"Good Heavens! I didn't know that there was much the matter with her." "There was no hope for her from the first," said Murchison, somewhat sharply.

"It was merely a question of prolonging her life a little while.
She lived longer than I deemed possible.

She surprised everybody by her vitality." "Poor thing," said Hardy.

"How is Joe Banks ?" "Dead," said Murchison again, biting his lip and eyeing him furiously.
"Dear me," said Hardy, shaking his head; "I met him not a month ago.

He was on his way to see you then." "The poor fellow had been an invalid nearly all his life," said Murchison, to the captain, casually.