The more the body suffers, the
greater should be the delight of the soul; and the only moment of
perfect happiness should be that when the world grows dark around
us, and we feel the hand of death upon our hearts."
She was silent, and both sat in the cold room without word or
motion.
CHAPTER V
POSSIBILITIES
Christmas passed, and the beginning of the New Year drew nigh. And,
one morning, as Mr. Woodstock was glancing up and down the pages of
a ledger, a telegram was delivered to him. It was from a hospital in
the north-west of London. "Your daughter is dying, and wishes to see
you. Please come at once."
Lotty's ailment had declared itself as pneumonia. She was frequently
delirious, and the substance of her talk at such times led the
attendant Sister to ask her, when reason returned, whether she did
not wish any relative to be sent for. Lotty was frightened, but, as
long as she was told that there was still hope of recovery, declined
to mention any name. The stubborn independence which had supported
her through these long years asserted itself again, as a reaction
after her fruitless appeal; at moments she felt that she could die
with her lips closed, and let what might happen to her child.
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