The Happy WarriorHutchinson, A. S. M. (Arthur Stuart-Menteth)
General
The Happy Warrior
Hutchinson, A. S. M. (Arthur Stuart-Menteth)
Fiction
He began to slip down in the bed. The nurse eased his position. He
seemed back to unconsciousness again, his breathing very laboured.
Night had drawn about the room and was held dusky by the candles.
There stole about Percival, as he knelt, atmosphere of the memories he
had recalled in vain attempt to arouse Mr. Amber's recognition. Again
dusk here, and he with mild, old Mr. Amber. Again shadows wreathing
about the high ceiling, stealing from the corners. Again a soft
thudding on the window-pane, as of some shadow seeking to enter--death?
Again the strange feeling of "thinking without thinking as if some one
else were thinking"--and on that, worn out perhaps with his long day,
perhaps carried by some other agency, he went into a dream-state in
which vague, secret influences of his ride through Mount Street came
upon him. He thought he was in Mount Street again and come to Burdon
House, and that the door opened as he ascended the steps. He found the
interior completely familiar to him, and for some reason was frightened
and trembled to find it so. He went from familiar room to familiar
room, afraid at their familiarity as though it was some wrong thing he
was doing, and knew himself searching--searching--searching. What he
searched he did not know. He just opened a door, and looked, and
closed it and passed on. There were persons in some rooms--once Dora,
once Rollo, once Lady Burdon. They stretched hands to him or spoke.
He shook his head and told them "I am not looking for you," and closed
the doors upon them. He climbed the completely familiar stairs and
searched each floor. The fear that attended him suddenly increased.
He had a sudden and most eerie feeling that some presence was come
about him as he searched. He heard a voice cry: "My son! My son! We
have waited for you. Oh, we have waited for you!" Fear changed to a
flood of yearning emotion. He tried to cry, "It is you--you I am
looking for!" He could not speak, and wrestled for speech; and
wrestling, came back to consciousness of his surroundings. He was
streaming with perspiration, he found. He saw next that Mr. Amber's
eyes were open and looking at him, and heard him say, "Percival!"
Had that been the voice in that frightful dream?
"Mr. Amber! I knew you would know me!"
Recognition was in the eyes, but they were filming.
"Yes, he knows you," the nurse whispered.
Quite firmly, firmer than he had yet spoken: "Hold my hand--my lord,"
Mr. Amber said, and ended the words and ended life with a little
throaty sound.
The nurse disengaged their hands. "But I am so glad he did just
recognise you," she said kindly.
III
Old friend wind was in tremendous fettle that night. Percival battled
along Plowman's Ridge on his way back and had battled twenty minutes
when he cried aloud, venting his grief, and answering the nurse's
words, "He didn't recognise me!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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