She made an effort to lift her
hand caressingly from his knee to his neck; but her strength was unequal
even to this slight action. The hand was raised only a few inches ere
it sank back again to its old position; a tear rolled slowly over her
cheek as she closed her eyes again, but she never spoke.
'See,' said the physician, pointing to her, 'the current of life is at
its lowest ebb! If it flows again, it must flow to-night.'
Vetranio made no answer; he dropped down on the seat near him, and
covered his face with his robe.
The physician, beholding the senator's situation, and reflecting on the
strange hurriedly-uttered confession which had just been addressed to
him, began to doubt whether the scenes through which his patron had
lately passed had not affected his brain. Philosopher though he was,
the man of science had never observed the outward symptoms of the first
working of good and pure influences in elevating a degraded mind; he had
never watched the denoting signs of speech and action which mark the
progress of mental revolution while the old nature is changing for the
new; such objects of contemplation existed not for him.
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