It was announced that the
daily service would be discontinued for the present, and Lily felt as
if all the blessings which she had misused were to be taken from her.
For some time Mr. Devereux continued very ill, and Dr. Leslie gave
little hope of his improvement. Mr. Mohun and Claude were his
constant attendants--an additional cause of anxiety to the Miss
Mohuns. Emily was listless and melancholy, talking in a maundering,
dismal way, not calculated to brace her spirits or those of her
sisters. Jane was not without serious thoughts, but whether they
would benefit her depended on herself; for, as we have seen by the
events of the autumn, sorrow and suffering do not necessarily produce
good effects, though some effects they always produce.
Thus it was with Lilias. Grief and anxiety aided her in subduing her
will and learning resignation. She did not neglect her daily duties,
but was more exact in their fulfilment; and low as her spirits had
been before, she now had an inward spring which enabled her to be the
support of the rest. She was useful to her father, always ready to
talk to Claude, or walk with him in the intervals when he was sent
out of the sickroom to rest and breathe the fresh air.
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