The Soldier's Wife — page 213: what you’re looking at

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

19% was now close encugh for Reginald to observe that he was clad in rags, and that he had neither shoes nor stockings on his feet. So he pulled in his horse to a halt,—and said, “ My poor fellow, ou seem In gre: ub distress ¢ wait a moment, and 1 will relieve you.” “Thank you, sir—thank you,” answered the mian hastily, and in a somewhat strange and ex- cited tone: but still b» ty’ a0f stop. As he ppuke, however, he half-tarned and partially raised his duninite nance towards Mr. Herbert, who for a few instants was so shocked by the revolting aspect of this face, that he eould not give utterance to a word. It was a face seem- ing rather to belong to some unnatural monster than to a man; but as it has been before de- pernnbed to our readers, we need not enter upon the loathsome task of delineating it anew, “Why don't you stop # exclaimed Herbert, recovering his self-possession, and angry with himself that he should even by his temporary silence have appeared to revolt from the pre- sence of that wretched being, “ Here is some- thing for you?’—and thrusting his hand into his pocket, he drew forth several pieces of silver. | “Thank you, sir—thank you kindly,” said the stranger, now retracing the few steps he had taken past the spot where Mr. Herbert had pulled in his horse: and extending his hand, but without again raising his countenance, he received the liberal donation: then without another word he continued his way in a manner as if he were dragying himself along with a painful degree of haste. Mr. Herbert was so much struck by the pe- euliarity of this individual’s manner that he re: mained looking back at him for more than a minute: then urging on the borse again, be said to himself, ‘ Poor fellow, distress and suffering appear to have half crazed him.” In a short time Middleton was reacned; and Reginald, forgetting the incident which had oc- curred on the road, and thinking only of the beauteous Adela Clive, hastened to seek his comfortable couch at the hotel where he had taken up his quarters. At eight o’clock in the morning he was once more on horseback; and by nine he alighted at the entrance of Clive Hall. A groom was 1D readiness to receive the horse, and a footman to escort its rider to the breakfast-parlor. Adela was already there, with joy dancing in her eyes as she hastened forward to welcome her lover; and the Countess of Burton soon made her ap- pearance. But scarcely had they all three sat down to breakfast, when a footman entered the rool) Ib a sowew hat hasty and excited manner, -—and said, “ My lady, there is a strange man just been found in the out-house at the vend of the meadow; and he seems to be dying, He is badly wounded ; » and what with loss of blood aud the cold, he is in a very deplorable state. Such a dreadful object too !’—and the domes: tic shuddered visibly as he spoke. “A person dying !” exclaimed Adela, impul- sively anticipating in the generosity of her heart whatsover orders her mother might be dieposed to give upon the subject. “ Let him at ounce be brought into the house—let him be) had hitself placed i in his hand on the previous | co THE SOLDIER'S WIFE taken care of—let medical assistance be seul for.” “To be sure,” cried the Countess: “let all this be done—and done quickly. It must never be said that we suffered a poor creature to 1) as it were at our very door,” “IT will myself go and superintend the pro- ceeding,” exclaimed Mr, Herbert, starting from his seat: for in consequence of what the foot- man had said, the incident of the previous night was sudde wily recalled to his memory ; and it struck him that the unfortunate being now spoken of, was the same wretehed object whom le himself had encountered and relieved. He accordingly hastened from the break fast: parlor, followed by the footman ; and passing round to the rear of the spacious mansion, they hurried to the outhouse, which was about two hundred yards distant. It was a sort of shed where the huge roller for the meadows and several gar- den implements of a heavy kind were wont to be kept: and there the object of all this bene- volent solicitude had been found by one of the menials of the household. Three or four of the servants were already upon the spot, when Her- bert, followed by the footman, reached it; and every necessary succor was being rendered to the miserable man, who proved, as Reginald had conjectured, to be the rame that he had met in the road on the previous night. He had a wound on the side of the head—another on the shoulder ; and by the state of his tattered varments 1t was evident that he had lost a great deal of blood. When first found, it ap peared that he was in a state of complete in animiation—and his limbs were as rigid as if he had been frozen with the cold. Brandy waa now being administered to him; and the do- mestics seemed to lose sight of the loathsome ugliness of his countenance, in their generous zeal to save the life of a fellow creature, The spark of existence was not extinct: but the miserable being continued insensible of all that was passing dround him, By Mr. Herbert’s order he was at once conveyed towards the Hall, and borne into the nearest convenient chamber belonging to the domestics’ depart- ment of the mansion. His rags were stripped off him; and he was placed in a comfortable bed, warmed with a pan of coals for his recep- tion. The administration of proper restoratives was continued ; and a messenger was despatch- ed on horseback to the nearest village to fetch the surgeon,—bandages being in the meanwhile placed on the severe wounds which the man had received. He lived—he was recovering yradually — but remained unconscious of all that was going on. When the first hurry and bustle attendant upon all these proceedings had somewhat sub- sided, and as Mr, Herbert was about to leave the room where he had personally superiv- tended them, his attention was directed by one of the footmen to certain objects which had fallen out of the pocket of the man’s tattered garments as they were stripped off him. These things consisted of a handsome purse, well filled with gold and silver — several loose silver coins, no doubt those that Herbert Gomilchboo <) ¢