never to see me again."

"Did he say anything else about me?" whispered Lotty.

"No, nothing else."

"Go--go and tell him you'll come,--you'll leave me."

Ida stood in anguish, speechless and motionless. All at once her
mother seemed to forget what she was saying, and sat still, staring
into the fire. Several times she shivered. Her hands lay listlessly
on her lap; she breathed with difficulty.

Shortly afterwards, the landlady came into the room. She was alarmed
at Lotty's condition. Her attempts to arouse the sick woman to
consciousness were only partly successful. She went downstairs
again, and returned with another woman, a lodger in the house. These
two talked together in low tones. The result of their colloquy was
that Mrs. Ledward dressed Lotty as well as she could, whilst the
other left the house and returned with a cab.

"We're going to take your mother to the hospital," said Mrs. Ledward
to the child. "You wait here till we come back, there's a good girl.
Now, hold up a bit, Lotty; try and walk downstairs. That's better,
my girl."

Ida was left alone.