'If I were him I should think one doctor enough. But it's easy enough having a fellow down from London, you know, if you like it.'
'If he should get worse, Mr. Orme———.' And then Peregrine made her a sort of promise, but in doing so an idea shot through his poor heart of what the truth might really be. He went back and looked at Felix who was sleeping. 'If it is so I must bear it,' he said to himself; 'but I'll fight it on;' and a quick thought ran through his brain of his own deficiencies. He knew that he was not clever and bright in talk like Felix Graham. He could not say the right thing at the right moment without forethought. How he wished that he could! But still he would fight it on, as he would have done any losing match,—to the last. And then he sat down by Felix's head, and resolved that he would be loyal to his new friend all the same—loyal in all things needful. But still he would fight it on.
CHAPTER XXX.
ANOTHER FALL.
Felix Graham had plenty of nurses, but Madeline was not one of them. Augustus Staveley came home while the Alston doctor was still busy at the broken bones, and of course he would not leave his friend. He was one of those who had succeeded in the hunt, and consequently had heard nothing of the accident till the end of it. Miss Tristram had been the first to tell him that Mr. Graham had fallen in leaving the covert, but having seen him rise to his legs she had not thought he was seriously hurt.
'I do not know much about your friend,' she had said; 'but I think I may comfort you by an assurance that your horse is none the worse. I could see as much as that.'
'Poor Felix!' said Staveley. 'He has lost a magnificent run. I suppose we are nine or ten miles from Monkton Grange now?'
'Eleven if we are a yard,' said the lady. 'It was an ugly country, but the pace was nothing wonderful.' And then others dropped in, and at last came tidings about Graham. At first there was a whisper that he was dead. He had ridden over Orme, it was said; had nearly killed him, and had quite killed himself. Then the report became less fatal. Both horses were dead, but Graham was still living though with most of his bones broken.
'Don't believe it,' said Miss Tristram. 'In what condition Mr. Graham may be I won't say; but that your horse was safe and sound after he got over the fence, of that you may take my word.'
