his anxiety, straightway forgave him.

"You tell me I must avoid excitement and await the news with composure.
For heaven's sake, man, be reasonable. You might as well recommend
your next moribund victim to get up and take exercise," he grumbled to
the physician.

But the longest afternoon passes at length, and when the sunset glories
flamed in the western sky, and the great peaks put on fading splendors
of saffron and crimson, three black moving objects became visible on a
hill-crest bare of the climbing firs. Geoffrey watched them with
straining eyes, and it was a wonderful picture that he looked
upon--black gorge, darkening forest, drifting haze in the hollows, and
unearthly splendors above; but he regarded it only as a fit setting for
the slight figure in the foreground that swayed to the stride of a
galloping horse. He was not surprised--it seemed perfectly appropriate
that Helen should bring him the news--though his fingers trembled and
his lips twitched.

"We shall know the best or worst in five minutes. You have done your
utmost, doctor, but I'll get up and annihilate you with your own
bottles if you give me good advice now," he said, and the surgeon,
seeing protests were useless, laughed.

Mrs. Savine said nothing. She was in a state of nervous tension, too,
and merely laid her hand on the patient, restrainingly, as he strove
with small success to raise himself a little. Meantime the horse came
nearer, its bridle dripping with flakes of spume. Its rider was
sprinkled with snow and her skirt was besmeared with lather, but she
came on at a gallop until she reined in the panting horse beneath the
window, and flinging one arm aloft sat in the saddle with her flushed
face turned towards the watchers. No bearer of good tidings ever
appeared more beautiful to an anxious man.

"It is triumph!" she cried.

"Thank God!" answered Mrs. Savine, who slipped quietly from the room.

Little time elapsed before Helen entered the room where Geoffrey
impatiently waited for her, but brief as it was, there was no sign of
hurried travel about her. Her apparel was fresh and dainty, and there
was even a flower from Mexico at her belt. She went straight to
Geoffrey and bent over him.

"All has gone well--better, I understand, than you even hoped for, and
you have done a great thing, Geoffrey," she said. "You have saved me
my inheritance--which is of small importance--and--I know all now--my
father's honor. You hav