United States -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction
Here, Fanny, who, it will be remembered, was all this time ignorant of the
truth, asked if some one would not explain what she saw and heard. "I
will," said Dr. Lacey, "it is my duty to do so," and he led her to a
window, where he hurriedly told her all—everything which he himself knew,
intermingling his words with so much passionate embraces that his sanity
was much to be doubted. He had scarcely finished his story when Kate
approached him, saying, "For humanity’s sake, Dr. Lacey, if you have any
skill, exert it in behalf of Julia, who seems to be dying."
Dr. Lacey arose, and winding his arm about Fanny, as if afraid he might
lose sight of her, moved toward the room where Julia lay. They had borne
her to the bridal chamber, which Fanny had arranged with so much care, and
as Dr. Lacey appeared at the door, Uncle Joshua met him and said, "I know
she sarved you mean, but I would not have her die. She is my own child,
and you must save her if you can." At the same time he pointed to Julia,
who lay in the same death-like trance, with the blood still issuing slowly
from her livid lips. All that Dr. Lacey could do, he did, but when Dr.
Gordon arrived, he gladly gave up his charge to him, and turned his
attention toward Fanny, who, overcome by what she had seen and heard, had
fainted, and been carried to her own room, where she was surrounded by
Mrs. Carrington, Florence and Mabel. These ladies ran against each other,
upset the camphor bottle, dropped the lamp and spilled half the cologne,
in their zealous efforts to take care of their patient!
In the midst of their confusion Dr. Lacey entered, and they immediately
gave up to him the task of restoring her. This he soon did, for it would
seem that his very voice had a power to recall Fanny’s suspended
faculties. Slowly her eyes unclosed; then, as if wearied out, she again
closed them, and for a time slept sweetly, calmly, on Dr. Lacey’s bosom.
The guests now began to depart, and Bill Jeffrey, who had been sent to
inform Mrs. Dunn of her son, returned with some of the neighbors, and
carried Joseph away. Owing to the darkness of the night, the company from
Frankfort remained until morning, but no eyelid closed in sleep. With
maternal solicitude, Mrs. Middleton sat by the bedside of her daughter
Julia, whose eyes opened once, but on seeing Dr. Lacey standing near by,
she closed them again with a shudder, and a faint wail of anguish escaped
her. She had ruptured a small blood vessel, but Dr. Gordon said there was
no danger if she could be kept quiet for a few days.
Uncle Joshua thus relieved from alarm concerning her, walked back and
forth from her room to Fanny’s swearing that he "knew the devil was let
loose that night for his special benefit, and that he had come up there to
see how much of a row he could get up!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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