He called loudly for help, and his servant and Lady Laura’s maid were soon in the room.  They raised her head with cushions; they brought water; they called for farther assistance; and though it soon became evident that Laura had only fainted, it was long before the slightest symptom of returning consciousness appeared.  The Duke, the servants, and some attendants of the governor of the Tower, were still gathered round her, and her eyes were just opening and looking faintly up, when another person was suddenly added to the group, and a mild, fine-toned voice said, in the ear of the Duke,—­

“Good God! my lord duke, what has happened?  Had you not better send for Millington or Garth?”

“She is better, she is better,” said the Duke, rising; “she is coming to herself again.—­Good Heaven! my Lord of Sunbury, is it you?  This is an unexpected pleasure.”

“I cannot say,” replied Lord Sunbury, “that it is an unexpected pleasure to me, my lord; for though I would rather see your grace in any other place, and heard this morning at Hampton Court that the order for your liberation was signed, yet I heard just now that you were still in the Tower; and, to say the truth, I expected to find my young friend Wilton with you.  Let us attend to the lady, however,” he added, seeing that his allusion to Wilton made the Duke turn a little red, and divining, perhaps, that Lady Laura’s illness was in some way connected with the absence of his young friend, “she is growing better.”

And kindly kneeling down beside her, he took her hand in his, saying in a tender and paternal tone, “I hope you are better, my dear young lady.  Nay, nay,” he added, in a lower voice, “be comforted; all will go well, depend upon it:—­you are better now; you are better, I see.”  And then perceiving that only having seen him once before, Lady Laura did not recollect him, he added his own name, saying, “Lord Sunbury, my dear, the father, by love and by adoption, of a dear friend of yours.”

The allusion to Wilton immediately produced its effect upon Lady Laura, and she burst into tears; but seeing Lord Sunbury about to rise, she clung to his hand, saying, “Do not leave me—­do not leave me.  I shall be better in a minute.  I will send him a message by you.”

“I will not, indeed, leave you,” replied Lord Sunbury; “but I think we do not need all these people present just now.  Your father and I and your woman will be enough.”

According to his suggestion, the room was cleared, the windows were all thrown open, and in about half an hour Lady Laura had sufficiently recovered herself to sit up and speak with ease.  Lord Sunbury bad avoided returning to the subject of Wilton, till he fancied that she could bear it, knowing that it might be more painful to her, even to hear him conversing with her father upon such a topic, than to take part in the discussion herself.  At length, however, he said,—­

“Now this fair lady is tolerably well again, let me ask your grace where I can find my young friend, Wilton Brown.  I was told at his lodgings that he had come on with all speed to the Tower, merely getting a fresh horse as he passed.”