FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70  
71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   >>   >|  
the parlour behind the shop. But he could not sit still. He rose incessantly to walk a few paces and then fell back into a chair once more. Suddenly the clatter of china fell upon his ear, and he saw the maid pass the door with a cup on a tray and a smoking teapot. "Who is that for, Jane?" he asked. "For the mistress, Mr. Johnson. She says she would fancy it." There was immeasurable consolation to him in that homely cup of tea. It wasn't so very bad after all if his wife could think of such things. So light-hearted was he that he asked for a cup also. He had just finished it when the doctor arrived, with a small black leather bag in his hand. "Well, how is she?" he asked genially. "Oh, she's very much better," said Johnson, with enthusiasm. "Dear me, that's bad!" said the doctor. "Perhaps it will do if I look in on my morning round?" "No, no," cried Johnson, clutching at his thick frieze overcoat. "We are so glad that you have come. And, doctor, please come down soon and let me know what you think about it." The doctor passed upstairs, his firm, heavy steps resounding through the house. Johnson could hear his boots creaking as he walked about the floor above him, and the sound was a consolation to him. It was crisp and decided, the tread of a man who had plenty of self-confidence. Presently, still straining his ears to catch what was going on, he heard the scraping of a chair as it was drawn along the floor, and a moment later he heard the door fly open and someone come rushing downstairs. Johnson sprang up with his hair bristling, thinking that some dreadful thing had occurred, but it was only his mother-in-law, incoherent with excitement and searching for scissors and some tape. She vanished again and Jane passed up the stairs with a pile of newly aired linen. Then, after an interval of silence, Johnson heard the heavy, creaking tread and the doctor came down into the parlour. "That's better," said he, pausing with his hand upon the door. "You look pale, Mr. Johnson." "Oh no, sir, not at all," he answered deprecatingly, mopping his brow with his handkerchief. "There is no immediate cause for alarm," said Dr. Miles. "The case is not all that we could wish it. Still we will hope for the best." "Is there danger, sir?" gasped Johnson. "Well, there is always danger, of course. It is not altogether a favourable case, but still it might be much worse. I have given her a drau
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70  
71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Johnson

 

doctor

 

consolation

 

danger

 

creaking

 

parlour

 

passed

 

straining

 

dreadful

 
Presently

plenty
 
confidence
 

occurred

 
sprang
 

scraping

 
moment
 
bristling
 

thinking

 

rushing

 

downstairs


handkerchief

 

gasped

 
altogether
 
favourable
 

mopping

 

deprecatingly

 

vanished

 

stairs

 

scissors

 

incoherent


excitement

 

searching

 

pausing

 

answered

 

interval

 

silence

 

mother

 
immeasurable
 

mistress

 

smoking


teapot

 

homely

 
hearted
 

things

 

incessantly

 

clatter

 
Suddenly
 
finished
 

upstairs

 
walked