“That cursed mare, North. She looked vicious. How was it, Leo?”
“She pulled, and one of the reins broke,” said Leo hoarsely. “There would have been an accident with any horse.”
“Yes, yes, of course,” said Mary faintly; “and I am very sorry, Hartley. The chaise – the expense. Thank dear Mrs Berens, and now let me try and walk home.”
“No, no, my dear,” said Mrs Berens, “you must not think of going. Stay here, and be nursed. I’ll try so hard to make you well.”
“I know you would,” said Mary gently; “but I shall be better at home. Leo, dear, help me up. No, no, Hartley; I did not want to send you away. I’m better now.”
She made an effort to rise, as the doctor looked on with eager eyes awaiting the result, at which his lips tightened, and he glanced at Mrs Berens.
For Mary Salis moved her hands and arms, and slightly raised her head, but let it fall again, and looked from one to the other wildly, as if her perplexity were greater than she could bear.
Hartley Salis caught his friend by the wrist, and then yielded himself, and followed the doctor as he moved from the room.
“North, old fellow,” he said, in an eager whisper, “what does that mean? Is she much hurt?”
“Try and bear it like a man, Salis. It may not be so bad as I fear, but I cannot hide from you the truth.”
“The truth! Good heavens, man, speak out!”
“Hush! She is too weak from the shock to bear it now. Let her learn it by degrees, only thinking at present that she is nerveless and stunned.”
“But you don’t mean – Oh, North!” cried the curate, in agony.
“Salis, old friend, it would be cruel to keep back the truth,” said the doctor, taking his hand. “It may not be so bad, but I fear there is some terrible injury to the spine.”
“Good heavens!” cried Salis wildly; “that means paralysis and death.”
“Let’s hope not, old friend.”
“Hope!” cried the curate wildly. “How has that poor girl sinned that she should suffer this?”
At that moment the truth had come home to Mary Salis that her injury was terrible in extent, and she lay there gazing wildly at her handsome sister, but seeing beyond her in the long, weary vista of her own life a helpless cripple, dragging her way slowly onward towards the end.
Then there was a low, piteous sigh, and Mrs Berens came quickly to the door.
“Doctor,” she whispered, “come back. Fainted!”
North hurried back into the room, to find Mary Salis lying back, white as if cut in marble, while her sister stood gazing at her in silence, making no movement to be of help.
“How I do hate that girl!” he muttered, as he went down on one knee by the couch.
Chapter Nine.
Dr North Sees a White Mark
Patient never had more assiduous attention than Mary Salis received from Dr North. He had formed his opinions about her case, but insisted upon having further advice, and Mr Delton – the old savant of the lecture – was proposed.
“I’m afraid he will want a heavy fee, Salis,” said North; “but you ought to make a sacrifice at a time like this, and his opinion is the best.”
“Any sacrifice; every sacrifice,” said the curate. “Send for him at once.”
Mr Delton came down and held a consultation with North.
He seated himself afterwards by Mary’s couch, where she, poor girl, lay, flushed, and suffering agony mentally and bodily, consequent upon this visit.
But when the grey-headed old man took her hand between both his, and sat gazing in her eyes, those eyes brimmed over with tears. The fatherly way won upon her, and she said softly, as she clung to him:
“Tell me the worst.”
He remained silent, gazing at her fixedly for some time, but at last he raised and kissed her hand.
“I will speak out,” he said gently, “because I can read in your sweet young face resignation and patience. To another, perhaps, I should have preached patience and hope; to you I feel that it would be a mockery, and I only say, bear your misfortune by palliating it with the work your intellect will supply.”
“Always to be a cripple, doctor – a helpless cripple?” she moaned.
“My child, your life has been spared. Patience. What seems so black now may appear brighter in time. You have those you love about you, and there is the faint hope that some day you may recover.”
“Faint hope, doctor?”
“I must say faint, my child. And now good-bye. I shall hear about you from our friend North. I congratulate you on having so able a friend. You may trust him implicitly. Good-bye.”
He raised her hand to his lips – a very unprofessional proceeding, but it did not seem so to Mary, as she lay there and watched the bedroom door close.
“Trust him? Yes,” sighed Mary, as she lay with her hands clasped, thinking of Horace North’s many kindly attentions to his patient. “Yes, to his patient!” she said bitterly. “A hopeless cripple! Oh, God, give me strength to bear it without repining. Good-bye, good-bye, my love – my love!”
There was a little scene going on in the dining-room at the Rectory, for in spite of Mrs Berens’ protestations, Mary Salis had been carried home.
The curate had thanked the old surgeon for coming down, and the old man had nodded, to stand thoughtfully, hat in hand, gazing out of the window with Salis.
“A very sad case, Mr Salis – a very sad case. So young and innocent and sweet.”
“Then there is no hope, sir?” said the curate hoarsely.
“Of her regaining her strength, sir?”
“Very little. But of her recovering sufficiently to lead a gentle, resigned, patient life, yes. You are a clergyman, sir. I need not preach to you of duty. Ah, Mr North, what about the train?”
“One moment, sir,” said the doctor, interrupting the whispered conversation he was holding with the curate.
The next minute he had asked the great surgeon a question, and received a short decisive answer, which was communicated to Salis.
“But, my dear sir,” he said, in remonstrance, “I have brought you down here on professional business. I am not a rich man. but still not so poor that – ”
“My dear Mr Salis, I am a rich man,” said the old surgeon, smiling, “and partly from my acquaintance with Dr North, partly from the pleasure it has given me to meet your sweet sister, I feel so much interest in her case that I must beg of you not to spoil a pleasant friendly meeting by introducing money matters. No, no; don’t be proud, my dear sir. I possess certain knowledge. Don’t deprive me of the pleasure of trying to benefit Miss Salis.”
“He’s a fine old fellow as ever breathed,” said North, returning to the Rectory, after seeing the great surgeon to the station.
“A true gentleman,” said the curate sadly. “How can I ever repay him?”
“He told me – by helping your poor sister to get well.”
“Ah!” sighed the curate; “it is a terrible blow.”
“Terrible,” acquiesced North. “But she’ll bear it, sir, ten times better than her sister Leo would. By the way, I haven’t seen her.”
“No; I have just been asking about her. The scene was too painful for her, poor girl, and she went out so as