; she was not troubled about it. She was
still in great pain, but her fever had gone and she was no longer
delirious. She remembered the events of the day before up to the time
when she started to wander in the woods. Now Eleanor waited, content and
full of faith. The day had come, with its wonderful promise. She knew
that she would soon be found. She would bear the pain as well as she
could until then.

"Nellie! Nellie!" It was Madge's voice calling to her from afar off. The
tones sounded queer and strained, but Eleanor felt sure they were those
of her cousin. She could not be mistaken, as she had been last night.
She must have been dreaming when some one seemed to summon her from the
mouth of the cave. Eleanor did not realize that she had but caught an
echo of some one crying to her through the heart of the forest.

Eleanor was weak and faint, but she summoned her strength. "Madge! here
I am!" she cried. Her voice was too feeble to carry far.

Neither Madge nor any of her companions caught the answering sound.
David Brewster, Jack Bolling, Phil and Lillian were with her. Harry
Sears had given out at daylight and had gone back to the Preston farm.

Again they were wandering away from the spot where Nellie waited so
patiently.

"Nellie! Nellie!" Madge called once more, her voice breaking.

Poor Eleanor realized that Madge's voice was farther off than it had
been when she first called.

Eleanor made an heroic effort. She raised herself to a sitting position.
"Madge! Phil! Oh, come to me!" she cried. Then Eleanor fainted.

It was a limp, white figure that Madge, running ahead of all the others,
found stretched out on the grass. Her companions soon caught up with
her.

"Nellie is dead!" cried Lillian, bursting into tears and sinking down
beside her friend on the grass.

"Oh, no," assured Phil, "Nellie has only fainted." She turned quietly
to David and Jack. "Go back, please, and tell Mr. Preston and some of
the other men to bring a cot on which to carry Eleanor. She is only worn
out and exhausted with exposure and pain. She will be all right soon.
Don't look so heartbroken Madge."

Madge had not taken her eyes from her cousin's pale, haggard face. She
could not believe that she was really looking at Eleanor. Could this
poor, white, exhausted little creature be her Nellie? Why, it was only
the afternoon before when Madge had last seen Eleanor laughing and
talking to Harry Sears. And now----!

A few minutes la