And presently, through the mist, her voice reached me.
"Oh, Peter! I will not leave you--lean on me there--there!"
And, little by little, those strong, gentle hands drew me up once
more to light and life. And so she got me to a chair, and brought
cool water, and washed the blood and sweat from me, as she had
once before, only now my hurts were deeper, for my head grew
beyond my strength to support, and hung upon my breast, and my
brain throbbed with fire, and the mist was ever before my eyes.
"Are you in much pain, Peter?"
"My head--only my head, Charmian--there is a bell ringing there,
no--it is a hammer, beating." And indeed I remembered little for
a while, save the touch of her hands and the soothing murmur of
her voice, until I found she was kneeling beside me, feeding me
with broth from a spoon. Wherefore I presently took the basin
from her and emptied it at a gulp, and, finding myself greatly
revived thereby, made some shift to eat of the supper she set
before me.
So she presently came and sat beside me and ate also, watching me
at each morsel.
"Your poor hands!" said she, and, looking down at them, I saw
that my knuckles were torn and broken, and the fingers much
swelled. "And yet," said Charmian, "except for the cut in your
head, you are quite unmarked, Peter."
"He fought mostly for the body," I answered, "and I managed to
keep my face out of the way; but he caught me twice--once upon
the chin, lightly, and once up behind the ear, heavily; had his
fist landed fairly I don't think even you could have brought me
back from those loathly depths, Charmian."
And in a while, supper being done, she brought my pipe, and
filled it, and held the light for me. But my head throbbed
woefully and for once the tobacco was flavorless; so I sighed,
and laid the pipe by.
"Why, Peter!" said Charmian, regarding me with an anxious frown,
"can't you smoke?"
"Not just now, Charmian," said I, and leaning my head in my
hands, fell into a sort of coma, till, feeling her touch upon my
shoulder, I started, and looked up.
"You must go to bed, Peter."
"No," said I.
"Yes, Peter."
"Very well, Charmian, yes--I will go to bed," and I rose.
"Do you feel better now, Peter?"