He was ill in himself, so ill in fact that Mrs.Burton lost heart, declaring that her father's constitution had broken up, and that half a dozen doctors could not pull him through if his time had come.
Katherine would not share this gloomy view, and was always hoping against hope.

If only the waters had been open, a doctor might have been procured from somewhere; but in winter time, when the small lakes and many of the lesser rivers were all frozen, nothing in the way of outside help was available, and the dwellers in remote places had to depend upon their own skill, making up in nursing what was lacking in medicine.
By the time the second Sunday came, the sick man showed signs of mending.

Mrs.Burton grew hopeful again, while Katherine was nearly beside herself with joy.

It had been a fearfully hard week for them all, though the neighbours had been as kind as possible.
Stee Jenkin's wife came up from Seal Cove one day, and, after doing as much work as she could find to do, carried the twins off with her to her little house at the Cove, which was a great relief to Mrs.Burton and Katherine.

Mrs.M'Kree was ill herself, so could do no more than send a kindly message; but even that was better than nothing, for sympathy is one of the sweetest things on earth when one is in trouble.
Sunday was a blessed relief to them at the end of their troubled week.