Michael was sitting that same afternoon by his mother's bedside.

He had learned the little there was to be told him on his arrival in the morning; how that half an hour before he had been summoned, she had had an attack of heart failure, and since then, after recovering from the acute and immediate danger, she had lain there all day with closed eyes in a state of but semi-conscious exhaustion.

Once or twice only, and that but for a moment she had shown signs of increasing vitality, and then sank back into this stupor again.

But in those rare short intervals she had opened her eyes, and had seemed to see and recognise him, and Michael thought that once she had smiled at him.

But at present she had spoken no word.