Читать книгу A Novel Without a Name - William Aubrey Burnage - Страница 11

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Night! and alone in the chamber of sickness, patiently watching by her father's side sat Janet Grey. Ten long days and longer nights had come and gone since that terrible morning, and her father was still alive. The feeble flame of hope was beginning to brighten, but even increasing hope could not make her cheerful to-night; and she shuddered every now and then in spite of the great cause she had for rejoicing the doctor's words in the morning, which she kept repeating to herself as if for a charm to drive away the fanciful pictures that would present themselves to her mind. 'He is getting on famously; and will be able to leave his bed in a week or two.' But it was no use. The most ugly and fantastic creatures would gape and grin at her from the walls, the bed-curtains, the glowing embers, and when she shut her eyes to escape from their hideous presence, they would crawl in through the lids and mock and mow at her with impish merriment.

The mice too appeared to have entered into the exigency, and made the scene still more dismal by persistently gnawing away at the wainscotting. Gnaw, gnaw, gnaw, with an industry worthy of a better cause, they gave a voice to the hideous creations of the girl's excited imagination, who seemed to chatter and scream like a troop of apes.

'It is no use!' she exclaimed. 'I cannot bear this any longer! I must get some one to stop up with me, or I shall go mad!' and seeing that her father was asleep, she left the room to call up one of the maids. She had not been away more than a few seconds, when her father woke. He looked round, and finding himself alone exclaimed huskily, 'I must do it now, or I may not have another chance! I will not live to be arrested, and a double dose of this medicine will put me out of their reach!' and taking the bottle from a table close to the head of the bed, he put it to his mouth. The sick man had, however, misjudged his own strength. The weight of the bottle, which was nearly full, was too much for him, and it fell to the floor and was smashed. 'I must wait my time. I may have another opportunity, if I am watchful,' he said, patiently. 'And if not, I will not bungle the next time I stab myself. I cannot live to meet the dishonour of an arrest for debt.'

The patient lay down again, and turned his face to the wall. 'Ah! it is a little thing to have no alternative left, but death or dishonor! And, my wife and child! I must leave them to the mercy of a cold and churlish world, with no other inheritance than the loathed name of a suicide.'

'Tread softly, Susan, we must not wake papa. Rest is of more value than physic!' said a low, sweet voice without the door, which was gently pushed open, and Janet returned to her seat by the bedside. 'Bring that chair here, Susan. Softly, or you'll make a noise!'

The chair was brought, but Susan was no sooner seated than a ring at the street door called her down. Janet waited nervously for the maid's return; and in a few minutes she came back, followed by the doctor.

'I am rather an early visitor this morning, you will think, Miss Janet; but I have to leave town by the first train, and so have called over to see that all was right before starting. How has our patient slept?'

'Papa has not woke since ten o'clock, sir; he has slept as peaceably as a child all night,' replied the young girl softly.

'He is getting on grandly. I shall be away for a week; but there is nothing to apprehend during my absence.'

'For a whole week!'

'Yes, Miss Janet, but I shall not desert you altogether the while. I have arranged with Dr. Webster to look after your father during my absence. But what is the matter with you, my child; you look quite feverish; let me feel your pulse.'

Janet mechanically placed her hand in Dr. Fulton's. 'I feel well, sir, only I have seen such horrible sights, and heard such dismal noises all night. I had to call Susan up to keep me company, I felt so strange,' she said, shuddering.

'Hem!' said the doctor, thoughtfully, 'You are nervous, I see! The confinement in the sickroom is too much for you. I will send you some physic too; and you must contrive to get out a little. Your mamma is too weak to be allowed to attend here yet; but now that our patient is getting well so quickly, you may leave him more to the servants, while you take outdoor exercise.'

'We do mind the master a bit, sir, when Miss Janet lays down!' said the housemaid.

'That is right, my girl; but you must relieve your young mistress a little more now, or we shall be having her laid up too. Just slip down, and see if you can get her a cup of tea.'

The girl left the room, and Dr. Fulton turned to the door, and locked it after her. 'I have some more bad news for you, my child!' he said, sadly, as soon as the maid was out of hearing; and drawing a chair to Janet's side, he sat down. 'You are a brave girl, and always look trouble calmly in the face, instead of sinking under it, as many older people do; and I am sure you will leave grief till the time for action has passed.'

'More bad news?' cried Janet in a voice of alarm.

'Speak lower, or you will wake the sleeper!'

Mr. Grey's face was in the shade; or the doctor, who was at the moment looking at him, would have seen his eyes open for a moment.

