登陆注册
5382100000168

第168章 CHAPTER XXXIV(3)

and Miss Benson were sitting with her in the parlour, and watching her with contented love, as she employed herself in household sewing, and hopefully spoke about the Abermouth plan. "Well! so you had our worthy rector here to-day; I am come on something of the same kind of errand; only I shall spare you the reading of my letter, which, I'll answer for it, he did not. Please to take notice," said he, putting down a sealed letter, "that I have delivered you a vote of thanks from my medical brothers; and open and read it at your leisure; only not just now, for I want to have a little talk with you on my own behoof. Iwant to ask you a favour, Mrs. Denbigh." "A favour!" exclaimed Ruth; "what can I do for you? I think I may say Iwill do it, without hearing what it is." "Then you're a very imprudent woman," replied he; "however, I'll take you at your word. I want you to give me your boy." "Leonard?" "Ay! there it is, you see, Mr. Benson. One minute she is as ready as can be, and the next she looks at me as if I was an ogre!" "Perhaps we don't understand what you mean," said Mr. Benson. "The thing is this. You know I've no children; and I can't say I've ever fretted over it much; but my wife has; and whether it is that she has infected me, or that I grieve over my good practice going to a stranger, when Iought to have had a son to take it after me, I don't know; but, of late, I've got to look with covetous eyes on all healthy boys, and at last I've settled down my wishes on this Leonard of yours, Mrs. Denbigh." Ruth could not speak; for, even yet, she did not understand what he meant.

He went on-- "Now, how old is the lad?" He asked Ruth, but Miss Benson replied-- "He'll be twelve next February." "Umph! only twelve! He's tall and old-looking for his age. You look young enough, it is true." He said this last sentence as if to himself, but seeing Ruth crimson up, ho abruptly changed his tone. "Twelve, is he? Well, I take him from now. I don't mean that I really take him away from you," said he, softening all at once, and becoming grave and considerate. "His being your son--the son of one whom I have seen--as I have seen you, Mrs. Denbigh (out and out the best nurse I ever met with, Miss Benson; and good nurses are things we doctors know how to value)--his being your son is his great recommendation to me; not but what the lad himself is a noble boy. I shall be glad to leave him with you as long and as much as we can; he could not be tied to your apron-strings all his life, you know. Only I provide for his education, subject to your consent and good pleasure, and he is bound apprentice to me. I, his guardian, bind him to myself, the first surgeon in Eccleston, be the other who he may;and in process of time he becomes partner, and some day or other succeeds me. Now, Mrs. Denbigh, what have you got to say against this plan? My wife is just as full of it as me. Come; begin with your objections. You're not a woman if you have not a whole bag-full of them ready to turn out against any reasonable proposal." "I don't know," faltered Ruth. "It is so sudden----" "It is very, very kind of you, Mr. Davis," said Miss Benson, a little scandalised at Ruth's non-expression of gratitude. "Pooh! pooh! I'll answer for it, in the long-run, I am taking good care of my own interests. Come, Mrs. Denbigh, is it a bargain?" Now Mr. Benson spoke. "Mr. Davis, it is rather sudden, as she says. As far as I can see, it is the best as well as the kindest proposal that could have been made; but I think we must give her a little time to think about it." "Well, twenty-four hours! Will that do?" Ruth lifted up her head. "Mr. Davis, I am not ungrateful because I can't thank you" (she was crying while she spoke); "let me have a fortnight to consider about it. In a fortnight I will make up my mind. Oh, how good you all are!" "Very well. Then this day fortnight--Thursday the 28th--you will let me know your decision. Mind! if it's against me, I sha'n't consider it a decision, for I'm determined to carry my point. I'm not going to make Mrs. Denbigh blush, Mr. Benson, by telling you, in her presence, of all I have observed about her this last three weeks, that has made me sure of the good qualities I shall find in this boy of hers. I was watching her when she little thought of it. Do you remember that night when Hector O'Brien was so furiously delirious, Mrs. Denbigh?" Ruth went very white at the remembrance. "Why now, look there! how pale she is at the very thought of it! And yet, I assure you, she was the one to go up and take the piece of glass from him which he had broken out of the window for the sole purpose of cutting his throat, or the throat of any one else, for that matter. I wish we had some others as brave as she is." "I thought the great panic was passed away!" said Mr. Benson. "Ay! the general feeling of alarm is much weaker; but, here and there, there are as great fools as ever. Why, when I leave here, I am going to see our precious member, Mr. Donne----" "Mr. Donne?" said Ruth. "Mr. Donne, who lies ill at the Queen's--came last week, with the intention of canvassing, but was too much alarmed by what he heard of the fever to set to work; and, in spite of all his precautions, he has taken it; and you should see the terror they are in at the hotel; landlord, landlady, waiters, servants--all; there's not a creature will go near him, if they can help it; and there's only his groom--a lad he saved from drowning, I'm told--to do anything for him. I must get him a proper nurse, somehow or somewhere, for all my being a Cranworth man. Ah, Mr. Benson! you don't know the temptations we medical men have. Think, if I allowed your member to die now as he might very well, if he had no nurse--how famously Mr.

