She perceived some faint assent, beckoned to her husband, saw him take her place at the bedside, and then stole away, leaving the son alone with his father.
Agatha rejoined the rest of the family. They were all sitting talking together as Nathanael had left them. After her leaving, they said, he had hardly spoken at all, but had gone up directly after her.
In about half-an-hour he re-appeared—greatly agitated. His sisters all turned to him as he entered, but he avoided their eyes. Agatha never lifted hers; she sat in a dim corner behind Miss Valery.
“What do you think of him, Nathanael?” asked Mary, in a low voice.
“I cannot yet tell; I want to hear how he was seized. Which of you saw most of him yesterday?”
“No one, unless it was Agatha. He was shut up in his study until she came.”
“And who has been most with him since?”
“Agatha.”
A soft expression dawned in the young man's eyes as they sought the dim corner.
“Will Agatha tell me what she thinks of my father's state?”