450 ____ THE STRING OF PEARLS.
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Colonel Jeffery, and taking a slight peep at our old friend Tobias, whom we left
in rather a critical position.
Tobias had been in so delicate a condition, prior to the last outrage of Todd
at the colonel's house, that one might suppose such a thing would go fai
towards terminating his mortal career, and so indeed it did ; but in youth there
is such a tenacity to life that we may fairly look for the most extraordinary
things in the shape of clinging to the vital principle, and in the way of getting
over injuries. Poor Tobias was, to be sure, thrown bacfc by Todd's attack, but
he was not destroyed. The medical man gave it as his opinion, that the mental
shock was by far worse than the physical injury, and he said to the colonel —
" Some means must be devised to make him believe that he is quite free from
any further attack upon the part of Todd, or he will never recover. He will
awaken, it is true, from the trance he is now in, but it will be to all the horrors
and dread of some expected fresh attack from Todd."
"But I will assure him of my protection," said the colonel. €t I will in the
most positive manner tell him that he shall here be perfectly safe from that
man."
" Excuse me, colonel," replied the surgeon, but all that was done before,
and yet Tobias has found that Todd reached him, even in one of the room of
this house. You will find that he will be very sceptical regarding your powers
to protect him now from that bold aad infamous man. I hope I am not offend-
ing you, colonel, by my plain speaking ?"
" Not at all my dear, sir, not at all. Do not think of such a thing. Plain
speaking, when it is dictated by friendly feeling, is one of the most admirable
things in all the world, and no one can possibly admire it more than I do. I
feel, too, the full force of what you have said, and that to the ears of Tobias it
would sound like a farce for me to offer to protect him from the further assaults
of Sweeney Tood."
" But something may be done that is quite of a decisive character upon the
subject, c#lonel."
" W hat do you mean V*
" I mean, that to sick folks I say anything that I think will tend to their
recovery, even although I may feel that I am a little transgressing the bounds of
truth. We must consider what we say to people in the position of Tobias,
as so much medicine artfully administered to him."
<€ I quite agree with you, and I feel that f ou have some Important sugges-
tion to make to me regarding Tobias. What is it ?"
"Then, colonel, if I were you, I should not hesitate for one moment to tell
him that Todd was dead."
"Dead?"
" Yes, that is the only thing that will thoroughly convince Tobias he has
nothing further to fear from him. I think it not only one of those delusions
that are in themselves harmless, but I think it a justifiable dose of moral
medicine."
" It shall be done," said the colonel. "It shall be done. I do not hesitate
about it for a moment. I thank you for the idea, and if thnt will do Tobias
any good, he shall have the full benefit of it at my hands. Shall we seek him
now?"
" Yes, I hope that he is in a state to fully comprehend what is said to him,
and in that case the sooner we say this from which we expect such good
results, the better it will be. I am most anxious to witness the effect it will
have upon his mind, colonel. If I mistake not, it will be one far exceeding
anything you can suppose."
Upon this they both went up stairs to the chamber in which poor Tobias
lay. The boy was upon a bed, lying to all appearance bereft of sense. His
breathing was rather laborious, and every now and then there was a nervous
twitching of the muscles of the face, which bespoke how ill at ease the whole
system was. At times too he would mutter some incoherent words, during