"You had best go," whispered the nurse; "she wants sleep."
Basil obeyed, and in his own room applied himself again to a review of his position. Strange indeed were the circumstances in which he found himself, but he saw no other course to pursue than that upon which he had already resolved. At noon the doctor called again, and his report was even less hopeful than on his previous visit.
"I can do nothing, I fear," he said; "the end is approaching. You must be prepared."
"Is there no hope for one?" asked Basil.
"For neither, so far as my judgment is to be trusted. It would be a satisfaction to you, perhaps, if a physician were called in."
"I think it should be done," said Basil, "but I am a stranger here and know no one."
"I will come at five o'clock, and bring a physician with me. Meanwhile, if your parents have any arrangements to make with respect to property, it should not be neglected. I am of the opinion that your father will have an interval of consciousness this evening, and then would be the proper time. In everything else you may trust the nurse I have sent in; she understands the cases thoroughly."
The physician's statement verified the warning.
"Their vital forces are spent," he said; "the end cannot be averted or arrested."
It was at eight o'clock that the nurse presented herself, and told him that his father had asked for him.