the old Director.

"Septimus Godwin," began the doctor slowly, "died on a Thursday about
three o'clock, and I was only called in to see him at two. I found him
far gone, but conscious now and then. It was a case of--but you know the
details, so I needn't go into that. His wife was in the room, and on the
bed at his feet lay his pet dog--a terrier; you may recollect, perhaps,
he had a special breed. I hadn't been there ten minutes, when a maid
came in and whispered something to her mistress. Mrs. Godwin answered
angrily, 'See him? Go down and say she ought to know better than to come
here at such a time!' The maid went, but soon came back. Could the lady
see Mrs. Godwin for just a moment? Mrs. Godwin answered that she could
not leave her husband. The maid looked frightened, and went away again.
She came back for the third time. The lady had said she must see Dr.
Godwin; it was a matter of life and death! 'Death--indeed!' exclaimed
Mrs. Godwin: 'Shameful! Go down and tell her, if she doesn't go
immediately, I will send for the police!'

"The poor maid looked at me. I offered to go down and see the visitor
myself. I found her in the dining room, and knew her at once. Never mind
her name, but she belongs to a county family not a hundred miles from
here. A beautiful woman she was then; but her face that day was quite
distorted.

"'For God's sake, Doctor,' she said, 'is there any hope?'

"I was obliged to tell her there was none.

"'Then I must see him,' she said.

"I begged her to consider what she was asking. But she held me out a
signet ring. Just like Godwin--wasn't it--that sort of Byronism, eh?

"'He sent me this,' she said, 'an hour ago. It was agreed between us
that if ever he sent that, I must come. If it were only myself I could
bear it--a woman can bear anything; but he'll die thinking I wouldn't
come, thinking I didn't care--and I would give my life for him this
minute!'

"Now, a dying man's request is sacred. I told her she should see him. I
made her follow me upstairs, and wait outside his room. I promised to
let her know if he recovered consciousness. I have never been thanked
like that, before or since.

"I went back into the bedroom. He was still unconscious, and the terrier
whining. In the next room a child was crying--the very same young man we
buried to-day. Mrs. Godwin was still standing by the bed.

"'Have you sent her away?'

"I had to say that Godwin really wished to see her. At that she