inform me that my patient had at last fallen into a profound slumber,
which seemed likely to continue some hours. She had slept perhaps a few
minutes at a time before, but not a refreshing, wholesome sleep. Tardif
understood the silent signal as well as I did, and a more solemn
expression settled on his face. After a while he put away his pipe, and,
stepping barefoot across the floor without a sound, he stopped the
clock, and brought back to the table, where an oil-lamp was burning, a
large old Bible. Throughout the long night, whenever I awoke, for I
threw myself on the fern bed and slept fitfully, I saw his handsome
face, with its rough, unkempt hair falling across his forehead as it was
bent over the book, while his mouth moved silently as he read to himself
chapter after chapter, and turned softly the pages before him.

I fell into a heavy slumber just before daybreak, and when I awoke two
or three hours after I found that the house had been put in order, just
as usual, though no sound had disturbed me. I glanced anxiously at the
closed door. That it was closed, and the white card still on the sill,
proved to me that our charge had no more been disturbed than myself. The
thought struck me that the morning light would shine full upon the weak
and weary eyelids of the sleeper; but upon going out into the fold to
look at her casement, I discovered that Tardif had been before me and
covered it with an old sail. The room within was sufficiently darkened.

The morning was more than half gone before Mother Renouf opened the door
and came out to us, her old face looking more haggard than ever, but her
little eyes twinkling with satisfaction. She gave me a patronizing nod,
but she went up to Tardif, laid a hand on each of his broad shoulders,
and looked him keenly in the face.

"All goes well, my friend," she said, significantly. "Your little