e Allonfield station,
and they would have one evening at Knight Sutton with her, returning
themselves the next morning to Westminster.

They arrived at Allonfield, executed various commissions with which Mrs.
Langford had been delighted to entrust Geoffrey; they ordered some new
books for Frederick, and called at Philip Carey's for some medicines;
and then driving up to the station watched eagerly for the train.

Soon it was there, and there at length she was; her own dear self,--the
dark aquiline face, with its sweetest and brightest of all expressions;
the small youthful figure, so active, yet so quiet and elegant; the
dress so plain and simple, yet with that distinguished air. How happy
Beatrice was that first moment of feeling herself at her side!

"My dear! my own dear child!" Then anxiously following her husband with
her eye, as he went to look for her luggage, she said, "How thin he
looks, Queenie!"

"O, he has been doing so much," said Busy Bee. "It is only for this
last week he has gone to bed at all, and then only on the sofa in Fred's
room. This is the first time he has been out, except last Sunday to
Church, and a turn or two round the garden with grandmamma."

He came back before Queen Bee had done speaking. "Come, Beatrice," said
he to his wife, "I am in great haste to have you at home; that fresh
face of yours will do us all so much good."

"One thing is certain," said she; "I shall send home orders that you
shall be allowed no strong coffee at night, and that Busy Bee shall
hide half the mountain of letters in the study. But tell me honestly,
Geoffrey, are you really well?"

"Perfectly, except for a growing disposition to yawn," said her husband
laughing.

"Well, what are the last accounts of the patient?"

"He is doing very well: the last thing I did before coming away, was to
lay him down on the sofa, with Retzsch's outlines to look at: so you may
guess that he is coming on quickly. I suppose you have brought down the
books and prints?"

"Such a pile, that I almost expected my goods would be over weight."

"It is very fortunate that he has a taste for this kind of thing: only
take care, they must not be at Henrietta's discretion, or his own, or he
will be overwhelmed with them,--a very little oversets him, and might do
great mischief."

"You don't think the danger of inflammation over yet, then?"

"O, no! his pulse is so very easily raised, that we are obliged to keep
him very quiet, an