Allhadbeendonethatcouldbedone。Mrs。Barnetwasinherownhouseundermedicalhands，buttheresultwasstilluncertain。
Barnethadactedasifdevotiontohiswifewerethedominantpassionofhisexistence。Therehadbeenmuchtodecide——whethertoattemptrestorationoftheapparentlylifelessbodyasitlayontheshore——whethertocarryhertotheHarbourInn——whethertodrivewithheratoncetohisownhouse。Thefirstcourse，withnoskilledhelporappliancesnearathand，hadseemedhopeless。Thesecondcoursewouldhaveoccupiednearlyasmuchtimeasadrivetothetown，owingtotheinterveningridgesofshingle，andthenecessityofcrossingtheharbourbyboattogettothehouse，addedtowhichmuchtimemusthaveelapsedbeforeadoctorcouldhavearriveddownthere。Bybringingherhomeinthecarriagesomepreciousmomentshadslippedby；butshehadbeenlaidinherownbedinsevenminutes，adoctorcalledtoherside，andeverypossiblerestorativebroughttobearuponher。
Atwhatatearingpacehehaddrivenupthatroad，throughtheyelloweveningsunlight，theshadowsflappingirksomelyintohiseyesaseachwaysideobjectrushedpastbetweenhimandthewest！
Tiredworkmenwiththeirbasketsattheirbackshadturnedontheirhomewardjourneytowonderathisspeed。HalfwaybetweentheshoreandPort-BredytownhehadmetCharlson，whohadbeenthefirstsurgeontohearoftheaccident。Hewasaccompaniedbyhisassistantinagig。BarnethadsentonthelattertothecoastincasethatDowne’spoorwifeshouldbythattimehavebeenreclaimedfromthewaves，andhadbroughtCharlsonbackwithhimtothehouse。
Barnet’spresencewasnotneededhere，andhefeltittobehisnextdutytosetoffatonceandfindDowne，thatnootherthanhimselfmightbreakthenewstohim。
HewasquitesurethatnochancehadbeenlostforMrs。Downebyhisleavingtheshore。BythetimethatMrs。Barnethadbeenlaidinthecarriage，amuchlargergrouphadassembledtolendassistanceinfindingherfriend，renderinghisownhelpsuperfluous。ButthedutyofbreakingthenewswasmadedoublypainfulbythecircumstancethatthecatastrophewhichhadbefallenMrs。Downewassolelytheresultofherownandherhusband’sloving-kindnesstowardshimself。
HefoundDowneinhisoffice。Whenthesolicitorcomprehendedtheintelligenceheturnedpale，stoodup，andremainedforamomentperfectlystill，asifbereftofhisfaculties；thenhisshouldersheaved，hepulledouthishandkerchiefandbegantocrylikeachild。Hissobsmighthavebeenheardinthenextroom。Heseemedtohavenoideaofgoingtotheshore，orofdoinganything；butwhenBarnettookhimgentlybythehandandproposedtostartatonce，hequietlyacquiesced，neitherutteringanyfurtherwordnormakinganyefforttorepresshistears。
Barnetaccompaniedhimtotheshore，where，findingthatnotracehadasyetbeenseenofMrs。Downe，andthathisstaywouldbeofnoavail，heleftDownewithhisfriendsandtheyoungdoctor，andoncemorehastenedbacktohisownhouse。
AtthedoorhemetCharlson。’Well！’Barnetsaid。
’Ihavejustcomedown，’saidthedoctor；’wehavedoneeverything，butwithoutresult。Isympathizewithyouinyourbereavement。’
BarnetdidnotmuchappreciateCharlson’ssympathy，whichsoundedtohisearsassomethingofamockeryfromthelipsofamanwhoknewwhatCharlsonknewabouttheirdomesticrelations。IndeedthereseemedanoddsparkinCharlson’sfullblackeyeashesaidthewords；butthatmighthavebeenimaginary。
’And，Mr。Barnet，’Charlsonresumed，’thatlittlematterbetweenus——
