happening, she felt sure, but in that household she was quite alone and
forgotten; no one thought of her at all.

The quiet, glorious autumn night closed in; still Agnes sat silent and
solitary, hoping the best, fearing the worst. It was quite eleven
o'clock when the dining-room door was opened softly, and a fair troubled
face peered in. It was Bertie. He alone had thought of her, even in his
own great sorrow--and Bertie was impulsive and passionate, and felt
things deeply. He remembered the poor lonely little girl, and asked
Prudence Briggs if his cousin had gone to bed. The girl started
guiltily; she had seen nothing of Miss Agnes all the evening; so Bertie
began a hunt over the house for her, and found her at last in the
dining-room alone.

"Oh, Agnes! what shall we do? Poor papa!" he cried, bursting into tears;
and she clung to him, weeping too, but trying to comfort him, and then
brokenly he told her all that had happened. At five o'clock Mr. Rivers
became suddenly worse. The doctor had stayed with him, and only sent
home his carriage, and when he saw the change he sent for the boys at
once. Eddie was in the library, Bertie was out in the grounds. "But it
was all the same," the lad added, brokenly; "he was quite unconscious
when Eddie reached the room. I was there half an hour after, but he
never spoke, and now it's all over! Oh, Agnes! what shall we do? I can't
believe papa is dead!"

"Telegraph for Aunt Amy and Uncle Clair," she replied, with the
promptness of a person used to act in an emergency; and then Bertie, who
had never thought of that, rushed off to the library to suggest it to
his brother, who seemed quite dazed by the sudden calamity, while Mrs.
Mittens entered the dining-room also in search of Agnes.

"It's all over, dearie; the master meant to go on a journey; instead, an
unexpected guest came to him. I'm all dazed and scared like, and can
hardly realise it yet; and would you believe it? four gentlemen came
from London this evening to see your uncle, and not one of them would
believe he was 'gone' till they saw him lying there so still and
restful, and one of them now acts just as if he was master of this
house, so I suppose he must be Master Edward's guardian. But I do wish
there was some one here to manage things!"

"Send for Aunt Amy," Agnes suggested again; and the housekeeper seized
the idea gladly.

"That I will, dearie, and for Mr. Gregory too, first thing to-morrow
morning. Surely, chi