It was pretty generally understood by all that the young man was acutely sensible of the loss he had sustained by the death of his brother, Reginald, to say nothing of the mystery in which the fate of his sister was enveloped. He durst not make any inquiries about her, and even if he had he would have been none the wiser, seeing that nobody knew aught about her. He therefore mourned the loss of each in silence. He was, physically as well as mentally, incapable of bearing any great affliction, and it is likely enough that the untoward events which had taken place in a measure tended to hasten his decline. Nothing, however, could have saved him, so his medical attendant declared, for he was suffering from the worst form of consumption. This fact, however, was kept from his father for as long a time as possible. Lord Ethalwood hoped against hope. He could not, and would not, up to the very last, believe that his only remaining son was slowly but surely passing away. “Remember, Herbert, you are the last of the Ethalwoods, my son, the last of our name. Our race all depends upon you. It behoves you, therefore, to take great care of yourself. Live, live, for my sake.” Then he would sit down and watch the thin features of the young man with the deepest anxiety. Whether he believed in the possibility of his recovery, or whether he clung to hope as a last refuge, it is not possible to say. It was perfectly evident to all the inmates of Broxbridge Hall that their young master was daily becoming weaker and weaker, and the end most of them guessed, and even hinted at. There were many who said the father’s excessive care helped to kill him. Observations of this nature are cruel enough under any circumstances. In this case they were most unjustifiable and unpardonable. Busybodies who came to the house declared that the young man had too many doctors, too many nurses, and had taken too many remedies. Those who knew best, however, were perfectly aware that his death was inevitable. The fiat had gone forth, and no medical skill could arrest the approach of death――Herbert sank to his last sleep in his father’s arms. Lord Ethalwood was left alone in the world. CHAPTER XXVI. THE SOLITARY STUDENT――THE FALL OF AN ANCESTOR――HIS RESTORATION BY PEACE. The melancholy series of events which we have recorded in the two preceding chapters occurred long before the period in which the action of our story takes place. Let us now follow the thread of our narrative. We have already signified that Lord Ethalwood returned to Broxbridge Hall very shortly after the servants’ party, at which our hero had played no insignificant part.