The Soldier's Wife — page 198: what you’re looking at

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

THE SOLDIER'S WIFE, abrupt and so quickly over, that it was not no- ticed by Lady Redburn—nor yet by Aunt Jane’s maid, who was in attendance upon her mistress. As for Aunt Jane herself, she was in precisely the condition which Sir Arehibald had described: that is to say, she had been restored from her swoon, but appeared to be unconscious of all that was passing around her. Mr. Colycinth questioned tie maid as to the origin of the fit, and other details which it was necessary for him to learn: but even while I's: tening to the responses given to his queries, he had < certain air of pre-occupation which both Lady Redburn and the maid did notice, and which they attiibuted to an affectation of grave professional solemuity, Two or three times did Mr. Colycinth glance around the room; and even While feeling the patient's pulse with one hand and holding his, watch in the other, his eyes travelled away from the dial, and settled themselves first on one piece of furniture—then Qn another, ) “There is nothing serious to'apprehend,” he gaid at length. “* Miss Redburn must have experienced some shock—or her feelings by sowie means or other must have been greatly excited fi “And yet I cannot understand how,” ob- served Lady Redburn, somewhat disdainfully exhibiting her mistrust of the professional man’s explanatious. ‘“ My son Captain “Redburn had merely been talking of a certain court-martial beld on a soldier in his regiment “One Frederick Lousdale,” said the maid. “Perhaps -you remember the name, Mr, Coly- cinth? He lived in Oakleigh before he en- listed.” But the surgeon made no reply: he was now gazing intently upon the counteuance of his pa- tient—whv, on her part, with her eyes wide Open, Was staring in glassy Vacancy at the cur- tains at the foot of the bed. “Well, I will go and send up some medicine at once,” ejaculated Mr, Colycinth, starting up from his seat by the side of the couch in a some- what abrupt manner : and then again were his eyes swept around the chamber. “ Miss Red- burn must be kept very quiet ? “Oh, of course!” said her ladyship, with a slight toss of the head; “ you need scarcely tell us that. Indeed you ought to know that Miss Redburn will receive every attention: and per- haps it would be better to send over to Middle- ton for the regular family physician, who is a very clever man.” This remark was superciliously insolent enough: but Mr. Colycinth did not appear to nutice it ;—and again for a few moments did he gaze with singular abstraction upon the wasted, guastly, and almost fleshless countenance of the patient. ‘Then suddenly catching up his hat, he repeated his former intimation that he would hasten home to send up some medicine; and he moved towards the door without even the cere- mony of a bow to Lady Redburn, and without pausiwg to see whether she meant to conduct him away from the chamber, as she had brought him thither, “ Well, upon my word !” said Lady Redburn, With a more indignant toss of the head than she 12 \ 177 had previously given: * this paltry village sur- geon suddenly seems to consider hin self a great man, now that he is formally called in to attend upon a Baronet’s sister !” But Mr. Colycinth heard not this haughty, insolent remark ; or if he heard, he did not heed it; and, issuing from the chamber, he hurried forth from the passage, Lady Redburn follow- ed him, for the purpose of calling him to ae- count for daring to pass out of the room before her: aud indeed she was resolved to “ take hina well to task,” and “give him a piece of her mind !” “Mr. Colycinth !” she exglaimed—* Mr. Coly- cinth, I say !—come here, sir! Stop! I wish to speak to you! What insolence !—what pre- sumption! But what does the man mean? That is uot the way back to the drawing-room— it leads down to the servants’ offices—it is a private staircase, sir—I insist that you do not intrude there |” But still Mr. Colycinth heeded her not; and, ag the reader has most probably understood, instead of passing along the passage, he had abruptly turned off down that stairease which has previously been described. “ One—two—three—four ;” and the surgeon counted the steps in an audible manner as he descended them. “Why, the man is mad!” eried Lady Red- burn; “his head is certainly turned !” “ Five—six—seven—eight ;” and still did Mr, Colycinth go on counting the steps as he de- scended that staircase, ull at length a turning eoncealed him from the view of Lady Redburn, who had remained standing at the top. “ THe is certainly mad,” she again said to her- self; “and the sooner he gets out of the house, the better :” She then continued her own way along the passage, and down the principal staircase, to the drawing-room—where she related to her husband and Mr. Arden the details of Mr, Coly- cinth’s singular behavior. The Baronet began to fume, and speak in a high and lofty tone of what he termed “the airs of a paltry, beggarly village-surgeon :” but Mr. Arden, with a very strange expression of countenance, turned away to the window, and seemed to be looking forth upon the park—whereas in reality he was ga- zing on vacancy, and his entire aspect again denoted the mighty trouble that was agitating in his soul Meanwhile, Mr. Colycinth had descended the private staircase, counting every step, till he reached the bottom—and thus numbering alto- vether sixty-two. He emerged into the yard, and stood for a few moments gazing round him, to the surprise of some of the servants who |beheld him through the windows of the offices, aud who could not think what he was doing, or what possessed him. One of them at length came to the conclusion that he must have lost his way, and therefore accosted him with a ques- tion to that effect; but Mr. Colycinth, who ap- peared completely abstracted, gave no reply> and, passing out of the yard by a door the po- sition of which he seemed to have been particu: larly examining, he found himself in the garden, There he again looked about, and then struek # CORNICE OOOlKS (©)