CHAPTER THIRTY SIX.
WHAT MR BLANK THOUGHT.
"Quick! Pray! Oh, Bruno, Bruno!" shrieked Gertrude, as she dashedforward to seize the dog--a vain attempt, for stronger hands had alreadyfailed to hold the furious beast, who had pricked up his ears at MrsDenton's mention of the name, and then, as Saul entered the room, givenvent to a deep-toned roar, and, as if once more in possession of hisfull strength, leaped at his old enemy's throat.
The attempt made by George Harrington to hold him was vain, but hissecond attempt was more successful, though it was made after receiving aheavy blow from the chair with which Saul struck at the dog, falling inthe effort, to lie prone with Bruno's teeth fixed in thetightly-buttoned collar of his coat.
"Let go, dog! Let go!" roared George, seizing Bruno's collar with bothhands, and by the exercise of his great strength wrenching him away withthe collar of the coat in his teeth.
Then ensued a tremendous struggle, the dog making furious plunges to getat the prostrate figure, growling and barking the while, with theaccompanying worrying sound made by a dog half mad with rage.
"It's no good, my lad," cried George excitedly. "I've got you. Holdstill!"
For response the dog threw his head from side to side, making franticplunges, and ninety-nine men out of a hundred would have let him go,but, after a desperate fight, Bruno was thrown and held securely, hisopponent pressing him to the carpet by the help of his bended knee.
"He's done," panted the young man. "Do you give in, sir?"
The dog uttered a low whine, that sounded like a remonstrance, and layquite still.
"Get that gentleman out of the room quickly. Or no. Here, Gertrude,show me where I can lock up the dog. A room, outhouse--anywhere."
"Better shoot him. The dog's mad," cried Mr Hampton excitedly.
"Oh!" ejaculated Gertrude.
"The dog's not mad," panted George. "You lead the way."
"Yes, yes," cried Gertrude.
"I think I can hold him. Stand on one side, and be ready to shut thewindow to as soon as I get him outside."
"I'm ready," said Gertrude, with a calm display of courage which broughtforth an admiring glance.
"Then stand clear."
Removing his knee, George Harrington dragged the dog quickly along thecarpet, and out on to the lawn. The window was closed, and Gertrude ranto his side.
"This way," she cried; and running to the side of the house she drewopen a door in the wall, through which, after another fierce struggle,the dog was dragged, the door banged to, and then Gertrude ran acrossthe yard and opened the stable door.
"Pray, pray, mind he doesn't bite you," she cried in agony.
"No fear; I've got him too tightly; besides he hasn't tried. By Jove!he has got his strength again, and no mistake. There, sir, you'remastered."
As he spoke, he gave his captive a swing forward, dashed back, andclosed the door, just as the dog bounded at it, and tore at the panel,baying furiously.
"Well, I'm in a nice state. But that Saul Harrington! He and the dogmust be bad friends."
"Yes," said Gertrude, with her voice trembling and deep from agitation,"but you--you are hurt."
"Not in the least," he said, catching the hands extended to him in animploring way. "No, not hurt. So full of happiness to hear you speaklike that."
"Mr Harrington!" she faltered.
"Yes, George Harrington, indeed, indeed," he cried, with his voicesounding deep and emotional.
"Let us make haste back," she cried, hurriedly opened the door in thewall, trembling, troubled, pleased--she could not define her sensations;and it was with a sense of relief that she found Mrs Hampton comingtoward them.
"Is that dreadful dog locked up safely?" she cried.
"Yes, quite safe; but I had a terrible fight with his lordship," saidGeorge Harrington, coming to his companion's help. "No fear of hisgetting well now."
"He must have gone mad."
"No; only towards Mr Saul Harrington, I'm afraid."
They hurried back to the drawing-room, to become conscious of a hoarse,panting sound, and a low angry muttering from the couch, where the twoold men were feebly struggling with Saul Harrington.
"Quick! Help here!" said the old lawyer.
George Harrington sprang to them, and pinned Saul down to the couch,from which he vainly struggled to rise.
"You had better go, ladies," cried the young man.
"Can I be of any use?" said Gertrude calmly. "Doctor Lawrence knows howI can help."
"Yes, help me," said the old man. "Can you hold him?"
"Oh, yes; I have him fast for the present."
Doctor Lawrence hurried to a table, took out his pocket-book, and wrotea prescription, tore out the pencilled leaf, and gave it to Gertrude.
"Send and get that made up for me," he said hastily.
Gertrude flew from the room, and the doctor hastened to help keep thepatient within bounds.
"It was utter madness to leave his bed," he said.
"Perhaps he came in search of you."
"Impossible. He could not have known I was coming down here. Greatheavens! what a state he is in."
