IN A HAMPSHIRE VILLAGE 167 



child, always the picture of health, so that when she 

 suddenly fell ill of a fever it surprised and alarmed them 

 greatly, and the doctor was sent for. He didn't think 

 it a serious case, but he seemed doubtful about its 

 nature, and in the end he made a fatal mistake — he 

 himself said it was a mistake. The crisis came, and 

 the poor child got so bad that he was sent for, but it 

 was long to wait, and in the meantime something had 

 to be done, and what she did was to give it a hot bath. 

 Then the fit passed, and with it the fever, and the 

 child went off in a quiet sleep with every sign of re- 

 turning health. Then came the doctor and said 

 the child was getting well — the right thing had been 

 done — but he must wake her up and give her a draught. 

 She begged him not to; he insisted, and roused and 

 made the child drink, and no sooner had the little thing 

 swallowed the medicine than she fell back white as 

 ashes and was dead in a few minutes. 



It was going on for two years since their loss ; they 

 had been long settled in the village and had grown used 

 to the village life : the boy was gradually becoming 

 more reconciled to school ; her husband had a different 

 employment, which suited him better than the former 

 one, and was highly regarded by his master ; then, 

 too, they had pleasant relations with their neighbours. 

 But this improvement in their condition brought them 

 no happiness — they could not get over the loss of 

 their child. She, the wife, had her grief when she was 

 alone during long hours every day in the house ; but 

 when her man came home in the evening she could, 



