Channing restored to health and strength; Mrs.
Channing's anxiety removed; Hamish secure in his new prospects-for Mr.
Huntley had made them certain; heaviness removed from the heart of
Constance; the cloud lifted from Arthur; Tom on the pedestal he thought
he had lost, sure also of the Oxford exhibition; Charley amongst them
again! They could trace the finger of God in all; and were fond of
doing it.
Soon after tea, Arthur rose. "I must drop in and see Jenkins," he
observed. "He will have heard the items of news from twenty people,
there's little doubt; but he will like me to go to him with
particulars. No one in Helstonleigh has been more anxious that things
should turn out happily, than poor Jenkins."
"Tell him he has my best wishes for his recovery, Arthur," said Mr.
Channing.
"I will tell him," replied Arthur. "But I fear all hope of recovery for
Jenkins is past."
It was more decidedly past than even Arthur suspected when he spoke. A
young woman was attending to Mrs. Jenkins's shop when Arthur passed
through it. Her face was strange to him; but from a certain peculiarity
in the eyes and mouth, he inferred it to be Mrs. Jenkins's sister. In
point of fact, that lady, finding that her care of Jenkins and her care
of the shop rather interfered with each other, had sent for her sister
from the country to attend temporarily on the latter. Lydia went up to
Jenkins's sick-room, and said a gentleman was waiting: and Mrs.
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