lad, come in; you are not well enough to work,"
said Hannah anxiously.

Ishmael yielded up the ax and suffered Reuben to draw him into the
house.

"It is only that I am so hot and dizzy and weak, Mr. Middleton; but I am
sure I shall be able to do it presently," said Ishmael apologetically,
as he put his hand to his head and looked around himself in perplexity.

"I'll tell you what, the boy is out of his head, Hannah, and it's my
belief as he's a going to have a bad illness," said Reuben, as he guided
Ishmael to the bed and laid him on it.

"Oh, Reuben! what shall we do?" exclaimed Hannah.

"I don't know, child! wait a bit and see."

They had not long to wait; in a few hours Ishmael was burning with fever
and raving with delirium.

"This is a-gwine to be a bad job! I'll go and fetch a doctor," said
Reuben Gray, hurrying away for the purpose.

Reuben's words proved true. It was a "bad job." Severe study, mental
excitement, disappointment and distress had done their work upon his
extremely sensitive organization, and Ishmael was prostrated by
illness.

We will not linger over the gloomy days that followed. The village
doctor brought by Reuben was as skillful as if he had been the
fashionable physician of a large city, and as attentive as if his poor
young patient had been a millionaire. Hannah devoted herself with almost
motherly love to the suffering boy; and Reuben remained in the
neighborhood and came every day to fetch and carry, chop wood and bring
water, and help Hannah to nurse Ishmael. And Hannah was absolutely
reduced to the necessity of accepting his affectionate services. Mr.
Middleton, as soon as he heard of his favorite's illness, hurried to the
hut to inquire into Ishmael's condition and to offer every assistance in
his power to render; and he repeated his visits as often as the great
pressure of his affairs permitted him to do. Ishmael's illness was long
protracted; Mr. Middleton's orders to vacate Brudenell Hall on or before
the first day of February were peremptory; and thus it followed that the
whole family removed from the neighborhood before Ishmael was in a
condition to bid them farewell.

The day previous to their departure, however, Mr. and Mrs. Middleton,
with Walter and Beatrice, came to take leave of him. As Mrs. Middleton
stooped over the unconscious youth her tears fell fast and warm upon his
face, so that in his fever dream he murmured:

"Claudia, it is beginning to rain, let us