"Am I going to die, mother?"
"Die? not a bit of it, my darling. Dr. Bentinck has given us quite a cheerful opinion of you. He says there is no very serious injury, and that you will be your usual self by-and-by."
Nora's eyes brightened.
"I am very glad," she said. "I didn't want to die. I don't think I'm quite fit."
"My little daughter will have learnt a severe lesson by this accident," said Mrs. Lorrimer; "but now you must lie still, love, and think of nothing but how quickly you can get well again."
Nora closed her eyes, and Mrs. Lorrimer sat down in an easy chair by the bedside.
The next day the little girl was considerably better, and Mrs. Lorrimer proposed that she and Jane should return to the Towers and send Molly to look after Nora. A good surgical nurse had arrived from town the evening before; Molly's services, therefore, would only be of the lightest.
Mrs. Lorrimer went into the morning room, where Hester and Annie were sitting together.
The moment she did so Annie jumped up and came to her.
"How is Nora?" she asked.