To Emmie, in her anxiety for her brother, the interview held in the study seemed to be painfully long; but Bruce had not been half an hour in the house when a policeman, despatched in haste by the superintendent, was on his way to S——, commisssioned to telegraph from thence to Liverpool and to London.
Then, the immediate strain on his energies being over, Bruce collapsed for a brief time into a state of utter prostration. When the surgeon arrived from S——, he found his patient stretched on the drawing-room sofa in something between a sleep and a swoon, with his pale, anxious sister watching beside him.
Emmie remained present while the surgeon performed his part, giving such trifling aid as she could. When Dr. Weir had done his work and left the room, Miss Trevor followed him into the hall, most anxious to know his opinion as to the extent of the injury which her brother had sustained from the blow.
“The wound is not in itself of so very serious a character,” said the surgeon gravely, “if the brain itself have not suffered. But there is a strong tendency to fever, and the patient should be kept as quiet and as free from excitement as is possible.”
“But he actually insists on travelling to London to-night,” cried Emmie; “and it is so difficult, so impossible to resist the will of my brother when he thinks that a duty must be performed.”
The surgeon shrugged his shoulders. He, like every one else at S——, had heard of Vibert’s arrest, and could understand that no light cause drew his brother towards the metropolis. He had seen already also something of his patient’s decided character, and recalled to mind the well-known words of one who, when told that to travel might be to die, replied, “It is not necessary that I should live, but it is necessary that I should go.” Bruce had a few minutes before in Dr. Weir’s presence, expressed a similar sentiment.
“To oppose him would, I fear, bring on the very evil which we would guard against,” said the surgeon, after a minute’s reflection. “I dare not, under existing circumstances, absolutely forbid the journey to London.” Perhaps Dr. Weir, in giving his reluctant consent to what he saw that he could not prevent, was but making a virtue of necessity.
“Then I will accompany my brother,” said Emmie.
As soon as the surgeon had departed, Emmie began to make preparations for the journey, which should at least be made to Bruce as comfortable and as little fatiguing as it was possible for a night-journey in the depth of winter to be.
“My young lady is a changed being,” thought Susan, as she found Miss Trevor actively engaged in packing her brother’s carpet-bag. “After all the dreadful news which she heard this morning, after her exposure to the most fearful of storms, after the horror of finding her brother half-murdered, and the narrow escape of both from being burned to death, I should have expected to have seen my mistress either in violent hysterics, or in a burning fever! But here is Miss Trevor able to think of all, arrange all, care for all, speaking no word of fear, showing no sign of weakness! I never thought that my lady could have learned so soon how to ‘glorify God in the fires!’”