The Opposite House: A Novel — page 208: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

The Opposite House. 203 His heart quivered at the spectacle. He longed to start up, to rush forward, but sank back again, and a terrible pain in his arm and shoulder almost robbed him of consciousness asecond time. Groan- ing heavily, he let his head sink on the ground. The moss cooled his cheeks, and the broken stems of the heather mingled with his tangled hair. Minutes elapsed; then a burning thirst tortured him. He longed for a few drops of some refreshing drink, and feeling for the leather thong which held his field-flask, he raised it with a trembling hand to his lips. The brandy ran down histhroat hke fire, seemed to rouse his dormant vitality, and made the blood throb in his temples. Opening the uniform, he tried to strip off the sleeve. Again a stream of blood poured from the wound, dyeing the white rib- bon on his breast. The “ God guard you”’ was col- ored with a crimson stain. Traugott pressed his handkerchief on the wound, and once more at- tempted to rise, tottering forward a few steps only to fallagain. By hisside lay the French horseman. The bullet had pierced his breast; a dark stream was also flowing from a wound above his high boots, and his livid lips quivered from the terrible agony he was suffering. Unutterable sympathy overpowered the young officer. He again loosed his field-flask, bent over Comiclboolk<s