pples says she's better dead. But I might have saved her."

He started from the sofa, and went pacing about the room, his face
flushed and his breath coming faster and shorter. His mother got him to
lie down again, and asked no more questions. The doctor came and bled
him at the arm, and sent him to bed.

When Annie saw him worn and ill, her heart swelled till she could
hardly bear the aching of it. She would have been his slave, and she
could do nothing. She must leave him instead. She went to her room, put
on her bonnet and cloak, and was leaving the house when Mrs Forbes
caught sight of her.

"Annie! what _do_ you mean, child? You're not going to leave me?"

"I thought you wouldn't want me any more, ma'am."

"You silly child!"

Annie ran back to her room, thus compromising with a strong inclination
to dance back to it.

When Mr Cupples and Alec had begun to place confidence in each other's
self-denial, they cared less to dog each other.--Alec finding at the
Natural Philosophy examination that he had no chance, gathered his
papers, and leaving the room, wandered away to his former refuge when
miserable, that long desolate stretch of barren sand between the mouths
of the two rivers. Here he wandered till long after the dusk had
deepened into night.--A sound as of one singing came across the links,
and drew nearer and nearer. He turned in the direction of it, for
something in the tones reminded him of Kate; and he almost believed the
song was her nurse's ghostly ballad. But it ceased; and after walking
some distance inland, he turned again towards the sea. The song rose
once more, but now between him and the sea. He ran towards it, falling
repeatedly on the broken ground. By the time he reached the shore, the
singing had again ceased, but presently a wild cry came from seawards,
where the waves far out were still ebbing from the shore. He dashed
along the glimmering sands, thinking he caught glimpses of something
white, but there was no moon to give any certainty. As he advanced he
became surer, but the sea was between. He rushed in. Deeper and deeper
grew the water. He swam. But before he could reach the spot, for he had
taken to the water too soon, with another cry the figure vanished,
probably in one of those deep pits which abound along that shore. Still
he held on, diving many times, but in vain. His vigour was not now what
it had once been, and at length he was so exhausted, that when he came
to himself, l