English fiction -- 19th century; Labor unions -- Fiction
He called on Dr. Amboyne, and found him as sad as he used to be gay. The
doctor told him all, and even took him to the town hall, and showed him
an arm and part of the trunk of a man preserved in spirits, and a piece
of tweed cloth, and a plain gold ring.
“There,” said he, “is all that remains to us of your nephew, and my
friend. Genius, beauty, courage--all come to this!” He could say no
more.
The tears filled Raby's eyes, and all his bitterness melted away. With
respect to his sister, he said he was quite willing to be reconciled,
and even to own himself in the wrong, if Dr. Amboyne, on reading the
correspondence, should think so. Dr. Amboyne said he would come to Raby
Hall for that purpose. He communicated this at once to Mrs. Little.
Grace had a favorable crisis, and in a few days more she was out of
danger, but in a deplorable state of weakness. Dr. Amboyne ordered her
to the sea-side. A carriage was prepared expressly for her, and her
father took her there.
Woodbine Villa was put up to let furnished, and it was taken by--Mr.
Coventry.
Jael Dence began to recover strength rapidly, but she wore at times a
confused look. The very day Grace left for Eastbank she was discharged
as cured, and left the hospital. This was in the morning.
In the afternoon Dr. Amboyne, being now relieved of his anxiety as to
Grace, remembered he had not been to see this poor girl for some time;
so he went to the hospital.
When he heard she was discharged, he felt annoyed with himself for not
having paid her closer attention. And besides, Grace had repeatedly told
him Jael Dence could make a revelation if she chose. And now, occupied
with Grace herself, he had neglected her wishes.
“Where is she gone? do you know?”
One of the nurses said she was gone home.
Another said the patient had told her she should go down to the works
first.
“And that is the very last place you should have let her go to,” said
the doctor. “A fine shock the poor creature will get there. You want
her back here again, I suppose!” He felt uneasy, and drove down to the
works. There he made some inquiries among the women, and elicited that
Jael Dence had turned faint at sight of the place, and they had shown
her, at her request, where she had been picked up, and had told her
about the discovery of Little's remains, and she had persuaded a little
girl to go to the town hall with her.
“Oh, the tongue! the tongue!” groaned Amboyne.
He asked to see the little girl, and she came forward of her own
accord, and told him she had gone to the town hall with the lass, “but”
(regretfully) “that the man would not show them it without an order from
the Mayor.”
“IT!”
Dr. Amboyne said he was very glad that common sense had not quite
deserted the earth. “And where did you go next?”
“I came back here.”
“So I see; but the lass?”
“She said she should go home. 'My dear,' says she, 'there's nobody left
me here; I'll go and die among my own folk.' That was her word.”
“Poor thing! poor thing! Why--”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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