I bring her to you?'

"'Let her sleep. I feel sleepy, too. Smooth my pillow, mother. Give me
a little water. I feel easy now. Perhaps, I shall awake in the morning
better.'

"The pillows were arranged--the draught given; but the sleeper never
awoke again.

"Her mysterious communications, which only came by halves to my ears,
filled my mind with vague conjectures, and I cannot help thinking, to
this hour, that the young heir of Moncton came to an untimely death,
and she blamed herself so bitterly for not having me supply his place.

"Stern as my mother had been during her life, her death was a severe
blow to us all, especially to Alice and me; as it removed from our
humble home an object most dear to us both, the little lady of the
manor, to whom we had ever given the endearing name of sister.

"After Margaret left us, how dull did all our pastimes appear. Alice
and I wandered sadly and silently among our old haunts; the song of the
birds cheered us no longer; the flowers seemed less fair; the murmur of
the willow-crowned brook less musical; the presiding genius of the
place had vanished; we felt that we were alone.

"I had now reached my fourteenth year, and Sir Alexander, true to the
promise made to his wife, sent me to an excellent school in the city of
York. Here I made such good use of my time, that before three years had
elapsed I was second boy in the head class, and had won the respect of
the master and ushers. My munificent patron was greatly pleased with
the progress I had made, and hinted at sending me to college, if I
continued to deserve his good opinion.

"Ah, Geoffrey! those were halcyon days, when I returned to spend the
vacations at the Lodge, and found myself ever a welcome visitor at the
Hall. With a proud heart I recounted to Sir Alexander, all my boyish
triumphs at school, and the good baronet listened to my enthusiastic
details with the most intense interest, and fought all his juvenile
battles over again, with boyish ardour, to the infinite delight of our
admiring audience, Margaret and Alice. The latter spent most of her
time with Miss Moncton, who was so much attached to her foster-sister,
and shed so many tears at parting from her, that Sir Alexander yielded
to her earnest request for Alice to remain with her, and the young
heiress and the huntsman's blooming daughter were seldom apart. Miss
Moncton's governess, an amiable and highly accomplished woman, took as
much pains in teaching Ali