Shehadseenthehoppickers’hutsandhadrecognisedtheircondition。Merebrickshedsinwhichthepickerssleptuponbundlesofhayorstrawintheirbestdays；intheirdecaytheydidnotevenprovideshelter。Infineweatherthehopgathererssleptwellenoughinthem，cookingtheirfoodingypsy—fashionintheopen。Whentheraindescended，itmustrundownwallsanddripthroughtheholesintheroofsinstreamswhichwouldsoakclothesandbedding。TheworstthatNigelandMrs。
Brenthadimpliedwastrue。Illnessofanyorder，undersuchcircumstances，wouldhavesmallchanceofrecovery，butmalignanttyphoidwithoutshelter，withoutpropernourishmentornursing，hadnotonechanceinamillion。Andhe——thisoneman——stoodaloneinthemidstofthetragedy——responsibleandhelpless。Hewouldfeelhimselfresponsibleassheherselfwould，ifshewereinhisplace。Shewasconsciousthatsuddenlytheeventoftheafternoon——theinterviewuponthemarshes，hadrecededuntilithadbecomeanalmostunmeaningincident。Whatdidthedegenerate，melodramaticfollymatter————！
Shehadrestlesslyleftherchairbeforethedressing—table，andwaswalkingtoandfro。Shepausedandstoodlookingdownatthecarpet，thoughshescarcelysawit。
\"Nothingmattersbutonething——oneperson，\"sheownedtoherselfaloud。\"Isupposeitisalwayslikethis。Rosy，Ughtred，evenfatherandmother——everyoneseemslessnearthantheywere。Itistoostrong——toostrong。Itis————\"thewordsdroppedslowlyfromherlips，\"thestrongestthing——
intheworld。\"
Sheliftedherfaceandthrewoutherhands，alovelyyounghalf—sadsmilecurlingthedeepcornersofhermouth。\"Sometimesonefeelssodisdained，\"shesaid——\"sodisdainedwithallone’spower。PerhapsIamanunwantedthing。\"
Buteveninthiscasetherewereaidsonemightmakeanefforttogive。Shewenttoherwriting—tableandsatthinkingforsometime。Afterwardsshebegantowriteletters。ThreeorfourwereaddressedtoLondon——onewastoMr。Penzance……
MountDunstanandhisvicarwerewalkingthroughthevillagetothevicarage。Theyhadbeentothehoppickers’hutstoseethepeoplewhowereillofthefever。Bothofthemnoticedthatcottagedoorsandwindowswereshut，andthathereandtherealarmedfaceslookedoutfrombehindlatticedpanes。
\"Theyareinapanicoffear，\"MountDunstansaid，\"andbywayofsafeguardtheyshutouteverybreathofairandstifleindoors。Somethingmustbedone。\"
Catchingtheeyeofawomanwhowaspeeringoverhershortwhitedimityblind，hebeckonedtoherauthoritatively。
Shecametothedoorandhesitatedthere，curtsyingnervously。
MountDunstanspoketoheracrossthehedge。
\"Youneednotcomeouttome，Mrs。Binner。Youmaystaywhereyouare，\"hesaid。\"AreyouobeyingtheordersgivenbytheGuardians？\"
\"Yes，mylord。Yes，mylord，\"withmorecurtsys。
\"Yourhealthisverymuchinyourownhands，\"headded。
\"Youmustkeepyourcottageandyourchildrencleanerthanyouhaveeverkeptthembefore，andyoumustusethedisinfectantIsentyou。Keepawayfromthehuts，andopenyourwindows。Ifyoudon’topenthem，Ishallcomeanddoitforyou。Badairisinfectionitself。Doyouunderstand？\"
\"Yes，mylord。Thankyourlordship。\"
\"Goinandopenyourwindowsnow，andtellyourneighbourstodothesame。Ifanyoneisillletmeknowatonce。
ThevicarandIwilldoourbestforeveryone。\"
