Ah, my child, you can never know how much!" answered the woman with
unexpected warmth; and Peace, convinced, cried contritely, "I didn't
mean that, Miss Wayne, truly. But, oh, how I hate to have you go! It'll
be so lonesome!"

"O, no. You are progressing famously in the handling of your chair, and
now you can carry a little sunshine into the other sick rooms. Lots of
patients will be delighted to see our little canary,--you know that is
what the little lady down the hall has called you ever since she heard
you whistling so merrily the other day."

The thin face brightened. "Yes, it will be lovely to get acquainted with
all these sick folks," she acknowledged, "but that won't make up for
losing you."

Miss Wayne smiled her appreciation of the compliment, as she replied,
"You won't lose me entirely yet. My new case is to be here in the
hospital, too. The ambulance will bring him in this afternoon; so
perhaps you will see quite a little of me for some weeks--days to come."

"O, goody! That will be nice, if I _must_ give you up, to have you still
in the hospital. Who is your new patient?"

"An old, old gentleman who fell on the pavement yesterday and fractured
his hip."

"Does Dr. Dick take care of him?"

"No, he is Dr. Race's patient."

"O, dear! S'posing Dr. Race won't let you come and see me sometimes?"

"Then you come and see me."

"That's so. I can go in my chair, can't I? How nice it is to be able to
get about by yourself again, when it's been so you couldn't for such a
long time!" And Peace rolled the light chair across the floor to watch
the brief process of packing, while she laid eager plans for seeing her
beloved nurse each day.

But she did miss the dear woman very much at first. Being cared for by
general nurses, who must be summoned by bell every time they are needed,
is vastly different from having one special nurse constantly within
call; and Peace felt this difference keenly in spite of Gail's daily
presence. But as Miss Wayne had predicted, she found her wheel-chair a
great diversion and a source of much amusement. It was such fun to be
able to propel one's self along the wide corridors and Peace's natural
curiosity and investigative habit were never so well satisfied as when
she was poking about to see for herself what was happening around her.

Her reputation had preceded her all over the great building, and as soon
as the other invalids learned that she had graduated to a wheel-chair,
the