one. "But what is your master's malady, Stixon? Surely
there might be something done to relieve his violent pain, even if there
is no real cure for it?"

"No, miss, nothing can be done. The doctors have exorced themselves.
They tried this, that, and the other, but nature only flew worse against
them. 'Tis a thing as was never heard of till the Constitooshon was
knocked on the head and to pieces by the Reform Bill. And though they
couldn't cure it, they done what they could do, miss. They discovered a
very good name for it--they christened it the 'New-rager!'"

CHAPTER XXXIII

LORD CASTLEWOOD

In the morning, when I was called again to see my afflicted
cousin--Stixon junior having gladly gone to explain things for me at
Bruntsea--little as I knew of any bodily pain (except hunger, or thirst,
or weariness, and once in my life a headache), I stood before Lord
Castlewood with a deference and humility such as I had never felt before
toward any human being. Not only because he bore perpetual pain in
the two degrees of night and day--the day being dark and the night
jet-black--without a murmur or an evil word; not only because through
the whole of this he had kept his mind clear and his love of knowledge
bright; not even because he had managed, like Job, to love God through
the whole of it. All these were good reasons for very great and very
high respect of any man; and when there was no claim whatever on his
part to any such feeling, it needs must come. But when I learned another
thing, high respect at once became what might be called deep reverence.
And this came to pass in a simple and, as any one must confess, quite
inevitable way.

It was not to be supposed that I could sit the whole of my first evening
in that house without a soul to speak to. So far as my dignity and sense
of right permitted, I wore out Mr. Stixon, so far as he would go,
not asking him any thing that the very worst-minded person could call
"inquisitive," but allowing him to talk, as he seemed to like to do,
while he waited upon me, and alternately lamented my hapless history and
my hopeless want of taste.

"Ah, your father, the Captain, now, he would have knowed what this is!
You've no right to his eyes, Miss Erma, without his tongue and palate.
No more of this, miss! and done for you a-purpose! Well, cook will be
put out, and no mistake! I better not let her see it go down, anyhow."
And the worthy man tearfully put some dainty by, perhaps