The girl’s eyes met the sick man’s hollow, dark ones, which were full of strange eagerness and excitement, and again she seemed to remember them. Sir Douglas closed his long fingers over hers, and drew her nearer and nearer, till she bent over him. “Closer,” he murmured. “Yes--I--can see--it is! Heaven is--good! You are----” His strength seemed to fail entirely. Margery bent still nearer as he sunk back upon the cushion, and her heart-shaped locket escaped and dangled against his withered hand. “He is fainting!” she said, hurriedly. “Look how pale he is!” His eyes opened as he spoke, and wandered from her face to the little gold locket. A spasm of pain caused his mouth to twitch; his breath came in gasps; he tried to open the locket, and his eyes spoke words that his lips refused to utter. Then, as the earl drew Margery back, the lids closed over them, and the face became calm. “It is only a faint. Come away, my darling! I wish I had not brought you; but he was almost well this morning.” Margery suffered her husband to lead her into the other room and place her in a chair. Her nerves were unstrung, and she was full of vague, incomprehensible excitement. “Go back to him,” she murmured. “I am quite well. I cannot leave till I know that he is better. Poor man! How strange he looked!” The earl obeyed her; and, when she was alone, Margery put her hands over her eyes and tried to think what the memory was the sick man had brought back to her. “Is he better?” asked Lord Court, on his return to Sir Douglas’ side. “It was only a faint, Murray?” The man looked up from his prostrate master, and shook his head sadly. “It is the end, I fear. May I make so bold as to ask you, my lord, to ring that bell? I shall send to his cousin immediately. Mr. Stuart should come at once. I hope her ladyship is not frightened? Sir Douglas always seemed strange when he heard the name of Margery.” “She is anxious to know how he is. I will take her home, and return as soon as possible. Yes, send for his relatives, Murray. The Crosbies, you say? Well, they ought to come. Poor old Gerant!” “Thank you kindly, my lord; I will. He will be glad to see you, I know, if he recovers; but I never saw him so bad as this before.” The earl waited till he saw the heavy eyelids raised, then he returned to Margery. “Yes, he is better, darling,” he said, in answer to her eager inquiry. “Come--I will take you home, and then I will return to learn how he is progressing. Murray is going to send to his people, the Crosbies, of Crosbie Castle, and they will look after him.”