“Lilith lives! Be sure of that! No stone shall be left unturned to discover her, and her restoration to your arms is only a question of time, and of a very little time also,” said the doctor.
“Bear up, Tudor! It rests with yourself, under the Lord, to recover your former health and strength of body and mind. Rouse yourself! Be the calm, strong, firm man that you have heretofore shown yourself,” added the rector.
And Hereward grasped their hands and thanked them warmly for their sympathy and services.
“But though we feel sure that Lilith lives, and that we shall find her before many days, yet still, to avoid giving rise to a sensational report, we have determined to continue our first policy of reticence until we shall really have found Lilith and restored her to her home. Do you not approve our plan, Hereward?” inquired the doctor.
“Yes, certainly, that is the best,” answered the young man.
The two friends took leave of the patient and departed.
“All the same,” said the doctor, as they walked out together and re-entered their gig, “if Lilith is not soon recovered, Tudor must die. The strain upon him is too great to be borne.”
“Let us trust in the Lord,” said the rector, “and hope for a happier issue.”
CHAPTER III
THE NIGHT-PASSENGER’S NEWS
Rise! If the past detain you,