“Thank God! oh, thank God!”
She was carried up stairs, and put to bed at once. And Catherine was stationed to watch her slumbers, while Mrs. Clifton remained below to attend to the comfort of the tired travelers. But Zuleime frequently awoke with a joyful start and recollection; and once she put her hand in that of Kate, and said—
“Dear Kate! blessed Kate! I am so glad to see you again! And so very glad to be home again! Sweet Sister of Mercy! will you stay and nurse me also? I think you could almost cure me! Sweet, unprofessed nun, will you stay and nurse me, too?”
“Yes, dear Zuleime, I will stay as long as you want me. But shut those tired eyes, love, and go to sleep.”
“Yes, seal each eyelid down with a kiss, dear Kate, and then they will stay closed. And hold my hand as I go to sleep—I feel so safe when some one I love holds my hand while I slumber. I feel as if they could keep me in life while I slept, for you must know, dear Kate, that my heart has a morbid action, and some of these days I shall fall asleep lightly as now, but never awake again.”
“Dear Zuleime, you must not indulge such fancies.”
“They are not fancies, they are realities. I do not deceive myself and trifle with you, Kate. Do not you deceive me or trifle with me, either. There are secrets of life and death known only to the dying. Such a secret is mine. I know that I shall lightly drop asleep some day, and never wake again—that is the reason I wish some one I love to kiss my eyelids down, and to hold my hand while I slumber.” The words, the manner of the dying girl carried deep conviction to the heart of Catherine, and—
“Oh! Zuleime,” she said, “lean upon the failing arm of flesh if you will, but, oh, seek! seek the support of that Almighty arm that can sustain you in life and in death! Seek that!”
“I will—I wish to do it, or rather you, the handmaid of the Lord, shall bear me up in your faithful hands, and lay me within that Arm of Strength. I wished this long ago, but, oh, my dear husband and his good mother! they thought only of restoring me to health, and I could think of nothing but of trying to live for them, until very lately, when it was revealed to me that I should surely die. I have never yet told Frank anything about this. I feared it would distress him too much; but the lone knowledge troubled me. I needed to tell some one of it, some dear one with whom I could converse confidentially, and who should be wise enough to counsel me, patient enough to bear with me, courageous enough to face the result, and who, besides, would not be too greatly distressed, as my dear husband would. And so, sweet Kate, I have told you. Will you now stay with me and nurse me?”
“Yes, dear Zuleime, as long as you wish me to do so; but now, darling, if I am to be your nurse, you must mind what I have to say to you, and go to sleep.” Catherine bent over her, and kissed her eyelids down upon the weary eyes, and held her hand until she fell asleep. At night, Captain Fairfax relieved her watch.