ould hear nothing of
the dialogue that passed so near me. An occasional sting of pain shot
through me as the dressing proceeded; but save this, I had little
consciousness of anything.

At length, like one awakening from a heavy slumber, with faculties
half clouded by the dreamy past, I looked around me. All was still and
motionless in the room. The doctor sat beside the sick man's bed; and
Darby, his eyes riveted on me, knelt close to my chair, and held his
hand upon the bandage over my wound.

A gentle tap here came to the door, and the child I had seen before
entered noiselessly, and approaching the doctor, said, "the car is come,
sir."

The old man nodded in silence, and then, turning towards Darby, he
whispered something in his ear. M'Keown sprang to his legs at once, his
cheek flushed deeply, and his eyes sparkled with animation.

"I have it! I have it!" cried he, "There never was such luck for us
before."

With that he drew the old man to one side, and speaking to him in a
low but rapid tone, evinced by the violence of his gestures and the
tremulous eagerness of his voice how deeply he was interested.

"True enough, true enough," said the old man, after a pause. "Poor Dan
has but one more journey before him."

"Is he able to bear it, doctor?" said Darby, pointing towards me with
his finger; "that's all I ask. Has he the strength in him?"

"He'll do now," replied the other, gruffly; "there's little harm done
him this time. Let him taste that whenever you find him growing weak;
and keep his head low, and there 's no fear of him."

As he spoke, he took from a cupboard in the wall a small phial, which
he handed to M'Keown, who received the precious elixir with as much
reverence as though it contained the very wellspring of human existence.
"And now," said Darby, "the less time lost now the better; it will soon
be daylight on us. Master Tom, can you rise, acushla? are you able to
stand up?"

I made the effort as well as I could, but my limbs seemed chained down,
and even my arm felt like lead beside me.

"Take him on your back," said the old man, hurriedly; "you 'll stay here
till sunrise. Take him downstairs, on your back, and when you have him
in the open air, turn him towards the wind, and keep his head low,--mind
that."

I made another attempt to stand up; but before I could effect it,
Darby's strong arms were round my waist, and I felt myself lifted on his
shoulder and borne from the room, A mutter