er ankle.

"Lame!" she repeated, in an alarmed voice, "is there any fear of that?"

"Not much," I answered, "but we must be careful, mam'zelle. You must
promise me not to set your foot on the ground, or in any way rest your
weight upon it, till I give you leave."

"That means that you will have to come to see me again," she said; "is
it not very difficult to come over from Guernsey?"

"Not at all," I answered, "it is quite a treat to me."

Her face grew very grave, as if she was thinking of some unpleasant
topic. She looked at me earnestly and questioningly.

"May I speak to you with great plainness, Dr. Martin?" she asked.

"Speak precisely what is in your mind at this moment," I replied.

"You are very, very good to me," she said, holding out her hand to me,
"but I do not want you to come more often than is quite necessary,
because I am very poor. If I were rich," she went on hurriedly, "I
should like you to come every day--it is so pleasant--but I can never
pay you sufficiently for that long week you were here. So please do not
visit me oftener than is quite necessary."

My face felt hot, but I scarcely knew what to say. I bungled out an
answer:

"I would not take any money from you, and I shall come to see you as
often as I can."

I bound up her little foot again without another word, and then sat
down, pushing my chair farther from her.

"You are not offended with me, Dr. Martin?" she asked, in a pleading
tone.

"No," I answered; "but you are mistaken in supposing that a medical man
has no love for his profession apart from its profits. To see that your
arm gets properly well is part of my duty, and I shall fulfil it without
any thought of whether I shall get paid for it or no."

"Now," she said, "I must let you know how poor I am. Will you please to
fetch me my box out of my room?"

I was only too glad to obey her. This seemed to be an opening to a
complete confidence between us. Now I came to think of it, Fortune had
favored me in thus throwing us together alone.

I lifted the small, light box very easily--there could not be many
treasures in it--and carried it back to her. She took a key out of her
pocket and unlocked it with some difficulty, but she could not raise the
lid without my help. I took care not to offer any assistance until she
asked it.

Yes, there were very few possessions in that light trunk, but the first
glance showed me a blue-silk dress, and seal-skin jacket and hat. I
li