s did not attempt
to deny it, protesting he believed she was boring his master. The grin
on that master's face at hearing this was not very pleasant to behold.
When examined as to the missing paper, he swore by all that was holy he
knew nothing about it.

Mr. Brett next requested the presence of Miss Yolland. She was nowhere
to be found. The place was searched throughout, but there was no trace
of her.

When the doctor arrived, the bottle Joseph had taken from her was
examined, and its contents discovered.

Lady Malice was grievously hurt at the examination she found had been
going on.

"Have I not nursed you like my own brother, Mr. Redmain?" she said.

"You may be glad you have escaped a coroner's inquest in your house,
Lady Margaret!" said Mr. Brett.

"For me," said Mr. Redmain, "I have not many days left me, but somehow
a fellow does like to have his own!"

Hesper sought Mary, and kissed her with some appearance of gratitude.
She saw what a horrible suspicion, perhaps even accusation, she had
saved her from. The behavior and disappearance of Sepia seemed to give
her little trouble.

Mr. Brett got enough out of Mewks to show the necessity of his
dismissal, and the doctor sent from London a man fit to take his place.

Almost every evening, until he left Durnmelling, Mary went to see Mr.
Redmain. She read to him, and tried to teach him, as one might an
unchildlike child. And something did seem to be getting into, or waking
up in, him. The man had never before in the least submitted; but now it
looked as if the watching spirit of life were feeling through the
dust-heap of his evil judgments, low thoughts, and bad life, to find
the thing that spirit had made, lying buried somewhere in the frightful
tumulus: when the two met and joined, then would the man be saved; God
and he would be together. Sometimes he would utter the strangest
things--such as if all the old evil modes of thinking and feeling were
in full operation again; and sometimes for days Mary would not have an
idea what was going on in him. When suffering, he would occasionally
break into fierce and evil language, then be suddenly silent. God and
Satan were striving for the man, and victory would be with him with
whom the man should side.

For some time it remained doubtful whether this attack was not, after
all, going to be the last: the doctor himself was doubtful, and, having
no reason to think his death would be a great grief in the house, did