m.

No one ventured to let her cross the threshold. After this there were
two hospital nurses sent down from London, and Dr. Conway, a
well-known physician in town, met Dr. Martin in consultation. Saville
and Ellerton were always in the sick-room when wanted. Everything that
money could procure, or faithful attendance could give, was lavished
on the patient, but for a long time there was no improvement.

If his violence had not banished Fay from the room his miserable
ravings would.

The nurses were too much accustomed to such scenes to take much notice
of their patient's wild talk; but the trusty old servants, who knew
their master's secret, shuddered as they heard him, for his talk was
always of Margaret. He never even mentioned his Wee Wifie.

"Oh, for Margaret!" he cried, to give him water to quench his thirst;
for he was in torment, and no one could give him drink. Oh, for
Margaret's cool hand--for Maggie--for his own love, Margaret; and so
on and so on, through the long hours of that fevered dream.

How that one idea beset him!

She was a star, and he went seeking her through space till he got lost
and entangled in the Milky Way, and revolved madly through the
infinite.

She was in Paradise, standing on the topmost stair of the golden
ladder, stretching out her hands and calling to him to come to her
before the door was shut; and ever as he tried to climb, the fiends
came swarming from their pits of darkness, and dragged him down with
endless fallings and precipitous crashings, while his Wee Wifie
laughed mockingly from the distance.

"Oh, for Margaret, Margaret, Margaret!" and so on through the day and
through the night, until they thought it must have killed him.

Those were terrible days at Redmond Hall. The very servants went
carefully about the house with hushed voices, looking after their
young mistress with pitying eyes, as she wandered like a lost spirit
from one room to another, generally followed by the faithful Janet.
Erle came down once, but Fay grew so hysterical at the sight of her
old favorite that Mrs. Heron was quite frightened, and begged him to
go away; and, as he could do no good, he acquiesced very sensibly in
this piece of advice.

Mrs. Heron was growing quite unhappy about my lady. Nothing she could
say would make Fay cease from those aimless wanderings; she could not
eat, she could not rest, and her fits of weeping seemed only to
exhaust her.

Nothing did her any good until D