a great deal to forgive.'

He took them into the tent-room, where tea was standing, interrupting
himself in the account he was giving to bid Nuttie let her aunt have
some. It was plain from his manner that he had given up hope, and in
another minute in hurried his brother, looking terribly haggard and
with bloodshot eyes, giving his hand to each, with, 'That's right, Miss
Headworth, thank you. Come, let me know what you think of her!'

'Does she know they are come?' said the Canon. 'No? Then, Alwyn, let
them have some tea, and take off their things. I can tell you, the
nurses will never let them in just off a journey.'

Miss Headworth seconded this, and Mr. Egremont submitted, allowing that
she had not asked for Nuttie since the morning, and then had smiled and
squeezed his hand when he said she was coming with her aunt; but he
walked up and down in direful restlessness, his whole mind apparently
bent on extracting from Miss Headworth that she had been as ill or
worse at Dieppe.

Alas! when Mrs. William Egremont came down to fetch Nuttie; there was
no question that matters were much worse. The sweet face was perfectly
white and wasted, and the heavy lids of the dark eyes scarcely lifted
themselves, but the lips moved into a smile, and the hand closed on
that of the girl, who stood by her as one frozen into numbness. There
was the same recognition when her aunt was brought to her side, the
poor old lady commanding herself with difficulty, as the loving glance
quivered over the face.

Time passed on, and she still held Nuttie's hand. Once, when a little
revived by some stimulant at her lips, she made an effort and said,
'Stay with him! Take care of him! _Love_ him! And your little
brother, my Nuttie! Promise!'

'I promise,' the girl answered, scarce knowing what she said.

And the eyes closed with an air of peace and rest.

Again when Miss Headworth was doing something to ease her position she
said, 'Thank you,' and then more vigorously, 'Thank you, dear aunt, for
all you have been to us.'

There was little more. She asked Nuttie for 'her hymn,' the evening
hymn with which mother and daughter used nightly to go to sleep, and
which, in her strange dreamy way, the girl managed to say.

Then a little murmur and sign passed between the elder ladies, and Mrs.
William Egremont fetched her husband. As he opened his book to find
the commendatory prayer, thinking her past all outward consciousness,
and g