For at that moment, as the sick man struggled in his delirium, he heavedhimself till his body formed an arch, and it was all that the three mencould do to keep him upon the couch.
"Like anyone suffering from a powerful dose of strychnia," muttered thedoctor.
"What are you going to do, Lawrence?" whispered the lawyer. "Can't yougive him some narcotic that will last till you get him back to hischambers?"
"What I have sent for," said the doctor, in a quiet, business-like way."Mrs Hampton, we want something to form a long broad band to hold himdown to the couch, without doing any harm."
"Why not one of those long curtains?" said George Harrington, pointingto an alcove full of books.
"Yes, the very thing," cried the doctor, looking in the indicateddirection.
George Harrington waited until a paroxysm was over, and the patient hadfor the moment ceased to struggle, before leaping upon a table andrapidly unhooking the piece of drapery, which was formed into a broadband, and tightly secured across the patient's chest before beingfastened below the couch.
"Half an hour to wait before we can get the medicine, I'm afraid," saidthe doctor. "I want to get him composed, and then we might put him in afly and drive up to his chambers."
"You'll never get him away to-night," said George Harrington bluntly."Rather hard on the ladies; but he is a relative, and it seems to methat you ought to keep him here."
"I'm afraid he is right, Hampton," said the doctor. "Good heavens! whata paroxysm."
There was a long struggle, during which the delirious man made desperateefforts to get free.
"Down, beast!" he literally growled; and in his terrible fit he seemedto be struggling with the dog. "Down, brute! I'll dash your brainsout! Curse him! how strong he is?"
There was a few moments' cessation, and Mrs Hampton, who had beenwringing her hands by the window, and trying hard to master her emotion,came up to say calmly:
"Can I do anything?"
"Yes. Go and see whom Gertrude has sent," cried the doctor impatiently."If that old woman has gone, it will be an hour before she is back."
Mrs Hampton hurried out, and the sound made by the closing door seemedto startle the sick man into action again.
"Ah, would you?" he growled. "Beast! Devil! What! Bite! Ah!"
He uttered a yell of pain, and clapped his hand upon his injured arm.
"Curse you! take that, and that. Now then! Yes, yelp and snarl.You'll never bite again. Ah! It's like red-hot irons going into myflesh; but kill your mad dog, they say, and there's no harm done."
"That miserable dog's attack seems to have quite overset him," whisperedthe lawyer. "Good heavens! what a terrible position for us all."
George Harrington said nothing, but stood at the head of the couch,ready to seize and hold the sufferer the moment the ne
xt paroxysmoccurred.
He had not long to wait, for with a howl that did not seem human, SaulHarrington made such a start that the couch cracked as if it was beingwrenched apart.
"Ah, you here! Watching! But you can't speak--you can't tell tales.If I'd known, I'd have silenced you. Lie down, brute! Do you hear--liedown! Hey, Bruno, then; good dog. Lie down, old man," he said,laughing softly, and talking in a low cajoling tone. "You know me,Bruno. Good dog, then. Lie down, old fellow. Friends, do you hear--friends. Good dog, then."
He extended a hand toward the dog he imagined that he saw, smilingunpleasantly the while, and then once more he started and yelledhorribly.
"Down, you beast! Curse you! Bitten me, have you. I'll have yourlife, if I die for it. Beast! Devil! Curse you! Strong, are you?Yes, and I am strong too. Oh, if I had a knife!"
He panted out these words in a series of hoarse cries; and all he while,as far as his hands would allow, he went through the movements of onehaving a desperate struggle with a great dog--fending off its efforts toget at his throat. Again clapping his hand to his arm with a moan ofpain, and ending by striking at the animal which had attacked him blowafter blow, to sink back looking hideously ghastly and perfectlyexhausted by his efforts.
"Poor fellow!" said the lawyer, as the sick man lay with his eyes halfclosed. "How unlucky for the dog to spring at him. Seems to havecompletely shattered his brain."
"Yes," said the doctor gravely, as he held his patient's wrist.
"Terrible work, sir," continued the lawyer, looking at GeorgeHarrington, but the young man made no reply. He was staringthoughtfully at the wretched man, apparently waiting the moment when hemust lean over the head of the sofa, and hold him down; but all thewhile following up a clue which his active imagination painted beforehim in vivid colours.
For, as he stood there, the wanderings of the delirious man's brainevoked a chain of ideas, and he saw farther than his two companions, whoattributed the violence of the paroxysms to the shock caused by thedog's attack.
"The trouble must be farther back than that," he thought. "The dog haddashed at him as if for some former cause," and the incoherent pantingwords which he heard better than his companions at the feet could, heread as by the key suggested to his mind. Once started upon this track,all came very easily.
