woman who had left him in suspense--how gratefully he felt toward
the woman who had lightened his heart of the heaviest burden ever
laid on it!

Innocent of all suspicion of the feeling that she had aroused,
Sydney blamed her own want of discretion as the one cause of the
change that she perceived in him. "How thoughtless, how cruel of
me," she said, "not to have been more careful in telling you the
good news! Pray forgive me."

"You thoughtless! you cruel!" At the bare idea of her speaking in
that way of herself, his sense of what he owed to her defied all
restraint. He seized her hands and covered them with grateful
kisses. "Dear Sydney! dear, good Sydney!"

She drew back from him; not abruptly, not as if she felt
offended. Her fine perception penetrated the meaning of those
harmless kisses--the uncontrollable outburst of a sense of relief
beyond the reach of expression in words. But she changed the
subject. Mrs. Linley (she told him) had kindly ordered fresh
horses to be put to the carriage, so that she might go back to
her duties if the doctor sanctioned it.

She turned away to take up her cloak. Linley stopped her. "You
can't leave Kitty," he said, positively.

A faint smile brightened her face for a moment. "Kitty has fallen
asleep--such a sweet, peaceful sleep! I don't think I should have
left her but for that. The maid is watching at the bedside, and
Mrs. Linley is only away for a little while."