Her father's name Author:Florence Marryat Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. THE LETTER AND THE RING. That was her first thought. She sprang from her hammock with the agility of a cat, and rushed into the chalet. On the... more » threshold of the door she encountered the negress Epiphania, wringing her hands and screaming. " Oh, come to the master, missy! Come to the master. He very sick indeed." She walked past her hurriedly into his chamber. One glance was sufficient. Her father was either dying — or dead. " Go and fetch Dr. Linton," she exclaimed, mentioning an old English surgeon and naturalist, who had been staying for some months in their town, and lived within a few yards of them. In a few minutes he was. by her side. "Oh, Dr. Linton!" she cried, "what do'es all this mean? What has he been doing to himself? Why is there such a smell of almonds in the room ? " M. Lacoste was lying on his bed, apparently as his daughter had left him, but his face had turned livid, his nails were blue, and his fingers clenched together. His eyes were wide open, prominent and glistening, which had led Leona to believe he was in a fit, and about his closed mouth was to be seen a ring of foam. Dr. Lintonexamined the eyeballs, laid his hand upon the heart, and then looked compassionately at the girl kneeling beside the corpse. "Is it a fit, Dr. Linton? Should he have a warm bath?" " It is not a fit, mademoiselle." " What then ? has he gone mad ? Oh doctor, don't say that! I have feared it for so long." " You have no need to fear it; but try and gather up your courage to meet a great shock. Your poor father is dead." " Dead! and in a moment. But how came he dead? What has killed him?" " I am afraid this has," replied the doctor, as he disengaged a small phial from the stiffened grasp. " That! What is that ?" demanded Leona, tr...« less