"Hush! hush!" he said, as Henri entered the room; "for mercy's sake,
don't shake him; the black blood gushes out of his mouth with every move
he gets."
The two men did not recognize each other, for they had only met for a
moment, and that by the faint light of a rush candle. Plume, therefore,
had no idea of giving up his place or his duty to a man whom he
conceived was a stranger; and Henri was at a loss to conceive who could
be the singular looking creature that seemed to take so tender an
interest in his friend.
Henri advanced up to the bed on tiptoe, and gazed into Denot's face; he
had been shocked before, but he now thought that never in his life had
he seen so sad a sight: the colour of his skin was no longer pale, but
livid; his thin, dry lips were partially open, and his teeth, close set
together, were distinctly visible; his eyes were at the moment closed,
as though he were in a stupor, and his long black matted hair hung back
over the folded cloak on which his head rested: his sallow, bony hands
lay by his side, firmly clenched, as though he had been struggling, and
his neck and breast, which had been opened for the inspection of the
surgeon, was merely covered with a ragged bloody towel.
Pages:
814
815
816
817
818
819
820
821
822
823
824
825
826
827
828
829
830
831
832
833
834
835
836
837
838