Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 February 1891 — Dr Elfenstein's Mission [ARTICLE]

Dr Elfenstein's Mission

fl Remarkable Romance.

BY EMILY THORNTON.

CHAPTER XX. SIR REGINALD’S RAGE. The next morning Ethel attempted to /ise, as usual, but found herself so ill with a sick headache that the attempt was vain. Every time she lifted her head front her pillow it throbbed wildly, while a blind dizziness came over her to such an extent that she felt it were better to keep still for a while, until it passed away. She had suffered before in her life from the same cause, and she knew it had been brought about by intense excitement. She knew also that it would take several hours to restore her to her usual vigor. While certain of this, the most anxious feelings were aroused at her unhappy position, as regarded Sir Reginald Glendenning’s sacred trust. That the baronet should be at once informed of his dreadful loss, she well knew, in order that steps might bo taken for the recovery of the missing treasure. But with this dreadful pain, how should she reach him? Finally she decided that tlie only way before her was to lie still until she was able to rise. At nine .o’clock a servant came to her room, and she sent an excuse to the family fob her non-appearance. About "ten a message came from Sir Reginald asking how soon she could come to him. She returned for answer that her head w as still in such pain that she feared not until afternoon.

About five Dr. Elfenstein called to see his patient, and his lordship at once requested him to look after his secretary, saying that she was not able to como to him; while he was most anxious to see her. . r Mrs. rVedon was then dispatched to Miss N'evcfg ail’s 'room to prepare her for a visit from the Doctor. As the young man entered he was real-' ly startled to soe how wan and pale the excitement of the night before and a few hours’ illness had made her. She had made several attempts to rise, and had succeeded in dressing herself, but the exertion had overcome her, and once more she had been obliged ip recline Upon the bed, while her large dark eyes and black dress made her cheeks seem almost like snow. “Oh, Doctor!” she sighed, as ho advanced and took her hand in his. ‘"Can you give me something to stop this headache.' so that" I can go to Sir Reginald? He has wanted me all day, and has sent for me several times, and 1 must sec him, but I cannot seem to get there.” “Are you subject to such headaches?” “1 have had them a number Of times.” “You have done right to keep still. I will give you a remedy that I think will, cause you relief in an hour’s time. Until then you should try to-sleep.” Preparing a liquid, -fie carefully held the tumbler to her lips, saw; her drink it, then throwing a light shawl over her, left, saying as he did so: “if you sleep now, I am almost certain you can visit his lordship in the length of time I mentioned. ” It seemed that the medicine apd his calm, kind words did soothe her, for at once she fell into the restful sleep so much needed. The nap proved quite a long one, and it was seven o’clock in the evening be fore she crept through the hall, and, with a trembling frame but head greatly relieved, entered Sir Reginald’s presence. At once she saw that her illness had discomposed him, and that he was unusually irritable and nervous. “1 am sorry I could not come to you as usual,” she began, but he interrupted her by saying, crossly: “Oh, yes; I dare say. Stop all apologies, and while we are alone tell me if you obeyed my orders last night.” “I did," faltered the poor girl. “Did the thing work Well?” asked he, eagerly. “It did. I had no trouble in the Tower at all; but, oh, Sir Reginald, something terrible has happened!” “What?” exclaimed the sick man, starting up in so sudden a manner that it i aUai.il him to fall back with a groan, althoicjh he kept a firm grip of the arm he had seized in his excitement, regardless at the fact that his tight grasp caused her to turn pale with pain. “I dread telling you; but just as I left the’ Tower to push back the panels a frightful uoise of a heavy fall came, then a large mouster darted out, dashed the candle from my hand, and, with a howl, disappeared.” “ “Mr.. God! Girl, girl!” yelled the infuriated man before her,' his face turning purple with rage,_“what is this you tell me? Gone! Escaped*:’ Speak!” added te, roughly shaking her by the arm.