Ihopetosettleitfinallyinthreeweeksatleast。’
’Nevermindthatnow，’saidBarnetabruptly。Hedirectedthesurgeontogototheharbourincasehisservicesmightevennowbenecessarythere:andhimselfenteredthehouse。
Theservantswerecomingfromhiswife’schamber，lookinghelplesslyateachotherandathim。Hepassedthembyandenteredtheroom，wherehestoodmutelyregardingthebedforafewminutes，afterwhichhewalkedintohisowndressing-roomadjoining，andtherepacedupanddown。Inaminuteortwohenoticedwhatastrangeandtotalsilencehadcomeovertheupperpartofthehouse；hisownmovements，muffledastheywerebythecarpet，seemednoisy，andhisthoughtstodisturbtheairlikearticulateutterances。Hiseyeglancedthroughthewindow。Fardowntheroadtotheharbouraroofdetainedhisgaze:outofitrosearedchimney，andoutoftheredchimneyacurlofsmoke，asfromafirenewlykindled。Hehadoftenseensuchasightbefore。InthathouselivedLucySavile；andthesmokewasfromthefirewhichwasregularlylightedatthistimetomakehertea。
Afterthathewentbacktothebedroom，andstoodtheresometimeregardinghiswife’ssilentform。Shewasawomansomeyearsolderthanhimself，buthadnotbyanymeansoverpassedthematurityofgoodlooksandvigour。Herpassionatefeatures，well-defined，firm，andstatuesqueinlife，weredoublysonow:hermouthandbrow，beneathherpurplishblackhair，showedonlytooclearlythattheturbulencyofcharacterwhichhadmadeabear-gardenofhishousehadbeennotemporaryphaseofherexistence。Whilehereflected，hesuddenlysaidtohimself，Iwonderifallhasbeendone？
Thethoughtwasleduptobyhishavingfanciedthathiswife’sfeatureslackedinitscompleteformtheexpressionwhichhehadbeenaccustomedtoassociatewiththefacesofthosewhosespiritshavefledforever。Theeffacementoflifewasnotsomarkedbutthat，enteringuninformed，hemighthavesupposedhersleeping。HercomplexionwasthatseeninthenumerousfadedportraitsbySirJoshuaReynolds；itwaspallidincomparisonwithlife，buttherewasvisibleonacloseinspectiontheremnantofwhathadoncebeenaflush；thekeepingbetweenthecheeksandthehollowsofthefacebeingthuspreserved，althoughpositivecolourwasgone。Longorangeraysofeveningsunstoleinthroughchinksintheblind，strikingonthelargemirror，andbeingthencereflecteduponthecrimsonhangingsandwoodworkoftheheavybedstead，sothatthegeneraltoneoflightwasremarkablywarm；anditwasprobablethatsomethingmightbeduetothiscircumstance。Stillthefactimpressedhimasstrange。Charlsonhadbeengonemorethanaquarterofanhour:coulditbepossiblethathehadlefttoosoon，andthathisattemptstorestoreherhadoperatedsosluggishlyasonlynowtohavemadethemselvesfelt？Barnetlaidhishanduponherchest，andfanciedthateverandanonafaintflutterofpalpitation，gentleasthatofabutterfly’swing，disturbedthestillnessthere——ceasingforatime，thenstrugglingtogoon，thenbreakingdowninweaknessandceasingagain。
Barnet’smotherhadbeenanactivepractitionerofthehealingartamongherpoorerneighbours，andherinspirationshadallbeenderivedfromanoctavovolumeofDomesticMedicine，whichatthismomentwaslying，asithadlainformanyyears，onashelfinBarnet’sdressing-room。Hehastilyfetchedit，andtherereadunderthehead’Drowning:’-
’Exertionsfortherecoveryofanypersonwhohasnotbeenimmersedforalongerperiodthanhalf-an-hourshouldbecontinuedforatleastfourhours，astherehavebeenmanycasesinwhichreturninglifehasmadeitselfvisibleevenafteralongerinterval。
