A servant brought the wine, and I moistened
his colorless lips with it. How I felt, it is useless to describe. Words
would fail to express my terror.
The rich, warm juice of the grape and the application of stimulants
seemed to restore him to life. His first effort on recovering was to call
me by name. I answered by bending over him and bathing his pale forehead.
At this he smiled, pleased and happy.
"Now, Herbert, my poor boy," said Mr. Bristed, "if it will not fatigue
you too much to talk, tell us how you came here. Who brought you? Why did
you leave Bristed Hall?"
"Uncle Richard brought me," said he, heaving a melancholy sigh. "He came
after you had gone, uncle, and told me that Agnes Reef was sick and going
to die, and wanted to see me and you, and that if you were home you would
let me go, because you loved her; and I thought so too. He gave me this
ring which Agnes sent so I would know it was her." And, saying this, he
held up a thin, transparent hand, and there, indeed, upon it gleamed one
of my rings, so loose that the wasted fingers could scarce retain it.
"My ring! So Richard gave you that," said I, with scorn I could not
conceal, even in the sick chamber.
"Yes," he murmured, "and he told me he would bring me straight back
before uncle got home, and he brought me here into this room, but Agnes
was not here.
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