Page 238 (1/1)
Here, with a little ingenuity, a bed was made up of chairs and cushions, which Molly was too worn out to resist; and having seen her sink at once into an uneasy sluer room, where the others still held whispered conclave
"Dr Anstice"--Iris laid her hand on his arm, her voice full of the sweetest contrition--"you have had nothing to eat and you ry," he assured her truthfully; but she refused to listen to his protests; and calling Mrs Wood to her assistance she soon had a h the resources of the establishment were limited to tinned food and coffee boiled over a little spirit stove, Anstice was in nowhich Iris set before him Indeed he could hardly take his eyes froht have beenfinished his hasty meal and assured his kind hostesses that he felt a hundred per cent better thereby, Anstice turned to Mr Wood with a new seriousness
"It is nearly eleven o'clock," he said, "and I suppose we should be thinking of taking up our positions? If you and Mr Garnett are ready, I'll call Hassan to take charge of the otherfor a little while, and have a look at reed; and Anstice left the themselves at their posts while he entered the next roo the invalid
As he approached Cheniston's side he saw that as yet no fatal change had occurred Bruce still lay in a kind of stupor, half-sleep, half-unconsciousness; but his pulse was not perceptibly weaker, and for a wild moment Anstice considered the possibility of his patient's recovery--a possibility which, however, he dared hardly entertain as he looked at the haggard face, the sunken eyes, the peeling lips
When Iris entered aher call him immediately should Bruce awaken; and as she acquiesced and sat down on the hard chair lately vacated by theof rather helpless compassion
"Mrs Cheniston, I'm so awfully sorry to have to ask you to sit up You're worn out, I know, and I wish you could get some sleep"
"Oh, don't bother about me!" She smiled up at hiue in her face "I', you know--and I can sleep to- them very sad--"do you think there is any possibility of Bruce being better in the ?"