England -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction; Love stories; Oxford (England) -- Fiction; Young women -- Fiction
“You must be very tired,” Sir Arthur had said, remembering
uncomfortably the dinner to which he was himself bent—the chef, the
wines, the large house-party.
And Mr. Trevenen had looked up and smiled.
“Not very. I have been unusually cheered as I walked by thoughts of the
Divine Love!”
The words had been so simply said; and a minute afterwards the old
pale-faced parson had disappeared into the dark.
What did the words mean? Had they really any meaning?
“The Divine Love.” Arthur Falloden did not know then, and did not know
now. But he had often thought of the incident.
He leaned over, musing, to gather a bunch of hare-bells growing on the
edge of the stream. As he did so, he was conscious again of a sharp
pain in the chest. In a few more seconds, he was stretched on the
moorland grass, wrestling with a torturing anguish that was crushing
his life out. It seemed to last an eternity. Then it relaxed, and he
was able to breathe and think again.
“What is it?”
Confused recollections of the death of his old grandfather, when he
himself was a child, rose in his mind. “He was out hunting—horrible
pain—two hours. Is this the same? If it is—I shall die—here—alone.”
He tried to move after a little, but found himself helpless. A brief
intermission, and the pain rushed on him again, like a violent and
ruthless hand, grinding the very centres of life. When he recovered
consciousness, it was with the double sense of blissful relief from
agony and of ebbing strength. What had happened to him? How long had he
been there?
“Could you drink this?” said a voice behind him. He opened his eyes and
saw a young man, with a halo of red-gold hair, and a tremulous, pitying
face, quite strange to him, bending over him.
There was some brandy at his lips. He drank with difficulty. What had
happened to the light? How dark it was!
“Where am I?” he said, looking up blindly into the face above him.
“I found you here—on the moor—lying on the grass. Are you better? Shall
I run down now—and fetch some one?”
“Don’t go—”
The agony returned. When Sir Arthur spoke again, it was very feebly.
“I can’t live—through—much more of that. I’m dying. Don’t leave me.
Where’s my son? Where’s my son—Douglas? Who are you?”
The glazing eyes tried to make out the features of the stranger. They
were too dim to notice the sudden shiver that passed through them as he
named his son.
“I can’t get at any one. I’ve been calling for a long time. My name is
Radowitz. I’m staying at Penfold Rectory. If I could only carry you! I
tried to lift you—but I couldn’t. I’ve only one hand.” He pointed
despairingly to the sling he was wearing.
“Tell my son—tell Douglas—”
But the faint voice ceased abruptly, and the eyes closed. Only there
was a slight movement of the lips, which Radowitz, bending his ear to
the mouth of the dying man, tried to interpret. He thought it said
“pray,” but he could not be sure.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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