them as if she were selling corn-cure. She was a trifle excited, to be
sure, now that she was fairly launched on her philanthropic expedition;
also the fact that the two women in the room were absolutely silent and
gave no hint of how they were going to take this tide of insults was
somewhat disconcerting. However, Gila was not easily disconcerted. She
was very angry, and her anger had been growing in force all night. The
greatest insult that man could offer her had been heaped upon her by
Courtland, and there was no punishment too great to be meted out to the
unfortunate innocent who had been the occasion of it. Gila did not care
what she said, and she had no fear of any consequences whatever. There
had not, so far to her knowledge, lived the man who could not be called
back and humbled to her purpose after she had punished him sufficiently
for any offense he might knowingly or unknowingly have committed. That
she really had begun to admire Courtland, and to desire him in some
degree for her own, only added fuel to her fire. This girl whom he had
dared to pity should be burned and tortured; she should be insulted and
extinguished utterly, so that she would never dare to lift her head
again within recognizable distance of Paul Courtland, or she would know
the reason why. Paul Courtland was _hers_--if she chose to have him; let
no other girl dare to look at him!

The nurse stood, starched and stern, with growing indignation at the
audacity of the stranger. Only the petrification of absolute
astonishment, and wonder as to what would happen next, took her off her
guard for the moment and prevented her from ousting the young lady from
the premises instantly. There was also the magic name of the handsome
young gentleman that had been used as password, and the very slight
possibility that this might be some rich relative of the lovely young
patient that she would not like to have put out. The nurse looked from
Bonnie to the visitor in growing wrath and perplexity.

Bonnie lay wide-eyed and amazed, startled bewilderment and growing
dignity in her face. Two soft, pink spots of color began to bloom out in
her cheeks, and her eyes took on a twinkle of amusement. She was
watching the visitor as if she were a passing Punch-and-Judy show come
in to play for a moment for her entertainment. She lay and regarded her
and her tawdry display of finery with a quiet, disinterested aloofness
that was beginning to get on Gila's nerves.

"