ll to the account of the fever, she was so
quiet; and proceeded to a new examination of the state of her hand, and
to give her various professional orders.

"Miss Faith, can you do anything in the way of eating?"

Her very face as well as her tongue seemed to answer him, "Not much."

"Do you think of anything you could fancy?"

"No."--

"I brought some birds home with me that I believe I can answer for. Try
to demolish the pinion of one of them--will you? It is a duty you owe
to society."

"I will try,"--she said gravely.

The doctor wondered whether she had laid up against him any of his
former conversation.

"What do you think," he said with a kind of gentle insinuation,--"of
that argument I ventured to advance the other day, on the matter we
were speaking of?"

"I don't like to think of it at all, Dr. Harrison."

"May I know why not?"

"Because I know it is false, and yet I cannot make you see it."

"Can you make yourself see it?"

"I don't need to take any pains for that. I see it very well."

"Perhaps you will find the way to make me see it," said the doctor
pleasantly.

"That would be easy," said Faith, "if--"

"If what? May I not know the difficulty?"

"If you really cared about it."

"I do care about it. You mistake me when you think that. But you must
not think about anything now. Did you know I carried off your rosebud
the other night?"

"Yes."

It was impossible to tell from the doctor's accent how _he_ viewed the
transaction, and equally impossible from Faith's answer to tell what
she thought of it. Extremes meet--as Mr. Linden had once remarked.

"I'll endeavour to atone for that presumption to-morrow," said he
rising, for Mrs. Derrick now entered the room. To her Dr. Harrison
repeated his orders and counsels, and to Faith's relief took himself
away. Her mother came up to the easy-chair with a smothered sigh on her
lips, and laid her gentle hand on Faith's forehead and wrist.

"Child," she said, "has that man talked you into a fever again? I've a
great mind not to let him come any more--I guess I could cure you
better myself. If you'd send word to somebody else, Faith, we'd have
you well in no time."

"I haven't heard from him to-night, mother." Faith felt the little
start of her mother's hand.

"Maybe he's coming then," said Mrs. Derrick,--"he might have meant to
come yesterday and been hindered." Faith did not think that.

"We shall know," she said to her mother. "We have