ondence between
Miss Denham and the countess. Letters from Bevisham had suddenly ceased.
Presumably the earl had stopped them: and if so it must have been for a
tragic reason.

Cecilia hinted some blame of Lord Romfrey to her father.

He pressed her hand and said: 'You don't know what that man suffers.
Romfrey is fond of Nevil too, but he must guard his wife; and the fact is
Nevil is down with fever. It 's in the papers now; he may be able to
conceal it, and I hope he will. There'll be a crisis, and then he can
tell her good news--a little illness and all right now! Of course,' the
colonel continued buoyantly, 'Nevil will recover; he's a tough wiry young
fellow, but poor Romfrey's fears are natural enough about the countess.
Her mind seems to be haunted by the doctor there--Shrapnel, I mean; and
she's exciteable to a degree that threatens the worst--in case of any
accident in Bevisham.'

'Is it not a kind of cowardice to conceal it?' Cecilia suggested.

'It saves her from fretting,' said the colonel.

'But she is fretting! If Lord Romfrey would confide in her and trust to
her courage, papa, it would be best.'

Colonel Halkett thought that Lord Romfrey was the judge.

Cecilia wished to leave a place where this visible torture of a human
soul was proceeding, and to no purpose. She pointed out to her father, by
a variety of signs, that Lady Romfrey either knew or suspected the state
of affairs in Bevisham, and repeated her remarks upon Nevil's illness.
But Colonel Halkett was restrained from departing by the earl's constant
request to him to stay. Old friendship demanded it of him. He began to
share his daughter's feelings at the sight of Lady Romfrey. She was
outwardly patient and submissive; by nature she was a strong healthy
woman; and she attended to all her husband's prescriptions for the
regulating of her habits, walked with him, lay down for the afternoon's
rest, appeared amused when he laboured to that effect, and did her utmost
to subdue the worm devouring her heart but the hours of the delivery of
the letter-post were fatal to her. Her woeful: 'No letter for me!' was
piteous. When that was heard no longer, her silence and famished gaze
chilled Cecilia. At night Rosamund eyed her husband expressionlessly,
with her head leaning back in her chair, to the sorrow of the ladies
beholding her. Ultimately the contagion of her settled misery took hold
of Cecilia. Colonel Halkett was induced by his daughter and Mrs.