and kneeling
down, he straightened the limbs and closed the eyes, and folded the
handkerchief round the slender body. The mother looked on him the
while, shaking her head slowly, as though asking him with all the
voice that was left to her, whether it were not piteous; but of words
she still uttered none.

And then he took from his pocket a silver coin or two, and tendered
them to her. These she did take, muttering some word of thanks, but
they caused in her no emotion of joy. "She was there waiting," she
said, "till Mike should return," and there she would still wait, even
though she should die with the silver in her hand.

"I will send some one to you," he said, as he took his departure;
"some one that shall take the poor child and bury it, and who shall
move you and the other one into the workhouse." She thanked him once
more with some low muttered words, but the promise brought her no
joy. And when the succour came it was all too late, for the mother
and the two children never left the cabin till they left it together,
wrapped in their workhouse shrouds.

Herbert, as he remounted his horse and rode quietly on, forgot for a
while both himself and Clara Desmond. Whatever might be the extent
of his own calamity, how could he think himself unhappy after what
he had seen? how could he repine at aught that the world had done
for him, having now witnessed to how low a state of misery a fellow
human being might be brought? Could he, after that, dare to consider
himself unfortunate?

Before he reached Desmond Court he did make some arrangements for
the poor woman, and directed that a cart might be sent for her, so
that she might be carried to the union workhouse at Kanturk. But his
efforts in her service were of little avail. People then did not
think much of a dying woman, and were in no special hurry to obey
Herbert's behest.

"A woman to be carried to the union, is it? For Mr. Fitzgerald, eh?
What Mr. Fitzgerald says must be done, in course. But sure av' it's
done before dark, won't that be time enough for the likes of her?"

But had they flown to the spot on the wings of love, it would not
have sufficed to prolong her life one day. Her doom had been spoken
before Herbert had entered the cabin.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

FAREWELL.

He was two hours later than he had intended as he rode up the avenue
to Lady Desmond's gate, and his chief thought at the moment was how
he should describe to the countess the scene