The Price He Paid — page 203: what you’re looking at

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

194 A SICK-BED CONFESSION. “Oh, that plan will come to nothing,” decided Max. “She is notin yet, and I will take care she does not goin. But—this is most important—you must not tell your young lady that I am better, nor say a wordto herabout my discussion with the doctor, and the excellent appetite I have since de- veloped. I will tell her all that myself.” Christine looked rather startled at receiving these instructions. “Doctor, you will not be so unscrupulous as to go and act a part with that poor child?” she asked. “T am horribly unscrupulous in such matters,” declared the doctor, with sweet, equable frankness. “Besides, alll ask of youisto keep silence until I have spoken to Fraulein Agnes. We'll settle the rest, afterward.” The required promise could not be given, for at this juncture Agnes came in. That prudent youth, Dr. Brunnow, took good care not to display the fine animation which his late medical discussion had called forth in a manner surprising as it was satisfactory. He thought fit, by way of answer, feebly to hold out his hand to the young girl. Frau Christine thought he was acting abomin- ably, but she was too well disposed toward the secret design which prompted this abominable con- duct to rise in open revolt against it. She merely reported, therefore, that Dr. Berndt had called, but had left no new instructions, and seized the first op- portunity of hurrying from the room and leaving the young people together. Agnes had re-assumed her functions as nurse. “Take your medicine now,” she begged. “Dr. Berndt directed meto give it regularly. He only wrote this new prescription yesterday evening.” “Dr. Berndt gives me up for lost,” replied Max, “so it is quite useless for me to take his physic.” “No, no; don’t think that,” entreated Agnes, soothingly, her anxious face belying her words. “He only said that your illness might take a dan- gerous turn——” “T spoke to him myself this morning,” interrupted "eomichbooks (EO)