Your husband couldn't come with you?
Sorry for that; we want to see him oftener.

I suppose he was too busy with parish work,--that fire has kept his hands full.

What?
There is the carriage,--Graham, here's Miss Helen back again.

Get in, my dear, get in.

Now give your old uncle a kiss, and then we can talk as much as we want." Helen kissed him with all her heart; a tremulous sort of happiness stole over the background of her troubled thoughts, as a gleam of light from a stormy sunset may flutter upon the darkness of the clouds.
"Tell me--everything! How is Lois?
How are the sick people?
How is Ashurst ?" Dr.Howe took up a great deal of room, sitting well forward upon the seat, with his hands clasped on his big stick, which was planted between his knees, and he had to turn his head to see Helen when he answered her.
"Mrs.Forsythe is better," he said; "she is certainly going to pull through, though for the first week all that we heard was that she was 'still breathing.' But Denner is in a bad way; Denner is a very sick man.