."

"You did just right," Darrell answered, dashing away the ice from his
face; "I only wish you had sent for me earlier--as soon as this
happened. How is Mr. Underwood?"

"He is in pretty bad shape, but the doctors think he will pull through.
They have been working over him all night, and he is getting so he can
move the right hand a little, but the other side seems badly paralyzed."

"Is he conscious?"

"Yes, he moves his hand when we speak to him, but he looks so worried.
That was one reason why I sent for you; I thought he would feel easier
to know you were here."

As Darrell approached the bedside he was shocked at the changes wrought
in so short a time in the stern, but genial face. It had aged twenty
years, and the features, partially drawn to one side, had, as Mrs. Dean
remarked, a strained, worried expression. The eyes of the sick man
brightened for an instant as Darrell bent over him, assuring him that he
would attend to everything, but the anxious look still remained.

"I don't know anything about David's business affairs," Mrs. Dean
remarked, as she and Darrell left the room, "but I know as well as I
want to that this was brought on by some business trouble. I am
satisfied something was wrong at the office yesterday, though I wouldn't
say so to any one but you."

"Why do you think so?" Darrell queried, in surprise.

"Because he was all right when he went away yesterday morning, but when
he came home at noon he was different from what I had ever seen him
before. He had just that worried look he has now, and he seemed
absent-minded. He was in a great hurry to get back, and the head
book-keeper tells me he called for the books to be brought into his
private office, and that he spent most of the afternoon going through
them. He says that about four o'clock he went through the office, and
David was sitting before his desk with his head on his hands, and he
didn't speak or look up. A little while afterwards they heard the sound
of something heavy falling and ran to his room, and he had fallen on the
floor."

"It does look," Darrell admitted, thoughtfully, "as though this may have
been caused by the discovery of some wrong condition of affairs."

"Yes, and it must be pretty serious," Mrs. Dean rejoined, "to bring
about such results as these."

"Well," said Darrell, "we may not be able to arrive at the cause of this
for some time. The first thing to be done is to see that you take a good
rest; don't ha