Won't you sit down ?" "Won't I what ?" she repeated.

"I don't hear;" and she began to move with their help and that of her staff to the balustrade.
The old fancy; the constant fancy; gazing at the bed of lilies, and talking to herself as, with her trembling hand to her brow, she peered out towards the arbour.

They were words of no particular significance that she said; but just as the nurse came back bringing her a cordial, she turned round and repeated them distinctly, and with a solemnity that was almost awful.
"They all helped to dig it; and they know they did." Words that appeared to be so far from the tragical recollection which must have first caused this disturbance in her poor mind; but her grand-daughter thought proper to make her some kind of answer.
"Did they, grandmother ?" she said in a soothing tone, "and a very good thing too." She stopped short, for upon the aged face fell suddenly such a look of affright, such renewed intelligence seemed to peer out of the dim eyes, and such defiance with their scrutiny, that for the moment she was very much alarmed.
"She's not quite herself.

Oh, I hope she's not going to have a stroke!" was her thought.
"What have I been a saying ?" inquired Madam Melcombe.
"You said it was a good thing they dug the lily bed," answered her grand-daughter.
"And nothing else ?" "No, ma'am, no," answered the nurse; "and if you had, what would it signify ?" Madam Melcombe let them settle her in her chair and give her her cordial, then she said-- "Folks are oft-times known to talk wild in their age.

I thought I might be losing my wits; might have said something." "Dear grandmother, don't laugh!" exclaimed her grandson's widow; "and don't look so strange.