other to the bitter end, and
often had she dreamed of these noble contests; but her eyes were all
unfamiliar with such inspiring sights. This truly was war.

"The combatants were both moderately young men, athletic and active, one
with brown hair and the other with black. They had thrown aside their
coats and vests, and each wore a broad leathern belt. Fiercely and
swiftly their long swords clashed. Sparks flew, and the ring of the
steel sounded far into the woods; but there was none to hear save Almia
only, and her soul tingled with admiration and terror as the bright
blades flashed against the background of semi-gloom which pervaded the
woods. She scarcely breathed. Her whole soul was in her eyes."

"I have seen it there before," thought John Gayther, but he said
nothing.

"Now there was a tremendous onset from each swordsman, and the ground
echoed beneath their rapid footfalls as they stamped around. Then there
was a lunge and a sharp nerve-tingling scrape as one blade ran along the
other; and then, without a groan, down fell one of these brave warriors
flat upon his back upon the grass, the wild flowers, and bits of bark.
Instantly the impulses of a woman flashed through every vein and nerve
of that onlooking girl. Scarcely had the tall form of the soldier
touched the sod when she became a nurse. Springing out from her leafy
concealment, she knelt beside the vanquished form of the fallen man. The
other soldier, who was about to rest himself by leaning on his sword,
sprang back; it seemed as though there had suddenly appeared before him
a being from another world."

"Where they wear bicycle-skirts," thought John Gayther.

"Every trace of enthusiastic excitement had passed away from Almia, who
now had something in this world to do, and who set about doing it
without loss of a second. The man was only wounded, for he opened his
eyes and said so, and drawing up his shirt-sleeve he showed Almia that
the cut was in the lower part of his left arm. Instantly despatching the
other soldier to a neighboring spring for water, she cleansed the wound,
and, finding it was not very deep, she drew the edges of the cut
together and held them in place with strips of adhesive plaster. When
this had been done she wrapped the arm in several folds of bandage, and
the man having risen to a sitting posture, she gave him a small draught
of brandy from her cask.

"Almia now explained how she happened to appear upon the scene, and,
add