been a beast all my life myself? How can I advise him? That's where it is! It is that that now kills me. Advise! Why, when I speak to him he treats me like a child.'
'He fears that you are too weak, you know: he thinks that you should not be allowed to talk.'
'Nonsense! he knows better; you know better. Too weak! what signifies? Would I not give all that I have of strength at one blow if I could open his eyes to see as I see but for one minute?' And the sick man raised himself up in his bed as though he were actually going to expend all that remained to him of vigour in the energy of a moment.
'Gently, Scatcherd; gently. He will listen to you yet; but do not be so unruly.'
'Thorne, you see that bottle there? Give me half a glass of brandy.'
The doctor turned round in his chair; but he hesitated in doing as he was desired.
'Do as I ask you, doctor. It can do no harm now; you know that well enough. Why torture me now?'
'No, I will not torture you; but you will have water with it?'
'Water! No; the brandy by itself. I tell you I cannot speak without it. What's the use of canting now? You know it can make no difference.'
Sir Roger was right. It could make no difference; and Dr. Thorne gave him the half-glass of brandy.
'Ah, well; you've a stingy hand, doctor; confounded stingy. You don't measure your medicines out in such light doses.'
'You will be wanting more before morning, you know.'
'Before morning! indeed I shall; a pint or so before that. I remember the time, doctor, when I have drunk to my own cheek above two quarts before dinner and breakfast! ay, and worked all the day after it!'
'You have been a wonderful man, Scatcherd, very wonderful.'
'Ay, wonderful! well, never mind. It's over now. But what was I saying?—about Louis, doctor; you'll not desert him?'
'Certainly not.'
'He's not strong; I know that. How should he be strong, living as he has done? Not that it seemed to hurt me when I was his age.'
'You had the advantage of hard work.'
'That's it. Sometimes I wish that Louis had not a shilling in the world; that he had to trudge about with an apron round his waist as I did. But it's too late now to think of that. If he would only marry, doctor.
