When Eric was dressed once more as a gentleman, and once more fed on nourishing and wholesome food, and was able to move once more about the garden by Fanny's side, he began to recover his old appearance, and the soft bloom came back to his cheek again, and the light to his blue eye. But still his health gave most serious cause for apprehension; weeks of semi-starvation, bad air, sickness, and neglect, followed by two nights of exposure and wet, had at last undermined the remarkable strength of his constitution, and the Trevors soon became aware of the painful fact that he was sinking to the grave, and had come home only to die. Above all, there seemed to be some great load at his heart which he could not remove; a sense of shame, the memory of his disgrace at Roslyn, and of the dark suspicion that rested on his name. He avoided the subject, and they were too kind to force it on him, especially as he had taken away the bitterest part of their trial in remembering it, by explaining to them that he was far from being so wicked in the matter of the theft as they had at first been (how slowly and reluctantly!) almost forced to believe. "Have you ever heard--oh, how shall I put it?--have you ever heard, aunty, how things went on at Roslyn after I ran away?" he asked one evening, with evident effort. "No, love, I have not. After they had sent home your things, I heard no more; only two most kind and excellent letters--one from Dr Rowlands, and one from your friend Mr Rose--informed me of what had happened about you." "Oh, have they sent home my things?" he asked eagerly. "There are very few among them that I care about; but there is just one--" "I guessed it, my Eric, and, but that I feared to agitate you, should have given it you before;" and she drew out of a drawer the little likeness of Vernon's sweet childish face. Eric gazed at it till the sobs shook him, and tears blinded his eyes. "Do not weep, my boy," said Mrs Trevor, kissing his forehead. "Dear little Verny, remember, is in a land where God Himself wipes away all tears from off all eyes." "Is there anything else you would like?" asked Fanny, to divert his painful thoughts. "I will get you anything in a moment." "Yes, Fanny dear, there is the medal I got for saving Russell's life, and one or two things which he gave me;--ah, poor Edwin, you never knew him!" He told her what to fetch, and when she brought them it seemed to give him great pleasure to recall his friends to mind by name, and speak of them--especially of Montagu and Wildney. "I have a plan to please you, Eric," said Mrs Trevor. "Shall I ask Montagu and Wildney here? we have plenty of room for them." "Oh, thank you," he said, with the utmost eagerness. "Thank you, dearest aunt." Then suddenly his countenance fell. "Stop--shall we?-- yes, yes, I am going to die soon, I know; let me see them before I die."