father, the pressure upon her heart seemed almost more than she
could bear. The tears stole down her cheeks, and her eyes sought
those of her mother with a glance of almost pitiful appeal.

The leech had stolen into the room, had stood beside the patient,
had shaken his head, and stolen away. He knew that his skill, such
as it was, could avail nothing now; it was but the question of a
few hours.

All day that stupor had continued. Rachel had feared they would
never hear his voice, or see the loving glance of his eyes again.
She had passed the time between a study of that wasted face, and an
eager and restless looking forth from the casement, as though in
search of something or somebody who came not.

Often she saw servants and messengers hastening this way and that,
exchanging words with each other, and starting off afresh; but the
one stalwart figure, for which she gazed with aching eyes, appeared
not, and often a sigh would break from her lips, whilst from time
to time a tear forced its way to her eyes.

Dusk was falling now. She could no longer see across the expanse of
park land which surrounded Gablehurst. She drew the curtains at
last with gentle hands, and piled up the logs upon the hearth.
There was a glint of something in her eyes not altogether accounted
for by the tears in them. It was a sparkle which bespoke wounded
sensibility--something approaching to anger.

"O brother, brother," she whispered, with dry lips, "how can you
treat him so? Have you a heart? How terrible a judgment you seem to