She supposed she would wait
and see. Yes, she would wait and see; that was all that could be
done.--And then had come a silent burst of tears, and the girl had sunk
down on her knees and hidden her face in the old lady's lap, and the
wrinkled jewelled old hand passed quietly over the girl's black hair; but
no more had been said, and Isabel presently got up and went home to the
Dower House.
The autumn went by, and November came, and there was no further word from
Hubert. Then towards the end of November a report reached them from
Anthony at Lambeth that the fleet had sailed; but had put back into
Falmouth after a terrible storm in the Channel. And hope just raised its
head.
Then one evening after supper Sir Nicholas complained of fever and
restlessness, and went early to bed. In the night he was delirious.
Mistress Margaret hastened up at midnight from the Dower House, and a
groom galloped off to Lindfield before morning to fetch the doctor, and
another to fetch Mr. Barnes, the priest, from Cuckfield. Sir Nicholas was
bled to reduce the fever of the pneumonia that had attacked him. All day
long he was sinking. About eleven o'clock that night he fell asleep,
apparently, and Lady Maxwell, who had watched incessantly, was persuaded
to lie down; but at three o'clock in the morning, on the first of
December, Mistress Margaret awakened her, and together they knelt by the
bedside of the old man. The priest, who had anointed him on the previous
evening, knelt behind, repeating the prayers for the dying.
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