The King of the School, or, Who will Win? — page 81: what you’re looking at

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

THE KING OF THE SCHOOL; OR, WHO WILL WIN? During this time Frank once more opened his eyes. | The two swoons had, to a certain extent, weakened his brain; he had no recollection of where he was or how he had come there. Being far too weak to turn his body, or even his head, he could only look straight before him, and there, to his great surprise, he saw his mother. In a vague way he began to speculate how she could possibly have come there. “YT didn’t send. She didn’t write. Where am I?” he thought. “It’s a strange place, I can’t remember coming here. I recollect collaring the robber, and then Ah! I have it! I am dead, and in the next world!” His mother sat still, her face was turned towards Fitzgerald, whose well- known voice he could distinctly hear relating the principal incidents of the chase. Another whimsical idea entered the sick boy’s mind. ‘¢ My mother is a visible spirit. Why should Charlie be invisible because he, like myself, was killed by arobber. J must be invisible, or else my mother would speak to me.” At that moment the earl returned with a decanter and three wine glasses. Fitzgerald was relating the finish of the chase, and expressing his regret that the stone he threw did not stop the robber. “It's a good job you did not kill him, Charlie; it would be very incon- venient to have to get out of my very comfortable bed here in Hades, to punch the head of the ghost of that confounded robber fellow who killed me,” said Frank, in a very weak voice. ‘¢ My darling boy,” exclaimed Mrs. Egerton, delighted beyond measure to hcar his voice again; “thank Heaven he did not kill you.” The words were accompanied by a shower of kisses upon his pale cheeks and brew. ““J thought I was dead,” said he, ‘and we were all phantoms.” Frank made a feeble attempt to put his arm round his mother’s neck, but not having sufficient strength to do so was quite content to lie still and be _earessed by her, while she whispered to him that having heard he was ill she had come from London to be his nurse. “And now you must keep perfectly quiet and still, Frank. The doctor says that is the only way by which you can regain your health and strength.” Frank promised to be perfectly pas- sive, butreturning consciousness brought with it great pain. Although he made no complaint, it was evident, from the twitching of the lips and the spasmodic working of the muscles of his face, that the wound was torturing him. LPP GSU EO DOC (CO mn