
The tone of voice and the strength of will which characterised
Lillyston's proceedings, awed Hazlet into submission. He cried a
little, and then suffered Lillyston to see him into his rooms, and to
put him into a fair way towards going to bed. Taking the precaution to
remove his razor, Lillyston locked the door upon him, and determined at
once to get medical advice. The doctor, however, could give very little
help; it was, he said, a short fit of temporary madness, for which quiet
and change of air were the only effectual remedies. He did not
anticipate that there would be any other outbreak of violence, or
anything more than a partial imbecility.
"Do come and help me to manage Hazlet," said Lillyston to Julian next
morning; "his head has been turned by being plucked for the Little-go,
and he's as mad as Hercules Furens."
Julian went, and they stayed in Hazlet's room till he had quietly
breakfasted. He then appeared to be so calm that Lillyston agreed to
leave Julian there for the morning, and to take the charge of Hazlet for
the afternoon and evening. It seemed absolutely necessary that someone
should take charge of him, and they thought it best to divide the
labour.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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