ft had casually
explained, for an indefinite stay. This intelligence had depressed
Nancy unaccountably, but she explained her depression to herself on the
grounds that she was worried about reclaiming the ring, which she
valued so dearly.

As the days grew longer, they had their tea out in the little garden,
which Nancy zealously tended. And these pleasant evenings made the
whole day seem quite cheerful--if it had not been for the incessant
worry about the future.

One afternoon in the middle of the month, they were sitting out in the
little arbor, where the vines, covered with a veil of delicate, sticky
little leaves, already offered a light shade from the beams of the
western sun. As Nancy turned her head to say something joking to Alma,
she noticed for the first time how very quiet her sister had been while
they had been talking. Alma was lying full length on the little bench,
with her arm across her eyes. Evidently feeling that her mother and
sister were wondering what was the matter, she took away her arm,
revealing a feverishly flushed face and heavy eyelids. "I just have a
beastly old headache," she explained drowsily. "It isn't anything but
spring fever."

"You poor little kid!" cried Nancy, going to her in concern and
throwing her arm around her.

"It isn't anything," said Alma, feebly. "I had it yesterday, too, but
it wasn't so bad."

"Well, I'm going to see if you have any fever, anyway," Nancy said
quietly, not liking the look of Alma's hot cheeks and crimson lips.

They got Alma to bed, and in a few moments after her head had sunk into
the cool pillow, she had dozed off into a heavy sleep. Nancy tried to
conceal her uneasiness, but Alma had a fever of a hundred and one,
which is not common to a simple headache.

But the visit from Dr. Bevan, cheerful as he was, did anything but set
their fears at rest.

Nancy could only stare from him to her mother in speechless
consternation, when it developed next day that Alma had the measles
beyond a doubt. In the morning Mr. Dixon and the Porterbridges were
notified that the Prescotts could not be at their work. The situation
was indeed a pretty serious crisis in their career; for their income
was reduced at once by something over a hundred dollars a month. This
worry, however, was completely dwarfed when, on the third day after
Alma had fallen ill, Dr. Bevan announced that he thought it best to
send a trained nurse.

Nancy had had about all th