The tears gushed from Bella's eyes, and her lips trembled; but she never uttered a word, but sat silent and motionless as before.
Kellett's eyes were now bent upon her fixedly, with an expression of deep and affectionate interest; and he slowly drew his hand from beneath hers, and placed his arm around her.
“I wish he was come, darling,” said he, at last.
“Who, papa?—the doctor?” asked Bella.
“The doctor!—no, not the doctor,” said he, sighing heavily.
“It is poor Jack you are thinking of,” said she, affectionately.
“Poor, sure enough,” muttered he; “we're all poor now.” And an inexpressible misery was in his face as he spoke.
Bella wished to speak words of comfort and encouragement; she longed to tell him that she was ready and willing to devote herself to him; that in a little time, and by a little effort on their part, their changed fortunes would cease to fret them; that they would learn to see how much of real happiness can consist with narrow means, but she knew not in what spirit her words might be accepted; a chance phrase, an accidental expression, might jar upon some excited feeling, and only irritate where it was meant to soothe, and so she only pressed her lips to his hand and was silent.
The sick man's head gradually declined lower and lower, his breathing grew heavier, and he slept. The long dreary day dragged on its weary hours, and still Sybella sat by her father's side watching and waiting. It was already dusk, when a carriage stopped at the little gate and Conway got out, and was quickly followed by another. “The doctor, at last,” muttered Sybella, gently moving from her place; and Kellett awoke and looked at him.
Conway had barely time to whisper the name of the physician in Bella's ear, when Sir Maurice Dashwood entered. There was none of the solemn gravity of the learned doctor, none of the catlike stealthiness of the fashionable practitioner, in his approach. Sir Maurice advanced like a man entering a drawing-room before a dinner-party, easy, confident, and affable. He addressed a few words to Miss Kellett, and then placing his chair next her father's, said,—