Her mother fondly returned her caress, and one or two tears
fell on Ellen's head as she did so, but that was all, and she
said no more. Feeling severely the effects of the excitement
and anxiety of the preceding day and night, she now stretched
herself on the sofa, and lay quite still. Ellen placed herself
on a little bench at her side, with her back to the head of
the sofa, that her mother might not see her face; and,
possessing herself of one of her hands, sat with her little
head resting upon her mother, as quiet as she. They remained
thus for two or three hours without speaking; and Mrs.
Montgomery was part of the time slumbering; but now and then a
tear ran down the side of the sofa, and dropped on the carpet
where Ellen sat: and now and then her lips were softly pressed
to the hand she held, as if they would grow there.

The doctor's entrance at last disturbed them. Dr. Green found
his patient decidedly worse than he had reason to expect; and
his sagacious eye had not passed back and forth many times
between the mother and daughter before he saw how it was. He
made no remark upon it, however, but continued for some
moments a pleasant chatty conversation which he had begun with
Mrs. Montgomery. He then called Ellen to him; he had rather
taken a fancy to her.

"Well, Miss Ellen," he said, rubbing one of her hands in his,
"what do you think of this fine scheme of mine?"

"What scheme, Sir?"