come a heavy sleep, Beatrice was broad awake, listening to every
sound, forming every possible speculation on the future, and to her own
overstretched fancy seeming actually to feel the thoughts chasing each
other through her throbbing head.

CHAPTER XIV.

"Half-past one," said Mr. Geoffrey Langford, as if it was a mere casual
observation, though in reality it was the announcement that the fatal
twelve hours had passed more than half-an-hour since.

There was no answer, but he heard a slight movement, and though
carefully avoiding any attempt to penetrate the darkness around the sick
bed, he knew full well that his sister was on her knees, and when he
again heard her voice in reply to some rambling speech of her son, it
had a tremulous tone, very unlike its former settled hopelessness.

Again, when Philip Carey paid his morning visit, she studied the
expression of his face with anxious, inquiring, almost hopeful eyes, the
crushed heart-broken indifference of yesterday had passed away; and when
the expedience of obtaining further advice was hinted at, she caught
at the suggestion with great eagerness, though the day before her only
answer had been, "As you think right." She spoke so as to show the
greatest consideration for the feelings of Philip Carey, then with
her usual confiding spirit, she left the selection of the person to
be called in entirely to him, to her brother and father-in-law, and
returned to her station by Frederick, who had already missed and
summoned her.

Philip, in spite of the small follies which provoked Beatrice's sarcasm,
was by no means deficient in good sense or ability; his education had
owed much to the counsels of Mr. Geoffrey Langford, whom he regarded
with great reverence, and he was so conscious of his own inexperience
and diffident of his own opinion, as to be very anxious for assistance
in this, the first very serious case which had fallen under his own
management. The proposal had come at first from himself, and this was a
cause of great rejoicing to those who had to reconcile Mrs. Langford to
the measure. In her eyes a doctor was a doctor, member of a privileged
fraternity in which she saw no distinctions, and to send for advice
from London would, she thought, not only hurt the feelings of Mrs.
Roger Langford, and all the Carey connection, but seriously injure the
reputation of young Mr. Carey in his own neighbourhood.

Grandpapa answered, and Beatrice was glad he did