lk a little while with
the doctor, who called when he was there.

"There isn't any chance, you say."

"No, I am afraid not. Miss Symons' heart has been delicate for some
years; it gives her very little strength to stand against this attack."

"Um! I was afraid so," said William, and he was glad to get out of the
house, and buy a _Pall Mall_.

The inspector niece came down (uninvited), very energetic, and very kind
in using the last few days of her holidays in nursing a disagreeable
reactionary relation. She dominated the nurse, who was much meeker than
nurses usually are, and quite quelled her poor aunt, too weak to protest
even at attacks on the monarchy. But Henrietta was much happier when the
niece's holidays came to an end, and she was left to die quietly and
dully with the nurse.

Evelyn was away in Egypt with Herbert for her health, and by a most
unfortunate accident she did not get the first telegram announcing
Henrietta's dangerous illness. Poor Henrietta asked constantly if there
was nothing from her, and as she got weaker, and a little wandering, she
kept on crying like a child: "I want Evelyn." They cabled again, and
when the answer came, "Starting home at once," it was too late, and
Henrietta was not sufficiently herself to understand it.

As soon as Evelyn got home, she went to Bath. The little house was still
as it was, but for some legacies which a careful nephew had already
abstracted. But the place of the dead seemed to have been filled even
more quickly than usual. Annie, as she said, had only waited "till the
pore old lady was taken" to marry comfortably with a saddler, and the
parlourmaid was already established in a very smart town situation.
There was an unknown caretaker to look after the house, which was to
let. Evelyn saw the doctor and the clergyman, who both spoke kindly of
Miss Symons. "We shall miss your sister very much," said Mr. Vaughan,
"she was always doing kind things,"--and he did miss her to a certain
extent, but there is a ceaseless supply of generous, touchy incapable
old ladies in England, and he could not be expected to miss her very
much. Evelyn went to see the nurse, and could hear from her more of what
she wanted. The nurse was a kind, sweet girl, the centre of an
affectionate family, and engaged to a devoted young clerk.

"Oh, Mrs. Ferrers, if only you could have come back in time," she said,
sobbing, "or if you could have written. She _did_ want you so; every
time th