the breakfast came, you may be sure it was served on the very best
tray the house afforded,--the gold-lacquered one, with the bronze dragon
curling about it; and the broth was in the blue Sevres bowl, with golden
pheasants strutting round it.

"Dem's de nearest to chick'ns I could find!" said Auntie, and Hildegarde
forbore to point out to her that she, Hildegarde, had never been allowed
to so much as dust this precious piece of china, much less to eat out of
it. And the toast was like thin strips of edible gold, so that both
Hugh and Hildegarde declared King Midas could not have had such a bad
time of it after all, if he had a cook anything like Auntie. It was hard
to tell who most enjoyed the broth and toast, Hugh who ate it, Auntie
who made it, or Hildegarde who held the spoon, and broke off the crisp
bits. It was a happy little feast, and the doctor was a joyful man when
he looked in on it an hour or so later. He said that all would go well
now.

"Slowly! slowly! No hurry! Keep him here a while yet, and don't let him
see too many people; no excitable folks, who will weep over him,"--Hilda
and her mother exchanged a guilty glance,--"keep him in bed for a day or
two, till he gets his balance entirely. Good-bye! God bless you!"

The good man trotted off briskly, and they heard him greeting some one
on the veranda below.

"Doing finely! finely! All right now; a little quiet, a little
care,--going in? Yes! Oh, yes! See you all right! Told them to keep
noisy folks away. Good-morning!"

Mrs. Grahame went out, and spoke in a low voice with some one now in the
hall. Some one was speaking in return, very low; yet not so low but that
Hildegarde's heart began to throb, and the colour to mount high over
cheek and brow; not so low but that Hugh, who had the fine ear of some
woodland creature, sat up in bed, and clapped his hands.

"It is Captain Roger, Beloved! It is himself; do you hear his voice? And
he must come up, please, this moment of time, to see me, and to let me
tell him what is in my heart for him."

Hildegarde hesitated; there was a tumult within her that made her feel
uncertain what was best to do or say; but in this moment Mrs. Grahame
had brought Roger up-stairs, and now he was here, on the threshold. He
was in the room; he was holding her hand, and looking at her with his
bright, kind gaze.

Neither of them spoke; it was Hugh who broke the silence. Roger had sat
down by him, after that first silent greeti