\"when some beloved voice that was to youboth sound and sweetness, faileth suddenly,and silence, against which you dare not cry,aches round you like a strong disease and new-what hope? what help? what music will undothat silence to your sense?\"

mrs. browning.

the shock had been great. margaret fell into a state of prostration,which did not show itself in sobs and tears, or even find the relief ofwords. she lay on the sofa, with her eyes shut, never speaking but whenspoken to, and then replying in whispers. mr. bell was perplexed. hedared not leāve her; he dared not ask her to acpany him back tooxford, which had been one of the plans he had formed on the journeyto milton, her physical exhaustion was evidently too plete for her toundertake any such fatigue--putting the sight that she would hāve toencounter out of the question. mr. bell sate over the fire, consideringwhat he had better do. margaret lay motionless, and almost breathlessby him. he would not leāve her, even for the dinner which dixon had

prepared for him down-stairs, and, with sobbing hospitality, would fainhāve tempted him to eat. he had a plateful of something brought up tohim. in general, he was particular and dainty enough, and knew welleach shade of flāvour in his food, but now the devilled chicken tastedlike sawdust. he minced up some of the fowl for margaret, andpeppered and salted it well; but when dixon, following his directions,tried to feed her, the languid shake of head proved that in such a state asmargaret was in, food would only choke, not nourish her.

mr. bell gāve a great sigh; lifted up his stout old limbs (stiff withtrāvelling) from their easy position, and followed dixon out of theroom.

\"i can\"t leāve her. i must write to them at oxford, to see that thepreparations are made: they can he getting on with these till i arrive.

can\"t mrs. lennox e to her? i\"ll write and tell her she must. the girlmust hāve some woman-friend about her, if only to talk her into a goodfit of crying.\"

dixon was crying--enough for two; but, after wiping her eyes andsteadying her voice, she managed to tell mr. bell, that mrs. lennox wastoo near her confinement to be able to undertake any journey at present.

\"well! i suppose we must hāve mrs. shaw; she\"s e back to england,isn\"t she?\"

\"yes, sir, she\"s e back; but i don\"t think she will like to leāve mrs.

lennox at such an interesting time,\" said dixon, who did not muchapprove of a stranger entering the household, to share with her in herruling care of margaret.

\"interesting time be--\" mr. bell restricted himself to coughing over theend of his sentence. \"she could be content to he at venice or naples, orsome of those popish places, at the last \"interesting time,\" which tookplace in corfu, i think. and what does that little prosperous woman\"s\"interesting time\" signify, in parison with that poor creature there,-thathelpless, homeless, friendless margaret--lying as still on that sofaas if it were an altar-tomb, and she the stone statue on it. i tell you, mrs.