n is not quite so great, and he owned frankly
that he was afraid last night how he should find her this morning. We
are to go on just the same. Everything depends on frequent
nourishment; he thinks the heart is a little stronger, but she must not
be moved at all. 'We must see what nature and rest will do,' he said
to me; 'do not relax your efforts, we are not out of the woods yet.'
He is coming again about four."

"Yes, I should not be surprised if she weathered it after all,"
returned Marcus; "she must have a tough constitution to have gone
through all she has. Yesterday I certainly felt anxious, and so did
Randolph. We both feared sudden collapse. I worried myself for a long
time because I had not offered to sit up with you, Livy, but I have
been up two nights already this week, and one has one's work to do;"
but Olivia looked quite shocked at this.

"My dear boy, how could you think of such a thing? It would have made
me more miserable than I was already; besides, there would have been no
room for you, this is such a tiny place. Oh, how I wish Aunt Madge
could move into better lodgings; her bedroom is far too small, and that
wardrobe quite fills it up. By-the-bye, Marcus, I wish you would tell
me what I had better do. May I come home for an hour or two and see
baby?"

"I don't know that there would be any risk," he replied, slowly; "you
cannot give influenza unless you have it yourself; but, all the same, I
would keep away from Dot. She is perfectly well, and sat up in her
high-chair pouring out imaginary tea in her wooden set while I had my
breakfast, and Martha begged me to tell you 'that the butcher had
called, and she had ordered a steak for master, and would make a
rice-pudding for Miss Baby.'"

"Very well, then, I will stay; but, Marcus, I shall see you again this
evening, shall I not?" and Marcus returned in an emphatic voice that he
certainly intended to keep an eye on her.

"I won't have you getting into mischief and knocking yourself up," he
remarked, severely. "So be a wise woman, or you will have to reckon
with me!"

There was plenty to do that morning, putting things tidy in the
sick-room and straightening the sitting-room. In the course of the day
some choice flowers came from Galvaston House with Mr. Gaythorne's
compliments, and at tea-time Marcus dropped in unexpectedly, and they
had a cosy half-hour together in Deb's spotless little kitchen; to her
surprise he told Olivia that Do