With white faces and trembling hands, we opened... 0 [Jan. 31st, 2010|02:44 am] With white faces and trembling hands, we opened the door gently, and entered the room How shall I describe what we saw? On the bed lay two women, Lucy and her motherThe latter lay farthest in, and she was covered with a white sheet, the edge of which had been blown back by the drought through the broken window, showing the drawn, white, face, with a look of terror fixed upon itBy her side lay Lucy, with face white and still more drawnThe flowers which had been round her neck we found upon her mother's bosom, and her throat was bare, showing the two little wounds which we had noticed before, but looking horribly white and mangledWithout a word the Professor bent over the bed, his head almost touching poor Lucy's breastThen he gave a quick turn of his head, as of one who listens, and leaping to his feet, he cried out to me, "It is not yet too late! Quick! Quick! Bring the brandy!" I flew downstairs and returned with it, taking care to smell and taste it, lest it, too, were drugged like the decanter of sherry which I found on the tableThe maids were still breathing, but more restlessly, and I fancied that the narcotic was wearing offI did not stay to make sure, but returned to Van HelsingHe rubbed the brandy, as on another occasion, on her lips and gums and on her wrists and the palms of her handsHe said to me, "I can do this, all that can be at the presentYou go wake those maidsFlick them in the face with a wet towel, and flick them hardMake them get heat and fire and a warm bathThis poor soul is nearly as cold as that beside herShe will need be heated before we can do anything more I went at once, and found little difficulty in waking three of the womenThe fourth was only a young girl, and the drug had evidently affected her more strongly so I lifted her on the sofa and let her sleep The others were dazed at first, but as remembrance came back to them they cried and sobbed in a hysterical mannerI was stern with them, however, and would not let them talkI told them that one life was bad enough to lose, and if they delayed they would sacrifice Miss LucySo, sobbing and crying they went about their way, half clad as they were, and prepared fire and waterFortunately, the kitchen and boiler fires were still alive, and there was no lack of hot waterWe got a bath and carried Lucy out as she was and placed her in itWhilst we were busy chafing her limbs there was a knock at the hall doorOne of the maids ran off, hurried on some more clothes, and opened itThen she returned and whispered to us that there was a gentleman who had come with a message from MrI bade her simply tell him that he must wait, for we could see no one nowShe went away with the message, and, engrossed with our work, I clean forgot all about him I never saw in all my experience the Professor work in such deadly earnestI knew, as he knew, that it was a stand-up fight with death, and in a pause told him soHe answered me in a way that I did not understand, but with the sternest look that his face could wear "If that were all, I would stop here where we are now, and let her fade away into peace, for I see no light in life over her horizon He went on with his work with, if possible, renewed and more frenzied vigour Presently we both began to be conscious that the heat was beginning to be of some effectLucy's heart beat a trifle more audibly to the stethoscope, and her lungs had a perceptible movementVan Helsing's face almost beamed, and as we lifted her from the bath and rolled her in a hot sheet to dry her he said to me, "The first gain is ours! Check to the King!" We took Lucy into another room, which had by now been prepared, and laid her in bed and forced a few drops of brandy down her throatI noticed that Van Helsing tied a soft silk handkerchief round her throatShe was still unconscious, and was quite as bad as, if not worse than, we had ever seen her Van Helsing called in one of the women, and told her to stay with her and not to take her eyes off her till we returned, and then beckoned me out of the link post comment

With white faces and trembling hands, we opened... 0 [Jan. 31st, 2010|02:44 am] With white faces and trembling hands, we opened the door gently, and entered the room How shall I describe what we saw? On the bed lay two women, Lucy and her motherThe latter lay farthest in, and she was covered with a white sheet, the edge of which had been blown back by the drought through the broken window, showing the drawn, white, face, with a look of terror fixed upon itBy her side lay Lucy, with face white and still more drawnThe flowers which had been round her neck we found upon her mother's bosom, and her throat was bare, showing the two little wounds which we had noticed before, but looking horribly white and mangledWithout a word the Professor bent over the bed, his head almost touching poor Lucy's breastThen he gave a quick turn of his head, as of one who listens, and leaping to his feet, he cried out to me, "It is not yet too late! Quick! Quick! Bring the brandy!" I flew downstairs and returned with it, taking care to smell and taste it, lest it, too, were drugged like the decanter of sherry which I found on the tableThe maids were still breathing, but more restlessly, and I fancied that the narcotic was wearing offI did not stay to make sure, but returned to Van HelsingHe rubbed the brandy, as on another occasion, on her lips and gums and on her wrists and the palms of her handsHe said to me, "I can do this, all that can be at the presentYou go wake those maidsFlick them in the face with a wet towel, and flick them hardMake them get heat and fire and a warm bathThis poor soul is nearly as cold as that beside herShe will need be heated before we can do anything more I went at once, and found little difficulty in waking three of the womenThe fourth was only a young girl, and the drug had evidently affected her more strongly so I lifted her on the sofa and let her sleep The others were dazed at first, but as remembrance came back to them they cried and sobbed in a hysterical mannerI was stern with them, however, and would not let them talkI told them that one life was bad enough to lose, and if they delayed they would sacrifice Miss LucySo, sobbing and crying they went about their way, half clad as they were, and prepared fire and waterFortunately, the kitchen and boiler fires were still alive, and there was no lack of hot waterWe got a bath and carried Lucy out as she was and placed her in itWhilst we were busy chafing her limbs there was a knock at the hall doorOne of the maids ran off, hurried on some more clothes, and opened itThen she returned and whispered to us that there was a gentleman who had come with a message from MrI bade her simply tell him that he must wait, for we could see no one nowShe went away with the message, and, engrossed with our work, I clean forgot all about him I never saw in all my experience the Professor work in such deadly earnestI knew, as he knew, that it was a stand-up fight with death, and in a pause told him soHe answered me in a way that I did not understand, but with the sternest look that his face could wear "If that were all, I would stop here where we are now, and let her fade away into peace, for I see no light in life over her horizon He went on with his work with, if possible, renewed and more frenzied vigour Presently we both began to be conscious that the heat was beginning to be of some effectLucy's heart beat a trifle more audibly to the stethoscope, and her lungs had a perceptible movementVan Helsing's face almost beamed, and as we lifted her from the bath and rolled her in a hot sheet to dry her he said to me, "The first gain is ours! Check to the King!" We took Lucy into another room, which had by now been prepared, and laid her in bed and forced a few drops of brandy down her throatI noticed that Van Helsing tied a soft silk handkerchief round her throatShe was still unconscious, and was quite as bad as, if not worse than, we had ever seen her Van Helsing called in one of the women, and told her to stay with her and not to take her eyes off her till we returned, and then beckoned me out of the link post comment