when the
prize was so near her,--when the cup was almost at her lips? Were
the girl now to be taken to her grave, there would be an end at any
rate of the fear which now most heavily oppressed her. But the three
doctors were called in, one after another; and Lady Anna was tended
as though her life was as precious as that of any other daughter.

These new tidings caused new perturbation among the lawyers. "They
say that Clerke and Holland have given her over," said Mr. Flick to
Sir William.

"I am sorry to hear it," said Mr. Solicitor; "but girls do live
sometimes in spite of the doctors."

"Yes; very true, Sir William; very true. But if it should go in that
way it might not perhaps be amiss for our client."

"God forbid that he should prosper by his cousin's death, Mr. Flick.
But the Countess would be the heir."

"The Countess is devoted to the Earl. We ought to do something,
Sir William. I don't think that we could claim above eight or
ten thousand pounds at most as real property. He put his money
everywhere, did that old man. There are shares in iron mines in the
Alleghanies, worth ever so much."

"They are no good to us," said the Solicitor-General, alluding to his
client's interests.

"Not worth a halfpenny to us, though they are paying twenty per cent.
on the paid-up capital. He seems to have determined that the real
heir should get nothing, even if there were no will. A wicked old
man!"

"Very wicked, Mr. Flick."

"A horrible old man! But we really ought to do something, Mr.
Solicitor. If the girl won't marry him there should be some
compromise, after all that we have done."

"How can the girl marry any one, Mr. Flick,--if she's going to die?"

A few days after this, Sir William called in Keppel Street and saw
the Countess, not with any idea of promoting a compromise,--for the
doing which this would not have been the time, nor would he have been
the fitting medium,--but in order that he might ask after Lady Anna's
health. The whole matter was in truth now going very much against the
Earl. Money had been allowed to the Countess and her daughter; and in
truth all the money was now their own, to do with it as they listed,
though there might be some delay before each was put into absolute
possession of her own proportion; but no money had been allowed, or
could be allowed, to the Earl. And, that the fact was so, was now
becoming known to all men. Hitherto credit had at any rate been
easy with the youn