for you presently." Mrs. Hunt raised her
white face, and the nurse's professional calmness wavered a little.
She patted her shoulder.

"There--there, my dear!" she said. "He's going to do very well.
Don't you worry. He'll be teaching me to ride that pony before we
know where we are." She busied herself about the boy with deft
touches. "Now just keep very quiet--put Mother to sleep, if you like,
for she's a tired old mother." She hastened back to Norah.

"Is she all right?" David Linton's voice was sharp with anxiety. "She
has never moved."

"The best thing for her," said the nurse, putting him aside and
beginning to massage this new patient. "If I can rub some of the
stiffness away before she becomes conscious it will save her a lot.
Run away, there's a dear man, and tell that poor soul in the kitchen
that the child is all right."

"He will live?"

"Rather! That sleep has taken every trace of the fever away. He's
weak, of course, but we can deal with that when there's no
temperature. Tell Eva to make tea--lots of it. We all want it."

"Thus it was that presently might have been seen the astounding
spectacle of a grizzled Australian squatter and a little Cockney
serving-maid holding each other's hands in a back kitchen.

"I knew it was orright when I 'eard you comin' down the 'all," said
Eva tearfully. "No one's 'ad that sort of a step in this 'ouse since
Master Geoff went sick. The dear lamb! Won't it be 'evinly to see
'is muddy boot-marks on me clean floor agin! An' him comin' to me
kitching window an' askin' me for grub! I'll 'ave tea in a jiffy,
sir. An' please 'scuse me for ketchin' old of you like that, but I'd
'ave bust if I 'adn't 'eld on to somefink!"

Geoffrey dropped off to sleep again, presently, and Mrs. Hunt came to
Norah, who was conscious, and extremely stiff, but otherwise too happy
to care for aches and pains. They did not speak at first, those two
had gone down to the borderland of Death to bring back little,
wandering feet; only they looked at each other, and clung together,
still trembling, though only the shadow of fear remained.

After that Geoffrey mended rapidly, and, having been saintlike when
very ill, became just an ordinary little sinner in his convalescence,
and taxed every one's patience to keep him amused. Alison and
Michael, who were anxiously watched for developing symptoms, refused
to develop anything at all, remaining in the rudest health; so that
they wer