“Help her,” said Ruth, imploringly.
“Nothing to be done,” said the doctor, in an unmoved tone, staring at Daisy.
“Why didn’t you come afore, den?” said Dinah, springing to her feet and confronting the doctor. “Don’t you see you’ve murdered two of ’em?” and she pointed to Ruth, whose head had dropped upon her breast.
“I tell you, Harry, it’s no use to call another doctor,” said his father, shaking off his grasp; “the child is struck with death; let her drop off quietly; what’s the sense of tormenting her?”
Harry shuddered, and drew his father again to Daisy’s side.
“Help her,” said Ruth; “don’t talk; try something.”
“Well, I can put on these leeches, if you insist,” said the old man, uncorking a bottle; “but I tell you, it is only tormenting the dying.”
Dinah cut open the child’s night dress, and bared the fair, round chest, to which the leeches clung eagerly; Daisy, meanwhile, remaining motionless, and seemingly quite insensible to the disagreeable pricking sensation they caused.
“The other doctor is below,” whispered Pat, thrusting his head in at the door.