Sibyl shut her eyes for a minute, then she opened them and looked steadily at her father, her childish lips became slightly compressed, it was as if a world of strength suddenly entered her little frame, as though, dying as she was, she was bracing herself to endure. "I am very sorry," she said. "I love you so much. What is it, darlingest father?" "Let me hold your hand," he said. "It will be easier for me to tell you something then." She gave it to him. He clasped it in both of his, bent forward, and began to speak. "At the moment, little Sibyl, when the cablegram which told me of your accident was put into my hand, I had just done something so wicked, so terrible, that God Himself, God Almighty, rose up and smote me." "I don't understand," said the child. "I will explain. The cablegram told me that you were ill, very ill. I wanted to undo what I had done, but it was too late. I hurried back to you. God came with me on board the ship. God came, and He was angry; I had a terrible time." "Still I do not understand," repeated Sibyl. "Let me speak, my dear girl. I reached home, and I saw you, and then a temptation came to me. I wanted us both, you and I, to be happy together for two days. I knew that at the end of that time I must open your eyes." "Oh, we were happy!" said the child. "Yes, for those two days we had peace, and we were, as you say, happy. I put away from me the thought of that which was before me, but I knew that it must come. It has come, Sibyl. The peace has been changed to storm; and now, little girl, I am in the midst of the tempest; the agony I feel in having to tell you this no words can explain." "I wish you would try and 'splain, all the same," said Sibyl, in a weak, very weak voice. "I will, I must; it is wrong of me to torture you." "It's only 'cos of you yourself," she murmured. "Listen, my darling. You have often given thoughts to the Lombard Deeps Mine?" "Oh, yes." She raised herself a little on her pillow, and tried to speak more cheerfully. "I have thought of it, the mine full, full of gold, and all the people so happy!" Her voice grew quite animated. "Any special people, dearest?" "So many," she replied. "I told Lord Grayleigh, and he put their names in his note-book. There's Mr. and Mrs. Holman, the people who keep the toy-shop; she has a hundred pounds, and she wants to buy some of the gold." "The old pair I saw coming to see you yesterday? Are they the Holmans? Yes, I remember they told me that was their name." "They came, father. I love 'em so much; and there's Mr. Rochester and Lady Helen, they want to marry. It's a secret, but you may know. And nurse, she wants some of the gold, 'cos her eyes ache, and you sent a cablegram, father, and said the gold was there; it's all right." "No, Sibyl, it is all wrong; the gold is not in the mine." "But you sent a cablegram." "I did." "And you said it was there." "I did."