Principle and Practice: The Orphan FamilyMartineau, Harriet
General
Principle and Practice: The Orphan Family
Martineau, Harriet
Orphans -- Fiction; Siblings -- Fiction
Charles and another man climbed on the body of the coach, and pushed
down the window. Two young ladies and a Quaker gentleman were inside.
The latter said to Charles, "Lend me thy hand, for I am uppermost, and
then we will rescue the others: there is not much harm done, I hope."
One of the ladies continued to scream so loud, that it was difficult to
make her understand that she must use her own limbs in getting out. By
main force, however, she was hauled through the window, and set on her
feet. The Quaker gentleman said to her, "I recommend thee to be more
quiet, if thou canst; if not, thou hadst better go a little out of the
way, that we may know what we are doing. There is a stile yonder: sit
there, and I will bring thy friend to thee."
The lady was able to comprehend this, and she accordingly moved away.
There was more difficulty in rescuing her companion, who was really
hurt: her arm was injured, and she was in great pain. She was quiet,
however, and exerted what strength she had. Charles led her to some
grass at a little distance: he hastily spread her cloak, and laid her
down, and called her companion to her. When he reached the scene of
disaster again, he was shocked to find that an outside passenger was
killed. He was a dreadful object, and nothing was to be done, but to
move him out of sight as quickly as possible. Still Charles looked
round in vain for his companion; but when the noise had a little
subsided, he thought he heard a faint groan from beneath the huge
box-coat which was lying close by. Charles lifted it, and saw his
companion lying with a large trunk upon one leg. He seemed in great
agony, and unable to move. Charles called the Quaker gentleman. They
gently lifted the trunk, and saw a sickening sight. The leg was
dreadfully crushed. Charles for a moment turned away, but, ashamed of
his weakness, he, with the Quaker's approbation, loosened the shawl
which he wore round his neck, and wrapped it about the injured leg.
They then raised the poor youth, and seated him on the trunk, and tried
to ascertain whether he had received any other injury. They could not
detect any, but the sufferer was in so much pain, that they could not be
sure. Charles beckoned to the waggoner, who was assisting the other
passengers, and enquired whether there was any house nearer than the
public-house which they had left, where the wounded passengers could be
taken in for the present.
The man answered that there was none, and that they were three miles
distant even from that.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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