se to
the bed a wicker chair, with silk cushions, was drawn up, as if in
expectation of a guest. The head of the bed was toward her, so that
she couldn't see Simeon's face, but he heard the rustle of skirts, and
called her name, and she made a step forward and sank on her knees
beside him.

"Oh, Simeon," she gasped, "how you have suffered! I am so sorry!"

He moved his hand feebly and patted her shoulder, and she, in a
passion of pity, carried it to her lips. For the first time she
ventured to look at him. Was this Simeon! She would have passed him in
a hospital ward as an utter stranger, so completely was he changed. He
had discarded his spectacles, and his eyes were dull and faded; pain
had robbed them of that expression of concentrated wisdom she knew so
well. He wore a short, curling beard and mustache, and his clothing,
supplied from Stephen's wardrobe, was luxurious; it was silk, of a
faint color between blue and gray, and the handkerchief, protruding
from the pocket, was delicately fine. Extreme neatness was
characteristic of Simeon, but he disliked anything florid in dress or
appearance, anything opposed to the austere simplicity that marked his
manner of living. She wondered whether such things mattered to him
now.

He noticed her start of surprise as her eyes met his, and fancied she
was shocked by the ravages of illness, for he said, with a touch of
his old irritation:

"Didn't they tell you I was dying? Are you afraid to be left alone
with me? You used to be a courageous person, Deena."

The querulousness with which he began the sentence melted into a
rallying smile.

"Oh, no," she said, "I am not afraid. I am too sorry to be
frightened."

"There is a bell, in case you want to summon the doctor," he
continued, "but I should rather talk to you alone. I have been very
homesick for you, and for the old house--sometimes the longing has
been most acute--and then the anxiety of leaving you poorly provided
for has been part of my distress. If I could have lived a few years
more this would have been obviated, and possibly, even now, my book
will add something to your income." He made a visible effort to speak
clearly. "Now, in regard to your future support; I have a life
insurance of ten thousand dollars, and securities to about the same
amount--and then, of course, the house. This is all I have been able
to save, though I have cut our living down to bare necessities. You
have been of great assistance to