ry. I'll send Arnaud, and as soon as you can, you had better go
to bed again.'

Guy was still awake, and able to hear what she had to tell him about
Philip.

'Poor fellow!' said he. 'We must try to soften it.'

'Shall I write?' said Amy. 'Mamma will be pleased to hear of his having
told you, and they must be sorry for him, when they hear how much the
letter cost him.'

'Ah! they will not guess at half his sorrow.'

'I will write to papa, and send it after the other letters, so that he
may read it before he hears of Philip's.'

'Poor Laura!' said Guy. 'Could not you write a note to her too? I want
her to be told that I am very sorry, if I ever gave her pain by speaking
thoughtlessly of him.'

'Nay,' said Amy, smiling, 'you have not much to reproach yourself with
in that way. It was I that always abused him.'

'You can never do so again.'

'No, I don't think I can, now I have seen his sorrow.'

Amabel was quite in spirits, as she brought her writing to his bed-side,
and read her sentences to him as she composed the letter to her father,
while he suggested and approved. It was a treat indeed to have him able
to consult with her once more, and he looked so much relieved and
so much better, that she felt as if it was the beginning of real
improvement, though still his pulse was fast, and the fever, though
lessened, was not gone.

The letter was almost as much his as her own, and he ended his dictation
thus: 'Say that I am sure that if I get better we may make arrangements
for their marriage.'

Then, as Amy was finishing the letter with her hopes of his amendment,
he added, speaking to her, and not dictating--'If not,'--she shrank and
shivered, but did not exclaim, for he looked so calm and happy that she
did not like to interrupt him--'If not, you know, it will be very easy
to put the money matters to rights, whatever may happen.'

CHAPTER 34

Sir,
It is your fault I have loved Posthumus;
You bred him as my playfellow; and he is
A man worth any woman, over-buys me
Almost the sum he pays.
--CYMBELINE

The first tidings of Philip's illness arrived at Hollywell one morning
at breakfast, and were thus announced by Charles--

'There! So he has been and gone and done it.'

'What? Who? Not Guy?'

'Here has the Captain gone and caught a regular bad fever, in some
malaria hole; delirious, and all that sort of thing, and of course our
wise brother a