by surprise that I had yielded before I
knew I was attacked. It was their shrinking movement that did it. My
answer was almost as automatic and involuntary as their retreat.

"You see it would not be wise for any of us to go about," I said. "A
fever breaking out in the island, especially now you have no resident
doctor, would be very serious. I think it will be best to isolate this
case till we see the nature of the fever. You will do me a favor by
warning the people away from us at present. The storm has saved us so
far, but now we must take other precautions."

This I said with a grave tone and face, knowing all the while that there
was no fear whatever for the people of Sark. Was there a propensity in
me, not hitherto developed, to make the worst of a case?

"Good-by, Martin, good-by," cried Emma, backing out through the open
door. "Come away, Maria. We have run no risk yet, Martin, have we? Do
not come any nearer to us. We have touched nothing, except shaking hands
with you. Are we quite safe?"

"Is the young woman so very ill?" inquired Maria from a safe distance
outside the house.

I shook my head in silence, and pointed to the door of the inner room,
intimating to them that she was no farther away than there. An
expression of horror came over both their faces. Scarcely waiting to
bestow upon me a gesture of farewell, they fled, and I saw them hurrying
with unusual rapidity across the fold.

I had at least secured isolation for myself and my patient. But why had
I been eager to do so? I could not answer that question to myself, and I
did not ponder over it many minutes. I was impatient, yet strangely
reluctant, to look at the sick girl again, after the loss of her
beautiful hair. It was still daylight. The change in her appearance
struck me as singular. Her face before had a look of suffering and
trouble, making it almost old, charming as it was; now she had the
aspect of quite a young girl, scarcely touching upon womanhood. Her hair
had not been shorn off closely--the woman could not manage that--and
short, wavy tresses, like those of a young child, were curling about her
exquisitely-shaped head. The white temples, with their blue, throbbing
veins, were more visible, with the small, delicately-shaped ears. I
should have guessed her age now as barely fifteen--almost that of a
child. Thus changed, I felt more myself in her presence, more as I
should have been in attendance upon any child. I scanned her face