to get away from here altogether. I
want to get out into the country. My father is sick; we had to send him
to the hospital last night."

The second-hand man shook his head. "You vas a kindt-hearted lady," he
said, with less of his professional whine. "I gif you twenty."

And above that sum Lyddy could not move him. But she would not decide
then and there. She felt that she must see her father, and consult with
'Phemie, and possibly talk to Aunt Jane, too.

"You come here to-morrow morning and I'll tell you," she said, finally.

She locked the flat again and followed the man down the long flights to
the street. It was not far to the hospital and Lyddy did not arrive there
much before the visitors' hour.

The house physician called her into his office before she went up to the
ward in which her father had been placed. Already she was assured that he
was comfortable, so the keenness of her anxiety was allayed.

"What are your circumstances, Miss Bray?" demanded the medical head of
the hospital, bluntly. "I mean your financial circumstances?"

"We--we are poor, sir. And we were burned out last night, and have no
insurance. I do not know what we really shall do--yet."

"You are the house-mother--eh?" he demanded.

"I am the oldest. There are only Euphemia and me, beside poor papa----"

"Well, it's regarding your father I must speak. He's in a bad way. We can
do him little good here, save that he will rest and have nourishing food.
But if he goes back to work again----"

"I know it's bad for him!" cried Lyddy, with clasped hands. "But what
can we do? He _will_ crawl out to the shop as long as they will let him
come----"

"He'll not crawl out for a couple of weeks--I'll see to that," said the
doctor, grimly. "He'll stay here. But beyond that time I cannot promise.
Our public wards are very crowded, and of course, you have no relatives,
nor friends, able to furnish a private room----"

"Oh, no, sir!" gasped Lyddy.

"Nor is _that_ the best for him. He ought to be out of the city
altogether--country air and food--mountain air especially----"

"Hillcrest!" exclaimed Lyddy, aloud.

"What's that?" the doctor snapped at her, quickly.

She told him about the farm--where it was, and all.

"That's a good place for him," replied the physician, coolly. "It's three
or four hundred feet higher above sea-level than the city. It will do
him more good to live in that air than a ton of medicine. And he can go in
two weeks,