My master's eyes were closed when Tom first reached his side; and I could see by the face of the latter that he was still as far from recognising his old schoolfellow as ever.
But directly Tom softly lifted the clothes in order to examine his wound, the patient woke and opened his eyes.

They rested for a moment on the doctor's face, and then, with a sudden flush and start, he half raised himself in his bed, and exclaimed,-- "Tom Drift, is it you ?" The doctor thus unexpectedly hearing his own name pronounced, turned pale, and started back as if he had been shot.

The scared, terrified look returned to his face, and for an instant he seemed as if he would rush from the place.

But only for an instant.
As he looked again on the face of his patient a strange expression came over his own.

Wonder, doubt, joy, succeeded each other in rapid succession, and then all of a sudden it flashed upon him who this was.
"Charlie!" he exclaimed, trembling with astonishment; and next moment the poor prodigal was on his knees beside his friend's bed, sobbing, with his head buried in his hands.
Don't laugh at him, reader, for thus forgetting himself.