to Lady Malvern.

"I shall be only too pleased to have the young lady brought into my
house, madam," she said. "A very good doctor lives just round the
corner, and he can be summoned at once."

"Yes, yes; send for him immediately," said Quentyns.

He strode into the house with his light burden. Hilda was laid upon a
sofa, and in a few moments the doctor arrived. He felt her all over and
said that no bones were broken, and that no severe injury of any kind
had occurred, but both fall and shock had been very severe. He counseled
her being left undisturbed in her present condition until the morning.

"Then I will go home," said Lady Malvern. "You will look after her
yourself, Jasper?"

"Need you ask?" he replied. He followed his aunt to the door as he
spoke.

"Hilda had a narrow escape of her life," said Lady Malvern, looking full
at her nephew as she spoke. "How sudden and awful it all was! There were
we chatting together, and thinking no more of danger than if such a
thing did not exist, when all in an instant came that awful bolt from
the blue. I shall never forget the swinging of the carriage and the way
the horses looked when they plunged and kicked about, or the white
piteous face of your sweet little Hilda, who would not scream nor show
any outward sign of terror. I thought it was all over with both of us--I
did really, Jasper. I cannot tell you how thankful we ought to be that
things are no worse."

"You are sure then that Hilda is not in danger?" queried the young man
in a tremulous voice.

"No, no; what did you hear the doctor say, you silly boy? Perhaps the
best thing that could have happened to Hilda was this accident, dreadful
as it was for the moment. Perhaps--well, Jasper, I think you must know
what I mean."

"Has Hilda been talking about me?" asked Jasper, a wave of red mounting
to his brow.

"Talking about you?" replied his aunt, now thoroughly angry; "only in
the way that Hilda can talk of those whom she loves best on earth.
Jasper, you are the luckiest man in the world, and if you don't contrive
to make that sweet child the happiest woman, I for one will have nothing
to do with you again."

"No fear, no fear, if she loves me in that way," murmured Jasper.

He turned abruptly on his heel and went back to the room where his wife
lay. He was a very proud, reserved man, and even in moments of the
deepest agitation would scarcely reveal his real sentiments. But that
moment, when he had looked