engaged at their factories and mills, and
made their way home, scarcely exciting any
recognition.

The two girls, on the alert at hearing
the wheels of the approaching carriage,
rushed to the door, and were honoured by
being permitted to kiss the cheek of the
bride, as she swept past them. No sooner
had they kissed their uncle, and were all
assembled in the drawing- room, than
Marian asked after her mother.

"I'm afraid you will find her very much
changed, Mrs. Creswell," said Maud, who,
of course, was spokeswoman. "Mrs. Ashurst
is very much weaker, and has—has
occasional fits of wandering, which——"

"Why was I not informed of this?"
asked Marian, in her chilliest tones. " Were
you both so much engaged that you could
not manage to let me have a line to tell me
of this change in my mother's state?"

"Maud wanted to write and tell you,
but Dr. Osborne wouldn't let her,"
blustered out Gertrude. " She never will say
anything for her herself, but I'm sure she
has been most attentive, Maud has, and
I don't think——"

"I'm sorry to interrupt this lobgesang,
Gertrude; but I must go up and see my
mother at once. Be good enough to open the
door." "And she sailed out of the room,"
Gertrude said, afterwards, "as though she'd
been a duchess! In one of those rustlingsilks,
don't you know, as stiff as a board, which
look as if they'd stand up by themselves!"

When Marian reached her mother's door,
and was just about entering, she stopped
short, arrested by a low dull moaning
sound which fell upon her ear. She
listened with her blood curdling within her
and her lips growing cold and rigid. Still
it came, that low hollow moan, monotonous,
dreadful. Then she opened the door, and,
passing swiftly in, saw her mother lying
tossing on the bed, plucking furtively at
the bedclothes, and moaning as she moved
her head wearily in its unrest.

"Mother!" cried Marian—"mother,
darling mother! don't you know me?"
And she flung herself on the bed, and,
taking the old woman's head in her arms,
softly kissed her lips.

The bright, the momentarily bright, eyes
looked at her without seeing her—she knew
that—and presently moved away again
round the room, as Mrs. Ashurst raised
her long lean hand, and, pointing to the
wall, said, " Pictures—and books—all fine
—all fine!—for my sake!"—uttering the
last words in a deep hissing whisper.

Marian was too shocked to speak.
Shocked not frightened, she had much
natural strength of mind, and had had
experience of illness, though not of this
character. But she was shocked to see her
mother in such a state, and deeply enraged
at the fact that the increase of the illness
had been kept from her. "Don't you
know me?" she repeated; " mother, darling
mother, don't you know me? Marian,
poor Marian! your daughter Marian!"

"Ah, don't blame her!" said the old
woman, in the same whisper. " Poor
Marian! poor dear Maria! my Jimmy's pet?
She did it for my sake, all for my sake!
Carriages and horses and wine for me—wine,
rich strong wine for me—all for me, all for
my sake, poor Marian! all for my sake!"

"Is she often in this way? Does she
often repeat those horrible words?" asked
Marian of the servant, of whose presence
she then, on raising her head, became for the
first time aware.

"Oh yes, miss—I mean, mum!—
constantly, mum! She never says anything
else, mum, but about some things being for
her sake, mum. And she haven't said
anything else, miss, since she was off her
head—I mean, since she was delirrous,.
mum——"

"Does she always mention my name—
Marian?"

"Always, mum, 'poor Marian'—savin'
your presence, and not meanin' a liberty—
is what she do say, miss, and always about
'for her sake' it's done, whatever it is,
which I don't know."

"How long has she been like this? How
long have you been with her?"

"A week last Wednesday, mum, was
when I was brought from the laundry to
be nurse, and if you find your collars and
cuffs iron-moulded, mum, or not properly
got up, you'll understand it's not me, Dr.
Osbin having had me fetched here as bein'
strong for nussin' and a good sitter up o*
nights——"

"Yes, I understand!" said Marian,
vacantly; " you won't have to sit up any
more; I shall relieve you of that. Just
wait here; I shall be back in a few
minutes."

Marian hurried down-stairs, and in the
drawing-room found her husband, the two
girls, and Dr. Osborne, who had joined the
party. There must have been some
peculiar expression in her face, for she had no
sooner opened the door than Mr. Creswell,
looking up, hurried across the room and
took her hand, saying, anxiously, " What