"She—she is not at home," faltered Mellen.
"Not at home and Elsie sick?"
"She was gone," said Mellen, "and I did not send for her."
Tom was too much troubled about Elsie to reflect long upon anything else, and directly Mellen broke from his eager questions, saying:
"Go into the library, Tom; I'll bring Elsie down."
He went upstairs, and knocked at his sister's door.
"You may come in," Elsie called out; "I am ready."
When he entered she was sitting up in an easy chair, wrapped in a pretty dressing-gown of pink merino, braided and trimmed after her own fanciful ideas, a white shawl thrown over her shoulders, the flossy hair shading her face, and looking altogether quite another creature.
For the first time since Elizabeth's departure, a feeling of relief loosened the oppression on Mellen's heart.
"You look so well again; God bless you, darling!"