File:Our mutual friend (1895) (14594445449).jpg

Identifier: ourmutualfriend00dick (find matches)
Title: Our mutual friend
Year: 1895 (1890s)
Authors: Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870 Dickens, Charles, 1837-1896, ed
Subjects: Inheritance and succession Social classes Poor families Deception
Publisher: New York, London, Macmillan
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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of being wound up, and having got it out of theway, watches with terrified interest all that goes on. Her naturalwomans aptitude soon renders her able to give a little help. Antici-pating the doctors want of this or that, she quietly has it readyfor him, and so by degrees is intrusted with the charge of support-ing her fathers head upon her arm. It is something so new to Pleasant to see her father an object ofsympathy and interest, to find any one very willing to tolerate hissociety in this world, not to say pressingly and soothingly entreat-ing him to belong to it, that it gives her a sensation she neverexperienced before. Some hazy idea that if affairs could remainthus for a long time it would be a respectable change, floats in hermind. Also some vague idea that the old evil is drowned out ofhim, and that if he should happily come back to resume his occupa-tion of the empty form that lies upon the bed, his spirit will bealtered. In which state of mind she kisses the stony lips, and
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428 OUR MUTUAL FRIEND. quite believes that the impassive hand she chafes will revive atender hand, if it revive ever. Sweet delusion for Pleasant Riderhood. But they minister tohim with such extraordinary interest, their anxiety is so keen, theirvigilance is so great, their excited joy giows so intense as the signsof life strengthen, that how can she resist it, poor thing! Andnow he begins to breathe naturally, and he stirs, and the doctordeclares him to have come back from that inexplicable journeywhere he stopped on the dark road, and to be here. Tom Tootle, who is nearest to the doctor when he says this,grasps the doctor fervently by the hand. Bob Glamour, WilliamWilliams, and Jonathan of the no surname, all shake hands withone another round, and with the doctor too. Bob Glamour blowshis nose, and Jonathan of the no surname is moved to do likewise, butlacking a pocket-handkerchief, abandons that outlet for his emotion.Pleasant sheds tears deserving her own name, and her sweet delu-

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