All had so far gone well. Maria Hatherton had been committed to take her
trial at the quarter sessions for the assault upon the children; but, as
her own little girl was still living, though in extreme danger, and the
Sisters promised to take charge of both for the present, Colonel Keith
had thought it only common humanity to offer bail, and this had been
accepted. Later in the day Mauleverer himself had been brought down,
having been taken up at a grand meeting of his Bristol friends, who had
all rallied round him, expressing strong indignation at the accusation,
and offering evidence as to character. He denied any knowledge of the
name of Maddox, and declared that he was able to prove that his own
account of himself as a popular, philanthropical lecturer was perfectly
correct; and he professed to be much amazed at the charges brought
against him, which could only have arisen from some sudden alarm in the
young lady's mind, excited by her friends, whom he had always observed
to be prejudiced against him. He appealed strongly against the hardship
of being imprisoned on so slight a charge; but, as he could find no one
to take his part, he reserved his defence for the quarter sessions, for
which he was fully committed. Colin thought, however, that it was so
doubtful whether the charges against him could be substantiated, that
it was highly necessary to be fully prepared to press the former forgery
against him, and had therefore decided upon sleeping at St. Norbert's
and going on by an early train to obtain legal advice in London, and
then to see Harry Beauchamp. Meantime, Ermine must write to her brother
as urgently as possible, backing up Colin's own representations of the
necessity of his return.
Ermine read eagerly, but Alison seemed hardly able to command her
attention to listen, and scarcely waited for the end of the letter
before her own disclosure was made. Francis was sickening with
diphtheria; he had been left behind in the morning on account of some
outbreak of peevishness, and Alison, soon becoming convinced that temper
was not solely in fault, had kept him apart from his brothers, and at
last had sent for the doctor, who had at once pronounced it to be
the same deadly complaint which had already declared itself in Rachel
Curtis. Alison had of course devoted herself to the little boy till his
mother's return from St. Norbert's, when she had been obliged to give
the first intimation of what the price of the loving little widow's
exploit might be. "I don't think she realizes the extent of the
illness," said Alison; "say what I would, she would keep on thanking me
breathlessly, and only wanting to escape to him. I asked if we should
send to let Colin know, and she answered in her dear, unselfish way, 'By
no means, it would be safer for him to be out of the way,' and, besides,
she knew how much depended on his going."