The doctor was kneeling beside him, pouring some liquid from a glass between his lips.

A strong friendship had sprung up between the two men, and tears were running fast down the doctor's cheeks.

He motioned to the boys to approach.

They fell on their knees by their father's side.
"Sankey," the doctor said in a steady voice, "here are your boys, Ned and Charlie." The eyes of the dying man opened slowly, and he looked at his sons, and Ned felt a slight pressure of the hand which he had taken in his own.
"God bless you, my boys!" he said, in a faint whisper.

"Ned, be kind to your mother; care for her always.