se himself from the bed.

"Stop, Scatcherd; I will give it you--I will help you. It may be
that habit is second nature." Sir Roger in his determined energy
had swallowed, without thinking of it, the small quantity which the
doctor had before poured out for him, and still held the empty glass
within his hand. This the doctor now took and filled nearly to the
brim.

"Come, Thorne, a bumper; a bumper for this once. 'Whatever the drink,
it a bumper must be.' You stingy fellow! I would not treat you so.
Well--well."

"It's as full as you can hold it, Scatcherd."

"Try me; try me! my hand is a rock; at least at holding liquor." And
then he drained the contents of the glass, which were sufficient in
quantity to have taken away the breath from any ordinary man.

"Ah, I'm better now. But, Thorne, I do love a full glass, ha! ha!
ha!"

There was something frightful, almost sickening, in the peculiar
hoarse guttural tone of his voice. The sounds came from him as
though steeped in brandy, and told, all too plainly, the havoc which
the alcohol had made. There was a fire too about his eyes which
contrasted with his sunken cheeks: his hanging jaw, unshorn beard,
and haggard face were terrible to look at. His hands and arms were
hot and clammy, but so thin and wasted! Of his lower limbs the lost
use had not returned to him, so that in all his efforts at vehemence
he was controlled by his own want of vitality. When he supported
himself, half-sitting against the pillows, he was in a continual
tremor; and yet, as he boasted, he could still lift his glass
steadily to his mouth. Such now was the hero of whom that ready
compiler of memoirs had just finished his correct and succinct
account.

After he had had his brandy, he sat glaring a while at vacancy, as
though he was dead to all around him, and was thinking--thinking--
thinking of things in the infinite distance of the past.

"Shall I go now," said the doctor, "and send Lady Scatcherd to you?"

"Wait a while, doctor; just one minute longer. So you will do nothing
for Louis, then?"

"I will do everything for him that I can do."

"Ah, yes! everything but the one thing that will save him. Well, I
will not ask you again. But remember, Thorne, I shall alter my will
to-morrow."

"Do so by all means; you may well alter it for the better. If I
may advise you, you will have down your own business attorney from
London. If you will let me send he will be here before to-morrow
night