‘Gilbert, dear boy,’ said his father, earnestly, ’she is come!  Speak to him, Albinia.’

She hardly knew her own voice as she said, ’Gilbert, Gibbie dear, here I am.’

Those large brown eyes were shown for a few moments beneath the heavy lids, and met hers.  The mouth, hitherto only gasping for air, endeavoured to form a word; the hand sought hers.  She kissed him, and his eyes opened wide and brightened, while he said, ’I think it is pardon now.’

‘Pardon indeed!’ said his father, with a greater look of relief than Albinia understood, ‘you are resting in His Merits.’

Gilbert’s look brightened, and he said, ‘I know it now.’

‘Thank God,’ said Mr. Kendal.

His eyes closed, and Fred whispered to the father, ’Maurice is here too.’

Again the light woke in the eye, with almost a smile, the look that always welcomed the little brother; and Albinia grieved to say, ’Not little Maurice, though he longed to come; it is my brother.’  But the air of eagerness did not pass away, and he seemed satisfied when Mr. Ferrars came in.  It was as a priest, speaking words not his own; and Albinia and Fred knelt with him.  At the close of each prayer or psalm, Gilbert signed imploringly for more, even like our mighty dying queen; and at each short pause, the distressed agonized expression would again contract the brow, though in the sound of the holy words all was peace.  The Psalm of the Good Shepherd with the Rod and Staff in the Valley of the Shadow of Death, recurred so strongly to Maurice, that he repeated it like a cadence after each penitential supplication, every time bringing a look of peace to the countenance of the sufferer.

They must have remained long thus, Fred had grown exhausted with kneeling and had been forced to sit on the floor, and Maurice’s voice waxed low and hoarse; yet he durst not pause, though doubting whether Gilbert could follow the meaning.  At length the eyes were again raised.  With a start as of haste, Gilbert looked full at Albinia, and said, ‘Thank you.  Tell Maurice—­’ He could not finish, and there was an agony for breath, then as his father raised him, he contrived to say, ‘Father—­mother—­kiss me; it is forgiven!’

Another look brought Fred to press his hand, and he smiled his thanks.

There were a few more terrible minutes, from which they would fain have led away Albinia, but suddenly his brow grew smooth, his eyes were eagerly fixed as on something before him, and as if replying to a call, he said, ‘Yes!’ with a start and a quiver of all his limbs, and then—­

The first words were Mr. Kendal’s.  ‘Edmund has come for him!’

It was to the rest as if the father had been in some manner conscious of the presence of the one twin-brother, and, were resigning the other to his charge, for he calmly kissed the forehead, closed the eyes, laid down the form, he had so long held in his arms, and after a few moments on his knees, with his face hidden, in his hands, he rose with composure, and said to his wife, ’I am glad you were in time.’