Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 26, September, 1880Various
Science
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 26, September, 1880
Various
Literature, Modern -- 19th century -- Periodicals; Science -- Periodicals
The little Frenchman rose; his eyes flashed; he waved his fat, short
arms toward Miss Featherstone: "Cette chere mademoiselle, she is one
angel from the sky: she do it all," with increased animation and
violence--"ice for his head, hot water for his feet. I could not tink,
I was so *_accable_"
This vehement declamation not being calculated to ensure the patient's
slumbers, Doctor Harris ordered the little fellow to be undressed and
put to bed immediately. "I should like to see you, my dear young lady,
when you are at leisure," he said as Miss Featherstone rose, still with
the child in her arms, and was following the maid to the nursery: "I
have directions to leave in case of a recurrence. However, I don't
think there will be any return of the convulsions," he added.
The maid, reduced to helplessness by terror, looked on while Miss
Featherstone undressed the sleeping boy. She laid him in the bed,
ordered the servant to sit by his side until her return, put the candle
on the floor so that it would not shine in his face, and went out to
meet the doctor.
"Who will be with the child during the night?" was his first query.
"_Helas!_ I do not know," cried the foreigner with a gesture of
despair.
"If there is no one else to take care of him I will," replied the young
girl cheerfully.
"It is infame!" said the tutor.--"Cette chere mademoiselle has but
arrived: she is weary. Parbleu! she must be hungry. Why not somebody
tink of dis?--My dear mees, have you had dinner? Non? J'en etais sur,"
with a groan.
Mr. Brown--for that was the tutor's very English name--was so dramatic
in the expression of his good feeling that Miss Featherstone could not
repress a smile as she turned to the physician, and, taking out her
pencil and a little memorandum-book, said, "If you'll give me
directions, Doctor Harris, I think that I'm perfectly competent to take
care of the child."
Doctor Harris, who was gallant and a bachelor, made a whispered
remonstrance referring to her fatigue, but she replied gravely, "I am
in perfect health, and it never makes me ill to sit up with a sick
person: I have had experience." Some painful remembrance evidently
agitated her, for her voice suddenly failed.
They were interrupted by the sound of carriage-wheels rolling rapidly
up the avenue.
"Voici madame!" cried Mr. Brown, who flew to the door to hand Mrs.
Pinckney out.
He had taken the earliest opportunity to enlighten her as to the
child's illness, for they heard her exclaim, "I know it: oh, I have
heard of it! Where is the doctor?"
Mrs. Pinckney was tall and slight: she had blonde hair, large,
beautiful eyes--they were blue--and regular features. In short, she was
exceedingly pretty: so thought Doctor Harris, and he made many salaams
before her.
"Oh, doctor," she exclaimed, rushing up to him and grasping his arm,
"is there any danger? Tell me, is there any danger?"
"Not the slightest, ma'am," he replied promptly.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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