into the workhouse, with many arguments as to the
comfort which awaited her there. But Lizzie was about as much inclined
for the workhouse as the free bird for the cage, and, rather to Lady
Conyers' indignation, Lady O'Gara had abetted the culprit, saying that
she would look after her.

There was not much to be done with Stella, who had begun to look
sharpened in the face and her eyes very bright. Susan repeated that
her charge did not sleep. She had gone in to her half a dozen times
during the night and found her wide-eyed on the pillow, staring at the
ceiling.

"I never see any one take on so," Susan said. "Seems to me if Missie
don't get what she wants she won't be long wantin' anything."

Stella had shown no inclination to get up and Susan had left her in bed.

"Seems like as if gettin' up was more than she could a-bear," said
Susan. "I did try to coax her out when the day were sunny, but 'twas
no use. That poor old fly-away Miss Brennan came to the door this
mornin' with a bunch of leaves and berries. I asked her into my
kitchen, and gave her a cup o' cocoa. There, she were grateful, poor
soul!"

"You must have the four-leaved shamrock, Susan," Lady O'Gara said.
"Lizzie is so very stand-off with most people."

"So Mr. Kenny was tellin' me. He used your Ladyship's words. I never
'eard of the four-leaved shamrock before. She has a kind heart.
There, I'd never have thought it. She was fair put out over the poor
young lady. She talked about a decline in a way that giv me a turn.
But people don't go into a decline sudding like that. It's something
on Miss Stella's mind. Take that away and she'll be as bright as
bright. So I said to the old person, an' she took a fit o' bobbin' to
me, and then she ran off a-talkin' to herself."

Lady O'Gara went up to the pretty bedroom which had been Mrs. Wade's.
It was in the gable and was lit from the roof and by a tiny slit of a
window high up in the wall through which one saw the bare boughs across
the road, with a few fluttering leaves still on them. A similar window
on the other side had a picture of the wet country, the distant woods
of Mount Esker, and the sapphire sky just above the sapphire line of
hills.

The little windows were open and a soft wet wind blew into the room.
When Lady O'Gara had climbed up the corkscrewy staircase and stepped
into the room she was horrified to find the ravages one more day's
suspense had wrought in Stella's looks. H