wait for the first dawning of returning reason. It may come at any
moment, and it may never come at all. She is a very sick woman."

"I understand," I murmured, plucking up heart at what did not seem
so very difficult a task.

"Her sons will be within call; so will I. By daybreak we hope to
have her daughter from Newport with her. You do not know Mrs.
Harrington?"

I shook my head. Who was I, that I should know these grand folks?
And yet----But I promised I would say nothing about days now so
completely obliterated.

"She will not be much of an assistance," he muttered. "But it is
right she should come--quite right."

I remembered that I had heard that Mrs. Pollard's daughter was a
beauty, and that she had made a fine match; which, said of Mrs.
Pollard's daughter, must have meant a great deal. I, however, said
nothing, only listened in a vague hope of hearing more, for my
curiosity was aroused in a strange way about these people, and
nothing which the good doctor could have said about them would have
come amiss at this time.

But our drive had been too rapid, and we were too near the house for
him to think of any thing but turning into the gateway with the
necessary caution. For the night was unusually dark, and it was
difficult to tell just where the gate-posts were. We, however,
entered without accident, and in another moment a gleam of light