"There must have been some old encounter when the dog had attacked him.His words suggested it all, even to the effect of the encounter. He hadbeen bitten and--then--to be sure, there was that brokenwalking-stick!--he had retaliated with a blow of such savage violencethat he believed he had killed the dog; and, of course, it was perfectlyclear--the next time they met, and the poor brute had sufficientlyrecovered, it had dashed at him."
Saul Harrington's breath came in a low, stertorous way, as Mrs Hamptonjust then re-entered the room, and crept to her husband's side ontip-toe to whisper:
"Gertrude has gone herself. I'll go back and wait till she returns."
George Harrington felt a pang of disappointment as he asked himself whyhe had not gone, but the reason came to remind him, for as Mrs Hamptonstole back to the door, Saul uttered a savage cry, and they had hardwork to keep him down, as he threw his head from side to side, gnashinghis teeth, snapping, and making a hideous, worrying sound, such as mightcome from a dog. For some moments no coherent words left his lips--nothing but these terrible, low, hoarse cries, and the doctor whisperedfrom where he stood to George Harrington:
"For heaven's sake take care. If he bit you now, the consequences mightbe serious."
A shudder ran through the young man; but he forgot his own peril in theexcitement of hearing the words which now came distinctly to strengthenhis theory; as, with convulsed features, and eyes seeming to start asthey watched something which the diseased brain had conjure: up, Saulpanted savagely:
"Yes, you beast! I see you tracking and watching me. But keep off!I'll kill you as I would a rat. Hah! Take him off--take him off! Myarm! My arm! Don't you see! His teeth have met and he has torn apiece out. Ah! Down, beast, down! Hah! You had it that time! Curseyou! You'll never do that again. Dead--dead--dead!"
He sank back once more in utter exhaustion, but his lips kept movingfeebly, and a curious jerk from time to time sent a spasmodic actionthrough his limbs.
"Yes, that must be it," thought George Harrington; "the dog had attackedhim, and fastened upon his arm, and this injury, which he attributed toa fall on the Alps, was from the bite of the dog, which for somereason--of course so as not to hurt Gertrude's feelings--he wished tokeep quiet. The reason was simple enough. He had struck and nearlykilled the dog."
His musings were interrupted by a fresh paroxysm, so horrible that thosewho held the delirious man shuddered, and George Harrington felt astrange dread of the doctor's patient, as it seemed to him probable thatthis might be all the result of that bite--a form of hydrophobia--thathorrible incurable disease which sets medicine knowledge at defiance,and laughs all remedies to scorn.
Saul Harrington's cries, curses and writhings once more subsided just asthe great iron gate was heard to clang.
"Go, and fetch the medicine, Hampton," whispered the doctor, "and tellthem it is impossible to take him away. A bed must be made up on thefloor of the study."
"Yes. Quite right."
"And they must not come in here again. It is too horrible. Really itis not safe."
A fierce cry rang out at that moment, and Saul's strength seemed to beso superhuman that the broad fold of curtain which helped to keep himdown parted, and, tossing aside the hands which tried to restrain him,he made for the door, which Gertrude opened.
George Harrington uttered a low cry, which sounded like a quick, sharpexpiration of the breath, and leaped across the room to seize thewretched maniac as he was in the act of springing upon Gertrude, whoshrank back against the door appalled by the hideous look upon his face.
Then began a terrific struggle, in which, for some time, no aid could berendered.
No sound escaped Gertrude's lips, but she stood there white andtrembling, as if fascinated by the horror of the scene, while MrsHampton held her by the arm with the intention of dragging her away, butonly to be so paralysed by terror that she could not stir.
For a good five minutes nothing was heard in the room but theoverturning and breaking of furniture, mingled with the hoarse pantinganimal cries of Saul, who seemed to see in George Harrington the dog hesought to destroy.
In spite of all the others could do, matters went hard with George; butthe dexterity of a man used to wild life stood him in good stead, andjust as in the midst of a savage, snarling sound Gertrude felt the roomswimming round her, and as if insensibility was coming on, there was aheavy crash, and the shock brought her back to life.
George Harrington was seated upon Saul's chest, as he said in a pantingvoice:
"Now, doctor, quick! Give him what you have. I can't hold him long.About beat out."
The next minute the doctor was on his knees beside the wretched man,seizing any opportunity to trickle a few drops of the strong sedativebetween the gnashing teeth--a dangerous and difficult task--till agoodly portion had been swallowed as well as scattered over the carpet,and then Saul lay staring and muttering something about the dog.
"I've exhibited a tremendous dose," whispered Doctor Lawrence, as herecorked the bottle. "That must calm him for a time."
But quite a quarter of an hour passed before Saul sank into a state ofstupor; and then after he had been replaced upon the couch, it waswheeled into the study, a more secure bandage placed across his heavingchest; and the exhausted party sat down to watch.