r
me. I feel a perfect wreck this morning, too."

He certainly looked it.

"Have you had bad letters?" said Evelyn, in a low voice.

He laughed a little--a grim laugh--and shook his head. "But I had
yesterday," he added presently, in a low tone. "I shall have to try a
change of air again soon, I am afraid."

I was just going to ask Charles what he had been doing walking about in
his socks the night before, when the door opened, and Ralph, whose
absence I had not noticed, came in. He looked much perturbed. It seemed
his father had been taken suddenly and alarmingly ill while dressing. In
a moment all was confusion. Evelyn precipitately left the room to go to
him, while Charles rushed round to the stables to send a groom on
horseback for the nearest doctor. Ralph followed him, and the remainder
of the party gathered in a little knot round the fire, Mrs. Marston
expressing the sentiment of each of us when she said that she thought
visitors were very much in the way when there was illness in the house,
and that she regretted that she and her husband had arranged to stay
over Sunday, to-day being Friday.

"So have I," said Carr; "but I am sure I had better have refused. A
stranger in a sick-house is a positive nuisance. I think I shall go to
town by an afternoon train, if there is one."

"Upon my word I think we had better do the same," said Mrs. Marston.
"What do you say, Arthur?" and she turned to her husband.

"I must go to-day, anyhow--on business," said General Marston.

"I hope no one is talking of leaving," said Charles, who had returned
suddenly, rather out of breath.

As he spoke his eyes were fixed on Carr.

"Yes, that is exactly what we were doing," said Mrs. Marston. "Nothing
is so tiresome as having visitors on one's hands when there is illness
in the house. Mr. Carr was thinking of going up to London by the
afternoon train; and I have a very good mind to go away with Arthur,
instead of staying on, and letting him come back here for me to-morrow,
as we had intended."

"Pray do not think of such a thing!" said Charles, really with
unnecessary earnestness. "Mrs. Marston, pray do not alter your plans.
Carr!" in a much sterner tone, "I must beg that you will not think of
leaving us to-day. Your friend Colonel Middleton is staying on, and we
cannot allow you to desert us so suddenly."

It was more like a command than an invitation; but Carr, usually so
quick to take a slight, did not seem to notice it,