He nodded and smiled reassuringly, told Jim to go with her, then himself turned back to Nell, whose eyes were asking for something.
Failing to make him understand, she began to move her left hand over the floor, as if she were writing, then pointed towards the place where pencil and paper might be found.
“You want to write something of importance?” he asked, as he brought writing materials.
With a movement of her hand, she signified that he must lift her up. When this was done she began to write with awkward slowness, the doctor holding the paper for her, and picking up the pencil every time she dropped it.
“I threw the key of the shed on the railway track. Send some one to find it. There is a live man in the coffin—a robber!”
When she had written so much, she looked at the doctor questioningly, to see if he understood.
“Why did you throw away the key? Did someone try to take it from you?” he said, beginning to get light on the situation, when her eyes answered him yes.
“Did that someone hit you a blow which dislocated your jaw, and another that broke your wrist?”
Again her eyes flickered out yes.
“The brute! It would give me great satisfaction to serve him likewise. I would cheerfully do the necessary repairs afterwards without charging him extra for it,” growled the doctor.