whom the suspense of the last few hours had been
painful in the extreme; and then after he had refreshed his inner man,
he retired to seek that repose for which he was so well prepared.

Time sped on; the days soon passed into weeks, and the lovely spring
had merged into a still more lovely summer. John Manners' visit had
come to a close, and he was longing for an invitation for another
visit and seeking to find some decent excuse for becoming a
self-invited guest.

At last, much to his relief, he received the long-wished-for
invitation. He and Crowleigh were invited together to one of the
numerous feasts of Haddon's hospitable Hall, and De la Zouch, whose
wounds were now fast healing, was wishful that a reconciliation should
take place between them, and professed himself even anxious to make
some advances towards his late adversary.

Without loss of time the two guests sped on their way at the appointed
time, and were amongst the very first of the visitors. Disappointment,
however, awaited them. Father Philip was dying. The Derby leech
had done his best to restore the injured man, and although he had
succeeded in prolonging the patient's life for a little while, all
his efforts to save the unfortunate confessor failed, and seeing the
father suddenly begin to sink, he had, the night before John Manners
arrived, given up all hope of saving his life, and announced that the
end was nigh at hand.

Under these circumstances mounted messengers were at once despatched
to inform the invited guests that it had been found necessary to
postpone the feast, and asking them to defer their visit until they
should hear again from Haddon. This, in almost every other instance,
had succeeded in staying the visitors; but Manners and Crowleigh had
started at the break of day, and were well on their way before the
messenger had found his way to stop them.

A little manoeuvring on Dorothy's part gained, to Margaret's qualified
delight, an invitation for them to stay from no less a personage than
the dying man himself. Father Philip had taken kindly to Crowleigh
from the first, and was grateful to him for the skill and patience he
had bestowed upon him on his previous visit, and he was ready enough
to accede to any request, whatever it might be, that his Dorothy, his
beloved Dorothy, thought well to ask.

Not a brother of the cloth could be found to take the father's place,
and this loss proved exceedingly awkward to all at Haddon at th