nk had ten months ago exchanged vows with her.

Rosamond turned back to the Hall. It was poor Cecil's pony-carriage
that she was driving, and she took it to the stable-yard, where her
entreaty had obtained it from the coachman, whom she rewarded by
saying, "I was right, Brown, I fetched his best doctor," and the old
servant understood, and came as near a smile as any one at Compton
could do on such a day.

"Is the carriage gone for Mr. Charnock?"

"Yes, my lady, I sent Alfred with it; I did not seem as if I could
go driving into Wil'sbro' on such a day."

Rosamond bade a kind farewell to the poor old coachman, and was
walking homewards, when she saw a figure advancing towards her,
strangely familiar, and yet hat and coat forbade her to believe it
her husband, even in the dusk. She could not help exclaiming,
"Miles!"

"Yes!" he said, coming to a standstill. "Are you Rosamond?"

"I am;--Anne is quite well and Frank better. Oh! this will do them
good! You know--"

"Yes--yes, I know," he said hastily, as if he could not bear to let
himself out to one as yet a stranger. "My mother?"

"Absorbed in Frank too much to feel it yet fully; Anne watches them
both. Oh! Miles, what she has been!" and she clasped his hand
again. "Let me call her."

And Rosamond opened the hall door just as some instinct, for it
could hardly have been sense of hearing, had brought Anne upon the
stairs, where, as Miles would have hurried up to her, she seemed, in
the light gray dress she still wore, to hover like some spirit
eluding his grasp like the fabled shades.

"Oh no! you ought not. Infection--I am steeped in it."

"Nonsense," and she was gathered into the strong grasp that was home
and rest to her, while Miles was weeping uncontrollably as he held
her in his arms. "O, Nannie, Nannie! I did not think it would be
like this. Why did they keep me till he was gone? No, I did not
get the telegram, I only heard at the station. They let me go this
morning, and I did think I should have been in time." He loosed
himself from her, and hung over the balustrade, struggling with a
strong man's anguish, then said in a low voice, "Did he want me?"

"He knew it was your duty," said Anne. "We all were thankful you
were kept from infection, and he said many little things, but the
chief was that he trusted you too much to leave any special
messages. Hark! that must be Mr. Charnock, Cecil's father! I must
go and receive him. Stay ba