Half rising, he attempted to show her humourously how he walked nowadays--tried not to wince, but had to.

Ugh, that was a twinge! Grizel sarcastically offered her assistance, and he took her shoulder gratefully.

They crossed the room--a tedious journey.

"Now let me see if you can manage alone," she says, and suddenly deserts him.
He looked rather helplessly across the room.

Few sights are so pathetic as the strong man of yesterday feeling that the chair by the fire is a distant object to-day.