No woman could have borne what she has." 'I sickened at the thought of the long course of cruelty and neglect which must have occurred to produce such an impression on such a man.

I could say nothing in reply; for who could offer hope, or consolation, to the abject being before me?
'I sat there for upwards of two hours, during which time he tossed about, murmuring exclamations of pain or impatience, restlessly throwing his arms here and there, and turning constantly from side to side.

At length he fell into that state of partial unconsciousness, in which the mind wanders uneasily from scene to scene, and from place to place, without the control of reason, but still without being able to divest itself of an indescribable sense of present suffering.

Finding from his incoherent wanderings that this was the case, and knowing that in all probability the fever would not grow immediately worse, I left him, promising his miserable wife that I would repeat my visit next evening, and, if necessary, sit up with the patient during the night.
'I kept my promise.

The last four-and-twenty hours had produced a frightful alteration.