| “Tell me it is a lie—a lie that you said just now!” “No, Sir Reginald,” returned the pallid Ethel; , “it is the truth. Whatever you had there got out last night, and ran off through the ruins!” “You jade! you hussy! What did you do wrong that made this happen? Answer, or I will tear you to pieces!” “Release my arm, sir. You are cruel in your rage; you hurt me!” “ Speak, then. How did he get out of his ppison?” With a faltering voice, the frightened girl, while writhing in his grasp, murmured: “I dropped the knife on the shelves a few nights before, and forgot it. It whirled around, and I knew by the cry he gave that he had it.” “Idiot! fool!” returned the enraged being before her, as he gave her arm such a fearful wrench that it dislocated the elboty. “Out of my sight! out of my house this instant! Yon have ruined me with your cursed carelessness! Notanother night shall you sleep under this ro«f!” Once aga’n he raised his arm—this time to strike But fortunately, with a moan of pain at the injury she had already sustained, she had darted back, and so the blow descended on empty air. Without another look at the man before her the poor young girl crept from his presence, and dragging herself back to her room, fastened herself in, while she sought to prepare for her departure. With her arm hanging motionless by I her side, and nearly wild with pain, she opened her trunks and thrusting her valuables inside as well as she could, with one hand, she locked them, and dropped the key into her pocket. Fearing, she scarcely know what, she put tho package of papers her aunt had given her, with her purse also, in her pocket, that she might be certain of their safety. Then hastily putting comb, brushes, aud night apparel in a hand-sachel, she paused to rest. Advancing to her window, she found that a heavy rain was still falling, and that darkness was even then over tho earth. Throwing her waterproof over her shoulders, with its hood drawn over her hat, she opened her door and glided through the hall, down the stairs, and out of tho front entrance, fortunately without being seen by any of the family. As she had passed the sick man’s room, she knew by tiie sound of many excited voices within that they had gone to his assistance, and she judged he must have injured his hip by his passionate frenzy. While she pitied tho man, she feared him, and never breathed freely until outside the door. Then with a hurried step she passed down the ramble.

CHAPTER XXI. ETHEL’S FLIGHT. The darkness, as I have said, had come on early, in consequence of tho dense clouds and falling rain. It was after eight when Ethel left tho Hall, and then it was so dark under the shading trees that she could not see a step before her. Unaccustomed to be abroad alone at so late an hour, her heart beat fast and tears coursed over her white cheeks, brought there by her fears as well as the acute pain in her arm. " Once away from tho house and beyond the reach of Sir Reginald’s wrath, she paused to consider whither she should go, and what she should do. As she paused one thing seemed plain. She could do nothing until a physician attended to her wounded arm. In order to have this accomplished it was evident that she must seek Dr. Elfenstcin at his home. She shrank from doing this. Remembrances of their mutual experiences of the evening before caused her heart to flutter at the very thought. He might think it bold and unmaidenly thus to push herself into his presence. Still it could not bo helped. Her arm could not bo raised, and on that arm she depended now for her daily bread. Bitterly she upbraided herself for her strange neglect in reference to that kjiife. / ;;

x j Oh, that she had been more careful, and less easily Unnerved. ( She ought to have expected movements inside the room, Whoro a wild animal was kfcpt, and therefore counted it silly to have been so overcome as to forgot her duty at the first sound she had heard. Regrets, however, were useless; she must lmrry on. How dark it was, and how difficult to keep in the path! The rain bc*.t upon her in torrents, and it seemed a weary way before she passed the porter’s lodge. Once in tho road beyond, she could see j lights in windows of dwelling houses far down the road. The first of them she knew was whero Dr. Elfensteln lived, and liopo revived oucc more, and she pressed on, thinking ’ soon to be there. But the road seemed very rough. Great ruts had been made in tho earth, softened by tho long rain, and these caused her to trip and fall twice. Both times it had jarred her arm, and drawn forth tears of anguish. Wiping them away, she struggled to her feet and persevered. At last the gate was reached and opened with difficulty; then again a dizzy feeling came over her, and just as her feet stepped on the porch she fell forward in a long, death-like swoon. . Dr. Elfenstein had gone out into the country, after his call at the baronet’s, to visit a rather critical case, and did not return until quite late. As he passed the porter’s lodge-one of the servants belonging to the Hall stepped out, and hailing him, bade him to drive there at once, as his master was in terrible distress. Without waiting for a second bidding he turned intd the gfAuUds and had just entered Sir Reginald’s' it>om when Ethel glided past it in her flight from the house. It was with surprise and intense wonder that the physician saw the change a few hours had wifought In his patient. That something of a startling character had produced the effects now manifested was perfectly apparent, and that the good work of the past few weeks had . entirely destroyed in some fit of pgssien Was.tQQ; obvious to be denied. At Once he saw that Sir Reginald wak ia a yorse condition than he had found I him iii the first.fasit he had made after the fall. “What has done this?” he asked of Lady Constance. “What excitement has he’undergone since I left him doing well at 4 this afternoon?” .... “No one knows. Miss Nevergail came' to his room about 7. We then heard j hftn speaking in & furiously angry way, I and after awhile his bell rang a loud peal.

