Indeed, The Appearance Of The Dish, When It Was Borne In,
Had Nothing To Discourage My Appetite - The Odour Was Savoury; I
Prepared Myself For A Treat.
Out of pure kindness, for she saw me
tremble in my weakness, the good woman offered her aid in
The
carving; she took hold of the bird by the two legs, rent it asunder,
tore off the wings in the same way, and then, with a smile of
satisfaction, wiped her hands upon her skirt. If her hands had known
water (to say nothing of soap) during the past twelve months I am
much mistaken. It was a pity, for I found that my teeth could just
masticate a portion of the flesh which hunger compelled me to
assail.
Of course I suffered much from thirst, and Dr. Sculco startled me
one day by asking if I liked tea. Tea? Was it really procurable?
The Doctor assured me that it could be supplied by the chemist;
though, considering how rarely the exotic was demanded, it might
have lost something of its finer flavour whilst stored at the
pharmacy. An order was despatched. Presently the waiter brought me a
very small paper packet, such as might have contained a couple of
Seidlitz powders; on opening it I discovered something black and
triturated, a crumbling substance rather like ground charcoal. I
smelt it, but there was no perceptible odour; I put a little of it
to my tongue, but the effect was merely that of dust.
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