'Tell me quickly, sir; and I will listen quietly!' said Janet, with outward calmness. 'Do not keep me in suspense!'

Dr. Fulton rose and stepped to the bedside for a moment; then returning to his seat he said gently, 'You are aware of the cause that drove your father to attempt suicide. Well, his principal creditor, Sir Jonas Cadman, is waiting to arrest him, directly he is sufficiently recovered to be conveyed to the Marshalsea.'

Janet did not speak; but sat, gazing with tear-filled eyes upon the recumbent form of her father.

'I heard this quite accidently in the waiting room at Euston-square station, yesterday. I have been thinking that we might perhaps, be able to get him away into the country somewhere, before they think him well enough to arrest. I am going from town for a few days. Think the matter over; and when I return we will see what is to be done.'

'I only know of uncle Wilton, who could hide papa,' returned Janet after a few minutes consideration. 'But, they would be sure to search for him there.'

'I must be off again; for I have another call to make before I go to the station. I shall not have time to see your mamma, it is so late. Keep her quiet, and see that she gets her medicine regularly. Dr. Webster, will see her in the morning. It is half-past five, so I must hurry. Good-bye! We will see what is to be done, when I return!'

Janet's 'Good-bye, Dr. Fulton! and thank you very much for all your kindness!' was spoken in so mournful a tone, that the doctor paused, hand on door, and looked back. 'Come, come, my dear, I shall fancy that I have been mistaken in my estimate of your firmness, if you break down now. Remember, Miss Janet, young as you are, you are your parents' main stay now! Be a brave girl; and hold up a little longer. All will come right in the end!'

By a great effort Janet repressed the tears that would steal into her eyes; and studying her voice, she replied, 'I am all right again now thank you! The sad news you told me has upset me a little; but I will not give way again.'

'That's a brave girl! I will send you a bottle of physic over, which you must take. Good-bye.'

Susan brought up a cup of tea a few minutes after the doctor had left; 'If you please Miss, I can mind the master now, while you go and get a little sleep.'

'I could not sleep, if I did lay down Susan; so there is no use in trying. Go and see how mamma is. If she is awake, she might like a cup of tea too.'

Susan went away on her mission; and Janet, a prey to the direst forebodings, removed her chair to the fireside, and sat gazing into the glowing depths of the embers, and trying hard to think of some way out of the troubles that seemed to grow thicker and thicker every day.

The sick man eagerly watched her thoughtful face; and an expression of bitter agony lay dark upon his own features. 'My sweet child, I cannot live to be a source of trouble to you, and your mother! With my fortune I have lost my power of protecting and providing for you; and I will not live to bring disgrace as well as poverty upon you. Death is my only escape; and in dying, I have one consolation left—you have friends who will shelter and protect you, when the hateful shadow of my presence is removed. But, my God, it is hard to leave my darlings, even when I know it is for their good!' and the cold beads of perspiration stood thick and clammy upon his forehead in the agony of that moment.

'Yes I will go and see, him!' Janet suddenly exclaimed, forgetting for the instant the necessity for perfect quiet. 'He cannot be so cruel as to refuse to listen to me. I will go directly after breakfast. But I had better get a little sleep first, so I will go and see Susan to sit here for an hour or two,' and rising from her chair, she went in search of her maid. Long and patiently Mr. Grey strove to read the riddle of the few disjointed words she had spoken, and at last fell asleep in the midst of his unsuccessful cogitations and it was late in the morning, when he again woke. Susan was sitting by the fire spelling through a new novel that had been given her as a birthday gift the day before; but the moment her master moved in bed she was by his side.

'Where is Janet?' he asked in a low, weak voice.

'I don't know exactly, sir. She took a bus about an hour ago and went out.'

'What bottle is that on the mantelpiece?'

'It is not your physic, sir, I don't know what it is. I think it was there before you were ill.'

'Let me see it!'

Susan handed the bottle across to him.

'Yes, that will do!' he muttered and then, speaking aloud he continued, 'Susan, go down and see what letters have come for me while I have been lying here.'

'Shall I ask the missis sir?'

'Yes. Hurry along!'

Directly the girl was out of the room, Mr. Grey took the cork out of the bottle. A grim and ghastly smile lit up his thin features as he read the warning 'Poison' upon the label; and he said with a forced calmness, 'I bought this for another purpose; but it will perform its work with greater surety than that bungling knife. No warrant of arrest can touch me after a draught of this!' and putting the bottle to his lips he swallowed enough of the deadly fluid to kill a dozen men. He then carefully replaced the cork and stood the bottle upon the table, saying gloomily, 'They will fare much better without me. I could only be a drag to them now.'