ather-tanned face.

"Don't leave me! Look! There are devils around me--cold white
devils--devils with blank faces--no features, only flesh.
Look! Sunday, Monday, Tuesday--every day with a devil, every day in
the year--look, look!"

"Pore soul!" whispered Paul; "an' 'tes Leap Year, too, which makes
wan extry."

"Don't leave me, Tamsin--don't leave me!"

The sick man's voice rose to a scream. Caleb bent forward and tried
to soothe him. The mahogany faces of the Twins were blanched.
They whispered apart--

"You was right, Peter."

"Aye, more's the pity. I thought the lass misliked 'un--the bigger
fool I. 'Twas on'y yestiddy I guessed more was troublin' her than
her soiled gown, an' tax'd her wi' et. We used to pride oursel' on
knawin' her wants afore her spoke--an' now--"

Peter weakly concluded with a sigh.

"Bring Tamsin down an' help me here," said Caleb, from across the
room.

The pair started.

"That es," he went on, "ef she'll come. You heerd maaster? Well, he
said purty much the same to her yestiddy; so her won't be frightened.
Leastways, go an' say you'm comin' yoursel' to help nuss; 'cos ef you
won't I'll nuss 'un alone, an' ef that's the case, you'm a queer pair
o' Christians, as the Devil said to the two black pigs."

"Fact es," hesitated Peter, "I'd a-larnt so much las' evenin' from
Tamsin, though she were main loth to tell; an' Paul agreed as we'd
call this mornin' an' tell Mr. Fogo as 'twarn't right for 'n to set
hes thoughts 'pon Tamsin, who isn' a leddy, nor to put notions in her
head as'll gi'e her pain hereafter. An' that's all 'bout et; an' us
brought a whack o' vegetable produce 'long wi' us, jes' to show there
was no ill-feelin's. But as et turns out, neither argyment nor
vegetables bein' acceptable to a party that's sick wi' a fever, I be
clane floored for what to do."

"Well, now, I've a-told 'ee. An' don't let the grass grow 'neath
your feet, 'cos 'twill grow fast enough over your heads some day."

The Twins, unable to cope with Caleb's determination, stole
noiselessly out. And thus it was that when, late in the afternoon,
the little Doctor returned, he found Peter and Paul, in large blue
aprons, busily helpless downstairs, and Tamsin, bright-eyed and warm
of cheek, seated by the sick man's bedside.

On the following morning, which the reader, should he care to
calculate, will find to be Tuesday, Admiral Buzza dropped his
newspaper with a start, and glared across th