ualified approbation,
while his face brightened into almost a sunny expression. 'And as for
the mistake, I am sorry for both our sakes that it should have occurred.
Perhaps you can forgive my want of candour, and remember, as some partial
mitigation of the offence, how little encouragement to friendly
confidence you have given me of late.'

'Yes, yes--I remember it all: nobody can blame me more than I blame
myself in my own heart; at any rate, nobody can regret more sincerely
than I do the result of my brutality, as you rightly term it.'

'Never mind that,' said he, faintly smiling; 'let us forget all
unpleasant words on both sides, as well as deeds, and consign to oblivion
everything that we have cause to regret. Have you any objection to take
my hand, or you'd rather not?' It trembled through weakness as he held
it out, and dropped before I had time to catch it and give it a hearty
squeeze, which he had not the strength to return.

'How dry and burning your hand is, Lawrence,' said I. 'You are really
ill, and I have made you worse by all this talk.'

'Oh, it is nothing; only a cold got by the rain.'

'My doing, too.'

'Never mind that. But tell me, did you mention this affair to my
sister?'

'To confess the truth, I had not the courage to do so; but when you tell
her, will you just say that I deeply regret it, and--?'

'Oh, never fear! I shall say nothing against you, as long as you keep
your good resolution of remaining aloof from her. She has not heard of
my illness, then, that you are aware of?'

'I think not.'

'I'm glad of that, for I have been all this time tormenting myself with
the fear that somebody would tell her I was dying, or desperately ill,
and she would be either distressing herself on account of her inability
to hear from me or do me any good, or perhaps committing the madness of
coming to see me. I must contrive to let her know something about it, if
I can,' continued he, reflectively, 'or she will be hearing some such
story. Many would be glad to tell her such news, just to see how she
would take it; and then she might expose herself to fresh scandal.'

'I wish I had told her,' said I. 'If it were not for my promise, I would
tell her now.'

'By no means! I am not dreaming of that;--but if I were to write a short
note, now, not mentioning you, Markham, but just giving a slight account
of my illness, by way of excuse for my not coming to see her, and to put
her on her guard a