He had urged upon me the pressing necessity for complete rest, and for much sleep.

My brother never even incidentally referred to his wife, his child, or to Mrs.Temple, who constantly wrote to me from Royston, sending kind messages to John, and asking how he did.

These messages I never dared to give him, fearing to agitate him, or retard his recovery by diverting his thoughts into channels which must necessarily be of a painful character.

That he should never even mention her name, or that of Lady Maltravers, led me to wonder sometimes if one of those curious freaks of memory which occasionally accompany a severe illness had not entirely blotted out from his mind the recollection of his marriage and of his wife's death.

He was unable to consider any affairs of business, and the management of the estate remained as it had done for the last two years in the hands of our excellent agent, Mr.Baker.
But one evening in the early part of December he sent Raffaelle about nine o'clock, saying he wished to speak to me.