X
The Story of Le Fever Continued
The sun looked bright the morning after, to every eye in the village but Le FeverвАЩs and his afflicted sonвАЩs; the hand of death pressвАЩd heavy upon his eyelids,вБ†вЄЇвБ†and hardly could the wheel at the cistern turn round its circle,вБ†вАФwhen my uncle Toby, who had rose up an hour before his wonted time, entered the lieutenantвАЩs room, and without preface or apology, sat himself down upon the chair by the bedside, and, independently of all modes and customs, opened the curtain in the manner an old friend and brother officer would have done it, and asked him how he did,вБ†вАФhow he had rested in the night,вБ†вАФwhat was his complaint,вБ†вАФwhere was his pain,вБ†вАФand what he could do to help him:вБ†вЄЇвБ†and without giving him time to answer any one of the enquiries, went on, and told him of the little plan which he had been concerting with the corporal the night before for him.вБ†вЄЇвБ†
вЄЇвБ†You shall go home directly, Le Fever, said my uncle Toby, to my house,вБ†вАФand weвАЩll send for a doctor to see whatвАЩs the matter,вБ†вАФand weвАЩll have an apothecary,вБ†вАФand the corporal shall be your nurse;вБ†вЄЇвБ†and IвАЩll be your servant, Le Fever.
There was a frankness in my uncle Toby,вБ†вАФnot the effect of familiarity,вБ†вАФbut the cause of it,вБ†вАФwhich let you at once into his soul, and showed you the goodness of his nature; to this, there was something in his looks, and voice, and manner, superadded, which eternally beckoned to the unfortunate to come and take shelter under him; so that before my uncle Toby had half finished the kind offers he was making to the father, had the son insensibly pressed up close to his knees, and had taken hold of the breast of his coat, and was pulling it towards him.вБ†вЄЇвБ†The blood and spirits of Le Fever, which were waxing cold and slow within him, and were retreating to their last citadel, the heartвБ†вАФrallied back,вБ†вАФthe film forsook his eyes for a moment,вБ†вАФhe looked up wishfully in my uncle TobyвАЩs face,вБ†вАФthen cast a look upon his boy,вБ†вЄЇвБ†and that ligament, fine as it was,вБ†вАФwas never broken.вБ†вЄї
Nature instantly ebbвАЩd again,вБ†вАФthe film returned to its place,вБ†вЄЇвБ†the pulse flutteredвБ†вЄЇвБ†stoppвАЩdвБ†вЄЇвБ†went onвБ†вЄЇвБ†throbbвАЩdвБ†вЄЇвБ†stoppвАЩd againвБ†вЄЇвБ†movedвБ†вЄЇвБ†stoppвАЩdвБ†вЄЇвБ†shall I go on?вБ†вЄЇвБ†No.