Bythattimecuriosityhadovercomefear，andothercottagedoorshadopened。MountDunstanpasseddowntherowandsaidafewwordstoeachwomanormanwholookedout。
Questionswereaskedanxiouslyandheansweredthem。Thathewaspersonallyunafraidwascomfortinglyplain，andthemeresightofhimwas，onthewhole，anunexplainablesupport。
\"Weheardsaidyourlordshipwasgoingaway，\"putinastoutmotherwithaheavychildonherarm，aslighttestinessscarcelyconcealedbyrespectfulgood—manners。Shewasamatronwithatemper，andthataMountDunstanshouldavoidresponsibilitiesseemedhighlycredible。
\"IshallstaywhereIam，\"MountDunstananswered。
\"Myplaceishere。\"
Theybelievedhim，MountDunstanthoughhewas。Itcouldnotbesaidthattheywerefondofhim，butgraduallyithadbeenborneinuponthemthathiswordwastobereliedon，thoughhismannerwasunalluringandtheyknewhewastoopoortodohisdutybythemorhisestate。Ashewalkedawaywiththevicar，windowswereopened，andinoneortwountidycottagesasuddenflourishingofmopsandbroomsbegan。
TherewasdarktroubleinMountDunstan’sface。Inthehutstheyhadlefttwomenstiffontheirstraw，andtwowomenandachildinastateofcollapse。Addedtothesewereothersstrickenhelpless。Anumberofworkersinthehopgardens，onrealisingthedangerthreateningthem，hadgatheredtogetherbundlesandchildren，and，leavingtheharvestbehind，hadgoneonthetrampagain。Thosewhoremainedweretheweakerorlesscautious，orwereheldbysometietothosewhowerealreadyillofthefever。Thevillagedoctorwasanoldmanwhohadspenthisblamelesslifeinbringinglittlecottagersintotheworld，attendingtheirmeaslesandwhoopingcoughs，andtheirfather’sandgrandfather’srheumatics。Hehadneverfacedavillagecrisisinthecourseofhisseventy—fiveyears，andwasaghastandflurriedwithfright。Hismethodsremainedthoseofhisyouth，andweremarkedchieflybyareadinesstoprescribecalomelinanyemergency。Ayoungerandstrongermanwasneeded，aswellasamanofmoremoderntraining。Buteventhemostbrilliantpractitionerofthehourcouldnothaveprovidedshelterandnourishment，andwithoutthemhisskillwouldhavecountedasnothing。Forthreeweekstherehadbeennorain，whichwasaconditionofthebarometernotlikelytolast。
Alreadygreycloudsweregatheringandobscuringthebluenessofthesky。
Thevicarglancedupwardsanxiously。
\"Whenitcomes，\"hesaid，\"therewillbeadownpour，andapersistentone。\"
\"Yes，\"MountDunstananswered。
Hehadlainawakethinkingthroughoutthenight。Howwasamantosleep！ItwasasBettyVanderpoelhadknownitwouldbe。He，who——beggarthoughhemightbe——wasthelordoftheland，wasthemantofacethestraitofthesepoorworkersontheland，ashisown。Someactionmustbetaken。Whataction？Ashewalkedbyhisfriend’ssidefromthehutswherethedeadmenlayitrevealeditselfthathesawhisway。
Theyweregoingtothevicaragetoconsultamedicalbook，butonthewaytheretheypassedapartoftheparkwhere，throughabreakinthetimberthehuge，white，blind—facedhousestoodonview。MountDunstanlaidhishandonMr。
Penzance’sshoulderandstoppedhim\"Lookthere！\"hesaid。\"THEREareweather—tightroomsenough。\"
Astartledexpressionshoweditselfonthevicar’sface。
\"Forwhat？\"heexclaimed\"Forahospital，\"brusquely\"Icangivethemonething，atleast——shelter。\"
