"
And they did; a little.
Thus passed the night in mental agony, and bodily irritation and disgust.
At daybreak the feasters on his flesh retired, and utterly worn out and
exhausted, he sank into a deep sleep.
At half-past seven the head keeper and three more came in, and made him
dress before them. They handcuffed him, and took him down to breakfast in
the noisy ward; set him down on a little bench by the wall like a naughty
boy, and ordered a dangerous maniac to feed him.
The dangerous maniac obeyed, and went and sat beside Alfred with a basin
of thick gruel and a great wooden spoon. He shovelled the gruel down his
charge's throat mighty superciliously from the very first; and presently,
falling into some favourite and absorbing train of thought, he fixed his
eye on vacancy, and handed the spoonfuls over his left shoulder with such
rapidity and recklessness that it was more like sowing than feeding.
Alfred cried out "Quarter! I can't eat so fast as that, old fellow."
Something in his tone struck the maniac; he looked at Alfred full, Alfred
looked at him in return, and smiled kindly but sadly.
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