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.""Thank you, sir," said Beeves."I don't know what we should do without you,sir."When Harry returned, we carried the colonel up to his own room, and Beeves gothim to bed.I said something about a nurse, but Harry said there was no one sofit to nurse him as Adela.The poor man had never been ill before; and I daresayhe would have been very rebellious, had he not had a great trouble at his heartto quiet him.He was as submissive as could be desired.I felt sure he would be better as soon as he had told Adela.I gave Harry a hintof the matter, and he looked very much as if he would shout "Oh, jolly!" but hedid not.Towards the evening, the colonel called his daughter to his bedside, and said,"Addie, darling, I have hurt you dreadfully.""Oh, no! dear papa; you have not.And it is so easy to put it all right, youknow," she added, turning her head away a little."No, my child," he said in a tone full of self-reproach, "nobody can put itright.I have made us both beggars, Addie, my love.""Well, dearest papa, you can bear a little poverty surely?""It's not of myself I am thinking, my darling.Don't do me that injustice, or Ishall behave like a fool.It's only you I am thinking of.""Oh, is that all, papa? Do you know that, if it were not for your sake, I couldsing a song about it!""Ah! you don't know what you make so light of.Poverty is not so easy toendure.""Papa," said Adela, solemnly, "if you knew how awful things looked to me alittle while agobut it's all gone now!the whole earth black and frozen to theheart, with no God in it, and nothing worth living foryou would not wonder thatI take the prospect of poverty with absolute indifferenceyes, if you willbelieve me, with something of a strange excitement.There will be something tobattle with and beat."And she stretched out a strong, beautiful white armfrom which the loose opensleeve fell back, as if with that weapon of might she would strike poverty tothe earth; but it was only to adjust the pillow, which had slipped sideways fromthe loved head."But Mr.Armstrong will not want to marry you now, Addie.""Oh, won't he?" thought "Adela; or at least I think she thought so.But shesaid, rather demurely, and very shyly:"But that won't be any worse than it was before; for you know you would neverhave let me marry him anyhow.""Oh! yes, I would, in time, Adela.I am not such a brute as you take me for.""Oh! you dear darling papa!" cried the poor child, and burst into tears, withher head on her father's bosom.And he began comforting her so sweetly, that youwould have thought she had lost everything, and he was going to give her allback again."Papa! papa!" she cried, "I will work for you; I will be your servant; I willlove you and love you to all eternity.I won't leave you.I won't indeed.Whatdoes it matter for the money!"At this moment the doctor entered."Ah!" he said, "this won't do at all.I thought you would have made a betternurse, Miss Adela.There you are, both crying together!""Indeed, Mr.Henry," said Adela, rather comically, "it's not my fault.He wouldcry."And as she spoke she wiped away her own tears."But he's looking much better, after all," said Harry."Allow me to feel yourpulse."The patient was pronounced much better; fresh orders were given; and Harry tookhis leave.But Adela felt vexed.She did not consider that he knew nothing of what hadpassed between her father and her.To the warm fire-side of her knowledge, hecame in wintry and cold.Of course it would never do for the doctor to aggravatehis patient's symptoms by making love to his daughter; but ought he not to haveseen that it was all right between them now?How often we feel and act as if ourmood were the atmosphere of the world! It may be a cold frost within us, whenour friend is in the glow of a summer sunset: and we call him unsympathetic andunfeeling.If we let him know the state of our world, we should see therose-hues fade from his, and our friend put off his singing robes, and sit downwith us in sackcloth and ashes, to share our temptation and grief."You see I cannot offer you to him now, Adela," said her father."No, papa."But I knew that all had come right, although I saw from Adela's manner that shewas not happy about it.So things went on for a week, during which the colonel was slowly mending.Iused to read him to sleep.Adela would sit by the fire, or by the bedside, andgo and come while I was reading.One afternoon, in the twilight, Harry entered.We greeted; and then, turning tothe bed, I discovered that my friend was asleep.We drew towards the fire, andsat down.Adela had gone out of the room a few minutes before."He is such a manageable patient!" I said."Noble old fellow!" returned the doctor."I wish he would like me, and then allwould be well.""He doesn't dislike you personally," I said."I hope not.I can understand his displeasure perfectly, and repugnance too.ButI assure you, Mr.Smith, I did not lay myself out to gain her affections.I wascaught myself before I knew.And I believe she liked me too before she knew.""I fear their means will be very limited after this.""For his sake I am very sorry to hear it; but for my own, I cannot help thinkingit the luckiest thing that could have happened.""I am not so sure of that.It might increase the difficulty."At this moment I thought I heard the handle of the door move, but there was ascreen between us and it.I went on."That is, if you still want to marry her, you know.""Marry her!" he said."If she were a beggar-maid, I would be proud as KingCophetua to marry her to-morrow."There was a rustle in the twilight, and a motion of its gloom.With a quickgliding, Adela drew near, knelt beside Harry, and hid her eyes on his knee.Ithought it better to go.Was this unmaidenly of her?I say "No, for she knew that he loved her."As I left the room, I heard the colonel call"Adela."And when I returned, I found them both standing by the bedside, and the old manholding a hand of each."Now, John Smith," I said to myself, "you may go when you please."Before we, that is, I and my reader, part, however, my reader may be inclined toaddress me thus:"Pray, Mr.Smith, do you think it was your wonderful prescription ofstory-telling, that wrought Miss Cathcart's cure?""How can I tell?" I answer."Probably it had its share.But there were otherthings to take into the account [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
