"I am grieved indeed to hear that you have been ill, doctor," Cyril
said; "had I known it I should have come a fortnight since, for I was
strong enough to walk this distance then. I did indeed go out, but
the streets had so sad an aspect that I shrank from stirring out
again."
"Yes, I have had it," the doctor said. "Directly I felt it come on I
followed your system exactly, but it had gone further with me than it
had with you, and it was a week before I fairly drove the enemy out.
I ordered sweating in every case, but, as you know, they seldom sent
for me until too late, and it is rare that the system got a fair
chance. However, in my case it was a complete success. Two of my
servants died; they were taken when I was at my worst. Both were dead
before I was told of it. The man you saw was the one who waited on
me, and as I adopted all the same precautions you had taken with your
man, he did not catch it, and it was only when he went downstairs one
day and found the other two servants lying dead in the kitchen that
he knew they had been ill."
"Mr. Wallace has gone, you will be sorry to hear, sir."
"I am sorry," the doctor said; "but no one was more fitted to die. He
was a brave man and a true Christian, but he ran too many risks, and
your news does not surprise me."
"The only other friends I have, Mr. Harvey and his wife, went out of
town a month ago, taking with them their servant."
"Yes; I saw them the day before I was taken ill," the doctor said,
"and told them that the man was so far out of danger that he might
safely be moved.
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