w are we to-day? You are the pluckiest
little patient I've had for a long time. I'll say that for you! Let's
have another taste of the rack!" It was all most agreeable and soothing
to one's feelings!

One of the first questions Peggy asked after her return to consciousness
was as to how much her father and mother had been told of her accident,
and whether the news had been sent by letter or cable.

"By letter, dear," Mrs Asplin replied. "We talked it over carefully,
and concluded that that would be best. You know, dearie, we were very,
very anxious about you for a few days, but the doctor said that it would
be useless cabling to your mother, because if all went well you would be
up again before she could arrive, and if--if it had gone the other way,
Peggy, she could not have been in time. I sent her a long letter, and I
have written every mail since, and now we are going to calculate the
time when the first letter will arrive, and send a cable to say that you
are quite out of danger, and sitting up, and getting hungrier and more
mischievous with every day as it passes!"

"Thank you," said Peggy warmly. "That's very kind. I am glad you
thought of that; but will you please promise not to be economical about
the cable? They won't care about the money. Spend pounds over it if it
is necessary, but do, do manage to make them believe that I am quite
perky. Put at the end, `Peggy says she is perky!' They will know that
is genuine, and it will convince them more than anything else." And so
those five expressive words went flashing across the world at the end of
a long message, and brought comfort to two hearts that had been near to
breaking.

So soon as Peggy was pronounced to be out of danger, Mrs Asplin went
back to the vicarage, leaving her in the charge of the kind hospital
nurse, though for that matter every member of the household took it in
turns to wait upon her. A dozen times a day the master and mistress of
the house would come into the sick-room to inquire how things were
going, or to bring some little gift for the invalid; and as she grew
stronger it became the custom for father, mother, and daughter to join
her at her early tea. Peggy watched them from her sofa, too weak to
speak much, but keenly alive to all that was going on, among other
things, to the change which had come over these three persons since she
had known them first. Lord Darcy had always been kind and considerate,
but his manner