suffering infant. She had lain for two days and two nights, still, as if
in her shroud. All save myself said, 'Life is gone.' I said, 'Life still
is there.' They brought in the infant, to try what effect its presence
would produce; then her lips moved, and the hands crossed upon her bosom
trembled."

"And the result?" exclaimed Faber, eagerly. "If the result of your
experience sanction your presence, come; the sight of the babe rekindled
life?"

"No; extinguished its last spark! I will not enter Lilian's room. I will
go away,--away from the house itself. That acute consciousness! I know
it well! She may even hear me move in the room below, hear me speak at
this moment. Go back to her, go back! But if hers be the state which I
have known in another, which may be yet more familiar to persons of far
ampler experience than mine, there is no immediate danger of death. The
state will last through to-day, through to-night, perhaps for days to
come. Is it so?"

"I believe that for at least twelve hours there will be no change in her
state. I believe also that if she recover from it, calm and refreshed, as
from a sleep, the danger of death will have passed away."

"And for twelve hours my presence would be hurtful?"

"Rather say fatal, if my diagnosis be right."

I wrung my friend's hand, and we parted.

Oh, to lose her now!--now that her love and her reason had both returned,