resent. It is
a long story, and I must insist now that you lie quiet and go to
sleep."

"Well, I will try, mother. Will you just look outside the door and see
if Denis is there? Denis, this is my mother," he said as the soldier
came in. "She has come over to help nurse me; and as she will be
principally with me in the daytime, you will be at liberty to be out
whenever you like."

"Sure, and I am glad the lady has come, Mr. Conway; though I would
have done the best I could for you. Still, a man is but a poor crater
in a sick-room. Can I get you anything ma'am?"

"Well, I have had nothing this morning, Denis; and if you could get me
a cup of tea and some bread and butter, if it is not against the
rules, I should be very glad."

"Sure, I will do that, ma'am, with the greatest pleasure in life,"
Denis said; and presently returned bringing up a tray with tea, bread
and butter, and a plate of cold meat.

"Is there anything else, ma'am?"

"Well, Denis, I should be very much obliged if you will take a note
from me to a gentleman named Tallboys, whom you will find at the Hotel
de L'Europe. Give it to him yourself if you can. He will be glad to
hear from you about my son, how he is going on and so on."

For the next few days Ralph's arm was exceedingly painful, attended by
a certain amount of fever. At the end of that time he began to
improve, and his wound made steady progress toward recovery. After
staying for four days at Brussels, Mr. Tallboys had returned home.
Mrs. Conway and Denis divided the nursing between them, sitting up on
alternate nights.

A fortnight after Mrs. Conway's arrival Ralph said, "Now, mother, I
shall be up to-morrow and can therefore be considered as fairly
convalescent, so there can be no reason now why you should not tell
the story about the finding of the will. You told me in one of your
letters before Christmas that Mr. Tallboys had failed altogether. So
how did it come to be found?"

Mrs. Conway thereupon told the story. When she came to the point where
she had gone as a servant to the Hall, Ralph interrupted her with a
loud protest. "I don't like that, mother; I don't like the idea of
your having gone as a servant, whatever the stake was. If I had been
at home and had known it, I certainly would not have let you go, not
if there had been ten fortunes to be gained by it. The idea of your
having to go and live as a servant, and work for people like that is
horrid!"

"There was nothing