\"Itisaveryremarkablethingtothinkofdoing，\"Mr。
Penzancesaid。
\"ItisnotsoremarkableasthatlabourersonmylandshoulddieatmygatebecauseIcannotgivethemdecentroofstocoverthem。Thereisaroofthatwillshieldthemfromtheweather。TheyshallbebroughttotheMount。\"
Thevicarwassilentamoment，andaflushofsympathywarmedhisface。
\"Youarequiteright，Fergus，\"hesaid，\"entirelyright。\"
\"Letusgotoyourstudyandplanhowitshallbedone，\"
MountDunstansaid。
Astheywalkedtowardsthevicarage，hewentontalking。
\"WhenIlieawakeatnight，thereisonethreadwhichalwayswindsitselfthroughmythoughtswhatsoevertheyare。
Idon’tfindthatIcandisentangleit。ItconnectsitselfwithReubenS。Vanderpoel’sdaughter。Youwouldknowthatwithoutmytellingyou。Ifyouhadeverstruggledwithaninsanepassion————\"
\"Itisnotinsane，Irepeat，\"putinPenzanceunflinchingly。
\"Thankyou——whetheryouarerightorwrong，\"answeredMountDunstan，stridingbyhisside。\"WhenIamawake，sheisasmuchapartofmyexistenceasmybreathitself。
WhenIthinkthingsover，IfindthatIamaskingmyselfifherthoughtswouldbelikemine。Sheisacreatureofaction。Lastnight，asIlayawake，Isaidtomyself，`ShewouldDOsomething。Whatwouldshedo？’Shewouldnotbeheldbackbyfearofcommentorconvention。Shewouldlookaboutherfortheutilisable，andshewouldfinditsomewhereanduseit。Ibegantosumupthevillageresourcesandfoundnothing——untilmythoughtsledmetomyownhouse。Thereitstood——emptyanduseless。Ifitwerehers，andshestoodinmyplace，shewouldmakeituseful。SoI
decided。\"
\"Youarequiteright，\"Mr。Penzancesaidagain。
Theyspentanhourinhislibraryatthevicarage，arrangingpracticalmethodsfortransformingthegreatballroomintoasortofhospitalward。Itcouldbedonebytheremovalofpiecesoffurniturefromthemanyunusedbedrooms。Therewasalsothetransportationofthepatientsfromthehutstobeprovidedfor。But，whenallthiswasplannedout，eachfoundhimselflookingattheotherwithanunspokenthoughtinhismind。MountDunstanfirstexpressedit。
\"AsfarasIcangather，thesafetyoftyphoidfeverpatientsdependsalmostentirelyonscientificnursing，andthecautionwithwhichevenliquidnourishmentisgiven。Thewomanwhosehusbanddiedthismorningtoldmethathehadseemedbetterinthenight，andhadaskedforsomethingtoeat。
Shegavehimapieceofbreadandasliceofcoldbacon，becausehetoldherhefanciedit。Icouldnotexplaintoher，asshesatsobbingoverhim，thatshehadprobablykilledhim。
Whenwehavepatientsinourward，whatshallwefeedthemon，andwhowillknowhowtonursethem？Theydonotknowhowtonurseeachother，andthewomeninthevillagewouldnotruntheriskofundertakingtohelpus。\"
But，evenbeforehehadleftthehouse，theproblemwassolvedforthem。ThesolvingofitlayinthenoteMissVanderpoelhadwrittenthenightbeforeatStornham。
WhenitwasbroughttohimMr。Penzanceglancedupfromcertaincalculationshewasmakinguponasheetofnote—
paper。Theaccumulatingdifficultiesmadehimlookwornandtired。Heopenedthenoteandreaditgravely，andthenasgravely，thoughwithachangeofexpression，handedittoMountDunstan。
\"Yes，sheisacreatureofaction。Shehasheardandunderstoodatonce，andshehasdonesomething。Itisimmenselypractical——itisfine——it——itislovable。\"
