e herself pre-eminently useful; by a sort of
intuition she appeared to divine everything he could possibly want
before he asked for it, and contrived to have it waiting his pleasure
as if by magic; and yet it was done so quietly, that I believe Harry had
not a notion to whom he was indebted for the forestalment of his every
wish. Did his lips appear parched and dry from the low fever which still
hung about him--unobserved by any one, Fanny would glide out of
the room, and in another minute his servant would enter with a tray
containing jelly, lemonade, or some refreshment of a like nature; and
Harry would say, with a languid smile, that the fairies must have been
at work, for that Wilson had brought him the very thing he was wishing
for. As he grew stronger, and ~227~~required less attention, I yielded
to his request, and once more resumed my studies, reading doubly hard in
order to make up for lost time. The duel had taken place early in June,
but it was not until the latter end of August that the surgeons would
allow of their patient's removal to the Hall. Under Ellis's directions
a kind of litter was prepared, drawn by a stout Shetland pony, and
hung upon a complicated arrangement of springs, by which means all
possibility of jolting was avoided. With the assistance of this vehicle,
Harry was enabled to take short airings in the park, and, when it was
found that no ill effects ensued, a fine day was chosen, and Heathfield
Hall flung wide its ample gates to receive once more within its walls
the heir of that noble property. It was a glad day for every one--the
old servants shed mingled tears of joy and sorrow; of joy that their
young master had been spared to come among them again, and of sorrow
when they gazed on his pallid cheeks and long thin hands, and thought
of the amount of suffering that manly frame must have undergone ere it
could have become such a wreck of its former self.

After his return home Oaklands progressed very slowly; he so far
recovered as to walk about the house and garden with the assistance of
Ellis's arm; but the wound in his side still presented an unsatisfactory
appearance, and obstinately refused to heal. Ellis's skill and attention
were unparalleled; he took the greatest interest in the case, and though
he pretended that his zeal was entirely professional, yet it was clear
the fascination which Harry seemed unconsciously to exercise over every
one who became intimate with him, had subdued