made any reply.

"Unless something be done for your relief," continued Mr. Edwards,
in the same tone, "you cannot live. You know how much we are all
afflicted, and how anxious we all feel on account of your loss of
health and spirits."

The hand of his wife was still in his, and he held it with the same
gentle pressure, that was now as gently returned. The impulse of Mr.
Edwards was to remove his hand the instant Kate showed this
consciousness of a tenderer manifestation than he was accustomed to
give; but he restrained himself, and still let his hand rest upon
hers. He felt that she was listening to him, and that he had the
ability to influence her as he would, if he used the power of a
well-counterfeited regard. After a few moments' silence, he went
on:--

"I am sure that a change of air and a change of scene will do you
good. This Doctor R--has already said, and you know that we all
agree in the opinion. Now, will you not, to relieve the minds of
your friends, even if you feel reluctant to quit this seclusion into
which you have shrunk, make an effort? I am ready to go with you, at
any moment. Come! arouse yourself; if not for your own sake, for
ours, for mine."

The way in which this was said, more than the words themselves,
acted like a charm upon Mrs. Edwards. The almost pulseless lethargy
into which she had fallen passed off quickly, and rising up, she
pushed back the matted hair from her face, and said, "I know you all
think me perverse and unreasonable, and I may be so to some extent;
but I will try to do as you wish. I feel as weak in mind and body as
a child; and, like a child, I will submit myself to your direction.
Only, Percy,"--her voice had a most touching pathos as she said
this,--"_love me as a child!_ Speak to me as gently, as tenderly as
you did just now, and I will be the happiest being alive."

As she spoke, she leaned over towards her husband, and, burying her
face on his bosom, sobbed aloud.

Cold-hearted as was Percy Edwards, this exhibition moved him. It was
unexpected, and, therefore, he was not prepared to meet it in the
way he would otherwise have done. As Kate lay weeping upon his
bosom, and almost clinging to him, he experienced a change of
feeling towards her. Pity melted into tenderness, and, on the
impulse of the moment, he drew his arm around her, and, bending
down, touched his lips to her forehead.

A happier moment the trembling wife had not known for years.

"You will m