’Should，however，aweakactionofanyoftheorgansshowitselfwhenthecaseseemsalmosthopeless，oureffortsmustberedoubled；
thefeeblesparkinthiscaserequirestobesolicited；itwillcertainlydisappearunderarelaxationoflabour。’
Barnetlookedathiswatch；itwasnowbarelytwohoursandahalffromthetimewhenhehadfirstheardoftheaccident。Hethrewasidethebookandturnedquicklytoreachastimulantwhichhadpreviouslybeenused。Pullinguptheblindformorelight，hiseyeglancedoutofthewindow。Therehesawthatredchimneystillsmokingcheerily，andthatroof，andthroughtheroofthatsomebody。
Hismechanicalmovementsstopped，hishandremainedontheblind-
cord，andheseemedtobecomebreathless，asifhehadsuddenlyfoundhimselftreadingahighrope。
Whilehestoodasparrowlightedonthewindowsill，sawhim，andflewaway。Nextamanandadogwalkedoveroneofthegreenhillswhichbulgedabovetheroofsofthetown。ButBarnettooknonotice。
WemaywonderwhatweretheexactimagesthatpassedthroughhismindduringthoseminutesofgazinguponLucySavile’shouse，thesparrow，themanandthedog，andLucySavile’shouseagain。Therearehonestmenwhowillnotadmittotheirthoughts，evenasidlehypotheses，viewsofthefuturethatassumeasdoneadeedwhichtheywouldrecoilfromdoing；andthereareotherhonestmenforwhommoralityendsatthesurfaceoftheirownheads，whowilldeliberatewhatthefirstwillnotsomuchassuppose。Barnethadawifewhosepretencedistractedhishome；shenowlayasindeath；bymerelydoingnothing——bylettingtheintelligencewhichhadgoneforthtotheworldlieundisturbed——hewouldeffectsuchadeliveranceforhimselfashehadneverhopedfor，andopenupanopportunityofwhichtillnowhehadneverdreamed。Whethertheconjuncturehadarisenthroughanyunscrupulous，ill-consideredimpulseofCharlsontohelpoutofastraitthefriendwhowassokindasnevertopresshimforwhatwasduecouldnotbetold；therewasnothingtoproveit；anditwasaquestionwhichcouldneverbeasked。Thetriangularsituation——himself——hiswife——LucySavile——
wastheoneclearthing。
FromBarnet’sactionswemayinferthatheSUPPOSEDsuchandsucharesult，foramoment，butdidnotdeliberate。Hewithdrewhishazeleyesfromthescenewithout，calmlyturned，rangthebellforassistance，andvigorouslyexertedhimselftolearniflifestilllingeredinthatmotionlessframe。Inashorttimeanothersurgeonwasinattendance；andthenBarnet’ssurmiseprovedtobetrue。Theslowlifetimidlyheavedagain；butmuchcareandpatiencewereneededtocatchandretainit，andaconsiderableperiodelapsedbeforeitcouldbesaidwithcertaintythatMrs。Barnetlived。Whenthiswasthecase，andtherewasnofurtherroomfordoubt，Barnetleftthechamber。TheblueeveningsmokefromLucy’schimneyhaddieddowntoanimperceptiblestream，andashewalkedaboutdownstairshemurmuredtohimself，’Mywifewasdead，andsheisaliveagain。’
ItwasnotsowithDowne。Afterthreehours’immersionhiswife’sbodyhadbeenrecovered，life，ofcourse，beingquiteextinct。
Barnetondescending，wentstraighttohisfriend’shouse，andtherelearnedtheresult。Downewashelplessinhiswildgrief，occasionallyevenhysterical。Barnetsaidlittle，butfindingthatsomeguidinghandwasnecessaryinthesorrow-strickenhousehold，tookuponhimtosuperviseandmanagetillDowneshouldbeinastateofmindtodosoforhimself。