同类推荐
  • The Mahatma and the Hare

    The Mahatma and the Hare

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Twilight Stories

    Twilight Stories

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说梵志頞波罗延问种尊经

    佛说梵志頞波罗延问种尊经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 砚山斋杂记

    砚山斋杂记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 通天乐

    通天乐

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 金萱图

    金萱图

    陷阱!意识到危险来临时,吕宽已来不及转身,眨眼之间,暗器呼啸而来。这一瞬间,他唯一做的事情就是将手里的纸卷塞进怀中,另一只手以更快的速度抽出软鞭,舞出漫天黑影,将暗器一一击落。放在地上的火折子灭了,整个屋子陷入一片黑暗。吕宽屏住气息,静静地呆在黑暗中,等待着下一波攻势。忽然一阵脚步声往这边而来。只有一个人,走得肆无忌惮,毫不隐藏。吕宽握紧了手里的软鞭。“吕大哥?”那人喊了一声,声音未落,门被推开了。吕宽看清了那人,是个锦衣华服的少年。
  • 宫锁春深

    宫锁春深

    朝廷选秀,避无可避,为保年府平安,她不得已入宫为妃,一朝恩宠,从此风光无限,却惹得各路妃嫔明争暗害,她小心应付,却失去了腹中的皇嗣,又被自己的好姐妹一脚踹入冷宫,那个对她深情宠爱的帝王,为了保护别的女人,更是将她踩在了脚下,而年府上下,也都在火海中化为了灰烬,生死边缘,家仇子恨情觞,终是让她浴火重生,惩夫君,虐渣姐,设得局中局,谈笑于众妃之间,可是当真相渐渐浮出水面时,却又是如此的让人心痛!
  • 华严经内章门等杂孔目

    华严经内章门等杂孔目

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 观林诗话

    观林诗话

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 万界仙皇

    万界仙皇

    神才辈出,谁是天定?妖孽纵横,谁主沉浮?天道沉寂世界荒芜。群魔乱舞。生死,只在弹指间!陈极身怀无上丹道,以剑血洗天下。纵使满天神魔皆为敌,又如何……吾之剑下,一切皆蝼蚁!
  • 异界修改大师

    异界修改大师

    穿越到异界的夏宁无意间得到了一个模组(MOD)修改器,从而开启了他的传奇人生!觉醒不了血脉?没有合适修炼的血气法?没有技能、武器、药剂……这都是小事!修改器解决一切!
  • 冰火劫情:九命妖妃

    冰火劫情:九命妖妃

    她是一只修炼九百年的灵猫,一朝穿越,是人,亦是妖!他是天穆国人人不齿的废柴王爷,散漫不羁,与人无争,却依然逃不脱权势争夺的漩涡!相遇,是上天的作弄,还是不可捉摸的缘?当命运轮回,冰与火碰撞出爱意,她幡然醒悟,原来她所寻觅的一直就在身边!
  • 私家侦探

    私家侦探

    《私家侦探》讲的是,吴诚是前大学教授、前知名剧作家,因一次酒后失态导致混乱的“龟山岛事件”愤而退出戏剧界,遁隐于六张犁当起私家侦探,他在咖比茶咖啡店看报兼接案,听修车厂阿鑫谯政治,和派出所小胖泡茶博感情,唯一助手是某次跟监行动中结识的出租车运将添来。然而,在看似平静的生活背后,台湾第一起计划性连续杀人命案正悄悄发生……
  • 南唐新梦

    南唐新梦

    问君能有几多愁,恰似一江春水向东流;昔年南唐后主的遗恨,由今世李从嘉所继承。今世娥皇女英,大小花蕊,尽皆收揽;金戈铁马,千帆竞发,逐鹿中原,江山如画;这个天下是大唐的天下!!!
  • 经济学会撒谎:为什么经济学家是靠不住的

    经济学会撒谎:为什么经济学家是靠不住的

    本书是一本趣味性经济学读物,旨在通过一些有趣的话题,帮助大家更好地认识经济学、学习经济学、用好经济学。其核心思想仍与经典、传统的经济学思路一致,但看事物的角度则力求新奇,改变大家对经济学的传统认识,解决一些学习经济学、运用经济学时的观念误区,使经济学能够更好地为人所用。????本书装满了各种各样的谎言、也装满了对经济学的深刻解读。本书可作为一本经济学爱好者的入门读物,也可以作为一本草根阶层解决生存问题的红宝书、白领阶层关心社会问题的经济学小说,亦可为经济学研究者提供一个看问颢的另类视角。