ear doctor, my dear doctor, only one peep--one little peep--I saw your
face--let me see my Ralphie's!"

"Not yet, it is not safe."

"But only for a moment. Don't put the bandage on for one moment. Just
think, doctor, I have never seen my boy; I've seen other people's
children, but never once my own, own darling. Oh, dear doctor--"

"You are exciting yourself. Listen to me; if you don't behave yourself
now you may never see your child."

"Yes, yes, I will behave myself; I will be very good. Only don't shut me
up in darkness again until I see my boy. Greta, bring him to me.
Listen: I hear his breathing. Go for my darling. The kind doctor won't
be angry with you. Tell him that if I see my child it will cure me. I
know it will."

Greta's eyes were swimming in tears.

"Rest quiet, Mercy. Everything may be lost if you disturb yourself now,
my dear."

The doctors were wrapping bandage over bandage, and fixing them firmly
at the back of their patient's head.

"Now listen again," said one of them. "This bandage must be kept over
your eyes for a week."

"A week--a whole week? Oh, doctor, you might as well say forever!"

"I say a week. And if you should ever remove it--"

"Not for an instant? Not raise it a little?"

"If you ever remove it for an instant, or raise it ever so little, you
will assuredly lose your sight forever. Remember that."

"Oh, doctor, it is terrible! Why did you not tell me so before? Oh, this
is worse than blindness! Think of the temptation, and I have never seen
my boy!"

The doctor had fixed the bandage, and his voice was less stern, but no
less resolute.

"You must obey me," he said; "I will come again this day week, and then
you shall see your child, and your father, and this young lady, and
everybody. But, mind, if you don't obey me you will never see anything.
You will have one glance of your little boy, and then be blind forever,
or perhaps--yes, perhaps die."

Mercy lay quiet for a moment. Then she said in a low voice:

"Dear doctor, you must forgive me. I am very willful, and I promised to
be so good. I will not touch the bandage. No, for the sake of my little
boy, I will never, never touch it. You shall come yourself and take it
off, and then I shall see him."

The doctors went away. Greta remained all night in the cottage.

"You are happy now, Mercy?" said Greta.

"Oh, yes," said Mercy. "Just think, only a week! And he must be so
beautiful by this time."

When Greta took