The nervous tension was stronger
than it had been two years before, and I felt
the heat more acutely. At three o??™clock I
cried, ???Print off,??? and turned to go, when
there crept to my chair what was left of a
man. He was bent into a circle, his head
was sunk between his shoulders, and he
moved his feet one over the other like a bear.
I could hardly see whether he walked or
crawled??”this rag-wrapped, whining cripple
who addressed me by name, crying that he
was come back. ???Can you give me a
drink???? he whimpered. ???For the Lord??™s
sake, give me a drink!???
I went back to the office, the man following
with groans of pain, and I turned up the
lamp.
???Don??™t you know me???? he gasped, dropping
into a chair, and he turned his drawn
face, surmounted by a shock of gray hair, to
the light.
I looked at him intently. Once before had
I seen eyebrows that met over the nose in an
inch-broad black band, but for the life of me
I could not tell where.
???I don??™t know you,??? I said, handing him
the whiskey. ???What can I do for you????
He took a gulp of the spirit raw, and shivered
in spite of the suffocating heat.
???I??™ve come back,??? he repeated; ???and I
was the King of Kafiristan??”me and Dravot
??”crowned Kings we was! In this office we
settled it??”you setting there and giving us
the books. I am Peachey??”Peachey Taliaferro
Carnehan, and you??™ve been setting here
ever since??”O Lord!???
I was more than a little astonished, and
expressed my feelings accordingly.
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