rompted me to look into the case, I released the little
cripple, cleansed the deep wound which the threads had cut in his flesh,
and have since been watching him during his convalescence. Now he is
quite in a fair way, but I had to apply some salve, and to cut off the
feathers about the wound, and the little fool squirmed under the pain,
and grew rebellious. Only notice this scar, if you please, Miss Oddson,
and you may imagine what the poor thing must have suffered."

Augusta gave a start; she timidly raised her eyes, and saw Strand's
grave gaze fixed upon her. She felt as if some intolerable spell had
come over her, and, as her agitation increased, her power of speech
seemed utterly to desert her.

"Ah, you have not been listening to me?" said Strand, in a tone of
wondering inquiry. "Pardon me for presuming to believe that my little
invalid could be as interesting to you as he is to me."

"Mr. Strand," stammered the girl, while the invisible tears came near
choking her voice. "Mr. Strand--I didn't mean--really--"

She knew that if she said another word she should burst into tears. With
a violent effort, she gathered up her wrapper, which somehow had got
unbuttoned at the neck, and, with heedlessly hurrying steps, darted away
toward the house.

Strand stood looking after her, quite unmindful of his feathered
patient, which flew chirping about him in the grass. Two hours later
Arnfinn found him sitting under the birches with his hands clasped
over the top of his head, and his surgical instruments scattered on the
ground around him.

"Corpo di Baccho," exclaimed the student, stooping to pick up the
precious tools; "have you been amputating your own head, or is it I who
am dreaming?"

"Ah," murmured Strand, lifting a large, strange gaze upon his friend,
"is it you?"

"Who else should it be? I come to call you to breakfast."

IV.

"I wonder what is up between Strand and Augusta?" said Arnfinn to his
cousin Inga. The questioner was lying in the grass at her feet, resting
his chin on his palms, and gazing with roguishly tender eyes up into
her fresh, blooming face; but Inga, who was reading aloud from "David
Copperfield," and was deep in the matrimonial tribulations of that noble
hero, only said "hush," and continued reading. Arnfinn, after a minute's
silence, repeated his remark, whereupon his fair cousin wrenched his
cane out of his hand, and held it threateningly over his head.

"Will you be a good b