Armine, Chapters XXV-XXVII [pp. 218-242]

238 A~MJKE. ENov.,
"Yes," said Egerton faintly. He added after a moment,
"I am hurt everywhere. Am I dying?"
"I don't think so," the other answered. "As far' as I can
judge, your injuries only amount to some bruises and a broken
arm. You have fared better than many of your fellow-travel.
lers. Yonder is a man, for example, both of whose legs are
so badly crushed that if he lives at all he will lose them."
"Poor fellow!" said Egerton, with a pang of sympathy
to which these commonplace words gave but scant expres.
sion. Through his own pain he entered into the greater
pain of others, and his heart seemed to sicken within him as
he caught a glimpse of mangled forms and heard the groans
of mortal agony which filled the air. Then he thought of
Duchesne and asked eagerly for him.
"Duchesne!" the surgeon repeated. "Ah! yes, I am glad
you asked. There is a man so badly injured that he will die
within an hour, who says his name is Duchesne, and who
asked me to bring to him his friend and companion, if I could
find him alive-some one with a foreign name."
"I am the man," said Egerton quickly. "Ah! monsieur,
for God's sake help me to get to him."
How this was accomplished the young fellow scarcely
knew, for it was but by contrast with greater injuries that
the surgeon had thought lightly of his. As has already been
said, his whole body seemed resolved into one mighty throb
of physical anguish, and it was only the brave will which enabled him, with the surgeon's assistance, to drag himself to
where Duchesne lay, gasping away his life in an agony for
which language has no expression.
That it was Duchesne - that this shattered, mutilated
wreck of humanity could be the stately man he had last seen
-Egerton for a moment could not realize. He stood silent,
in speechless horror. But when the eyes-brilliant and dark
as ever —opened, he knew them at once.
"So you are safe!" Duchesne said feebly. "Forgive me
for having brought you into this."
"There is nothing to fbrgive," answered Egerton quickly.
"Who could foretell anything`so fearful? And I have fared
better than othei's -far better, my friend, than you, to whom
I would gladly give my safety."
"No," said Duchesne; and if he spoke grimly it was be.
cause it was only by a ternbl'e effort that he could subdue
his pain sufficiently to speak at all.`~ It is better as it is. I