In answer to Andrew's "Who's there ?" he answered, "You'll have to send a harder rain than that if you want to put this fire out!" And so, what with the original disease, the mental discouragement, and the exposure to the rain, the fever had well-nigh consumed the life, and now that the waves of the hot sea after days of fire and nights of delirium had gone back, there was hardly any life left in the body, and the doctors said there was no hope.

One consuming desire remained.

He wanted to see Julia once before he went away; and that one desire it seemed impossible to gratify.

When he learned of the failure of Jonas to get any message to Julia through Cynthy, he had felt the keenest disappointment, and had evidently been sinking since the hope that kept him up had been taken away.
The mother sat by his bed, Gottlieb sat stupefied at the foot, with Jonas by his side, and Wilhelmina was crying in a still fashion in one corner of the room.

August lay breathing feebly, and with his life evidently ebbing.
"August!" said Andrew, as he stood over his bed, having come to announce the arrival of Julia.