\"Doyoumindmykeepingit？\"MountDunstanasked，afterhehadreadit。
\"Keepitbyallmeans，\"thevicaranswered。\"Itisworthkeeping。\"
Butitwasquitebrief。Shehadheardoftheoutbreakoffeveramongthehoppickers，andaskedtobeallowedtogivehelptothepeoplewhoweresuffering。Theywouldneedpromptaid。Shechancedtoknowsomethingoftherequirementsofsuchcases，andhadwrittentoLondonforcertainsupplieswhichwouldbesenttothematonce。Shehadalsowrittenfornurses，whowouldbeneededaboveallelse。
MightsheaskMr。Penzancetokindlycalluponherforanyfurtherassistancerequired。
\"Tellherwearedeeplygrateful，\"saidMountDunstan，\"andthatshehasgivenusgreaterhelpthansheknows。\"
\"Whynotanswerhernoteyourself？\"Penzancesuggested。
MountDunstanshookhishead。
\"No，\"hesaidshortly。\"No。\"
CHAPTERXLII
INTHEBALLROOM
ThoughDunstanvillagewascutoff，byitsmisfortune，fromitsusualintercoursewithitsneighbours，insomemysticmannervillagesevenattwentymiles’distancelearnedallitdidandsuffered，fearedorhoped。Itdidnothopegreatly，therustichabitofmindtendingtowardsadiscouragedoutlook，andcherishingthedramaofimpendingcalamity。AsfarasYangfordandMarlinginmatesofcottagesandfarm—
houseswereinclinedtothinkitprobablethatDunstanwouldbe\"swepaway，\"andrumoursofspreadingdeathanddisasterwerepopular。Tread，theadvancedblacksmithatStornham，havingheardinhisby—gone，betterdaysoftheGreatPlagueofLondon，wasgreatlyindemandasanarratorofilluminatinganecdotesatTheClockInn。
AmongthepartiesgatheredatthelargehousesMountDunstanhimselfwasmuchtalkedof。Ifhehadbeenapopularman，hemighthavebecomeasortofhero；ashewasnotpopular，hewasmerelyasubjectfordiscussion。Thefever—strickenpatientshadbeencarriedincartstotheMountandgivenbedsintheballroom，whichhadbeenmadeintoatemporaryward。NursesandsupplieshadbeensentforfromLondon，andtwoenergeticyoungdoctorshadtakentheplaceofoldDr。Fenwick，whohadbeenfrightenedandoverworkedintoanattackofbronchitiswhichconfinedhimtohisbed。
Wherethemoneycamefrom，whichmustbespenteverydayundersuchcircumstances，itwasdifficulttosay。Tothesimplyconservativeofmind，theideaoffillingone’shousewithdirtyEastEndhoppickersinfectedwithtyphoidseemedtooradical。Surelyhecouldhavedonesomethinglessextraordinary。Wouldeverybodybeexpectedtoturntheirhousesintohospitalsincaseofvillageepidemics，nowthathehadestablishedaprecedent？Buttherewerepeoplewhoapproved，andwerewarmintheirsympathywithhim。Atthefirstdinnerpartywherethematterwasmadethesubjectofargument，thebeautifulMissVanderpoel，whowaspresent，listenedsilentlytothetalkwithsuchbrillianteyesthatLordDunholm，whowasinanelderlywayherstaunchadmirer，spoketoheracrossthetable：
\"TelluswhatYOUthinkofit，MissVanderpoel，\"hesuggested。
Shedidnothesitateatall。
\"Ilikeit，\"sheanswered，inherclear，well—heardvoice。
\"IlikeitbetterthananythingIhaveeverheard。\"
\"SodoI，\"saidoldLadyAlanbyshortly。\"Ishouldneverhavedoneitmyself——butIlikeitjustasyoudo。\"
\"Iknewyouwould，LadyAlanby，\"saidthegirl。\"Andyou，too，LordDunholm。\"
\"IlikeitsomuchthatIshallwriteandaskifIcannotbeofassistance，\"LordDunholmanswered。
