return of displeasure?"

"No, sir."

There was something so exceedingly sweet in Daisy's expression of face,
so unruffled in its loving calm and assurance, that Dr Sandford
received quite a new impression in his views of human character.

"I shall have an account to settle with that young Preston one of these
days," he remarked as he took Daisy's little form in his arms.

"O he did nothing!" said Daisy. "It wasn't Preston at all. He had
nothing to do with it!"

"He had not?" said the doctor.

"Not at all; nor any other boy."

"Beyond my management, then!" said the doctor; and he moved off. He had
stood still to say that word or two; Daisy's arm was round his neck to
help support herself; the two looked into each other's faces. Certainly
that had come to pass which at one time she had thought unlikely; Daisy
was very fond of the doctor.

He carried her now down to the library, and laid her on a sofa. Nobody
at all was there. The long windows were standing open; the morning sweet
air blew gently in; the books, and chairs, and tables which made the
room pretty to Daisy's eyes, looked very pleasant after the long weeks
in which she had not seen them. But along with her joy at seeing them
again was mixed a vivid recollection of the terrible scene she had gone
through there, a few days before her accident. However, nothing could
make Daisy anything but happy just now.

"You must remain here until I come again," said the doctor; "and now I
will send some of the rest of the family to you."

The first one that came was her father. He sat down by the sofa, and was
so tenderly glad to have her there again, that Daisy's little heart
leaped for joy. She put her hand in his, and lay looking into his face.

"Papa, it is nice," she said.

"What?"

"O to be here, and with you again."

Mr. Randolph put his lips down to Daisy's, and kissed them a good many
times.

"Do you know we are going to Silver Lake with you as soon as you are
strong enough?"

"O yes, papa! Dr. Sandford says he can manage it. But I don't know
when."

"In a week or two more."

"Papa, who is going?"

"Everybody, I suppose."

"But I mean, is anybody to be invited?"

"I think we must ask Dr. Sandford."

"O yes, papa! I wish he would go. But is anybody else to be asked?"

"I do not know, Daisy. Whom would you like to have invited?"

"Papa, I would like _very_ much to have Nora Dinwiddie. She has come
back."

"Well, tell your mother so."