After All;

CHAPTER XVIII . The noiseless Bed of Rest . —CAULTLE . 'TWAS a lovely day in autumn , succeeding a fearful storm , and the sun gleamed through the breaking clouds as it rapidly slanted towards the west . Doubl

y rich were the varied tints of the fast fading leaves on the trembling trees , as the golden rays glinted on their drooping splendour . Gently were they stirred by the repentant wind which had softly brushed away the remaining rain drops of the preidous ni ght . Slowly sank the sun lower and still lower , its colours deepening as it cast a feiv square feet of glory into the sick chamber of Mrs . Phane . Contentedly cawed a few swirling rooks as they carelessly

circled in the neighbourhood of Manville Villa , while a brilliant ray of sunlight shot across a shred of clinging ivy broken by the stormy blast , and lit up the fair hair of little Doroth y Hope sitting by the invalid's bedside . Faithful Carlo , too , lay stretched on the floor , venting an occasional melanchol y whine , but so gently he might have been gifted with human intelligence . At times he would restlessly pace the floor , and come again and again to Dorothy to have his shaggy head stroked , as though to show his sympathy for the sufferer .

All seemed so still and quiet ancl secluded from the outer world , and every little noise had such a far off sound , that everything seemed to be merged into the distant past , and the present was hardly apparent . At least , so thought the sorrowfully anxious Olivia , as she softly glided in and out of the room anticipating her mother ' s every want . It was a month after Olivia ' s refusal of Merrisslope , and ever since that shock to her system Mrs . Phane had gradualldeclined . Poor womanshe

y , had suffered much , and her delicate constitution had been sorely tried . Mi * Phane was nearly delirious with his troubles , and blamed himself for much of his dear wife ' s misery . Only he and the doctor knew how near she was to her end , and that any moment she might rapidly fade away . Olivia knew not the full extent of her mother ' s danger , but she was strangely fearful . Every little circumstance seemed ominous of approaching evil ; and several times during

the day she could not refrain from stooping and kissing her dear mother with a long , sad , tender , kiss , and she seemed each time to have a foreboding that it might be her last . That morning as she was tending the fragrant flowers on the window-sill , a pretty little robin had perched on the edge of the tiny garden , and then fluttered away with a mournful chirp .

Cheery Dr . Chirrup had been in the morning , and endeavoured to enliven them all with his quaint touches of quiet humour , though he knew how very near was the King of Terrors . A gentle smile played over Mrs . Phane ' s thin face as the doctor jocularly assured her she would soon be well , but it quickly died away again . She loved to have little Dolly with her , who playfully chattered with her picture-books , though the dear little thing refrained from asking too many questionsconscious that " mamma " was not well . To Mrs .

, Phane it was a comfort to have such an innocent little creature near her , who understood not the meaning of that mysterious fact—death ; for she felt that it was close at hand in spite of the doctor ' s assurances . Poor Olivia had wept many times over the misery she felt she had caused , and misfortune ' s hand seemed heavy upon her . It was not her fault she had been so changeable . Her heart had been true to Humberton , her first and

only love , but cruel fate seemed to have decreed that he should never be hers . Her happiness was constantl y blighted , and verily had true love been a rough experience to her . Would that she could see into the future 1 How would it all end ? Wh y had she been born ? She had only been a source of much sorrow and anxiet y to her mother , and now she had been unable to help her father in his difficulties . Her dear mother was , perhaps , lying at the door of