ewhat relieved by the necessity of waiting on her. It was
the best means, perhaps, of uniting them, that they should be thus left
together; and Dr. May would have taken home little pale frightened
Minna, who had been very helpful all the time.

'Oh, please not, Dr. May,' she said, earnestly. 'Indeed I will not be
troublesome, and I can give Henry his tea, and carry Ave's cup. Please,
Henry, don't send me:' and she took hold of his hand, and laid it
against her cheek. He bent down over her, and fondled her; and there
were tears that he could not hide as he tried both to thank Dr. May,
and tell her that she need not leave him.

'No,' said Dr. May; 'it would be cruel to both of you.--Good-bye,
little Minna; I never wanted to carry away a little comforter.'

'I believe you are right, papa,' said Ethel, as she went out with him
to the carriage; 'but I long to stay, it is like doing something for
that boy.'

'The best you did for him, poor dear boy! was the saying you trusted
his word. The moment I told him that, he took comfort and energy.'

Ethel's lips moved into a strange half smile, and she took Mab on her
lap, and fondled her. 'Yes,' she said, 'I believe I stand for a good
deal in his imagination. I was afraid he would have been wrecked upon
that horrid place; but, after all, this may be the saving of him.'

'Ah! if that story of his would only be more vraisemblable.'

There was only time briefly to narrate it before coming home, where the
first person they met was Aubrey, exceeding pale, and in great
distress. 'Papa, I must tell you,' he said, drawing him into the
study. 'I have done terrible harm, I am afraid.' And he explained,
that in the morning, when Mrs. Pugh had come down full of inquiries and
conjectures, and had spoken of the possibility of Leonard's having been
drowned while bathing, he had unguardedly answered that it could be no
such thing; Leonard had always meant to run away, and by that very
window, if the Axworthys grew too bad.

Prudent Tom had silenced him at the time, but had since found that it
had got abroad that the evasion had long been meditated with Aubrey's
privity, and had been asked by one of the constabulary force if his
brother would not be an important witness. Tom had replied that he
knew nothing about it; but Aubrey was in great misery, furious with
Mrs. Pugh, and only wanting his father to set off at once to assure
them it was all nonsense.

'No, Aubrey, they neithe