And all this while, Margaret lay as still and white as death on

the study floor! She had sunk under her burden. It had been heavy

in weight and long carried; and she had been very meek and

patient, till all at once her faith had given way, and she had

groped in vain for help! There was a pitiful contraction of

suffering upon her beautiful brows, although there was no other

sign of consciousness remaining. The mouth--a little while ago,

so sullenly projected in defiance--was relaxed and livid.

'E par che de la sua labbia si mova Uno spirto soave e pien

d'amore, Chi va dicendo a l'anima: sospira!' The first symptom of returning life was a quivering about the

lips--a little mute soundless attempt at speech; but the eyes

were still closed; and the quivering sank into stillness. Then,

feebly leaning on her arms for an instant to steady herself,

Margaret gathered herself up, and rose. Her comb had fallen out

of her hair; and with an intuitive desire to efface the traces of

weakness, and bring herself into order again, she sought for it,

although from time to time, in the course of the search, she had

to sit down and recover strength. Her head drooped forwards--her

hands meekly laid one upon the other--she tried to recall the

force of her temptation, by endeavouring to remember the details

which had thrown her into such deadly fright; but she could not.

She only understood two facts--that Frederick had been in danger

of being pursued and detected in London, as not only guilty of

manslaughter, but as the more unpardonable leader of the mutiny,

and that she had lied to save him. There was one comfort; her lie

had saved him, if only by gaining some additional time. If the

inspector came again to-morrow, after she had received the letter

she longed for to assure her of her brother's safety, she would

brave shame, and stand in her bitter penance--she, the lofty

Margaret--acknowledging before a crowded justice-room, if need

were, that she had been as 'a dog, and done this thing.' But if

he came before she heard from Frederick; if he returned, as he

had half threatened, in a few hours, why! she would tell that lie

again; though how the words would come out, after all this

terrible pause for reflection and self-reproach, without

betraying her falsehood, she did not know, she could not tell.

But her repetition of it would gain time--time for Frederick.

She was roused by Dixon's entrance into the room; she had just

been letting out Mr. Thornton.

He had hardly gone ten steps in the street, before a passing

omnibus stopped close by him, and a man got down, and came up to

him, touching his hat as he did so. It was the police-inspector.




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