CHAPTEE XXXIV.—A CRISIS.

Waikato Times, Volume V, Issue 275, 14 February 1874, Page 2

CHAPTEE XXXIV. — A CRISIS.

The crowd of peopld who find same unaccountable sort of pleasure which probably arises fiom a subtle ainalgmvition of idleness and spite, in «at«liinu the land us of suffering fellow-crea'ures from the floating den* of misery in winch mai kind submits to be ronreyrd from Calais to Dorer, was not so numerous a» usual. A merely »tor»iy day lias a tendency to attract these ill-conditioned loiterer*, as promising more specimens of lud crous distress and dishevelment, richer opportunities of taking human beings at their utmost disadtsntai/e, and enjoying the pleasure of ridicule with impunifv. But a day which is both wet find Mormy — a day on which the puddles are hlown about, and huts and bonnet t are first drenched and then blown off, on which umbrellas are unmanageable mockeries, and the wind cuts the skin off your face, while the rain slips it — a day which combines these qualities subdues the popular ardour, and quenohes in some degtee the unsp'tksbl* Tulganty of our English xea-oide popu'aoe. It waa on such a day, when the wind and thr rain were doing their utmo«t to add to the mifreriii of a crowd of passengers packed like cnttle on the deck of a Calms stenmer — when the darkness of a wretched winter's evening was rapidly coming down upon the smie, which had only a few otragglerß to witne«s its details ol extreme di»romfort, that Mr and Mrs St Quentin arrived at Dover. Tho gaj>, just lighted, waa flickering behind the lamp-glosses in the puds of wind i; the porters and hotel serritnts waiting for the coming of the boat were staggering about, beaten and half, blinded by the wind and rain — no more inhospitHble welcome to one's native land could be imagined. Mirixm and her husband were not among the tired, draggled, miserable crowd on the deck ; they had no intention of proceeding to London by thu tidal train, and were m the stifling saloon below, meaning to land when tne confusion should bare somewhat subsided. On one of the hard, narrow sofai, covered with furs and warm rugs, lay Mr St Queiitni ; and by his side, on the rocking floor, regardless of th» foul atmosi here and horrid durroni dinj", knelt Mir.am, with a stern, anxiety on hit face, holJ'ne * tuft o r cotton saturated with some strong le^torativt; «?6«>nc« to his nostrils. Th»y were alono in the cabin, their forrant* were on the deck, and it was trident tLuu Mr Si Quo&tm w*{. verr ill. But littlt of his face was visible es be lay shivering underneath hut -wraps, but lu»t

