“Quite well! indeed you are not. I feel you all trembling. You must sit down, indeed, my dear,” said Helen, pressing her. She sat down. “Now listen to me--do not waste time, for I can’t stay. Oh! if the general should awake and find me gone.” “What is the matter, my dear Cecilia? Only tell me what I can do for you.” “That is the thing; but I am afraid, now it is come to the point.” Lady Cecilia breathed quick and short. “I am almost afraid to ask you to do this for me.” “Afraid! my dear Cecilia, to ask me to do anything in this world for you! How can you be afraid? Tell me only what it is at once.” “I am very foolish--I am very weak. I know you love me--would do anything for me, Helen. And this is the simplest thing in the world, but the greatest favour--the greatest service. It is only just to receive a packet, which the general will give you in the morning. He will ask if it is for you. And you will just accept of it. I don’t ask you to say it is yours, or to say a word about it--only receive it for me.” “Yes, I will, to be sure. But why should he give it to me, and not to yourself?” “Oh, he thinks, and you must let him think, it is for you, that’s all. Will you promise me?”--But Helen made no answer. “Oh, promise me, promise me, speak, for I can’t stay. I will explain it all to you in the morning.” She rose to go. “Stay, stay! Cecilia,” cried Helen, stopping her; “stay!--you must, indeed, explain it all to me now--you must indeed!” Lady Cecilia hesitated--said she had not time. “You said, Helen, that you would take the packet, and you know you must; but I will explain it all as fast as I can. You know I fainted, but you do not know why? I will tell you exactly how it all happened:--you recollect my coming into the library after I was dressed, before you went up-stairs, and giving you a sprig of orange flowers?” “Oh yes, I was dreaming of it just now when you came in,” said Helen. “Well, what of that?” “Nothing, only you must have been surprised to hear so soon afterwards that I had fainted.” “Yes,” Helen said, she had been very much surprised and alarmed; and again Lady Cecilia paused. “Well, I went from you directly to Clarendon, to give him a rose, which you may remember I had in my hand for him. I found him in the study, talking to corporal somebody. He just smiled as I came in, took the rose, and said, ‘I shall be ready this moment:’ and looking to a table on which were heaps of letters and parcels which Granville had brought from town, he added, ‘I do not know whether there is anything there for you, Cecilia?’ I went to look, and he went on talking to his corporal. He was standing with his back to the table.”