“She has been an invalid for years, and you heard her age; but we must make a note of the date, and ascertain if she is particularly worse to-night.  I feel sure that there are not many days of this earth for her, and how blessed a thing it is that we have such an assurance of a reunion and recognition as these communications give to us.”

When Francis got into the open air after the excitement of the evening, he was inclined to think that all had been a dream or a delusion, but the answer and the names recurred with startling significance; the difficulty and almost the impossibility of any cheat or collusion, and the apparent sincerity of all who had been sitting by him during the manifestations, increased the bewilderment of his mind.

“I must see Jane about this to-morrow,” said he; “her clear head can perhaps solve this curious problem; but if I had not seen it, I would not have believed what I saw.  Will she believe without seeing?  Yes, she will receive my testimony, for I would receive hers.  After a time I may hope to be happy.  How long a time, I wonder?”

Chapter XI.

Spiritualism, Love, And Politics

Great was the grief of Emily when she heard that Mr. Brandon was going away in a week or two, and that he might never come back to England for a dozen of years; and now, instead of spending the rest of his time in London with them, he had to go to Ashfield, to spend his last days in England with his mother and sisters and nephews and nieces.  She felt quite wronged by this conduct, and bade him goodbye when he came to take his temporary leave of them, with an amount of sulkiness rather foreign to her character.  Lessons were a far greater bore than usual on that day, and both Emily and Harriett tried Jane’s patience sorely.  After they were set free for two hours in the middle of the day, Jane found her cousin was waiting for her to go out with him, and she wished very particularly to see him, on account of some news she had got from Scotland.  He had not been satisfied to have none of her society on the preceding day, and had appointed with Mrs. Phillips to come when she would be at leisure, which that lady had forgotten or neglected to tell Jane or Elsie.  It was Jane alone whom he wished to see—­it was to her alone that he could speak about the communication with reference to his letter.  Jane was sorry that Elsie was not asked to accompany their walk; but when Francis said he had something on his mind, and proceeded to tell all the singular circumstances of the previous evening, she listened with the greatest attention and with a suspended judgment.  When he came to the mental question which related to herself, he simply called it something on which his heart was greatly set—­it might have been his allotments or his cottages; but Jane asked no questions, and took no notice of his want of completeness in his narrative.  Then he told of the inquiry as to Mrs. Peck’s connection with Mr. Phillips, which he ought not to have asked, and which had received no answer.  He paused for Jane’s opinion before he came to narrate Mr. Dempster’s message from his friend lost in the bush.