But don't believe
that it causes them less pain than others. You see how many suffer that we
know nothing about, and how hard poverty oppresses."
"Will you be able to help the poor young boy?" asked the lady from Geneva.
"If I can only bring out the right emotion in him," he replied, "so that
the spell, which holds him imprisoned, can be broken. Now everything in
him is numbed and lifeless."
"Oh, do help him! Do help him!" begged the sick lady imploringly. "Oh, if
I could do something for him!" And she walked to and fro thinking about a
way to help, for Toni's condition went deeply to her heart.
It was the second week of August, when Toni came to the sanitarium. Day
after day, week after week passed and the doctor could only bring the same
sad news to the two women, who every morning awaited his report with great
anxiety. Not the slightest change was noticed. Every means was tried to
amuse the boy, to see if he would perhaps laugh. Other attempts were
devised to disturb him, to make him cry. They performed all kinds of
tricks to attract his attention. All, all were in vain; no trace of
interest or emotion was aroused in Toni.
"If he could only be made to laugh or to cry once!" repeated the doctor
over and over again.
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