The Steam-Packet: A Tale of the River and the Ocean — page 147: what you’re looking at

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

106 THE STEAM PACKET. eruption, vomiting forth blood, and death, and slaughter; and it was | only in consequence of the extreme seclusion in which the priest dwelt, that he escaped *the notice of the Republican Commissioner of the district, and consequently the iron of the guillotine. = There dwelt in a small street, close by the residence of the arch- deacon, a young surgeon, who had only lately commenced practice in the town, and whose name was Jules de Renal. Poor and unknown, but possessed of considerable talent, which only required opportunity for its development, and endowed with a handsome person and winning | manners, the youthful Asculapius sought to attract the notice of the wealthy portion of the inhabitants of Saint Omers ; but fora long time all his efforts remained without any satisfactory results. He well knew that he possessed advantages; but he endeavoured in vain to make himself known by their means. The iron of poverty was eating into his very soul;—misery entered his house like an army, carrying off everything, and leaving not a hope behind; and he was actually trembling, one cold winter’s evening, upon the verge of suicide, when a low, but hasty knock at his door,—a knock which echoed ‘the more redundantly and clearly through his house, by reason of the emptiness of the rooms,—aroused him from the painful reverie of despair. Jules hastened to answer the summons’; and a man, closely muffled in’ a huge cloak, rushed into the surgeon’s dwelling. it EPR ‘* Sir—excuse this abrupt entrance on my part,’ said the stranger, in a hoarse but hurried voice ;—‘‘ the urgency of my business admits of no delay either for apology or for reflection. Are you free at. jyihle moment = exercise the duties of your profession ?”’ | ‘‘T am,” answered the surgeon, rubbing his hands joyfully ws the prospect a a fee; for there was no fire in his grate—nor food in his cupboard—nor money in his pocket; and the young man was cold, hungry, athirst, and weighed down by the dread consciousness of his desolate condition. i ‘¢ Then follow me,”’ said the stranger; and he turned ‘oie the door. ‘* Stay,” cried the surgeon, struggling between his inclinations and his fears: ‘ chee are suspicious times; and your manner—your Biv —this haste : ‘Ah! forgive me,” interrupted the other, as if saiidanly esta ing himself; ‘‘ I should have been more explicit. Report has wafted your name to my ears as one in his heart attached to the poor ruined church of the Saviour; and for that reason have I addressed myself to’ you. Need I say more than this 2?”—and the stranger suffered the light of the flickering lamp, which the aungeOR held in his hand, to fall upon his countenance. fi! Gomicbooks (E(0)