Desmonde."
The doctor laid his hand on my head and said:
"I have not seen the patient before; an examination will doubtless help
me to answer your question, and to give you the help you ask. Rest
yourself, Miss, you will soon need a physician's aid yourself," and he
drew a chair close to the foot of the bed for me. Then he felt Hal's
pulse, stroked his head a little, and sat quietly down at the foot of
the bed just opposite me, and laid one hand over Hal's heart, leaning
forward a little, and looking as if half mystified. The few minutes we
sat there seemed to me an hour, waiting, as it seemed, for decision
between life and death. Suddenly Halbert sprang up and shouted:
"Here! here! this way, almost finished--hold my heart--hold it still;
I'll make Emily's eyes snap when I get home, ha, ha!" and then a sort of
gurgling sound filled his throat, and he placed both hands over his
chest, and sank back, while for an instant all the blood left his face.
I put my hand into Louis', and groaned, trying hard to control myself,
for I knew we were close to the shadows, and perhaps, "Oh, yes," I
comfortingly thought, "perhaps we need not pass through them all."
Doctor Selden moved to the head of his bed, and held both hands on Hal's
temples; for a few moments it seemed as if no one breathed, then Hal
drew a long breath as if he were inhaling something, and whispered:
"That feels good; my head is tired, tired, tired."
This gave me courage.
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