240
WYLDER'S HAJVD
"Think he'll do then?"
"He may — very unlikely though. A nasty case, aa
you can imagine."
"He will certainly not go, poor fellow, before four
o'clock p. M., I dare say — eh?"
The Major's soul was at the Dollington station, and
was regulating poor Lake's departure by Bradshaw's
Guide."
"Who knows? We expect Sir Francis this morning.
Glad to have a share of the responsibility off my shoulders,
I can tell you. Come in and have a chop, will you?"
"No, thank you, I've had my breakfast."
I found in my lodgings in London, on my return from
Doncaster, some two months later, a copy of the county
paper of this date, with a cross scrawled beside the piece
of intelligence which follows. I knew that tremulous
cross. It was traced by the hand of poor old Miss Kybes
— with her many faults always kind to me. It bore the
Brandon postmark, and altogether had the impress of
authenticity. It said :—
"We have much pleasure in stating that the severe in-
jury sustained four days since by Captain Stanley Lake,
at the time a visitor, is not likely to prove so difficult of
treatment or so imminently dangerous as was at first ap-
'* ^jprehended. The gallant gentleman was removed from
the scene of his misadventure to Brandon Hall, close to
which the accident occurred, and at which mansion his
noble relatives, Lord Chelford and the Dowager Lady
Chelford, are at present staying on a visit. Sir Francis
Seddley came down express from London, and assisted by
our skilful county practitioner, Humphrey Buddle, Esq.
M. D. of Gylingden, operated most successfully on Sat-
urday last, and we are happy to say the gallant patient
has since been going on as favorably as could possibly have