Poison Island

ed. In fact, as I reached Delamere Terrace, panting and excogitating the likeliest excuse to offer Mrs. Stimcoe, the door of N

gnition, but she halted under the lamp a

ar

, ma

en needing you. Mr. Stimcoe

aid I. "Shall I ru

; "I had better fetch Dr. Spargo myself. Being more f

ledger must have registered at least a dozen similar "attacks." But I understood at once her true reason for not entrusting me with the errand. It wou

r he suffers from a hallucination that some person or persons unknown have incarcerated him in a French war-prison, such being the effec

d promised t

which I had arrived expecting, or with any right to expect, that I stood for some twe

irth echoed down to me from the stair-rail immediately overhead. Ignoring my preceptor's invitation to bide a wee and take a cup of kindness yet for auld lang syne, I ran u

tbath with cold water, and was commanding the Rev. Philip Stimcoe to strip-as he put it-to the teeth, and immerse himself forthwith. As the Rev. Philip Stimcoe, patriot and martyr, he was obst

Russia, there is no more to be said, always provided"- and here he removed his

himself on the bedside, recited to me the paradigms of the more anomalous Greek verbs with great volubility for

of the patient, Dr. Spargo-a mil

he began in a s

, and have done with it. Our boarders, I may say, have the run of the house-it is part of Mr. Stimcoe's system.

I expected, no sooner had I regained the dormitory than my fellow-boarders-forgetting their sore heads, or, at any rate, forgiving-be

cted no sleep; had, indeed, an hour ago, deemed it impossible I should sleep that night

running to the window, drew wide the curtain. The world was awake, the sun already clear above the hills over St. Just pool, and all the harbour twinkling with its rays. My eyes searched the stretch of water between

, and I saw the St. Mawes packet reaching across towards Falmouth merrily, qui

droom door to offer my services. Doggy Bates, Pilkington, and Scotty Maclean had hied them immediately after breakfast to the harbour, to beg, borrow, or steal a boat and fish for mackerel; and Mrs. Stimcoe, worn out with watching, set down my faithful presence to motives of which I was shamefully innocent. In point of fact, I had lurked at home because I could not b

t plying to and fro. I had a mind to steal down to the Market Strand and interrogate her skipper. I had a mind-and laid more than one plan for it-to follow up my first impulse of bolting for home, to discover if Captain Coffin had arrived there. But Mrs. Stimcoe, misinterpreting my eagerness to be employed, had by this time enlisted me into full service in the sick-room. After the first hi

k at the front door, and, looking out of the window-for Mrs. Stimcoe had gone to bully another sedative out of t

lly as I might, for Mr. Sti

fumbling for a moment, he gazed up towards the window, blinking. Folk who habitually wear glasses look unnatural without them. Captain Branscome's face loo

d Mr. Stimcoe is sick, and I am up here nursing him. T

to make sure you

gh the doctor says he won't be able to leave his

n Branscome, after a hesitating pause. "I've been away-

ome. Why on earth should he be troubl

ned to upset y

hint of it should have reached Captain Branscome was in the highest degree unlikely, and in any case I could not discuss it wi

at he had been visiting some friends; and so for a moment or two we waited at a deadlock. Indeed, there is no knowing how long it might have lasted-for Captain Branscom

in her hand, and was p

speaking up to me after a curt nod towards Captain Branscome-"from Miss Pli

made a practice of reading all letters received

he front door and put out a hand for the letter. "Look here, Harry: I know you to be a b

the letter and staring into her face. "H

ptain Branscome, and the look on his face told me-I cannot tell you how-that he knew what the letter had to tell, and had been expecting it. Th

arest

to me at once, and

hat has happened sa

r father alive. We

kirk preferred to t

is I differ from him

hat we have gone th

vest heart you can

t pray

e friend in

a Plin

Stimcoe to be kind e

ocket-money wi

he house!" commented Mrs. Stimcoe, candid

nea. Captain Branscome-who, to the knowledge of both of us, never had