Mrs. Downs, furiously. "He must be a pretty
man to send you across the bar in the night and such a storm, to fetch
his mail. I'd like to throw it right straight in the water, that I
would, and serve him right. The idea!"

"Oh, he didn't mean that I should go,--he didn't know any thing about
it," protested Eyebright. "He asked me to send our hired man, and when
I told him we hadn't any hired man, he said then he would come
himself; but he was too sick. He said such queer things that I was
frightened. And then he went to sleep, and I came. Please tell me what
time it is; I must go to the office right away."

"Indeed you won't," said Mrs. Downs. "You'll come straight upstairs
and go to bed. I'll wake him up. He'll take it. There's plenty of
time. 'T isn't six yet, and the stage'll be late this morning, I'll
bet."

"Oh, I can't go to bed; I must go back to the island," Eyebright
pleaded. "The man who came is all alone there, and you can't think how
sick he is."

"Poor man or not, you'll go to bed," said Mrs. Downs, inexorably,
helping the tired child upstairs. "Me and Mr. Downs'll see to the poor
man. You ain't needed to carry the hull world on your back as long as
there's any grown folks left, you poor little mite. Go to bed and
sleep, and we'll look after your man."

Eyebright was too tired to resist.

"Oh, please ask Mr. Downs to take a receipt, the man was so particular
about that," was her only protest.

She fell asleep the moment her head touched the pillow, and knew
nothing more till after noon, when she opened her eyes, feeling for a
moment entirely bewildered as to where she was. Then, as it all came
back to her mind, she jumped up in a hurry. Her clothes, nicely dried,
lay on a chair beside the bed. She hurried them on, and ran
downstairs.

Nobody was visible except little Benny, who told her that his mother
had "gone along up to the island."

"She said you was to eat some breakfast," he added. "It's in the oven
a-keepin' warm. Shall I show you where it is?"

"Oh, never mind," cried Eyebright. "Never mind about breakfast, Benny.
I don't feel hungry."

"Ma said you _must_," declared Benny, opening the oven door and
disclosing a plate full of something very dry and black. "Oh, dear,
it's all got burned up."

"I'll drink some milk instead," said Eyebright. "Who's that coming up
the road, Benny?"

"It's Pa. I guess he's come back to get you," said Benny, running out
to meet him.

Mr. Downs had co