Excerpt from The Dolliver Romance, and Other Pieces

It may have wrought effect upon me, thought the doctor, shaking his head as he lifted it again from the pillow. It may be so for poor Edward oftentimes instilled a strange efficacy into his perilous drugs. But I will rather believe it to be the Operation of God's mercy, which may have temporarily invigorated my feeble age for little Pansie's sake.

A twinge of his familiar rheumatism, as he put his foot out of bed, taught him that he must not reckon too con fidently upon even a day's respite from the intrusive family of aches and infirmities, which, with their prover bial fidelity to attachments once formed, had long been the closest acquaintances that the poor old gentleman had in the world. Nevertheless, he fancied the twinge a little less poignant than those of yesterday; and moreover, after stinging him pretty smartly, it passed gradually off with a thrill, which, in its latter stages, grew to be almost agreeable. Pain is but pleasure too strongly emphasized. With cautious moyements, and only a groan or two, the good Doctor transferred himself from the bed to the floor, where he stood awhile, gazing from one piece of quaint furniture to another (such as stiff - backed Mayflower chairs, an oaken chest-of - drawers carved cunningly with shapes of animals and wreaths of foliage, a table with multitudinous legs, a family record in faded embroidery, a shelf of black-bound books, a dirty heap of gallipots and phials in a dim corner), - gazing at these things, and steadying himself by the bedpost, while his inert brain, still partially benumbed with sleep, came slowly into accordance with the realities about him. The object which most helped to bring Dr. Dolliver completely to his waking perceptions was one that common observers might suppose to have been snatched bodily out of his dreams. The same sunbeam that had dazzled the doctor between the bed-curtains gleamed on the weather-beaten gilding which had once adorned this mysterious symbol, and showed it to be an enormous serpent, twining round a wooden post, and reaching quite from the floor of the chamber to its ceiling.

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