“It is not my own,” he answered, “but I take care of it.”
“Then it is you that are bringing pain upon us all,” shouted several voices from the back of the crowd. And some one shouted out:
“I know you. You pretend to take pain away and you really bring much more in secret.”
And moved with a feeling of indignation against the one who had caused such a painful object to exist as the child was, the crowd closed on him, and barred his way to his own place. But they did not lay hands on him. As he stood with the child it gradually began to regain its composure. But with a sudden movement the crowd swept towards the council chamber. And when they had come there they demanded that this cruel and wicked act of keeping pain in existence should be punished.
There happened to be several of the chief magistrates on the spot, and in obedience to the voices of the crowd they proceeded to sit in judgment at once. It was not known how the child had come into the streets; but it was admitted by the prisoner to be his doing that it had been kept alive. The doctors unanimously said that it ought to have been put out of existence directly it was born. There was practically no defence. The charge of subverting the laws was established. The people clamoured for the extreme penalty. The judges passed sentence on the student.
Before morning he was put to death.
He met his fate without sorrow, even with gladness. The pain in his life had for long been as much as he could bear. He did not, like the prince of long ago, look upon nothingness as the desired end of existence. He felt the presence of the one whom he had discerned through thought, and this seemed more real to him than life or death.
On the following day, whether in reaction from the excitement of the previous evening, or from some other cause, an unusual quiet pervaded the streets of the city. There was not much discussion as to the event which had happened. The prevailing feeling was one of wonder that there should have been so much commotion about an unimportant affair. For the most part before the next evening the whole circumstances were on the way to be forgotten. And yet every here and there were persons in whose lives the loss of their friend was deeply felt. The joy and spring of life seemed gone. The poor child lay pale and motionless, save when every now and then it gasped convulsively for breath. None felt the despondency more than the clerk. The interest and value of life seemed to have gone. He did not care for his new honours.
That day some most unexpected news went through the town. The chief of the council of sensation had sunk into apathy. He was in the prime of his life. It was most unexpected. Every one was astonished at the news, but were still more astonished at how little they felt concerned.
Following on these tidings came others. Many of the inhabitants of the metropolis whose lives were most strenuous suddenly succumbed. The clerk had made up his mind to go into the country. But tidings came from there also that the poorer labourers, and those who were exposed to the fatigue of long journeys or exposure were in many cases sinking. The wave of torpor seemed passing over the whole valley and not to be confined to the metropolis. The rich and unoccupied classes only were comparatively unaffected. They betook themselves to the store of enjoyable things at their service, and so replaced the natural spring of life which seemed tending to fail in every one.