his wife, whom I have wronged," she said, with a suddenly formed
resolution. But pride rushed up instantly.

"No, no," it objected; "not now. You should have done this before:
it is too late; they will not believe you sincere."

A painful conflict ensued, which continued with increasing violence
until, in consequence of prolonged mental excitement, a slow nervous
fever took hold of Mrs. Linden's physical system, and in a short
time reduced her to a very critical state. Intelligence of this was
conveyed to her son William, but, for some cause or other, neither
himself nor wife visited her. At the end of a week she was so low as
to be considered in great danger; she, no longer recognised the
person of her attendant, or appeared to be conscious of what was
passing around her.

A letter from a friend, through whom he was kept informed of all
that occurred to her, apprized Charles Linden of his mother's
critical situation.

"Florence," said he to his sister, in reading the letter to her and
his wife, "I think you and I should go to P--immediately. You can
be mother's nurse until she recovers, and then it may not be hard to
reconcile all that is past."

Ellen looked earnestly in the face of her husband; something was on
her tongue, but she appeared to hesitate about giving it utterance.

"Does not that meet your approval?" asked Charles.