contentment of spirit. After living an invalid's life for
these past weeks, it was delightfully refreshing to look at the big
strong face. The sight of it was like a fresh breeze coming into the
close, heated room, and she felt as if some of his superabundant energy
had come into her own weak frame.

A little later the vicarage party arrived, and greeted the two
convalescents with warmest affection. If they were shocked at the sight
of Rosalind's disfigurement and Peggy's emaciation, three out of the
four were polite enough to disguise their feelings; but it was too much
to expect of Mellicent that she should disguise what she happened to be
feeling. She stared and gaped, and stared again, stuttering with
consternation--

"Why--why--Rosalind--your hair! It's shorter than mine! It doesn't
come down to your shoulders! Did they cut it all off? What did you do
with the rest? And your poor cheek! Will you have that mark all your
life?"

"I don't know. Mother is going to twy electwicity for it. It will fade
a good deal, I suppose, but I shall always be a fwight. I'm twying to
wesign myself to be a hideous monster!" sighed Rosalind, turning her
head towards the window the while in such a position that the scar was
hidden from view, and she looked more like the celestial choir-boy of
Peggy's delirium than ever, with the golden locks curling round her
neck, and the big eyes raised to the ceiling in a glance of pathetic
resignation.

Rob guffawed aloud with the callousness of a brother; but the other two
lads gazed at her with an adoring admiration which was balm to her vain
little heart. Vain still, for a nature does not change in a day; and,
though Rosalind was an infinitely more lovable person now than she had
been a few weeks before, the habits of a lifetime were still strong upon
her, and she could never by any possibility be indifferent to
admiration, or pass a mirror without stopping to examine the progress of
that disfiguring scar.

"It wouldn't have mattered half so much if it had been Peggy's face that
was spoiled," continued Mellicent, with cruel outspokenness, "and it is
only her hands that are hurt. Things always go the wrong way in this
world! I never saw anything like it. You know that night-dress bag I
was working for mother, Peggy? Well, I only got two skeins of the blue
silk, and then if I didn't run short, and they hadn't any more in the
shop. The other shades don't match at all, and it