Page:Carroll - Sylvie and Bruno Concluded.djvu/444

406 "Is it Life or Death?" I asked him, as soon as we were far enough from the house for me to speak in ordinary tones.

"It is Life!" he replied with eager emphasis. "The doctors are quite agreed as to that. All he needs now, they say, is rest, and perfect quiet, and good nursing. He's quite sure to get rest and quiet, here: and, as for the nursing why, I think it's just possible" (he tried hard to make his trembling voice assume a playful tone) "he may even get fairly well nursed, in his present quarters!"

"I'm sure of it!" I said. "Thank you so much for coming out to tell me!" And, thinking he had now said all he had come to say, I held out my hand to bid him good night. He grasped it warmly, and added, turning his face away as he spoke, "By the way, there is one other thing I wanted to say. I thought you'd like to know thatthat I'm notnot in the mind I was in when last we met. It isn'tthat I can accept Christian beliefat least, not yet. But all this came about so strangely. And she had prayed, you know. And I had prayed. Andand" his voice broke, and