Mrs. Dorriman, Volume 3 of 3

chfulness broke down her nerves. She had long fits of crying, without herself being aware of it. The women-servants had left, and she could not replace them

up till now had got on with him. And the scene ended in his also going-telling Mr

at him, a ray of hope coming to her. If this man who had

rayton's presence. "You see he is very dangerous and very cunning, and that's where it is. You might have any number of doctors to see him, and before them

ed Margaret, in greater agi

"and he shouts the moment he sees me. I've lost all control of

y at him, and, a little moved by

or; he sent me here, and he knows me, and I'll tell him e

ad suffered very much lately; her baby who slept

child had never slept except in Margaret's weary arms, as she walked up and down, and up and down with it. Each time she tried to lay it down it woke and

she went through with those terrible tireless eyes alw

sed that something must be done-some one must inter

ss. Now the man-servant had gone he never opened the door, and the bells might ring all day long, he took no notice. More than once Margare

nt no message and why no letters reached her-and only found out long afterwards that her cook, who not unnaturally found the place

hing did not know then what a

nd down, and up and down through the long and weary night, she tried to think

ntents and purposes, a prisoner. She had no society, no friends, no books; and when she made an effort over herself, and met her husband at the ill-served dinner-he never spoke to her; when she encountered

l day in the garden, where Mr. Drayton ne

ess at times. If she roused it and tried to get it to play with her it cried, and a

ng up to the window she found he was alone and talking to himself. There was something so terrible to her in the imaginary conversation he wa

tly. "Poor baby! I have no experienc

ayed me a trick the other day, and I allow no one to come h

ng, trying to humour him, "it is baby. O

id with fury; "I know you now, you are full of

h, if ever you cared for me, if ever you loved

closed eyes, cunningly, triumphantly, and curi

upon it with her hands, and he heard her, and cam

up," he said, maliciously; "and your pretty ba

t her flying ups

d grieved, volunteered t

t me in when I com

g her child suffer,

od!" she exclaimed, "send some one to help me;" she sank on he

o cool its parched mouth, to lull it in her arms and shower kisses on the feet and hands. How long she was wi

! He came and leaned agains

plete master of the situation," and then

and convulsions came on. Margaret, driven to frenzy, threw open t

eamed, "for my

peating the same terrible

the room-those angels who come so often as a blessing though they strike terror to our blinded eyes. Suddenly the baby's eyes unclosed-a lovely smile came t

Margaret's cries for help had been heard, but those cries had long ceas

of that dread presence was felt; he crouched in a corner, and wonder

rt full of deepest compassion; then came the two medical men Mr. Stevens had

he woke from this prolonged unconsciousness it was to lie still and never speak. The shock had been so appa

took her to cheerful rooms engaged by Mr. Stevens for her and her sister. Grace, whose healt

of the kind and clever man who visited her so

great matter if she could cry-a goo

ake her," said Grace,

y boy's hair off, and we had him photographed. I w

ctor, hastily, and he took it q

met Grace ask

u carry it

pressed scarlet fever," he answered

ame for an ill

ild's throat showed wha

young thing to know how to deal with it? Fever or no fever, the

that," said the doctor, in a low voi

shuddered, for since the days when she had laid ill and had urged Margaret to marr

verse in her heart but she wo

poor child in such a man's power. He had a terrible attack of passion in the a

days too much to speak about them. "Surely Margaret must have consulted a doctor

ng to say to her what he had said to Doctor J

tures," said Jean-"p

London spoke plainly, albeit with a

nised the man as a dangerous lunatic, but probabl

cene because the man he had sent there had warned him that there would probably b

rishman of the best class; "were you really? You had begun to think you had made a mist

it is ver

not to see that the unfortu

determined, sir?" said

ing the case, told me you had

Drayton was--well, not

t's condition because we like or dislike their relations there is an end of everythi

r, of course.

t looked at hi

cutting contempt, "that you allow your wife to dict

s felt utte

om the unhappy little man got near him

nion of me in this matter, you-will-perhaps, sir, you will not sp

is wife has no business to be a doctor, in my opinion." He added, "I think a henpecked man is an error in existenc

ss, which is one of the great charms of spring, made itself felt, but as yet the days were not long, and G

ed with remorse, tried to shake it off. It had been terrible, and the d

et revive? why could she not speak and break

of the depths of her sister's nature; and she did not know in its entir

tood her was Jean, whose own deep

etimes thought as she stood beside her in the stillness of the night-when with her head bowed and her hands clasped she prayed in the old Bible w

arden. As the trees began to show green, none of the surrounding houses could be seen, an

a few birds, accustomed to be fed, came to the window-sill and pecked

aw that Margaret's eyes were more fully opened than they had ye

laid within reach and sight of her the golden curls she had treasured

e things up and passed them through her fingers in an unc

out to awaken, flowers were around it, and on i

nd a sob, and rising quietly she shut the window an

whispers from the extremity of her weakness, but she began to listen and n

about it. Grace worried Jean every hour and every moment of the day. "It

scar all her days in her heart. It will heal, but there will be the mar

ver saw the bab

l that good may come, and we are commanded not to do that. And her nerves are nearly gone. You do not realize, my dear, all that poor thing has suffered. I tr

ere now addressed to Marg

him when I may go to Scotland," and the old woman was delighted, for to her

ood deal was the apparent desertion o

time when he had fully grasped the situation; he still mourned over the death of the poor child, whose life might have been saved under ordinary circum

er from him-from Spain; true he entreated her to writ

and altogether Grace thought now, as she

iated to the full having the command of money, and this was

e was one of the men who had a vague idea that most th

ton's death than any one, and ho

nne; now I call that humbug; what

ntly; "and brother, I do not think it i

ys I re

k as if

n this world so seldom the r

d, inexpressibly sh

honest, but you have a crook

irit, "you have no right to say so; and the subject is so terrib

o destroy myself when I think I ever gave that man an opportunity of seeing poor Margaret, and

ng," Mrs. Dorriman said, feeling so

never knew such a brain as yours, it seems to be generally in a hopeless state of muddle about everything." This

, Anne," he said; "and there is anoth

o her, and looking at him s

stress or worry yourself, b

e table before him with a massive pape

to-day about Margaret'

have sea air and Scotch

er

are where) she has never seen. Some plac

rnb

n there. No!

her brother asked as he

went, then her eye

is out of th

o speak with a sudde

not be sold? Do you know so little really of any business matters as not to know that withou

mine?" said the poor woman, feeling

e brutality and roughness with which he had moulded her fate gave him a pang he never would have believed in former days. And there was something else, there was a page in

umption and other sins that she said what she felt right at times, impelled by a directness and a sincere love of truth to say it

fish and so unworldly, a woman whose candour and transparency were those of a

new that she had become much to him he had to

d her people ... to have been deceived! Then swiftly came the remembrance that she had been led to wrong her husband's memory. Thoughts pre

ared for her, for she knew well that in those days (that

emed suddenly swept away since he could

ill lately, when he had spoken of his having "taken care" of her, she

ce, and opened up the history of her brother's past. She had, as we know, more than once thou

trike him with he had broken up her home-t

ld she forgive him? She walked quickly up and down her room, her hands clasped closely; then sh

tories, so grim by day, blaze

ld not yet forgive. She had some food se

saw; she shut it again and tried to say her prayers. Was there not

it was dark when it was over. She went s

im and laying her hand upon his, "