away, and yet the
father, with pale cheeks and heavy heart, sat by the bedside of the
afflicted. No mother had she, that kind parent having several years before
been laid in the cold grave; and the father strove to make up for the loss
as far as he could understand the necessities of a sick-room; and, indeed,
he became wonderfully gentle in his attentions. His touch was trained to be
light and soft as a woman's, his step quiet, and his manner subdued. He
would leave the room only for a few minutes at a time, and then return with
an air of impatience, but it often happened that for hours together he
would allow no one to share the duties of nurse with him, though the best
of aid was always at hand. And he had a reason for this singular course of
conduct. Eveline frequently raved in her delirium, and words would then
fall from her lips which he would not have others to hear for the wealth of
India. Why? Listen for a few moments:

"Oh, how dark! all dark! Nothing but clouds! No sun, no moon, no stars!
When _will_ morning come? Who made it dark? Oh, God! that my father, my own
father, should do this!"

Thus would the unconscious child talk into the very ear of her parent,
often wringing her hands and manifesting the utmost distress. Then her
thoughts would take another direction, on this wise:

"What a load is on my heart; oh, so heavy! It weighs me down to the earth.
Who will take it away? Alas, there is no one to pity me! No one will come
to me and lift this great burden from my bosom; and it is crushing the
life-blood from my heart! Hark! don't you hear the drops fall as they are
pressed out? Patter, patter, patter! Well, it will soon be over; they will
see the blood; yes, and _he_, my once good, dear, kind father; oh, may he
never know that _his_ hand wrung it out and wrenched my heart in twain!
Poor father! he knew not that he was killing me--me his only daughter. May
he never be wiser! Ah, I am going."

She would sink down exhausted, and lay sometimes for hours in a stupor,
after these paroxysms of excitement, and the heavy-hearted father often
feared she would never rouse again. But a higher stage of fever would
awaken her from the state of lethargy, and then the ears of the agonized
parent would be greeted and his heart pierced by words like these:

"Oh, hear him, father, hear him! I know he can explain it to your
satisfaction. How can Charles bear such charges? I wonder at his patience
and self-command. Father