The conviction slowly stole over
him, that some fatal accident or rash determination had ended
Herbert's term of life. The dislike of her son, of which Mrs Hardman
had been suspected, now melted completely away into the fondest
affection for his memory. She, however, did not entirely abandon the
hope of seeing him again.
What, however, of Catherine all this while? Alas! a misfortune had
overtaken her, in the midst of which the mysterious disappearance of
Herbert had not reached her. While in London, she, by some unknown
means, had contracted that fatal disease, then violently raging in
the metropolis--the small-pox. For months her life was despaired of,
and of course all knowledge of the absence of Herbert was kept from
her.
Mr Hardman grieved to that excess, that he gradually sunk into the
grave. His funeral was a melancholy spectacle, for all knew the cause
of his demise. His good easy disposition made him extensively
regretted. Mrs Hardman's native strength of mind, however, kept her
up amidst her double loss.
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