he had a good deal to say about his new patients.

"I am in luck," he said, as he stood warming himself before the fire,
while the two women watched him. "I thought of course when they sent
for me that it was because I was the nearest doctor, and that perhaps
their own medical man was engaged--in an imminent case like that it is
impossible to wait--but no, it was nothing of the kind. Mrs. Stanwell
told me herself--she is such a nice little person, Livy--that they have
only been a few months at Fairfax Lodge, and that before that they had
lived in Yorkshire.

"Being strangers in the place they were sadly perplexed on the subject
of doctors, until the nurse told her mistress that she had seen me
going in and out of Galvaston House. And this decided Mrs. Stanwell to
send for me. As I was able to do the child good, they are ridiculously
grateful. I am likely to have another patient there; Mrs. Stanwell has
an aunt living with her, and she is ailing. I have only taken a hasty
diagnosis of the case, but I am going again to-morrow. I am half
afraid the poor old lady is in a bad way."

"It is a long lane that has no turning, Marcus," observed Aunt Madge.
"There, you must take Olive away, she has been wearying the past
half-hour to get back to Dot!" but as they left her alone in the
firelight she said to herself:

"Dear things, how happy they look! at their age life is so dreadfully
exciting. I believe myself Marcus will get on; he is really clever,
and never spares himself, but I doubt if Livy or I will ever be so
interested in anyone as we are in Marcus's first patient."

Olivia would have indorsed this sentiment readily; before long Mr.
Gaythorne became an important factor in her daily life, the friendship
between them ripened rapidly.

Olivia kept to her resolution of never going to Galvaston House unless
she were specially invited; but every three or four days a message from
the old man reached her.

Olivia, whose only dissipation had been a weekly tea with Aunt Madge,
and a biannual call at the Vicarage, with or without tea, according to
Mrs. Tolman's mood, found these afternoons at Galvaston House very
stimulating.

At first she was sorry when Mr. Gaythorne gave up sitting in the winter
garden, and ensconced himself in the library, but she soon changed her
opinion when he began to show her his curiosities and rare prints. He
had so much to tell her about the birds and butterflies in the museum
as he ca