Bettywasgladtohearthis。Onlyquicknessofthoughtpreventedherfromtheerrorofsaying，\"Thankyou，\"asifthematterwerepersonaltoherself。IfMountDunstanwasrestiveundertheobviousnessofthefactthathelpwassosorelyneeded，hemightfeellesssoifherofferwasonlyoneamongothers。
\"Itseemsratherthedutyoftheneighbourhoodtoshowsomeinterest，\"putinLadyAlanby。\"Ishallwritetohimmyself。HeisevidentlyofaneworderofMountDunstan。
It’stobehopedhewon’ttakethefeverhimself，anddieofitHeoughttomarrysomehandsome，well—behavedgirl，andre—
foundthefamily。\"
NigelAnstruthersspokefromhissideofthetable，leaningslightlyforward。
\"Hewon’tifhedoesnottakebettercareofhimself。
Hepassedmeontheroadtwodaysago，ridinglikealunatic。
Helooksfrightfullyill——yellowanddrawnandlined。Hehasnotlivedthelifetopreparehimforsettlingdowntoafightwithtyphoidfever。Hewouldbedoneforifhecaughttheinfection。\"
\"Ibegyourpardon，\"saidLordDunholm，withquietdecision。\"Unprejudicedinquiryprovesthathislifehasbeenentirelyrespectable。AsLadyAlanbysays，heseemstobeofaneworderofMountDunstan。\"
\"Nodoubtyouareright，\"saidSirNigelsuavely。\"Helookedill，notwithstanding。\"
\"Astolookingill，\"remarkedLadyAlanbytoLordDunholm，whosatnearher，\"thatmanlooksasifhewasgoingtopiecesprettyrapidlyhimself，andunprejudicedinquirywouldnotprovethathispasthadnothingtodowithit。\"
Bettywonderedifherbrother—in—lawwerelying。Itwasgenerallysafesttoarguethathewas。ButthefeverburnedhighatMountDunstan，andsheknewbyinstinctwhatitsownerwasgivingofthestrengthofhisbodyandbrain。A
young，unmarriedwomancannotgoabout，however，makinganxiousinquiriesconcerningthewelfareofamanwhohasmadenoadvancetowardsher。Shemustwaitforthechancewhichbringsnews……
Thefever，havingill—caredforandhabituallyillfedbodiestoworkupon，wroughtfiercely，despitetheenergyofthetwoyoungdoctorsandthetrainednurses。Thereweremanydarkhoursintheballroomward，hoursfilledwithgroansandwildravings。ThefloatingTerpsichoreangoddessesupontheloftyceilinggazeddownwithwonderingeyesathaggardfacesandpluckinghandswhichsometimes，behindthescreendrawnroundtheirbeds，ceasedtolookfeverish，andgrewpalerandstiller，untiltheymovednomore。But，atleast，nonehaddiedthroughwantofshelterandcare。ThesuppliesneededcamefromLondoneachday。LordDunholmhadsentagenerouschequetotheaidofthesufferers，andso，also，hadoldLadyAlanby，butMissVanderpoel，consultingmedicalauthoritiesandhospitals，learnedexactlywhatwasrequired，andnecessitieswereforwardeddailyintheirmosteasilyutilisableform。
\"Yougenerouslytoldmetoaskyouforanythingwefoundwerequired，\"Mr。Penzancewrotetoherinhisnoteofthanks。
\"Mydearandkindyounglady，youleavenothingtoaskfor。
Ourdoctors，whoareyoungandenthusiastic，arefilledwithdelightinthecompletenessoftheresourcesplacedintheirhands。\"
Shehad，infact，gonetoLondontoconsultaneminentphysician，whowasanauthorityofworld—widereputation。
