The boy's face was flushed with excitement, for Miss Pring had come from the Vicarage, and had brought slightly better news. The Plymouth physician had seen Joy, and though he pronounced her seriously ill, and admitted there was great cause for anxiety, he did not consider the case a hopeless one.
"Thank God he does not," said Sir Jasper, fervently, when Eric had given him this intelligence. "Oh, my dear lad, if God spares Joy's precious life my gratitude to Him will know no bounds!"
Eric was so touched at the sight of the old man's emotion that he could hardly answer him. He had not thought his uncle loved Joy so well.
Miss Pring was prevailed upon to remain to tea, and her cheerful society did her companions a world of good. During the evening there were several callers to inquire for Joy, the result of the carriage accident having by this time become widely known, and amongst others were Mr. Tillotson and his daughter.
Lulu, looking immeasurably shocked and grieved, was very gentle and sympathetic in her manner to Celia; she had never appeared to better advantage, being perfectly natural, and utterly unconcerned as to the impression she was making upon the others present.
"Lulu, I've put back the brooch all right," Celia found an opportunity of whispering to her friend by-and-bye.
"Oh, have you?" Lulu returned, with relief in her tones, "I'm so glad to hear that. Oh, Celia, how little everything seems to matter when anyone is so dangerously ill as Joy is!"
"I don't think I understand you," Celia replied, looking puzzled.
"Oh, don't you? I mean money, and enjoyment, and fine clothes, and all those sort of things don't count for anything when one comes to die. It's goodness that tells then. Oh, I don't mean to say that I think Joy is going to die—I hope and believe she will recover!—but it's certain she is dreadfully, dreadfully ill, and if God should take her we know she loves Him! There's comfort in knowing that."
"Oh, don't talk like that," implored Celia. "I can't bear it! Oh, I wish I could see Joy only for a few minutes, but Uncle Jasper won't let me go to the Vicarage, and Eric says if I went they would not allow me inside her room. Oh, Lulu, I've not always been as kind to her as I ought to have been, and it half kills me to remember that now!"