tic spectacle, but, alas! no
unreality was here. The flames of the candles in their silver sconces
waxed paler and paler, the lines and shadows on my brother's face grew
darker, and the pallor of his wasted features showed more striking in
the bright rays of the morning sun.

CHAPTER XIII

I had spent near a week at the Villa de Angelis. John's manner to me
was most tender and affectionate; but he showed no wish to refer to the
tragedy of his wife's death and the sad events which had preceded it, or
to attempt to explain in any way his own conduct in the past. Nor did
I ever lead the conversation to these topics; for I felt that even if
there were no other reason, his great weakness rendered it inadvisable
to introduce such subjects at present, or even to lead him to speak at
all more than was actually necessary. I was content to minister to him
in quiet, and infinitely happy in his restored affection. He seemed
desirous of banishing from his mind all thoughts of the last few months,
but spoke much of the years before he had gone to Oxford, and of happy
days which we had spent together in our childhood at Worth Maltravers.
His weakness was extreme, but he complained of no particular malady
except a short cough which troubled him at night.

I had spoken to him of his health, for I could see that his state was
such as to inspire anxiety, and begged that he would allow me to see if
there was an English doctor at Naples who could visit him. This he would
not assent to, saying that he was quite content with the care of an
Italian doctor who visited him almost daily, and that he hoped to be
able, under my escort, to return within a very short time to England.

"I shall never be much better, dear Sophy," he said one day. "The doctor
tells me that I am suffering from some sort of consumption, and that I
must not expect to live long. Yet I yearn to see Worth once more, and to
feel again the west winds blowing in the evening across from Portland,
and smell the thyme on the Dorset downs. In a few days I hope perhaps to
be a little stronger, and I then wish to show you a discovery which I
have made in Naples. After that you may order them to harness the
horses, and carry me back to Worth Maltravers."

I endeavoured to ascertain from Signor Baravelli, the doctor, something
as to the actual state of his patient; but my knowledge of Italian was
so slight that I could neither make him understand what I would be at,
nor com