Blittle tru ghastly and distorted with pain. Several ot the Hfcpassengers, m th^r e^ram-d from tho foul air of the cabin the compart » t h »> I. i fr'u' v»ct d«ik and the driving H rain and wird, had gi-tiux 1 »« .il» ptung ronder at the H prostrate man and Y . li,«-in.tf won in What reason of H sufficient urgency o>j!>'< '»aie indue. -1 th- •< to cross t' ' I Channel in such w tin- r It had I . .» w • J'ttle Mt< X when thej leit Ci! us thin it waj *, v n thr- *» j HP within three inn, --as <>t D -vor. V if i- >i, n ,*) I Onlj th« incorirvi*»tilr, ' ..jjeiens. ine-i. wlo •-'■mi- ••! h I lick man with a liv d vi«»; (bftu*. It. iet *aan ■<• I or more unansweu* >. u-r I Nearly a month liau eiapsed since Mr St Quentin Had I been tacen ill at Paris; and during the \ r 'f ot that time, I be had fixed hit mind, from some root ire i« which Miriam I had no oltie, on getting to England Hr ha=> suffered very ■ much, and by no menns patiently. Ai toon as he iuco edt d I in extracting from Ins medical attendant! an admission that I he might travel without actual danger, lie insisted on I leaving Pant; and he. was Terr near disproving thr accuracy I of th tr opinions, for Lo w<is «o ill ana tv UiUt.ii exhausted I by the time they arnred at Calais that he was obliged to I remain for several days. I Those were dreary days for Miriatn, fn\\ of heart-burning, I of suspicion, ot fear, an 1 regret. Ou one of them, sbu maae I a discovery. Mr St Quentin wanted to write a letter, but I had found himself unable to do so, and was obliged to hare I recourse to the services of his valet, who shortly afterwards I cime *o Miriam uud asked her anxiously whether »ue I thought it would be 6afe fur his muster to ' cross ' on the I following day. ' To-morrow ?' exclaimed Miriam. 'Of course not. I l^should say it would be impossible. But why do you ask ?' I 'Because, madam,' said the man reluotantly, 'Mr St I Quentin hai written to a gentleman, a lawyer, from Lincoln* I Inn-Mr R>s*. of Messrs Ra« and Rabj'a— making an apI pomtinent with him at his chambers for eleven o'clock on Thursday. Tuis is Tuesday, ma'am, and there is only tomorrow.' ' Has Mr St Quentin said anything to you about his intentijn?' 1 Not yet, ma'am ; but h* d'VeeUd mt to return, as he bad some orders to give nm.' * Messrs Ross and Raby,' said Miriam absently, not heoding what the mm hod last said; 'I don't know the names. Are they a firm of solicitors ?' W ' I suppose so, ma'am. Mr St Quentin looked them out in the Time*' iale of lands and houses advertisements, and desired me to write to fiat address.' "Tien you think ho does not know these gentlemen personally ?' *I think not, ma'am When Mr St Quentin told me I was to write a letter for him, he was looking down the •drerti-ement columns of the Timet, h« said to- himself— " Rons and Riby ; I think I have heard of them : yes, they will do ;" and then he diotated the letter, and I put their address on it.' ' Ah, yes,' said Miriam ; and recovering herself with an effort, she told the man she would see Mr St Quentin piehently, and dissuade him from attempting to cross, in his state of illness. Already the weather was unfavorable, and A expected to be worv. She did see Mr St Quentin, and the attempted to dissuade him from his purpose, but in rain, fie was coldly, sulkily, immovably determined. S>e left him, feeling uneasy, but yet [wrsuaded that lie could not be, in reality, so ill as he appeared, or he would not subject himself to' the risk and Autiertni; of a> great an extrtion. On the following da^, though the weather was worse, and he did not appear to be any better, he persisted m his purpose, and was taken on biard the steamer with an amount of difflulty which Miriam expected to find considerably increased when it should coma to getting him on shore. The steamer was alongside tho pur ; the wretched, dragged, di«r, tired passengers had landed, and were dispersing, and Miriam's servants had ordered rooms at a hotel, and had the linage carried thither. Mr and Mr« St Quentin were the last persons romatmn^ on board. He still lay moaning on the narrow sofa, and she still ktelt, holding a restorative to his nostrils. But he must be moved now, and with much difficulty he was carried on shore to, the hotel ; hi* face wus oinpletely covered, and his form merely a irass of wraps. There was a good deal of bustle on their kv arrival, and Aliriam ordered the men to take him at once to V In-* room. Thu was done, and the assistant* dismissed, without any one present having seen the face of the sick UJUII. Presently u« recovered a little Btr*ngth, and the first use tie Jinde ot' it was to order liv valet to despatch a telegiam to M «si? Rjss and Raby, dnechng them to send a confidential derk t < Dvv t -r ou the tollo»ing day — 'a per^-mcom-petent to tuLe iiiftruuiioni for the prn aration of a will,' were the wcrds of the message — us lie was detained there by illnect). ' I feel I shall not be able to travel for some days,' said Mr St Quentin, in which the doctor, who was prp«cntlv sent for to iM^him, so entirely coincided, that he told Miriam be was astonished Mr St Quentin. had outlived the journey from Paris. Miriam was inexperienced, and had never yet associated • any serious idea with Mr St Quentin's illness All old men had gout, she believed ; and, of course, if he would persist in taking doses of powerful and dnnserom medicines to cheek it, instead of staying quietly in his bed, and lutfering decently like other people, she supposed he must expett to bo »nuou worso than other people ; and that was all she had thought, about it. But he had suffered such ftgonning pain at Calais, and had been ill after so different a fashion fiom anything sue had seen before, that she was very' much altirmed, and began to feel quite bowildered by her wlitude. Id' doctor was deceive about the impossibility of moving his patient for several days, under the most favorable circumstances, and Miriam entreated him to tell MrSr Quentin this. Tne invalid was much disconcerted, and declared Ins abhorrence of being at a hotel. He detested such places ; t be was sure ba should never get better in one of them. He told plainly that even a short journey by rail might, and perhapa would, kill him. Could it harm him to be removed from the hot«l to lodging, or a house, as short a distances off as «uch accommodation could be procured ? That, the doctor said, might be possible, if be had a tolerably good night. It was then agreed between Miriam and the doctor that th« b*st arrangement possible of this kind should be made on the following day, to pacify the patient, though, the doctor though it right to warn her, he did not nnhcipnte that it would be advisable to allow Mr St Quentin to make even so much exertion. Then, in her turn, Miriam employed the telegraph. She sent the following message to Walter: 'We are at the Grand Hotel, at Dover. Mr St. Quentin is dangerously ill Can you come to me ? I beg of you to come, if possible, by the rirst train to-morrow.'