“A nurse for the lady, if you like, sir; but, good land! there’s a dozen idle women in this house that will like nothing better than to nurse the little darling till his pretty mamma gets well,” cried the fat, bustling landlady. She laid one of her plump hands compassionately on the shower of golden tresses floating over the pillow. “Brain fever! Oh, you don’t mean to say that you’ll cut off these pretty curls?” “Not if I can help it,” was the answer; and poor Frank vowed to himself that he would save all that golden glory for Norman de Vere, if he could, and that he would give all his time and care to saving the life of the sweet young girl who had once been like a little sister to him. And this is how the telegram was sent by him to Norman de Vere, and so skillfully did he attend upon Thea that in a few days she began to show a marked change for the better, regained her senses, and recognized Dr. Hinton as he lingered beside her. Then Lord Stuart and his sister arrived, and Thea was so glad at seeing all these dear friends about her again that she wept for joy, and although she declared that she wanted to die, her strong constitution triumphed over her, and she began to convalesce very fast. CHAPTER LXIX. Lord Stuart was overjoyed at the success of his journey. He lost no time in writing to Norman de Vere. But he did not tell Norman that he had found Thea and her baby. He had a little plan of his own, and wanted to carry it out in his own fashion. He wrote simply to Norman that he had a clew to Thea’s whereabouts, and that he was following it up closely, accompanied by his sister. He felt almost certain that he should find the missing ones, and he begged Norman to reply to him immediately, letting him hear from his mother, over whom, Lord Stuart added, he felt a strong anxiety. “Yet I am almost certain that she is dead ere this,” he decided, thinking of the awfully corpse-like face upon which he had looked just before starting West. To his astonishment and delight, the letter that came in due course of time conveyed the joyful information that the sick woman had rallied, and was in a fair way to recover. “With Heaven’s blessing, she will be restored to us; but she is very weak yet. I dare not leave her to less loving care than mine, or I would hasten to join you in the search for my darlings. God bless you and your noble sister, and give success to your mission. I can not describe to you the eagerness I feel to join you, but my duty will hold me here until my mother is stronger,” Norman wrote; and Lord Stuart’s heart thrilled with pleasure at the thought of the happiness soon coming to the man now crushed with grief and despair. “He little dreams of the charming surprise I have in store for him,” he murmured, with dim eyes, for pure tears of joy had arisen at the thought of the good he was going to accomplish and the happiness he would bring to the crushed and bleeding hearts of those he loved.