Joseph Wilmot, or, The Memoirs of a Man-Servant — page 171: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

1 rer ee ntl 158 and that puts me in mind of 3? forget things what I one day said “ Nonsense, Dominie!’”’ interrupted Mr. Salt- coats: “ one would think you had enough of the widow Glenbucket after the precious scene in the coffee-room. But it is true, my dear Wilmot, I did forget to mention something—which is, that one of the sbirri who brought you home, happened, as the courier told me, to be likewise one of the two that came to arrest you in the assault case.” Here the surgeon, exercising his professional authority, interfered to prevent farther discourse ; and by the aid of my friends I got to bed—for I felt very weak and faint. Mr. Saltcoats declared that be should sit up with me all night—a pro- posal that was seconded by the Dominie, who was thereby reminded of how he had once passed a similar vigil when his friend Baillie Owlhead broke his neck: and then he recollected that i$ could not have been his neck, or else he could scarcely have lived over twenty good years afterwards, and be still alive. I positively refused to keep the two gen- tlemen from their beds; and the matter was cut short by the entrance of an elderly female belong- ing to the hotel, and whom the surgeon had en- gaged to act as my nurse. The Dominie and Mr. Saltcoats accordingly retired—though/with consi- derable reluctance: for they experienced «the most friendly interest on my behalf. Sleep soon visited my eyes; and I slumbered tranquilly until about nine o’clock in the morning,—when I awoke so much refreshed that I could scarcely believe my wound was one-tenth part so severe as it actually was. The surgseon came and examined it: I saw by his countenance that it was progressing most favourably; and I asked him if I might not get up. He replied positively in the negative: I was about to remonstrate, and to represent that I had urgent business requiring my attention—when I reflected how useless it would be to argue the point; for that he was sure to reiterate the decree that I must remain nailed to my couch—while I on the other hand was equally determined to leave it if possible. Having dressed my wound, and given some directions to the nurse, he went away, —intimating that there was no necessity for him to return until the afternoon; and he had not been goné many minutes when I was visited by the Dominie and Saltcoats. I wanted to be left to myself not merely to deliberate, but also to act if I could muster strength sufficient: I therefore pleaded headache and exhaustion—and thus mas | naged to get rid of them. I then affected to sleep ; and the nurse left me. The instant I was alone, I got carefully out of bed to ascertain whether I was strong enough to stand upon my legs; and to my joy I found that I was,—although I certainly felt exceedingly weak. Then I lay down again,—having consulted my watch, which showed me that it was now ten o’clock. I reflected that it was much too late to send a message to Avellino; and, according to an arrangement of the preceding evening, he must have started two hours back on his ride into the country. Therefore, if I had wished to postpone the meeting with Antonia until the following day, I could scarcely have done so—or at all events not without causing Avellino to experience the most painful anxiety by not keeping my appointment 7 Se JOSEPH WILMOT; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF A MAN-SERVANT. with him at the coffee-house. And then too the Lady Antonia herself would be perplexed and full of apprehension if I did not visit her according to promise. But I had really no wish to break these appointments, now that I had once found myself strong enough to stand upon my legs; and I was therefore resolved to keep them at any risk or peril to myself. But I determined to lie in bed another hour—then get up—summon the waiter, dress by his aid—and set off at once in a hackney-coach, in defiance of all the representa- tions which the nurse or any one else might make to me. Scarcely had I thus revolved all thesé things in my mind, when the nurse opened the door gently ; and perceiving that I was not asleep, she intro- duced an individual whom I immediately recog- nised as the interpreter who had officiated at the examination at the magistrate’s office. He made a low bow; and walking on tip-toe up to the bed, expressed a hope that I found myself better and that I should soon get over the injury I had sus- tained. I thanked him for his civility—and re- quested to be informed of the business which had brought him thither,—adding, “I presume you have been sent by the magistrate to receive what- soever I may have to say in respect to the trans- action of last night ?” “Not exactly, sir,” answered the interpreter: “for one of the ruffians—be on whom you be- stowed a thrust with his own dagger—has saved you a world of trouble on that account by con- fessing everything.” “Was the wound mortal ?” I hastily inquired. “No, sir,” rejoined the interpreter,—“ though at the instant the fellow thought it was I mean at the instant when he regained his con- sciousness—which was very soon after the sbirri came up to the spot.” “ And the other man?” I asked. “Oh! he was merely stunned: but they are both in gaol now, and will be severely punished for their villany.” I was glad to hear that neither of the mis- creants had lost their life by my hand: for al. though it would have been the extreme of fastidi- ousness to reproach myself even if both had perished under such circumstances,—yet at the same time I felt more satisfied at not having caused the death of a fellow-creature, however much such a doom might have been merited. “And now,” I said, “will you have the kind- ness to tell me how fares it with the individual, whoever he might be, that I was fortunate enough to save from being plundered—perhaps murdered —by those miscreants ?” “Excuse me, sir,” answered the interpreter; “but it would be better if I were to give youa hasty sketch of what took place upon the occasion, after the sbirri came up; and then you will all the more easily comprehend the purport of the mission on which the magistrate has sent me.” “Proceed,” I said: “but use as few words as possible; for, as you may readily suppose, I am in no mood for the excitement of discourse.” “T will be as brief as I can,” rejoined the inter. preter. “It seems, sir, that a patrol of sbirri re- ceived information of two or three suspicious. looking men lurking about that particular neigh- bourhood last night: and they kept upon the DOOKS (CO)