Vashti's Fate — page 276: what you’re looking at

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

a] BANKRUPT, BOD¥ AND SOUL. 271 dread that was always preying upon him—the dread of his father’s fate.” Vashti sat much with her brother this day; she had in a measure recovered her self-possession, and remained with him, as well as Nora, through the night. He slept more this night, and Nora had also an oppor- tunity to obtain a little of the sleep she so much needed. In the morning Nora, who had begun to hope that he was resigning himself to his approaching death, was shocked . to perceive the hopeless terror of his eyes. ‘“The abscess is forming,” he said; ‘‘I know—I know it is.” And till the doctor came he sat like one already struck with death. Dr. Gracie did not attempt to conceal that it was true. Vashti rallied sufficiently to offer, after her fashion, con- solation to her horror-stricken brother. ‘¢Die bravely, Frank,” she said, but her lips were white ; ‘die bravely. You are escaping the fangs of a wolt more deadly than death. “Vou don’'t,know—you dont know!” he moaned. ‘«Death is the King of Terrors !” Afterward he sank into a kind of despairing apathy, from which, when Nora attempted to rouse him, he would only open his lips to say: “But I don’t want to die—I don’t want to die.” And so the day wore away, and the night, no one know- ing when death might knock at the door. The following day, about noon, the summons came. They were all collected there—Margery Gresham, Vashti, Nora, and Dr. Gracie, Philip, Elise, and Hubert. Frank wanted them all round him. ‘Comicboo ‘Ss co 0 hee