"
The laundress paused to draw breath, and to pour a dose of medicine from
one of the bottles on the table.
"Well, sir, the next day, he had a vi'lent cold, as you may suppose, and
was low and languid-like, but went on with his writing, and it weren't no
good asking him not. 'I want money, Mrs. Pratt,' he said; 'you can't tell
how bad I want money, and these people pay me for my stuff as fast as I
send it in.' The day after that he was a deal worse, and had a wandering
way like, as if he didn't know what he was doing; and sat turning over
his papers with one hand, and leaning his head upon the other, and
groaned so that it went through one like a knife to hear him. 'It's no
use,' he said at last; 'it's no use!' and then went and threw hisself
down upon that bed, and has never got up since, poor dear gentleman! I
went round to fetch a doctor out of Essex Street, finding as he was no
better in the evening, and awful hot, and still more wandering-like--Mr.
Mew by name, a very nice gentleman--which said as it were rheumatic
fever, and has been here twice a day ever since."
"Has Mr. Saltram never been in his right senses since that day?" Gilbert
asked.
"O yes, sir; off and on for the first week he was quite hisself at times;
but for the last three days he hasn't known any one, and has talked and
jabbered a deal, and has been dreadful restless.
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