. The tea seemed to revive him a little, for, after lying
quiet a while with his eyes closed, he sat up, and, fumbling with his
left hand in an inner pocket, produced a flat parcel tied in stout
paper, with a direction written upon it; and, beckoning Eyebright to
him, said:--

"My dear, it is a bad night to ask such a favor in, and I don't know
how far you may be from the village; but could you manage to send this
over to the stage-office at once? It is of great consequence to me, or
I would not ask it. Have you a hired man who could go? I will pay him
handsomely for taking it. He must give it to the driver of the stage
to put into the express-office at Gillsworth, and take a receipt for
it. Please ask him to be particular about that, as the parcel has
money in it."

"We haven't any hired man," said Eyebright. "I'm so sorry, sir. But
even if we had, he couldn't get across for ever so long."

"Get across?"

"Yes; this is an island. Didn't you know that? We can walk over to the
other shore at low tide; but the tide won't be low till after five,
even if we had a man. But there isn't anybody but just me."

"After five,--and the mail goes out at six," muttered the stranger.
"Then I must manage to go myself."

He tried to get up, but his arm fell helplessly by his side, he
groaned, and sank back again. Presently, to Eyebright's terror, he
began to talk rapidly to himself, not to her at all, as it seemed.

"It _must_ go," he said, in a quick, excited way. "I don't mind what I
pay or what risk I run. Do you think I'm going to lose every
thing?--lose every thing?--other people's money?--" A long pause;
then, "What's a wetting?"--he went on, in a loud tone--"that's nothing.
A wetting!--my good name is worth more than money to me."

He was silent after that for a long time. Eyebright hoped he had gone
to sleep, when suddenly he opened his eyes, and said, imploringly:
"Oh, if you knew how important it was, you _would_ make haste. I am
sure you would."

He did not say much more, but seemed asleep, or unconscious; only now
and then, roused for a moment, he muttered some word which showed him
to be still thinking about the parcel, and the necessity for sending
it to the office immediately.

Eyebright put another blanket round him, and fetched a chair for his
feet to rest upon. That seemed all she could do, except to sit and
watch him, getting up occasionally to put wood on the fire, or going
to the door to listen, in hope