Matthew drifted in and out of consciousness for two days. Sometimes he shuddered as if he were cold. Sometimes he doubled over because the cramps were so painful. When he wasn’t in a death-like sleep he was vomiting and when he wasn’t vomiting he was soiling himself. Sometimes he spoke, nonsense mainly, or he talked to Paul, or he recited passages from The Old Curiosity Shop or The Pickwick Papers. Takodah’s main concern was getting him to drink. When Hiram returned to check on the patient, he was so frustrated at Matthew’s refusal of water that he opened Matthew’s mouth and poured the fluid right down, though Matthew just coughed it back up. Sometimes, Matthew was conscious enough to ask for water. We hoped that meant he was on the mend, but then we remembered little Paul and realized tha
