We
saw the doleful chamber ourselves, for Eustace sent us to pay our
respects, and Queen Henrietta honoured me with commands to write her
a report of her widowed daughter and first grandson.
For we were still at the Hague, Eustace gradually regaining strength,
and the bleedings had almost entirely ceased; but the physician who
attended him, the best I think whom I have even known, and whose
regimen did him more good than any other he had adopted, charged me,
as I valued his life, not to attempt a journey with him till after
the winter should be over, and summer entirely set in. If the
effusion of blood could be prevented he might even yet recover and
live to old age, but if it recurred again Dr. Dirkius would not
answer for his life for an hour; nor must he do aught that would give
him a rheum or renew his cough.
After all, we were very peaceful and happy in those rooms at the
Hague, though Eustace was very anxious about the King, Annora's heart
was at Paris, and I yearned after my son, from whom I had never
thought to be so long parted; but we kept our cares to ourselves, and
were cheerful with one another. We bought or borrowed books, and
read them together, we learned to make Holland lace, studied Dutch
cookery, and Annora, by Eustace's wish, took lessons on the lute and
spinnet, her education in those matters having been untimely cut
short. By the way, she had a real taste for music, and the finding
that her performance and her singing amused and refreshed him gave
her further zeal to continue the study and conquer the difficulties,
though she would otherwise have said she was too old to go to school.
Pages:
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343