but he must guard his wife; and the fact
is Nevil is down with fever. It 's in the papers now; he may be able to
conceal it, and I hope he will. There'll be a crisis, and then he can
tell her good news--a little illness and all right now! Of course,'
the colonel continued buoyantly, 'Nevil will recover; he's a tough wiry
young fellow, but poor Romfrey's fears are natural enough about the
countess. Her mind seems to be haunted by the doctor there--Shrapnel, I
mean; and she's exciteable to a degree that threatens the worst--in case
of any accident in Bevisham.'

'Is it not a kind of cowardice to conceal it?' Cecilia suggested.

'It saves her from fretting,' said the colonel.

'But she is fretting! If Lord Romfrey would confide in her and trust to
her courage, papa, it would be best.'

Colonel Halkett thought that Lord Romfrey was the judge.

Cecilia wished to leave a place where this visible torture of a human
soul was proceeding, and to no purpose. She pointed out to her father,
by a variety of signs, that Lady Romfrey either knew or suspected the
state of affairs in Bevisham, and repeated her remarks upon Nevil's
illness. But Colonel Halkett was restrained from departing by the earl's
constant request to him to stay. Old friendship demanded it of him. He
began to share his daughter's feelings at the sight of Lady Romfrey. She
was outwardly patient and submissive; by nature she was a strong healthy
woman; and she attended to all her husband's prescriptions for the
regulating of her habits, walked with him, lay down for the afternoon's
rest, appeared amused when he laboured to that effect, and did her
utmost to subdue the worm devouring her heart but the hours of the
delivery of the letter-post were fatal to her. Her woeful: 'No letter
for me!' was piteous. When that was heard no longer, her silence and
famished gaze chilled Cecilia. At night Rosamund eyed her husband
expressionlessly, with her head leaning back in her chair, to the sorrow
of the ladies beholding her. Ultimately the contagion of her settled
misery took hold of Cecilia. Colonel Halkett was induced by his daughter
and Mrs. Devereux to endeavour to combat a system that threatened
consequences worse than those it was planned to avert. He by this time
was aware of the serious character of the malady which had prostrated
Nevil. Lord Romfrey had directed his own medical man to go down to
Bevisham, and Dr. Gannet's report of Nevil was grave. The colonel made