Page:Ethel Churchill 3.pdf/158

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156
ETHEL CHURCHILL.

who certainly would never have acted upon the knowledge he possessed; but now she only thought of how her entreaties had wrought with her son. She cleared the mist that had gathered before her sight, and looked long and earnestly on the face of the patient. There were symptoms of recovery not to be mistaken; the feverish flush had died away, and the breathing was regular; she ventured to touch the forehead with her lips, it was cool, and the pulse was subdued. Again she resumed her seat, but the expression of her countenance was changed; the working of some strong emotion was in the troubled lines of her mouth. Gradually, the fine features settled into a lofty and resolute composure; the eyes, large and dark, filled with a light, spiritual and calm. She rested the crucifix on the table; and, kneeling before it, was, for some moments, absorbed in earnest prayer. She clasped her hands, and raised them towards heaven, when her devotion was disturbed by the faint movements of the invalid. She sprung to the bedside in a moment; Nor-