quite passed off, and they say inflammation has set in; he is in
frightful pain."

Her lips grew a shade whiter as she spoke and, with an effort, she
seemed to turn away from some horrible recollection.

"There is some breakfast ready for you in here," she said to her aunt.
"You must have something before you see him. Oh, I am so glad you have
come, auntie!"

Aunt Jean kissed her and cried a little; trouble always brought these
two together however much they disagreed at other times. Tom did not say
a word, but began to cut a loaf to pieces as though they had the
very largest appetites; the great pile of slices lay untouched on the
trencher, but the cutting had served its purpose of a relief to his
pent-up feelings.

Later on there was a consultation of doctors; their verdict was perhaps
a little more hopeful than Erica had dared to expect. Her father had
received a fearful internal injury and was in the greatest danger, but
there was still a chance that he might recover, it was just possible;
and knowing how his constitution had rallied when every one had thought
him dying three years before, she grew very hopeful. Without hope she
could hardly have got through those days for the suffering was terrible.
She hardly knew which she dreaded most, the nights of fever and delirium
when groans of anguish came from the writhing lips, or the days with
their clear consciousness when her father never uttered a word of
complaint but just silently endured the torture, replying always, if
questioned as to the pain, "It's bearable."

His great strength and vigor made it seem all the more piteous that he
should now be lying in the very extremity of suffering, unable to bear
even the weight of the bed clothes. But all through that weary time his
fortitude never gave way, and the vein of humor which had stood him in
such good stead all his life did not fail him even now. On the Monday
when he was suffering torments, they tried the application of leeches.
One leech escaped, and they had a great hunt for it, Raeburn astonishing
them all by coming out with one of his quaint flashes of wit and
positively making them laugh in spite of their anxiety and sorrow.

The weary days dragged on, the torture grew worse, opium failed to
deaden the pain, and sleep, except in the very briefest snatches, was
impossible. But at last on the Thursday morning a change set in, the
suffering became less intense; they knew, however, that it was only
bec