The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1910-01-07
CHAPTER XIX.

The next day Mrs. Saville did not
feel equal to write or attend to bust
ness. Her head felt heavy and giddy,
she said; SO she ordered the ram
shackle carriage and drove to the cha
teau, hoping the air would revive her.
1t did not, however. She said she felt
inclined to sleep-that the air was too
strong for her, or rather that she had
grown too weak for the air-that the
place made her melancholy, and she
would leave next day. Hope persuad-
ed her to try and rest. She covered
her over with wraps; for, though the
day was warm, she complained of cold,
and shivered good deal. Hope took
her knitting and sat patiently beside
her for more than an hour, during
which Mrs. Saville slept heavily, some
times moaning; then she woke sudden
ly, as if startled, and thought she
heard several people enter the room
noisily. She was better, and insisted
on taking little walk on the beach.
At dinner she could not eat, but COM
planned of great thirst Feeling severe
headache and drowsiness, she went
early to bed Hope felt more uneasy
than she cared to confess, and persuad-
ed Mrs. Saville to let her maid sleep
in her room
Then she retired herself, first to
write at considerable length, then to
seek forgetfulness in her bed. But, in
vain; her nerves were strained, and an
irresistible presentiment of evil weigh
ed her down.
The long. wakeful, restless night
wore through.
At early dawn Jessop came into Miss
Desmond's room with an alarmed look
on her face.
II am afraid Mrs. Saville is very
i'll, miss. / have never seen her like
this. She has been wandering off and
on all night about Mr.. Hugh and her
husband, that no one ever hears her
speak about. Just now she is asleep.
What will become Of us in this poor.
miserable place If my lady gets really
i'll? Why, we couldn't get a doctor;
though that queer man we saw on the
road yesterday, they tell me, is a very
clever doctor, but he lives miles and
miles away"
II shall get up and dress at once"
returned Hope, much alarmed. II
will come to Mrs. Saville directly"
She dressed accordingly, little think
ing how long it would be before she
should again go regularly to bed.
Mrs. Saville seemed quite herself
when Hope reached her bedside, except
that her hands and skin were dry and
burning, her eyes bright and restless.
She wanted to get up in order to Ire
pare for her journey to London She
seemed feverishly anxious to be at
speak about Mr.. Rawson as if he were
there, though they both knew he had
started with his daughter for Switzer-
land; also she talked of her will, and
her fear that if she died intestate her
son Hugh would get as much of her
property as his brother.
AS soon as she could get away, Hope
called the landlord and begged him to
dispatch a mounted messenger for the
doctor, to whom she hastily wrote a
note describing the condition of the
sufferer as accurately as she could.
This done, there was nothing for it but
waiting.
This waiting tried Hope severely.
She felt, moreover, what a weight of
responsibility lay upon her.
Though Jessop was full Of express
sions of sympathy and woe, her pale
face and nervous manner showed how
unfit she was for a sick-nurse.
Hope waited for the doctors report
before she wrote to Mr.. Rawson's part
ner for help and counsel.
Richard Saville was away cruising,
nobody knew where: Mr.. Rawson was
travelling; Lord Everton-who could
find him? and she felt. she knew. that