LiketheheadofthelegalfirmofTownlinson&Sheppard，hehadexperiencedanewsensationinthevisitpaidhimbyanindubitablymodernyoungbeauty，whowastednoword，andwhoseeyes，whileheansweredheramazinglyclearquestions，wereasintelligentlyintentasthoseofanardentandseriousyoungmedicalstudent。Whatasurgicalnurseshewouldhavemade！Itseemedalmostapitythatsheevidentlybelongedtoaclassthemembersofwhicharerichenoughtoundertakethechargeofentireepidemics，butwhodonotusuallygivethemselvestosuchwork，especiallywhentheyareyoungandastonishinginthematteroflooks。
Inadditiontotheworktheydidintheballroomward，MountDunstanandthevicarfoundmuchtodoamongthevillagers。Ignoranceandalarmcombinedtocreatedangers，evenwheretheymightnothavebeenfeared。Dailyinstructionandinspectionofthecottagesandtheirinmateswasrequired。Theknowledgethattheywereundercontrolandsupervisionwasasupporttothefrightenedpeopleandpreventedtheirlapsingintocarelesshabits。Also，therebegantodevelopamongthemasecretdependenceupon，anddesiretoplease\"hislordship，\"astheexistingcircumstancesdrewhimnearertothem，andunconsciouslytheywereattractedanddominatedbyhisstrength。Thestrongmancarrieshispowerwithhim，and，whenMountDunstanenteredacottageandtalkedtoitsinmates，theanxiouswifeorsurlilydepressedhusbandwasconsciousoffeelingacertainsenseofsecurity。
Ithadbeenaqueerenoughthing，thishehaddone——bundlingtheinfectedhoppersoutoftheirleakinghutsandcarryingthemuptotheMountitselfforshelterandcare。Atthemost，gentlefolkgenerallygavesouporblanketsorhospitaltickets，andlefttheresttoluck，but，\"gentry—way\"ornot，amanwhodidathinglikethatwouldbelikelytodootherthings，iftheywereneeded，andgavefolkafeelingofbeingsaferthanordinarysoupandblanketsandhospitalticketscouldmakethem。
But\"wheredidthemoneycomefrom？\"wasaskedduringthefirstdays。Bedsanddoctors，nursesandmedicine，finebrandyandunlimitedfowlsforbrothdidnotcomeupfromLondonwithoutbeingpaidfor。Poundsandpoundsadaymustbepaidouttogetthethingsthatweredelivered\"regular\"inhampersandboxes。Thewomentalkedtooneanotherovertheirgardenpalings，themenarguedtogetherovertheirbeeratthepublichouse。Washerunningintomoredebt？
ButeventhevillageknewthatMountDunstancredithadbeenexhaustedlongago，andtherehadbeennomoneyattheMountwithinthememoryofman，sotospeak。
Onemorningthematronwiththesharptemperfoundoutthetruth，thoughtheoutburstofgratitudetoMountDunstanwhichresultedinherenlightenment，wasentirelyspontaneousandwithoutintention。HerdoubtofhisMountDunstanbloodhadgrownintoasturdylikingevenforhisshortspeechandhisoftendrawn—downbrows。
\"We’vegotmoretothankyourlordshipforthancommonhelp，\"shesaid。\"GodAlmightyknowswherewe’dallha’
beenbutforwhatyou’vedone。Thosepoorsoulsyou’venursedandfed————\"
\"I’venotdoneit，\"hebrokeinpromptly。\"You’remistaken；Icouldnothavedoneit。HowcouldI？\"
\"Well，\"exclaimedthematronfrankly，\"weWASwonderingwherethingscamefrom。\"
\"Youmightwellwonder。HaveanyofyouseenLadyAnstruthers’sister，MissVanderpoel，ridethroughthevillage？
Sheusedsometimestoridethisway。Ifyousawheryouwillrememberit。’
\"The’Mericanyounglady！\"inejaculatorydelight。\"Myword，yes！Afineyoungwomanwithblackhair？Thatrich，theysay，asmillionswon’tcoverit。\"
