th him. Marty said that her father was wrapped up
and ready, as usual, to be put into his chair. They ascended the
stairs, and soon seated him. He began at once to complain of the tree,
and the danger to his life and Winterborne's house-property in
consequence.

The doctor signalled to Giles, who went and drew back the printed
cotton curtains. "'Tis gone, see," said Mr. Fitzpiers.

As soon as the old man saw the vacant patch of sky in place of the
branched column so familiar to his gaze, he sprang up, speechless, his
eyes rose from their hollows till the whites showed all round; he fell
back, and a bluish whiteness overspread him.

Greatly alarmed, they put him on the bed. As soon as he came a little
out of his fit, he gasped, "Oh, it is gone!--where?--where?"

His whole system seemed paralyzed by amazement. They were
thunder-struck at the result of the experiment, and did all they could.
Nothing seemed to avail. Giles and Fitzpiers went and came, but
uselessly. He lingered through the day, and died that evening as the
sun went down.

"D--d if my remedy hasn't killed him!" murmured the doctor.

CHAPTER XV.

When Melbury heard what had happened he seemed much moved, and walked
thoughtfully about the premises. On South's own account he was
genuinely sorry; and on Winterborne's he was the more grieved in that
this catastrophe had so closely followed the somewhat harsh dismissal
of Giles as the betrothed of his daughter.

He was quite angry with circumstances for so heedlessly inflicting on
Giles a second trouble when the needful one inflicted by himself was
all that the proper order of events demanded. "I told Giles's father
when he came into those houses not to spend too much money on lifehold
property held neither for his own life nor his son's," he exclaimed.
"But he wouldn't listen to me. And now Giles has to suffer for it."

"Poor Giles!" murmured Grace.

"Now, Grace, between us two, it is very, very remarkable. It is almost
as if I had foreseen this; and I am thankful for your escape, though I
am sincerely sorry for Giles. Had we not dismissed him already, we
could hardly have found it in our hearts to dismiss him now. So I say,
be thankful. I'll do all I can for him as a friend; but as a pretender
to the position of my son-in law, that can never be thought of more."

And yet at that very moment the impracticability to which poor
Winterborne's suit had been reduced was touching Grace's