ediately. I had intended to ask your
father's permission to shoot in his woods."

"If you consider mine sufficient, you have it."

"Thank you, Miss Krog! You will allow me, too, to look in upon you
sometimes, I hope?" He took her hand and bowed deeply over it.

Then he went in to take leave of Mrs. Dawes. With her he stayed ten
minutes at least, coming out just as Mary was crossing the passage to
her father's room.

As she stood by the bed Anders began to move, and opened his eyes. She
knelt down. "Father!"

He seemed to be collecting his thoughts; then he tried to speak, but
could not. She said quickly: "We know, Father; we know everything. Don't
trouble about it! We'll get on beautifully all the same."

Her father's eyes showed that he took in what she said, though slowly.
He tried to lift his hand, and, finding that he could not, looked at her
with an expression of painful surprise; she lay down close to him,
kissed him and wept.

Anders improved, however, with astonishing rapidity. Was it Mary's
presence and untiring attention which helped him? The nurse said that it
was.

Then came a time when, though still indefatigable in her attention to
the two invalids, she learned to manage both house and farm. She took
the accounts and the superintendence into her own hands. It was a task
she enjoyed, for she had the gift of order and management. Mrs. Dawes
was astonished.

No anxiety for the future did Mary display, no regret for the pleasures
of the past. To those who pitied her she said that it was indeed sad
that her father and Mrs. Dawes were ill, but that except for this she
was perfectly contented.

* * * * *

One unusually warm day in the middle of August she had been very busy
since early morning, looking forward all the time to a plunge in the sea
as soon as her work was done.

Between five and six they ran down, Mary and little Nanna. They both
went into the bathing-house, for it was one of Nanna's greatest
pleasures to attend to Mary's beautiful hair; to-day it was to hang
loose. After taking it down, Nanna ran up to the big stone on the ridge,
to keep a look-out on both sides. Mary meant to go into the water with
nothing on, that she might enjoy her bath thoroughly.

She swam out at once to the island. From there she could herself see the
inlet on both sides and the roads. No one anywhere, no danger--therefore
back again!

The sea caressed and upheld her; upon th