The Story of Antony Grace Part 98

"What?" she cried pa.s.sionately, as she half-started from him, but clung to him still; "now that I have conquered my wretched, miserable pride, will you raise up another barrier between us?"

"Oh, hush, hus.h.!.+" he whispered; "you are opening to me the gates of a worldly heaven, but I dare not enter in."

"Then I have done nothing," she wailed, as she seemed to crouch there now in shame and confusion by his bed. "Stephen, you humble me in the dust; my shameless declaration--my appeal--do I not ask you to take me-- pray you to make me your wife? Oh, what am I saying?" she cried pa.s.sionately; "it is too late--too late!"

"No," he panted; and his words seemed to come each with a greater effort, "not--too late--your words--have--given--me life. Miriam-- come--hold me in your arms, and I shall stay. A little while ago I felt that all was past, but now, strength seems to come--we must wait--I shall conquer yet--give me strength to fight--to strive--wait for me, darling--I'll win you yet, and--G.o.d of heaven! hear her prayer--and let me--ah--"

"Quick, Miss Carr, he has fainted," I whispered, as his head sank back.

"Let me give him this."

His face was so ghastly that I thought he had pa.s.sed away; but, without waiting to pour it out in a gla.s.s, I hastily trickled some of the strong stimulant medicine he was taking between his lips, and as Miss Carr, with agonised face, knelt beside him, holding his hand, there was a quiver in his eyelids, and a faint pressure of the hand that held his.

The signs were slight, but they told us that he had but fainted, and when, at last, he re-opened his eyes, they rested upon Miss Carr with such a look of rest and joy, that it was impossible to extinguish the hope that he might yet recover.

He was too weak to speak, for the interview had been so powerful a shock to his system, that it was quite possible for the change we saw in his face to be but the precursor of one greater, so that it was with a sense of relief that I heard the doctor's step once more upon the stairs, and Mary's knock at the door.

I offered Miss Carr my hand to take her into the next room, and as if waking out of a dream, she hastily rose and smoothed back her hair, but only to bend down over the sufferer, and whisper a few words, to which he replied with a yearning look that seemed to bring a sensation of choking to my throat.

The doctor pa.s.sed us on his way in, and I led Miss Carr into the front room, where Linny was sobbing on the couch, and Mrs Hallett was sitting back, very white and thin, in her chair.

As we entered Linny started up, and in response to Miss Carr's extended hands, threw her arms round her neck, and kissed her pa.s.sionately.

"Dear sister!" I heard Miss Carr murmur; and then she turned from Linny, who left her and glanced at me.

"Mrs Hallett," I said simply, "this is Miss Carr."

I hardly knew what I said, for Miriam was so changed. There was a look of tenderness in her eyes, and a sweet smile just dawning upon her lip as she advanced towards the invalid's chair, and bent down to kiss her; but with a pa.s.sionate look of jealousy and dislike, Hallett's mother shrank from her.

"Don't touch me!" she cried. "I knew that you were here, but I could not leave my chair to curse you. Murderess, you have killed him! You are the woman who has blasted my poor boy's life!"

A piteous look of horror came into Miss Carr's face, and she sank upon her knees by the great cus.h.i.+oned chair.

"Oh, no, no!" she said piteously. "Do not accuse me. You do not--you cannot know."

"Know!" cried Mrs Hallett, whiter than ever with the feeling of dislike and pa.s.sion that animated her; "do I not know how you have robbed me of my poor dying boy's love; how you have come between us, and filled his head with foolish notions to invent--to make money--for you?"

"Oh, Mrs Hallett, for shame!--for shame!" I exclaimed indignantly.

"Silence, boy!" she cried, looking at me vindictively. "Do you think I do not know all because I sit helpless here? You, too, have helped to encourage him in his madness, when he might have been a professional man by now. I know all, little as you think it, even how you, and this woman, too, fought against me. That child might have been the wife of a good man now, only that he was this wretched creature's lover."

"Mother," cried Linny pa.s.sionately, "are you mad? How dare you say such things!"

"That's well," she cried. "You turn against me now. My boy is dying: you have killed him amongst you, and the same grave will hold us both."

"Mrs Hallett," said Miss Carr, in her low, sweet voice; and the flush of pride that had come for a few moments into her face faded out, leaving nothing but resignation there, as she crouched there upon her knees by the invalid's chair, "you do not know me, or you would not speak to me like this. Don't turn from me," she said, taking One of the poor weak woman's trembling hands.

