Sarah Holl followed the servants into the hall. The doctor poured a few
drops of cordial between Captain Bayley's lips, and placed some strong
salts beneath his nostrils.

"You think he will come round?" Alice asked.

"He will come round," the doctor said confidently; "his pulse is gaining
power rapidly. It is not paralysis, but a sort of fainting-fit, brought
on, I should imagine, by some sudden shock; his heart is weak, and there
was a sudden failure of its powers. I have warned him over and over
again not to excite himself. However, I think there is no great harm
done this time; but he must be careful in future; another such attack
and it might go hard with him. See, he is coming round." In a few
minutes Captain Bayley opened his eyes and looked round vaguely.

"Lie quiet for a little while, my dear sir," the doctor said cheerfully;
"you have been ill, a sort of fainting-fit, but you will be all right in
a short time. Drink this glass of cordial." He lifted his patient's
head, and held the glass to his lips. As Captain Bayley drank it Alice
placed a pillow under his head.

"How was it?" Captain Bayley asked, in a low tone.

"We don't know," the Doctor said; "but don't think about it at present.
What you have to do now is to get quite strong again; it will be time
afterwards for you to think what upset you. You have given Miss Hardy
here quite a fright."

Captain Bayley nodded to Alice. "I never did such a thing before," he
said. "I was reading here in the library----" Then he stopped, a sudden
flush came to his face.

"Don't agitate yourself, my dear sir," the Doctor said soothingly,
"agitation now would be a very serious thing. Drink a little more of
this."

Captain Bayley did as he was told, and then asked--

"Where is the woman who was speaking to me?"

"She is outside," the Doctor said. "I told her to wait. But you really
must not see her for a time."

"I am all right now," Captain Bayley said, rising to his elbow, "and it
will agitate me less to see her than to wait. She brought me very
strange news, news which I never thought to hear. It is not bad news, my
dear," he said, to Alice, "it is the best news I ever heard. You need
not go away, Doctor," he said, seeing the physician was preparing to
leave; "you are an old friend, and know all about it; besides, it is no
secret. You know how I searched for very many years for my daughter and
her child, and came at last to the conclusion that both must be