The Forlorn Hope: A Novel (Vol. 1 of 2)Yates, Edmund
General
The Forlorn Hope: A Novel (Vol. 1 of 2)
Yates, Edmund
Fiction
"Gentleman waiting to speak to you, sir," said a servant, handing a
card to Ronald; "says he won't detain you a moment, sir."
Ronald took the card, and read on it "DR. WILMOT."
"I will come to the gentleman at once," said he; and the servant went
away.
"Who is it? Anyone I know?" asked Duncan Forbes.
"He is a stranger to me," said Ronald, blinking the question.
He found Dr. Wilmot in that wretched little waiting-room about the
size of a warm bath, and having for its furniture a chair, a table,
and a map of England, which is dedicated at Barnes's to the reception
of "strangers." The gas was low, and the Doctor was heavily wrapped
up, and had a shawl round the lower part of his face; but Ronald made
him out to be a gentlemanly-looking man, and specially noticed his
keen flashing eyes. The Doctor was sorry to disturb Captain Kilsyth,
but his father had sent up to him just before he started a parcel
which he wished delivered personally to the Captain; so he had brought
it on his way from the Great Northern, by which he had just arrived.
It was some law-deed, about the safety of which Kilsyth was a little
particular. It would have been delivered two days since, but, passing
through Edinburgh, the Doctor had found his old friend Sir Saville
Rowe staying at the same hotel, and had suffered himself to be
persuaded to accompany him to see the new experiments in anaesthetics
which Simpson had just made, and which-- Ah! but the Captain did not
care for medical details. The Captain was very sorry that he had not a
better room to ask the Doctor into; but the regulations at Barnes's
about strangers were antediluvian and absurd. He should take an early
opportunity of thanking Dr. Wilmot for his exceeding kindness in going
to Kilsyth, and for the skill and attention which he had bestowed on
Miss Kilsyth. The Doctor apparently to Ronald, even in the dull
gas-light, with a heightened colour disclaimed everything, asserting
that he had merely done his duty. Exchange of bows and of very cold
hand-shakes, the Doctor jumping into the cab at the door, Ronald
turning back into the hall, muttering, "That's the man! Taking
what Duncan Forbes said, and that fellow's look when I named
Madeleine--taking them together, that's the man that Lady Muriel meant.
That's the man, for a thousand pounds!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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