“My dear father!”
“The uncertainty, and the anxious longing to see you, to which it has given rise, has, together with his age, made him severely ill. His life is even in danger.”
“He is not dead!” exclaimed Robert, in an agitated tone.
“No, or I should have been informed. He directed your cousin to advertise for you in the public papers, such was his desire to hear from you, if still living.”
“I have not looked into a paper for months.”
“If you had, you would not have seen the advertisement. Your cousin has been much too careful for that. Though he appeared to acquiesce in your father’s desire, and made him believe that he had complied with his request, he never did so.”
“And is my father still sick?”
“He is, and his greatest desire is to see you before he dies.”
Robert Ford rose hastily, and, going to the table, took his hat.
“What would you do, sir?”