bowed again, and then respectfully inquired:

"Do I attend you, sir?"

"No, professor. I must travel day and night without stopping. Such haste
would be too harassing to a man of your age."

The old servitor bowed, and withdrew to obey.

"He," said Ishmael Worth, pointing affectionately to the retreating form
of the professor, "is not only my faithful attendant, but my oldest and
most esteemed friend."

"He is happy in possessing your esteem and friendship, Mr. Worth, and no
doubt he deserves both," said Lyon Berners.

"He deserves much more," murmured Ishmael softly, with one of the old,
sweet, thoughtful smiles shining in his eyes.

Then Mr. Berners, who would have liked to linger longer near this
sympathizing friend, who was working so zealously in the almost
hopeless cause of his imprisoned wife, saw that the young lawyer had
many preparations to make for his sudden journey, and but little time to
make them in; and so he arose and shook hands with Ishmael Worth, and
bade him God-speed in his humane errand, and left the room.

Mr. Berners returned to his most desolate home; took, by his physician's
advice a powerful narcotic, and slept the sleep of utter oblivion, and
waked late on the next morning more refreshed than he had felt for many
weeks past.

He visited his wife as usual, and found her in the same quiescent state
of mind and body and still utterly unconscious of her situation, utterly
ignorant that within a few days past the dread death warrant had been
read to her, which doomed her young life to die in the beautiful month
of June, now so near at hand--in the blooming month of roses, her
favorite of all the twelve.

Yes, the death warrant had been duly read to her, but not one word of it
all had she understood; and that was all that had been done to inform
her of her real situation. If it was any one's duty to impress the truth
upon her mind, provided her mind could be made capable of receiving the
impression, every one shrunk from it, and prayed that to the last she
might never know more of her condition than she now did.

As for the rest--the preparation of her soul to meet her Judge--what
would have been the use of talking about salvation to a poor young
creature driven to insanity by the horrors of a false accusation and an
unjust conviction?

The best Christians, as well as her nearest friends, were willing to
leave her soul to the mercy of Heaven.

She was even unsuspicious that she wa