"Out of my sight, wretch!" she cried. "Your handsome face fascinated him; your pride has killed him! and you have come to triumph in your work."

"No, no, no," sobbed Miss Carr in a broken voice, "do not condemn me unheard; I have come to tell him how I love him. Mother, dear mother,"

she cried, "be pitiful to me, and join your prayers to mine that he may live."

Poor weak suffering Mrs Hallett's face changed; her lips quivered, her menacing hands trembled, and with a low moaning wail she bent down, clasping Miriam to her breast, sobbing aloud as she rocked herself to and fro, while Miriam clung to her, caressing the thin worn face, and drawing herself closer and closer in a tight embrace.

How long this lasted I cannot tell, but it was interrupted by the entrance of the doctor, who came in very softly.

"He is in a very critical state," he said in answer to the inquiring eyes of all. "Hush, my good woman, you must try and be firm," he said parenthetically to Mary, who was trying hard to smother her sobs in her ap.r.o.n. "A nurse ought to have no feelings--I mean no sympathies. As I said," he continued, "our patient is in a very critical state, but he has now sunk into a very restful sleep. There is an access of strength in the pulse that, however, may only be due to excitement, but your visit, ma'am," he continued to Miss Carr, "seems to have wrought a change--mind," he added hastily, "I don't say for the better, but there is a decided change. I will come in again in a couple of hours or so; in the meantime, let some one sit by his bed ready to give him the stimulant the instant he wakes, but sleep may now mean life."

The doctor went softly away, and as he closed the door, Miss Carr knelt down once more by Mrs Hallett's chair, holding up her face, and the poor invalid hung back for a moment, and then kissed her pa.s.sionately.

"G.o.d forgive me!" she wailed. "I did not indeed know you, but you have robbed me of my poor boy's love."

"No, no," whispered Miss Carr softly. "No, no, dear mother, we will love you more and more."

Miriam Carr's place was by the sick man's pillow all that afternoon and evening, and right through the weary night. I had been to Westmouth Street to say that she might not return, and at her wish had brought back from Harley Street one of the most eminent men in the profession, who held a consultation with Hallett's doctor.

The great man endorsed all that had been done, and sent joy into every breast as he said that the crisis was past, but that on no account was the patient to be roused.

And all that night he slept, and on and on till about eight o'clock the next morning, Miss Carr never once leaving his side, or ceasing to watch with sleepless eyes for the slightest change.

I had gone softly into the room the next morning, just as he uttered a low sigh and opened his eyes.

"Ah, Antony," he said in a low whisper, "I have had such a happy, happy dream! I dreamed that--Oh, G.o.d, I thank Thee--it was true!"

For just then there was a slight movement by his pillow, and the next moment his poor weary head was resting upon Miriam's breast.

CHAPTER FIFTY NINE.

MY INHERITANCE.

"Oh, Master Antony, ain't she a' angel!" exclaimed Mary.

This was one day during Stephen Hallett's convalescence, for from the hour of Miriam Carr's visit, he had steadily begun to mend. He showed no disposition, however, to take advantage of his position, and I was not a spectator of his further interviews with Miss Carr. She looked brighter and happier than I had seen her look for a long time, and by degrees I learned that with his returning strength Hallett had determined upon achieving success before he would ask her to be his wife.

He asked her, so she told me, if he had not her to thank for the a.s.sistance he had received, and she had confessed to the little deception, begging him to let her help him in the future; but this he had refused.

"No," he said; "let me be worthy of you, Miriam. I shall be happier if I try," and she gave way, after exacting a promise from him that if he really needed her a.s.sistance he would speak.

Hallett seemed rapidly to regain his strength now, and appeared to be living a new life as he devoted himself heart and soul to the perfection of his invention.

I believe that I honestly worked as hard, but, in spite of all our efforts, nine months pa.s.sed away, and still the work was not complete.

It was a pleasant time, though, and I could not help noticing the change that had come over Miriam Carr.

Her sister's husband had given up his appointment, and was now in town, residing with his young wife in Westmouth Street, where, about once a fortnight, there was a meeting, when Hallett would take Linny, and Tom Girtley, Mr Ruddle, and several of our friends would a.s.semble.

I look back upon it as a very happy time. The old sordid feeling of my wretched early life seemed to have dropped away, now that I was winning my way in the world; and Hallett had told me that I was to share in his success, even as I had shared his labours.