The Salamanca Corpus: Yeoman Fleetwood (1900 ... - Gredos

The Salamanca Corpus: Yeoman Fleetwood (1900)
seen any one in delirium before, and his father's wanderings threw him into an agony of
fear. It seemed to him a strange and most dangerous development of the malady, and
one with which he felt himself quite unable to cope. He ran hastily to his mother's room,
and beckoned to Miss Belinda.
“My father is wandering," he cried breathlessly. “He does not know me. I am going to
fetch Mr. Richmond at once. He looks so strange — oh. Aunt Belinda, what shall we
do?"
Aunt Belinda crossed the passage and peered in at Mr. Fleetwood's door. He was
muttering to himself and plucking at the sheet "Best go, my dear, at once," she said,
turning a scared face upon Simon. "He looks very bad, and I don't like that fashion o'
pullin' at the sheet. 'Tis a bad sign. I'll call Susan to sit here till you come back."
"And my mother?" queried poor Simon with white lips.
[58]
"Your mother is quieter this last hour or so; she kept callin' and callin' for your father
the first part of the night, but she has given over now."
"Oh, Aunt Binney," cried the lad, scarce knowing what he said,"you musn't let her die
till I come back. If my father cannot be with her, I must. Oh, poor Mother!"
He hurried off to the stable, put the horse in the gig, and drove as fast as he could urge
the bewildered animal through the night to the village, where after some difficulty he
succeeded in arousing the apothecary. The few minutes' delay necessary before that
functionary could appear caused Simon to chafe with impatience, and when he at last
approached he seized him by the arm and pulled him without ceremony into the gig.
"I’ll tell you what the matter is as we go along," he cried, whipping up the horse.
The dawn was breaking when they arrived at the Farm, and Miss Belinda met them on
the doorstep. "My dear nephew," she cried, "I scarce know how to tell you what has
happened."
Simon threw the reins on the horse's back and jumped to the ground, the animal making
its way round to the stable by itself.
"Not dead?" he cried hoarsely.