“Why can’t you ring the bell instead of making that fiendish noise, and waking the whole house? Who is it?”
“Blanchard, from Newtake.”
“What’s wrong?”
“’T is my bwoy. He’ve got something amiss with his breathing parts by the looks of it.”
“Ah.”
“Doan’t delay. Gert fear comed to his mother under the darkness, ’cause he seemed nicely when he went to sleep, then woke up worse. So I felt us had better not wait till morning.”
“I’ll be with you in five minutes.”
Soon the Doctor appeared down a lane from the rear of the house. He was leading his horse by the bridle.
“I’m better mounted than you,” he said, “so I’ll push forward. Every minute saved is gained.”
Will thanked him, and Doctor Parsons disappeared. When the father reached home, it was to hear that his child was seriously ill, though nothing of a final nature could be done to combat the sickness until it assumed a more definite form.