His neck was in pain and lifting his hand to it found it horribly swollen. he knew that it had a circle of black where the rope had bruised it. his eyes felt congested; he could no longer close them. his tongue was swollen with thirst; he relieved its fever by thrusting it forward from between his teeth into the cold air. how softly the turf had carpeted the untraveled avenue—he could no longer feel the roadway beneath his feet! based on the excerpt, which is the most reasonable plot prediction?