and holding back the curtain, showed
Mary the boy, again sunk into that sweet refreshing sleep. 'That is
well over,' he said, with a deep sigh of relief, when they had moved to
a safe distance. 'Poor fellow! he had better become used to the idea
while he is too weak to think.'

'He is better?' asked Mary, repressing her agitation with difficulty.

'I believe the danger is over; and you may tell his sister so when she
wakes.'

CHAPTER III

And a heart at leisure from itself
To soothe and sympathize.--Miss Waring

Recovery had fairly set in, and 'better' was the universal bulletin,
eating and drinking the prevailing remedy.

Henry Ward had quickly thrown off his illness. The sense that all
depended on him, acted as a stimulus to his energies; he was anxious to
be up and doing, and in a few days was down-stairs, looking over his
father's papers, and making arrangements. He was eager and confident,
declaring that his sisters should never want a home while he lived;
and, when he first entered his brother's room, his effusion of
affection overwhelmed Leonard in his exceeding weakness, and the
thought of which during the rest of the day often brought tears to his
eyes.

Very grateful to Dr. May, Henry declared himself anxious to abide by
his advice; and discussed with him all his plans. There had been no
will, but the house and land of course were Henry's. The other
property gave about L2000 to each of the family; and Averil had about
as much again from the old aunt, from whom she had taken her peculiar
name. The home of all should, of course, still be their present one;
Averil would teach her sisters, and superintend the house, and Leonard
continue at the school, where he had a fair chance of obtaining the
Randall scholarship in the course of a year or two. 'And if not,' said
Henry, 'he may still not lose his University education. My father was
proud of Leonard; and if he would have sent him there, why should not
I?'

And when Dr. May thought how his own elder sons had insisted on greater
advantages of education for their juniors than they had themselves
enjoyed, he felt especially fatherly towards the young surgeon. On
only one point was he dissatisfied, and that he could not press. He
thought the establishment at Bankside too expensive, and counselled
Henry to remove into the town, and let the house; but this was rejected
on the argument of the uncertainty of finding a tenant, and the
inex