The surgeon gave Ormond little comfort. After extracting the bullet, and examining the wound, he shook his head--he had but a bad opinion of the case; and when Ormond took him aside, and questioned him more closely, he confessed that he thought the man would not live--he should not be surprised if he died before morning. The surgeon was obliged to leave him to attend another patient; and Ormond, turning all the other people out of the room, declared he would sit up with Moriarty himself. A terrible night it was to him. To his alarmed and inexperienced eyes the danger seemed even greater than it really was, and several times he thought his patient expiring, when he was faint from loss of blood. The moments in which Ormond was occupied in assisting him were the least painful. It was when he had nothing left to do, when he had leisure to think, that he was most miserable; then the agony of suspense, and the horror of remorse, were felt, till feeling was exhausted; and he would sit motionless and stupified, till he was wakened again from this suspension of thought and feeling by some moan of the poor man, or some delirious startings. Toward morning the wounded man lay easier; and as Ormond was stooping over his bed to see whether he was asleep, Moriarty opened his eyes, and fixing them on Ormond, said, in broken sentences, but so as very distinctly to be understood, “Don’t be in such trouble about the likes of me--I’ll do very well, you’ll see--and even suppose I wouldn’t--not a friend I have shall ever prosecute--I’ll charge ‘em not--so be easy--for you’re a good heart--and the pistol went off unknownst to you--I’m sure there was no malice--let that be your comfort. It might happen to any man, let alone gentleman--don’t _take on_ so. Only think of young Mr. Harry sitting up the night with me!--Oh! if you’d go now and settle yourself yonder on t’other bed, sir--I’d be a grate dale asier, and I don’t doubt but I’d get a taste of sleep myself--while now wid you standing over or _forenent_ me, I can’t close an eye for thinking of you, Mr. Harry.”