s still lying on the floor
when Ayah took me to bed. I believe he had been unwell all the day,
though I did not know it, and had been taking some of the many specifics
against cholera, of which everybody had one or more at that time.

Half-an-hour later he sent for a surgeon, who happened to be dining with
Major Buller. The Doctor and the Major came together to our bungalow,
and with them two other officers who happened to be of the party, and
who were friends of my father. One of them was a particular friend of my
own. He was an ensign, a reckless, kind-hearted lad "in his teens," a
Mr. Abercrombie, who had good reason to count my father as a friend.

Mr. Abercrombie mingled in some way with my dreams that night, or rather
early morning, and when I fairly woke, it was to the end of a discussion
betwixt my Ayah, who was crying, and Mr. Abercrombie, in evening dress,
whose face bore traces of what looked to me like crying also. I was
hastily clothed, and he took me in his arms.

"Papa wants you, Margery dear," he said; and he carried me quickly down
the passages in the dim light of the early summer dawn.

Two or three officers, amongst whom I recognized Major Buller, fell
back, as we came in, from the bed to which Mr. Abercrombie carried me.
My father turned his face eagerly towards me, but I shrank away. That
one night of suffering and collapse had changed him so that I did not
know him again. At last I was persuaded to go to him, and by his voice
and manner recognized him as his feeble fingers played tenderly with
mine. And when he said, "Kiss me, Margery dear," I crept up and kissed
his forehead, and started to feel it so cold and damp.

"Be a good girl, Margery dear," he whispered; "be very good to Mamma."
There was a short silence. Then he said, "Is the sun rising yet,
Buller?"

"Just rising, old fellow. Does the light bother you?"

"No, thank you; I can't see it. The fact is, I can't see you now. I
suppose it's nearly over. GOD'S will be done. You've got the papers,
Buller? Arkwright will be kind about it, I'm sure. You'll break it to my
wife as well as you can?"

After another pause he said, "It's time you fellows went to bed and got
some sleep."

But no one moved, and there was another silence, which my father broke
by saying, "Buller, where are you? It's quite dark now. Would you say
the Lord's Prayer for me, old fellow? Margery dear, put your hands with
poor Papa's."

"I've not said my prayers yet,"