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Otago Witness, Issue 2403, 22 March 1900, Page 53

CHAPTER XXIII.

(Continued.) RAY, pray be calm, Mr Somerset," said the surgeon. " And you will excuse me, I am sure, "under the circumstances, for the less you speak or exert yourself in uny fashion the better!" " Thank you," said Somerset. The surgeon went away after

giving a few general directions and reiterating his promise to look round again in the morning. When he had gone Somerset called to Bufton and Leroy to come and sit beside him and rehearse to him what had passed during the period of his unconsciousness. He felt as weak as a child, and it was only by a great effort that lie could make his voice audible.

" Take it as quietly as you can, young 'un," said • Bufton, " and don't speak a word that you car help. I'll tell you all I know. I'd been leading all the night, and an hour ago I went to the end of the mows to get a breath of'fresh air. I hadn't been there a minute when you came round the corner of the street, and you were only three doors away when the fellow, who must have kept himself precious close, for I hadn't an idea that there was a living soul in the 'street, sprang out at you. It was all so rapid that I Avas fairly paralysed, till I saw you fall. Then I came out and" grabbed at the fellow, but he dodged like a cat and rah like a greyhound. I followed him as far as Great Russell street, and then saw it was hopeless to pursue him any longer, and besides, I didn't know how you would be getting on. So I doubled back, and found you where you had fallen. You were quite unconscious and you were bleeding badly. Leroy helped me to carry you in, and I managed to stop the bleeding Avhile he ran round to fetch the /■lr.r»+nv !' »

" Oh, Charles, Charles," said Leroy, " why would you go out alone? This would never have happened if I had been with you." "Did you see the fellow?" asked Somer-

" Not distinctly," answered Bufton. " I saw that he wore a beard and looked like sonic- sort of a foreigner." Somerset lay quiet for a moment, then he asked :

"You have said nothing to the police yet?" " No," said Bufton, interchanging a look with Leroy. "I am glad of that. Say nothing even if the doctor tells you that I am in serious danger. And remember this," his feeble voice 'strengthened for a moment : "if suspicion should fall on Matt Watson — the man who threatened me — Annie's husband, remember that I told you that I saw the man who wounded me quite plainly, and it w:>s not Matt Watson. Do you understand ?"

The two men looked at each other again and were silent.

"Do you understand?" repeated Somerset " The man who struck me was not Annie's husband. It was a stranger — a man I nevei saw before in my life. You will say thab on my authority, if it is ever necessary to say anything at all about the matter."

''We'll remember," said Bufton. Leroy silently pressed Somerset's hand, and turned away to hide the tears with which his eyes were full. Somerset, weak with loss of blood, and fatigued by the few words which he had spoken, fell immediately into a heavy sleep.

" This is a pretty kettle of fish," said Bufton, as he and Leroy sat smoking beside the stove, each turning a frequent eye on the patient as he slept, "Of course, it was that ' Ancient Mariner ' who wounded him. He hasn't another enemy in the world, poor chap!" " The Monster beyond a doubt," said Leroy. "He only denied it to save his Ai.dromeda from annoyance and disgrace. He's a good fellow, Billy, isn't he now?"

" He's shaping better than I gave him credit for," growled Bufton. "If he'd only shown as much grit a day or two ago as he's showing now, all this cursed business need never have happened."

"I say!" said Leroy, with a sudden new accent of trouble in his voice, " his mother must know about this, you know."

"Of course," said Bufton, " she must. I hadn't thought of her." "She must be told," said Leroy. "She'd never forgive us if — if anything serious happened."

"We'll wait till the morning anyhow," said Bufton, " and see what the ' doctor says. If he gives a bad report she must know at once, of course. If the news is good there might be no reason to tell her at all. She won't miss him much for a week ; he often .stays away from home os long as that, and in that time he might be fairly on his feet again. And now, look here, old chap, the poor boy^must'nt be left alone. He must have somebody with him constantly. I'll stand first watch till 6 o'clock, and then I'll rout you out. We must get a nurse for him in the morning."

Leroy went to bed as bidden, and Bufton having deftly a.nd silentty brewed himself an enormous jorum of coffee, lit up his etching lamp and fell to work, pausing from time to time to listen to the deep regular breathing of his wounded friend.

Not feeling in the least disposed for rest, he let Leroy sleep on till he awoke of his own accord at 10 o'clock, ancl laughed goodhumouredly at his protests against the " breach of faith," as Leroy' stigmatised it. The doctor came shortly after that hour, u3id Somerset awoke as he was bending over him.

"Very satisfactory," said the doctor; " skin cool and moist, pulse a leetle stringy — but not so bad, not &o bad. No sign of fever. We shall do pretty well, I think, if we can get up our strength again. You had better have a nurse," he continued to Bufton. " Half the battle in these cases depends on good nursing. I know an excellent woman who lives near at hand. Shall I send her round?"

At that moment Bess entered the studio. She started at the sight of the group — Somerset lying on the bed and the others .standing about him — but at Bufton's warning gesture she repressed the exclamation which rose to her lips.

" Mr Somerset has met with a bit of an accident," said Bufton.

"An accident?" repeated Bess, with her eves on Somerset's white face.

" Well, yes ; but don't be alarmed, he's coming round," said Bufton, "and we're just arranging about his nurse." '■ Can't I be of any use?" asked Bess. " I'm a good nurse, Mr Bufton. I nursed my brother when he broke his leg, and I attended mother before she died."

Ther and there Bess was installed, and an excellent nurse she proved, quick to read every unspoken wisn of her patient, deft ancl light-handed in all the offices of a sick room. She had left Tenterden's Hotel and taken a cheap lodging in a street off Russell square, and had entered the service of a firm of dressmakers. She sat beside Somerset's bed stitching through the entire day and half the night, tireless in industry, good spirits, ancl kindliness. "By Jove," said Bufton to her one afternoon when Somerset had fallen asleep, *' I'm glad I didn't meet you 20 years ago !" "Why?" asked Bess, looking up from her sewing in innocent wonder at this curious utterance.

'■ I should have carried you off in spite of your teeth, and made you Mrs William Bufton. " Bess laughed, and blushed a little. " It takes two to make a marriage," she said.