XXVIII.
IN EXTREMITY.
Frank and Edgar were equally pale as they reached the Cavanagh house. Notime had been lost on the way, and yet the moments had been long enoughfor them both to be the prey of the wildest conjectures. The messengerwho had brought the startling news of Hermione's illness knew nothingconcerning the matter beyond the fact that Doris, their servant, hadcalled to him, as he was passing their house, to run for Dr. Sellick, asMiss Hermione was dying. They were therefore entirely in the dark as towhat had happened, and entered the house, upon their arrival, like menfor whom some terrible doom might be preparing.
The first person they encountered was Huckins. He was standing in theparlor window, rubbing his hands slowly together and smiling very softlyto himself. But when he saw the two young men, he came forward with acringing bow and an expression of hypocritical grief, which revived allFrank's distrust and antipathy.
"Oh, sir," he exclaimed to Frank, "you here? You should not have come;indeed you should not. Sad case," he added, turning to the Doctor; "verysad case, this which we have upstairs. I fear we are going to lose thedear young lady." And he wiped his half-shut eyes with his fine whitehandkerchief.
"Let me see her; where is she?" cried the Doctor, not stopping to lookaround him, though the place must have been full of the most suggestiveassociations.
"Doris will show you. She was in the laboratory when I saw her last. Adangerous place for a young lady who has been jilted by her lover!" Andhe turned a very twinkling eye on Frank.
"What do you mean?" cried Frank. "The laboratory! The place where---- OEdgar, go to her, go at once."
But Edgar was already half-way upstairs, at the top of which he was metby Doris.
"What is this?" he cried. "What has happened to Miss Cavanagh?"
"Come and see," she said. "O that she should go out of the house firstin this way!"
Alarmed more by the woman's manner than her words, Dr. Sellick hurriedforward and entered the open laboratory door almost without realizingthat in another instant he would be in the presence of Emma. And when hedid see her, and met the eyes he had not looked into since that night ayear before when she listened to his vows with such a sweet and bashfultimidity, he hardly felt the shock of the change observable in her, forthe greater shock her sister's appearance inspired. For Hermione lay onthat same old couch which had once held her father, ill tospeechlessness, and though the Doctor did not know what had brought herto this condition, he began to suspect and doubt if he were in time torevive her.
"What has she taken?" he demanded. "Something, or she would not be aslow as this without more warning."
Emma, quaking, put a little piece of paper in his hand.
"I found this in her pocket," she whispered. "It was only a little whileago. It is quite empty," said she, "or you would have had two patients."
He stared at her, hardly taking in her words. Then he leaped to thedoor.
"Frank," he cried, tossing down a slip of paper on which he had hastilywritten a word, "go with this to the druggist at once! Run, for momentsare precious!"
They heard a shout in answer; then the noise of the front door openingand shutting, and the sound of rapidly departing steps.
"Thank God!" the young physician murmured, as he came back into thelaboratory, "that I studied chemistry with Mr. Cavanagh, or I might notknow just what antidote was required here."
"Look!" Emma whispered; "she moved, when you said the word _Frank_."
The Doctor leaned forward and took Emma's hand.
"If we can rouse her enough to make her speak, she will be saved. Whendid she take that powder?"
"I fear she took it this morning, shortly after--after nine o'clock;but she did not begin to grow seriously ill till an hour ago, when shesuddenly threw up her arms and shrieked."
"And didn't you know; didn't you suspect----"
"No, for she said nothing. She only looked haggard and clung to me;clung as if she could not bear to have me move an inch away from herside."
"And how long has she been unconscious and in that clammy, cold sweat?"
"A little while; just before we sent for you. I--I hated to disturb youat first, but life is everything, and----"
He gave her one deep, reassuring look.
"Emma," he softly murmured, "if we save your sister, four hearts shallbe happy. See if you can make her stir. Tell her that Frank is here, andwants to see her."
Emma, with a brightening countenance, leaned over and kissed Hermione'smarble-like brow.
"Hermione," she cried, "Hermione! Frank wants you; he is tired ofwaiting. Come, dear; shall I not tell him you will come?"
A quiver at the word _Frank_, but that was all.
"It is Frank, dear; Frank!" Emma persisted. "Rouse up long enough justto see him. He loves you, Hermione."
Not even a quiver now. Dr. Sellick began to turn pale.
"Hermione, will you leave us now, just as you are going to be happy?Listen, listen to Emma. You know I have always told you the truth. Frankis here, ready to love you. Wake, darling; wake, dearest----"
There was no use. No marble could be more unresponsive. Dr. Sellickrushed in anguish to the door. But the step he heard there was that ofHuckins, and it was Huckins' face he encountered at the head of thestairs.
"Is she dead?" cried that worthy, bending forward to look into the room."I was afraid, _very_ much afraid, you could not do any good, when I sawhow cold she was, poor dear."
The Doctor, not hearing him, shouted out: "The antidote! the antidote!Why does not Frank come!"
At that instant Frank was heard below: "Am I in time?" he gasped. "Hereit is; I ran all the way"; and he came rushing up the stairs just asHuckins slipped from the step where he was and fell against him.
"Oh," whimpered that old hypocrite, "I beg your pardon; I am soagitated!" But his agitation seemed to spring mainly from the fact thatthe antidote Frank brought was in powder and not in a bottle, whichmight have been broken in their encounter.
Dr. Sellick, who saw nothing but the packet Frank held, grasped theremedy and dashed back into the room. Frank followed and stood inanguished suspense within the open doorway. Huckins crouched andmurmured to himself on the stair.
"Can we get her to take it? Is there hope?" murmured Emma.
No word came in reply; the Doctor was looking fixedly at his patient.
"Frank," he said solemnly, "come and take her hand in yours. Nothingelse will ever make her unlock her lips."
Frank, reeling in his misery, entered and fell at her feet.
"Hermione," he endeavored to say, but the word would not come. Breakinginto sobs he took her hand and laid his forehead upon it. Would thatanguish of the beloved one arouse her? Dr. Sellick and Emma drew neartogether in their anxiety and watched. Suddenly a murmur escaped fromthe former, and he bent rapidly forward. The close-locked lips wereparting, parting so slowly, so imperceptibly, that only a physician'seye could see it. Waiting till they were opened enough to show thepearly teeth, he stooped and whispered in Frank's ear. Instantly thealmost overwhelmed lover, roused, saw this evidence of existing life,and in his frenzied relief imprinted one wild kiss upon the hand heheld. It seemed to move her, to reach her heart, to stay the soul justhovering on the confines of life, for the lips parted further, the lidsof the eyes trembled, and before the reaction came, Dr. Sellick hadsucceeded in giving her a few grains of the impalpable powder he washolding.
"It will either kill or restore her," said he. "In five minutes weshall know the result."
And when at the end of those five minutes they heard a soft sigh, theynever thought, in their sudden joy and relief, to look for the sneakingfigure trembling on the staircase, who, at this first sign of revivinglife in one he thought dead, slid from his station and went creepingdown the stairs, with baffled looks that would have frightened evenDoris had she seen them.