\"Theywon’t，\"grimly。\"LordDunholmandLadyAlanbyofDolekindlysentchequestohelpus，buttheAmericanyoungladywasfirstonthefield。Shesentbothdoctorsandnurses，andhassupplieduswithfoodandmedicineeveryday。
Asyousay，Mrs。Brown，GodAlmightyknowswhatwouldhavebecomeofus，butforwhatshehasdone。\"
Mrs。Brownhadlistenedwithratheropenmouth。Shecaughtherbreathheartily，asasortofapprovingexclamation。
\"Godblessher！\"shebrokeout。\"Girlsisn’tgenerallylikethat。Theirheadsistoofulloffinery。Godblessher，’Mericanorno’Merican！That’swhatIsay。\"
MountDunstan’sred—browneyeslookedasifshehadpleasedhim。
\"That’swhatIsay，too，\"heanswered。\"Godblessher！\"
Therewasnotadaywhichpassedinwhichhedidnotinvoluntarilysaythewordstohimselfagainandagain。Shehadbeenwrongwhenshehadsaidinhermusingsthattheywereasfarapartasifworldsrolledbetweenthem。
Somethingstrongerthansightorspeechdrewthemtogether。
Thethreadwhichwoveitselfthroughhisthoughtsgrewstrongerandstronger。Thefirstdayhergiftsarrivedandhewalkedabouttheballroomwarddirectingtheplacingofhospitalcotsandhospitalaidsandcomforts，thespiritofherthoughtandintelligence，theindividualityandclevernessofallhermethods，broughthersovividlybeforehimthatitwasalmostasifshewalkedbyhisside，asiftheyspoketogether，asifshesaid，\"Ihavetriedtothinkofeverything。Iwantyoutomissnothing。HaveIhelpedyou？Tellmeifthereisanythingmore。\"Thethingwhichmovedandstirredhimwashisknowledgethatwhenhehadthoughtofhershehadalsobeenthinkingofhim，orofwhatdeeplyconcernedhim。Whenhehadsaidtohimself，tossingonhispillow，\"WhatwouldsheDO？\"shehadbeenplanninginsuchawayasansweredhisquestion。Eachmorning，whentheday’ssuppliesarrived，itwasasifhehadreceivedamessagefromher。
Asthepeopleinthecottagesfeltthepowerofhistemperamentanddependeduponhim，so，also，didthepatientsintheballroomward。Thefeelinghadexistedfromtheoutsetandincreaseddaily。Thedoctorsandnursestoldoneanotherthathispassingthroughtheroomwasliketheadministeringofatonic。Patientswhowereweakandmakingnoeffort，werelifteduponthestrongwaveofhiswillandcarriedonwardtowardstheshoreofgreatercourageandstrength。
YoungDoctorThwaitemethimwhenhecameinonemorning，andspokeinalowvoice：
\"Thereisayoungmanbehindthescreentherewhoisverylow，\"hesaid。\"Hehadaninternalhaemorrhagetowardsmorning，andhaslosthispluck。Hehasawifeandthreechildren。Wehavebeendoingourbestforhimwithhot—
waterbottlesandstimulants，buthehasnotthecouragetohelpus。Youhaveanextraordinaryeffectonthemall，LordMountDunstan。Whentheyaredepressed，theyalwaysaskwhenyouarecomingin，andthisman——Patton，hisnameis——
hasaskedforyouseveraltimes。Uponmyword，Ibelieveyoumightsethimgoingagain。\"
MountDunstanwalkedtothebed，and，goingbehindthescreen，stoodlookingdownattheyoungfellowlyingbreathingpantingly。Hiseyeswereclosedashelaboured，andhispinchedwhitenostrilsdrewthemselvesinandpuffedoutateachbreath。Anurseontheothersideofthecothadjustsurroundedhimwithfreshhot—waterbottles。
Suddenlythesunkeneyelidsflewopen，andtheeyesmetMountDunstan’sinimploringanxiousness。