die, and suddenly.

It was a wild uncultivated place they were in. No signs of human
habitation were to be seen, except far up away on a hillside in the
distance, where smoke went up from a farmhouse or some sort of a house;
towards which Eleanor looked with earnest longings that the human help
which was there could be brought within available distance. It was
greatly too far for that. How soon would Mr. Rhys be back? Impossible
to say; she could not tell what length of road he might have to travel.
And the man seemed dying. Eleanor knelt down again, and with the
precious contents of one of the phial bathed the brow and the lips that
she thought would never return to their natural colour again. She did
it perseveringly; it was all she could do. Perhaps it gave comfort. But
Eleanor grew tired, and felt increasingly lonely and desirous that some
one should come. No one did come by that way, nor was likely to come,
until the return of Mr. Rhys; the place was not near a highway; only on
a wild mountain track. It struck Eleanor then that the sufferer's head
lay too low, upon the ground. She could not move him to a better
position; and finally placing herself on the grass beside him, she
contrived with great exertion to lift his head upon her lap. He could
not thank her; she did not know if he were aware of what she did; but
then Eleanor had done all. She schooled herself to sit patiently and
wipe the brow that lay upon her knee, and wait; knowing that death
might come to take her charge before any other arrival relieved her of
it. Eleanor had a great many thoughts meanwhile; and as she sat there
revolved Mr. Rhys's 'sermon' in her mind over and over, and from one
end to the other and back again.

So at last Mr. Rhys found her. He came as he had gone, full speed;
jumped off his horse, and took a very grave survey of the group on the
ground. It was not early. Mr. Rhys had been a long time away; it seemed
half a day's length to Eleanor.

"Have you been there all this time?" was his question.

"O no."

"I will take your place," said he kneeling down and lifting the
unconscious head from Eleanor's lap. "There is a waggon coming. It will
be here directly."

Eleanor got up, trembling and stiff from her long constrained position.
The waggon presently came in sight; a huge covered wain which had need
to move slowly. Mr. Rhys had stayed by it to guide it, and only spurred
forward when near enough to the place. Into it they now