ifor assistance. On reaching him, he Was alone, suffering as you see him now.” “W’here was Miss Nevergaii. “She must have returned to her room. She has been sick all day,* was the reply. “Yes; I know,” returned the Doctor. Not until the clock struck ten could Dr. Elfenstein leave the Hall, and then he was anticipating for the baronet a stepless night. He himself felt tired, and greatly unnerved. The strange events of the night before could hardly yet be thought of calmly. All day he had deeply regretted no following up and learning the cause of their mutual flight; but whenever he had thought of it, Ethel’s pleading tones and shuddering form had pleaded air eloquent excuse. How pleasant was the remembrance of her dependence on him in those terrible moments! Once or twice he found himself longing to bo thus able to protect her all the remainder of his life; but then he had been obliged to thrust the yearning from his heart, and remember that his stern duty lay in a rougher channel, and that love could not be his guide, at least for years to come. So thinking, he had reached his home, given his horso to the man in waiting, and then turned to enter his door, But what was this he saw lying in a heap upon the porch? Stooping to discover if it might not be a large, strange dog, his fingers came in contact with a human hand, and from its small size ho knew it belonged to child or woman. Throwing open the door with his latchkey, the light from the hail revealed Ethel Nevergail’s pale, unconscious face to his astonished gaze. “Ethel here senseless! Oh, my darling, my darling!” he murmured, as he lifted her in his arms and bore her to the parlor sofa. “What can this mean?” Placing her there, he ran to the foot of the stnirs and called Mrs. Clum to his assistance. This person, fortunately, sat reading in her own room, waiting his return, that she might give him some refreshments after his long detention, knowing that he had eaten nothing since noon; therefore she was immediately by his side, and after hearing him state where, ho had found the poor young girl, proceeded to unbutton and remove the wet, waterproof, while Earle brought camphor and other remedies, and then at' once devoted himself to her recovery. With joy, at last, they saw her eyes open; but the cry of pain that followed filled both witfy surprise. “My awn! my arm!” she cried. “You hurt my arm.” Seeing that something more serious was the matter > than a simple faint, Dr. Elfenstein released the hand he held, as it seemed to pain her, asking, as he did,, so, “if she had injured herself any- ; where?” “I cannot stir my hand, or arm, arid fear it is broken,” sho moaned in reply,. “I came here to show it to you. ” t “Then it. was hurt before you left the Hall?” returned the Doctor, passing his', hand over the useless member, in order to seo the nature of the injury. Sho bowed her head, speaking no word, in reply. “Is it broken, Doctor?” finally shri managed to ask. “Not broken, but dislocated at the elbow. In order to replace it, I fear I must cause you pain. It will be impos-. sible for you to go out again in this' storm, therefore Mrs. Cl uni, my housekeeper, must prepare you a room, and you will remain here to-night. After sho has made you comfortable in your bed I must replace the bones, and then you must keep perfectly quiet, or, after all this excitement, you will bo thrown into a fever. ” Giving Mrs. Clum several Instructions, ho saw her leave the room |;o prepare 0:10 for poor Ethel’s reception; then, and not until then, he bent over the sofa where she lay, and asked her In a low voice: “Why did you not tell mo this Instead of coming out in the storm, when I have been at the Hall since eight this evening?” “I did not know you wero there, and could not have seen you if I had known it. Sir Reginald flew into a furious passion as soon as ho saw me to day, and bade me instantly leave his house. As my arm was hurt, I was obliged to come to you. ” “Miss Nevergaii, how was your arm dislocated? And what means the mark of those fingers which I seo upon the surfz.ee?” “Do notask, Doctor, for I cannot tell you. ” “Well, if you cannot tell mo that, why did Sir Reginald bid you leave his house?" “I cannot tell you!” was still her only reply. “Wasdt for any willful fault you had committed?” • “No; oh, no! I had met with an.accident the nature of which I cannot explain. In short, I had, without intending it, neglected a duty he had charged me with on the day of my fright by the railroad. My nervousness then caused me to forgot something. Ho had just discovered it, and flew in a rage.” “Then tho brute seized your arm and gave it this wrench! You need not tell me, child; 1 know it by instinct. It is well I was not there, for one reason.” “Why?” “I should have struck him as he lay helpless in bed.- I could not have helped it. But yod are safe now; he shall never touch you again. ” “No; for I shall never gS’ back. But where shall I go? What shall I do now?” she sighed, in,reply. “Stay here, of eburse,: until,;you are well; then a place will be provided, never fear. Promise me one thing nbw, which is, not to worry about the future. Leave > everything of that nature for time and Providenco to make plain, and try to compose yourself in order to recover the sooner. Will y-oudoAhis? . He took her well h&rid kindly, almost tenderly, as he spoke; and, meeting his anxious, beseeching gaze bent upon her, she blushed faintly and gave the required promise. |ro be t 1