"Romayne would probably have refused to receive us," Lord Loring resumed, "but for the gratifying circumstance of my having been admitted to an interview with the Pope.The Holy Father spoke of him with the most condescending kindness; and, hearing that I had not yet seen him, gave instructions, commanding Romayne to present himself.Under these circumstances it was impossible for him to refuse to receive Lady Loring and myself on a later occasion.I cannot tell you how distressed we were at the sad change for the worse in his personal appearance.The Italian physician, whom he occasionally consulted, told me that there was a weakness in the action of his heart, produced, in the first instance, by excessive study and the excitement of preaching, and aggravated by the further drain on his strength due to insufficient nourishment.He would eat and drink just enough to keep him alive, and no more; and he persistently refused to try the good influence of rest and change of scene.My wife, at a later interview with him, when they were alone, induced him to throw aside the reserve which he had maintained with me, and discovered another cause for the deterioration in his health.Idon't refer to the return of a nervous misery, from which he has suffered at intervals for years past; I speak of the effect produced on his mind by the announcement--made no doubt with best intentions by Doctor Wybrow--of the birth of his child.This disclosure (he was entirely ignorant of his wife's situation when he left her) appears to have affected him far more seriously than the English doctor supposed.Lady Loring was so shocked at what he said to her on the subject, that she has only repeated it to me with a certain reserve.'If I could believe I did wrong,' he said, 'in dedicating myself to the service of the Church, after the overthrow of my domestic happiness, I should also believe that the birth of this child was the retributive punishment of my sin, and the warning of my approaching death.I dare not take this view.And yet I have it not in me, after the solemn vows by which I am bound, to place any more consoling interpretation on an event which, as a priest, it disturbs and humiliates me even to think of.' That one revelation of his tone of thought will tell you what is the mental state of this unhappy man.He gave us little encouragement to continue our friendly intercourse with him.It was only when we were thinking of our return to England that we heard of his appointment to the vacant place of first attache to the Embassy at Paris.The Pope's paternal anxiety on the subject of Romayne's health had chosen this wise and generous method of obliging him to try a salutary change of air as well as a relaxation from his incessant employments in Rome.On the occasion of his departure we met again.He looked like a worn-out old man.We could now only remember his double claim on us--as a priest of our religion, and as a once dear friend--and we arranged to travel with him.The weather at the time was mild;our progress was made by easy stages.We left him at Paris, apparently the better for his journey."I asked if they had seen Stella on that occasion.
"No," said Lord Loring."We had reason to doubt whether Stella would be pleased to see us, and we felt reluctant to meddle, unasked, with a matter of extreme delicacy.I arranged with the Nuncio (whom I have the honor to know) that we should receive written information of Romayne's state of health, and on that understanding we returned to England.A week since, our news from the Embassy was so alarming that Lady Loring at once returned to Paris.Her first letter informed me that she had felt it her duty to tell Stella of the critical condition of Romayne's health.She expressed her sense of my wife's kindness most gratefully and feelingly and at once removed to Paris, to be on the spot if her husband expressed a wish to see her.The two ladies are now staying at the same hotel.I have thus far been detained in London by family affairs.But, unless I hear of a change for the better before evening, I follow Lady Loring to Paris by the mail train."It was needless to trespass further on Lord Loring's time.Ithanked him, and returned to Penrose.He was sleeping when I got to the hotel.
On the table in the sitting-room I found a telegram waiting for me.It had been sent by Stella, and it contained these lines:
"I have just returned from his bedside, after telling him of the rescue of Penrose.He desires to see you.There is no positive suffering--he is sinking under a complete prostration of the forces of life.That is what the doctors tell me.They said, when I spoke of writing to you, 'Send a telegram; there is no time to lose.' "Toward evening Penrose awoke.I showed him the telegram.
Throughout our voyage, the prospect of seeing Romayne again had been the uppermost subject in his thoughts.In the extremity of his distress, he declared that he would accompany me to Paris by the night train.Remembering how severely he had felt the fatigue of the short railway journey from Portsmouth, I entreated him to let me go alone.His devotion to Romayne was not to be reasoned with.While we were still vainly trying to convince each other, Doctor Wybrow came in.
To my amazement he sided with Penrose.
"Oh, get up by all means," he said; "we will help you to dress."We took him out of bed and put on his dressing-gown.He thanked us; and saying he would complete his toilet by himself, sat down in an easy chair.In another moment he was asleep again, so soundly asleep that we put him back in his bed without waking him.Doctor Wybrow had foreseen this result: he looked at the poor fellow's pale peaceful face with a kindly smile.
