FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89  
90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   >>   >|  
tall our asking any questions: "I am not at liberty to mention anything of my mission; where it was to, what it was for, or anything at all about it. Such matters are in confidence between Mr. Trelawny and myself; I am pledged to absolute secrecy." He paused, and an embarrassed look crept over his face. Suddenly he said: "You are sure, Miss Trelawny, your Father is not well enough to see me today?" A look of wonderment was on her face in turn. But it cleared at once;--she stood up, saying in a tone in which dignity and graciousness were blended: "Come and see for yourself!" She moved toward her father's room; he followed, and I brought up the rear. Mr. Corbeck entered the sick-room as though he knew it. There is an unconscious attitude or bearing to persons in new surroundings which there is no mistaking. Even in his anxiety to see his powerful friend, he glanced for a moment round the room, as at a familiar place. Then all his attention became fixed on the bed. I watched him narrowly, for somehow I felt that on this man depended much of our enlightenment regarding the strange matter in which we were involved. It was not that I doubted him. The man was of transparent honesty; it was this very quality which we had to dread. He was of that courageous, fixed trueness to his undertaking, that if he should deem it his duty to guard a secret he would do it to the last. The case before us was, at least, an unusual one; and it would, consequently, require more liberal recognition of bounds of the duty of secrecy than would hold under ordinary conditions. To us, ignorance was helplessness. If we could learn anything of the past we might at least form some idea of the conditions antecedent to the attack; and might, so, achieve some means of helping the patient to recovery. There were curios which might be removed.... My thoughts were beginning to whirl once again; I pulled myself up sharply and watched. There was a look of infinite pity on the sun-stained, rugged face as he gazed at his friend, lying so helpless. The sternness of Mr. Trelawny's face had not relaxed in sleep; but somehow it made the helplessness more marked. It would not have troubled one to see a weak or an ordinary face under such conditions; but this purposeful, masterful man, lying before us wrapped in impenetrable sleep, had all the pathos of a great ruin. The sight was not a new one to us; but I could see that Miss Trelawny, l
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89  
90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Trelawny

 
conditions
 

friend

 

helplessness

 
ordinary
 

watched

 

secrecy

 
quality
 

trueness

 

courageous


bounds

 

undertaking

 

unusual

 

secret

 

require

 
recognition
 

liberal

 

recovery

 

relaxed

 

marked


sternness
 

helpless

 

stained

 
rugged
 

troubled

 

pathos

 

impenetrable

 

purposeful

 

masterful

 

wrapped


infinite

 

attack

 

achieve

 

helping

 

antecedent

 
patient
 
pulled
 

sharply

 
beginning
 

thoughts


curios

 

removed

 
ignorance
 
familiar
 
Father
 

wonderment

 
dignity
 
graciousness
 
blended
 

cleared