. But we
will take the doctor on our way, and prepare him."

When they came to the doctor's house, Mary walked on, and Tom told the
doctor he had met Miss Marston on her way to him, and had come instead:
she wanted to let him know that Miss Lovel had come to her quite
unexpected that morning; that she was delirious, and had apparently
wandered from home under an attack of brain-fever, or something of the
sort.

CHAPTER XVIII.

MARY AND GODFREY.

Everything went very tolerably, so far as concerned the world of talk,
in the matter of Letty's misfortunes. Rumors, it is true--and more than
one of them strange enough--did for a time go floating about the
country; but none of them came to the ears of Tom or of Mary, and Letty
was safe from hearing anything; and the engagement between her and Tom
soon became generally known.

Mrs. Helmer was very angry, and did all she could to make Tom break it
off--it was so much below him! But in nothing could the folly of the
woman have been more apparent than in her fancying, with the experience
of her life before her, that any opposition of hers could be effectual
otherwise than to the confirmation of her son's will. So short-sighted
was she as to originate most of the reports to Letty's disadvantage;
but Tom's behavior, on the other hand, was strong to put them down; for
the man is seldom found so faithful where such reports are facts.

Mrs. Wardour took care to say nothing unkind of Letty. She was of her
own family; and, besides, not only was Tom a better match than she
could have expected for her, but she was more than satisfied to have
Godfrey's dangerous toy thus drawn away beyond his reach. As soon as
ever the doctor gave his permission, she went to see her; but,
although, dismayed at sight of her suffering face, she did not utter
one unkind word, her visit was so plainly injurious in its effects,
that it was long before Mary would consent to a repetition of it.

Letty's recovery was very slow. The spring was close at hand before the
bloom began to reappear--and then it was but fitfully--in Letty's
cheek. Neither her gayety nor her usual excess of timorousness
returned. A certain sad seriousness had taken the place of both, and
she seemed to look out from deeper eyes. I can not think that Letty had
begun to perceive that there actually is a Nature shaping us to its own
ends; but I think she had begun to feel that Mary lived in the
conscious presence of such a power