Foul Play

by Charles Reade

  CHAPTER XXX.

  IT was a wretched and anxious night for Hazel. He watched the hut,without the courage to approach it. That one moment of weakness whichoccurred to him on board the _Proserpine,_ when he had allowed Helen toperceive the nature of his feelings toward her, had rendered all hisactions open to suspicion. He dared not exhibit toward her anysympathy--he might not extend to her the most ordinary civility. If shefell ill, if fever supervened! how could he nurse her, attend upon her?His touch must have a significance, he knew that; for, as he bore herinsensible form, he embraced rather than carried the precious burden.Could he look upon her in her suffering without betraying his forbiddenlove? And then would not his attentions afflict more than console?

  Chewing the cud of such bitter thoughts, he passed the night withoutnoticing the change which was taking place over the island. The sun rose;and this awakened him from his reverie, which had replaced sleep; helooked around, and then became sensible of the warnings in the air.

  The sea-birds flew about vaguely and absurdly, and seemed sporting incurrents of wind; yet there was but little wind down below. Presentlyclouds came flying over the sky, and blacker masses gathered on thehorizon. The sea changed color.

  Hazel knew the weather was breaking. The wet season was at hand--themoment when fever, if such an invisible inhabitant there was on thatisland, would visit them. In a few hours the rain would be upon them, andhe reproached himself with want of care in the construction of the hut.For some hours he hovered around it, before he ventured to approach thedoor and call to Helen. He thought he heard her voice faintly, and heentered. She lay there as he had placed her. He knelt beside her, and wasappalled at the change in her appearance.

  The poor girl's system had received a shock for which it was unprepared.Her severe sufferings at sea had, strange to say, reduced her inappearance less than could have been believed; for her physical enduranceproved greater than that of the strong men around her. But the food whichthe island supplied was not suited to restore her strength, and thenervous shock to which she had been subjected was followed by completeprostration.

  Hazel took her unresisting hand, which he would have given a world topress. He felt her pulse; it was weak, but slow. Her cheeks were hollow,her eyes sunken; her hand dropped helplessly when he released it.

  Leaving the hut quietly, but hastily, he descended the hill to therivulet, which he crossed. About half a mile above the boathouse thestream forked, one of its branches coming from the west, the other fromthe east. Between this latter branch and Terrapin Wood was a stony hill;to this spot Hazel went, and fell to gathering a handful of poppies. Whenhe had obtained a sufficient quantity he returned to the boathouse, madea small fire of chips, and, filling his tin baler with water, he set downthe poppies to boil. When the liquor was cool, he measured out a portionand drank it. In about twenty minutes his temples began to throb, asensation which was rapidly followed by nausea.

  It was midday before he recovered from the effects of his experimentsufficiently to take food. Then he waited for two hours, and felt muchrestored. He stole to the hut and looked in. Helen lay there as he hadleft her. He stooped over her; her eyes were half closed, and she turnedthem slowly upon him; her lips moved a little--that was all. He felt herpulse again; it was still weaker, and slower. He rose and went away, and,regaining the boat-house, he measured out a portion of the poppy liquor,one-third of the dose he had previously taken, and drank it. No headacheor nausea succeeded; he felt his pulse; it became quick and violent;while a sense of numbness overcame him, and he slept. It was but for afew minutes. He awoke with a throbbing brow, and some sickness; but witha sense of delight at the heart, for he had found an opiate, andprescribed its quantity.

  He drained the liquor away from the poppy leaves, and carried it to thehut. Measuring with great care a small quantity, he lifted the girl'shead and placed it to her lips. She drank it mechanically. Then hewatched beside her, until her breathing and her pulse changed incharacter. She slept. He turned aside then, and buried his face in hishands and prayed fervently for her life--prayed as we pray for the dailybread of the heart. He prayed and waited.