them
up, as she said to my father,--

"Everything is ready, dear, in the room next to ours."

Then they all went up-stairs, and I saw nothing more until, a few
moments later, Mr. Glengelly looked in and told me I was to go to dinner
by myself, as he was going to drive to Elmworth at once, and my parents
could not come down-stairs.

It seemed strange and forlorn to go into our large dining-room, and sit
at the table all by myself, whilst James stood behind me and changed my
plate, and handed me the dishes all in their proper order, as if I had
been grown up. I was hungry, or rather, perhaps, stood in need of food,
after the morning's exertions, but I felt quite surprised at my own
utter indifference as to _what_ I had to eat, when I had the opportunity
of an entirely free selection. I took my one help of tart, and a single
peach, without the shadow of a desire such as is common to children, and
which I should in happier times unquestionably have shared, to improve
the occasion by a little extra allowance.

I had scarcely finished when my mother came in for two or three minutes.

"Mamma," I said, running eagerly to her, "do tell me, will Aleck die?"

"My darling," she answered, "we cannot say how much he is hurt until the
doctor comes;" and she stooped down to kiss away the tears that came to
my eyes when I noticed the sad, quiet voice with which she spoke, so
unlike Mr. Glengelly's cheerful, re-assuring manner. "You must pray to
God, my child, that if it be His will he may recover, and try to cheer
up, because there is still hope the injury may not prove very serious;
we must hope for the best. I am going to bring papa up a glass of wine
and a biscuit; will you carry up the plate for me?"

Just as we were going up-stairs, she added, to comfort me,--

"Willie, my child, how thankful I feel that you had nothing to do with
the loss of the ship."

At which, observation--from her point of view, consolatory; from mine,
like a dagger-thrust--I became so convulsed with sobs, that my mother
slipped into the room where Aleck was, laid down the plate and the
wine-glass, and returning again, took me down to the school-room, and
simply devoted herself for some minutes to soothing me back into
composure. She rose to go, but I clung to her dress; "Mamma, mamma," I
entreated, "don't leave me, please don't leave me."

"I _must_ leave you, Willie," she answered, "and you must try to bear up
bravely for my sake, and for Aleck's