Chapter 3 A
DARKENED FIRESIDE.… Her way is parted from my
way;
Out of sight, beyond light, at what goal may we meet?
Dante Rossetti.
Ruth was much worse in the evening, but at last, after Cecil had
watched at her side till a late hour, she sank into a troubled
sleep. Then the old Indian servant insisted on taking his place at
the sufferer’s bedside, for she saw that he was much worn by the
labors of the day and by anxiety for his wife. At first he refused;
but she was a skilled nurse, and he knew that the invalid would
fare better in her hands than his own, so at last he consented on
condition that she would call him if his wife grew worse. The woman
promised, and he withdrew into the library, where a temporary bed
had been made for him. At the door he turned and looked back.
