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Show 278 !UOJL\IW 1/UIWIS. lu1ps, once or twice rcpclltcd, wns nil t]Jo ncknowlc~gmcn~ given by her lips to the annoynncc wllich tl10 constramt cvHlcntly put upon hor. . . . Jn tho mcnntime, wlHlt a tcn·Jblc lovclulcss slwnc m her countc1 ~:tnco and fOrm! 1l'hc JlytiJoncss, swelling with t ltc volu~ minous Grcs of tlJc god, were but a poor comparison to the divinity of dcsolatiOJl, sud1 ns she npp~arcd at that moment ~o my eyes. llcr long, black tresses, w!tJch we lmd let loose m ord er to cut, were thrown all around her own neck, n.ud pnrtinlly over my shoulders as I held l1?r. Ilcr eyes wcr~ siJootinO" out from tl1cir spheres-the wlt1tcs barely pcrccptlblc, as th~ dililting orbs seemed to occupy entirely the dry :md fiery cells from which they yet tln·entened momently to dnrt. l)urJlle lines ruH1 Llotches gleamed out upon nnd ns !mddenly disnp- 11enred from l1cr face-the consequence, probably, of her restraint, and the Yiolcnt exer t ions which sl1c made to get herself free from it · and her teeth and lips were set as resolutely as if death's last1 SJ)IlSm had been alrcrady undergone. Tf' they Jmd opened at nil, it was only wl1en sl1? ~Jttered t h.at heart-pie1~cin~ moan-so faint, so low, yet so tbnllmg, that 1t seemed to mdJcate at every utterance the breaking of some. v ital ~tring.. . In th is way she continued full two hours, Without mtcl'lmttmg Lcr struggles. l\Iy arms had grown weary of the rigid grnsp which I lmd been compelled to keep U!)Oll h er, and sheer exhaustion must have soon compelled me to r elax my hold. But by this time she, too, lmd become exl1austed. ; her cfl'orts grc~v fninter, tl1ough the insane direction of l10r mmd was not a wlut changed. Gradually, I felt 1JCr weight increase upon me, :md her own exertions almost entirely cease; and I thol1ght nt length that I mi .... ht safely return her to tllC couch. ll wns with some difficulty tl1at I did so, for l1er })OOr mother-miserable and infirm, not to My terrified-could give me no help; nnd the doctor no less terrified tl1an she, had hurried ofl~ on the first exhibition' of the maid~n's fury, to IH'Ocure 11er, as he promised, some medicine which was to be potenti:tl fOr everything. lll~t the doctor knew not the disease of his patient. With all Jus "pannaceti" he could do nothing for that "inward bruise" which was mortifying at l1er heart. l'f When fairly placed in the bed, I found it still somewhat ( 1 - DEA'l'U! 279 fieult to keep her there; and, in order to avoid g iving her pain, whicl1 the grasll of my llflnd n1igl1t do, I contr i,·cd to fold tho bedclothes in such a mauner about ll f'l' as not mdy to retard her movcmc11ts, but to enable us, by sitting upon citl1er side, to keep l1cr down. An old negro-servant was called in to nssist in this duty, and with the mother's aid I was Jlnrtially relieved. ·with a few struggles more, l1er eyes gmdually closed, a.nd her limbs seemed to relax in sleep. An occasional moan from her lips :done told us that she suffered still; and a sudden openi11g and flash ing of her eye at other moments still served to convince us that her show of sleep was deceptive. She slept not, and we were compelled to be watchful still. ' VI1ilc she remained in this situation, our doctor returned, to my gJ·c:1t surprise, bringing with him a score of bottles, with one nol)tnnn or another. He seemed a little more confident now iu what he should do, having most p robably, during l1is absence, consulted some book of authority in tl1e ci1·cle of l1is limited reading. 'l'lms prepared, l1e coml)Otmded a dose from some two o1· tltree Lottles, one of wl1icll, asafretida, soon tleclnrcd its qunlity to our nosh·ils, :md left 110 hope to Dr. llodgcs of makiug a meclicnl mystery-a practice so common nmoug small JH'actitioners-of tl1c agent by wl1ich he was to work t ho salnttion of the Jlllt icnt. I had no great l1opc of the potion wl1ich he hrougl1 t, for I had no great faith in the doctor; but I readily took the winegl:tss in which he com11ounded it, and addressed myself to the arduous task of forcing it down the thront of tho poor snfl'crer. J twas an arduous task indeed ! H er teeth were riveted together, and she seemed to 11nve just seuse enough to close them more tenaciously in definnce to our prayer ~hat sl1c might open tl1em. llcre wns a difliculty; Lut, ns H odges insisted upon the vital importance of the dose, cruel ns the operation seemed, I de termined to do all tl1at I coult1 to make her t:~.ke it. In our efforts we were at le11gth forced to pry her teeth apart with our fingers, and to force the glnss between tiJcm. It was an error to have used the wineglass in such n. s itun tion; and the reflection of a single instnnt would l1avo tnugl1t us to transfer the medicine ton spoon. We were taught this lesson Ly an incident of startling terror; for no sooner 1lnd wo put the edge of the glass between her divided teeth, thnn |
