lf. He stood awhile to
consider, and then, going down the glade, he cried out to him. Sir
Richard, who was on a white horse, drew rein, and turned with his hand
upon the loins of the horse; and then he turned again, and, urging the
horse forward, disappeared within the wood. There came, as it were, a
chill into Paul's heart that he should be thus unkindly used; and he
vexed his brain to think in what he could have offended the Knight; but
he quickly returned to his thoughts of love; so he made haste, and soon
came down to the place.

Now, when he came near, he thought for a moment of his dream; and shrank
back from stepping out of the trees at the corner whence he could see
the house; but chiding himself for his vain terrors, he went swiftly
out, and saw the house stand as before, with the trees all delicate
green behind it, and the smoke ascending quietly from the chimneys.

Then he made haste; and--for he was now used to enter unbidden--went
straight into the house; the hall and the parlours were all empty; so
that he called upon the servants; an old serving-maid came forth, and
then Paul knew in a moment that all was not well. He looked at her for a
moment, and a question seemed to be choked in his throat; and then he
said swiftly, "Is the Lady Beckwith within?" The old serving-maid said
gravely, "She is with the Lady Helen, who is very sick." Then Sir Paul
bade her tell the Lady Beckwith that he was in the house; and as he
stood waiting, there came a kind of shame into his heart, that what he
had heard was so much less than what he had for an instant feared; and
while he strove to be more truly sorry, the Lady Beckwith stood before
him, very pale. She began to speak at once, and in a low and hurried
voice told him of Helen's illness, and how that there was little to
hope; and then she put her hand on Paul's arm, and said, "My son, why
did you leave us?" adding hastily, "Nay, it could not have been
otherwise." And Paul, looking upon her face, divined in some sudden way
that she had not told him all that was in her mind. So he said, "Dear
mother, you know the cause of that--but tell me all, for I see there is
more behind." Then the Lady Beckwith put her face in her hands, and
saying, "Yes, dear Paul, there is more," fell to weeping secretly. While
they thus stood together--and Paul was aware of a deadly fear that
clutched at his heart and made all his limbs weak--the Lady Margaret
came suddenly into the room, looking