arrison came. "It's Mr. Grimes," said Montague; and then he heard
a frightened exclamation, and turned and saw Laura Hegan, in a walking
costume, fresh from the cold outside.

"What is it?" she cried. And he told her, as quickly as he could, and
she ran to help the old man. Montague stood by, and later carried him
upstairs, and waited below until the doctor came.

It was only when he set out for home again that he found time to think
about Laura Hegan, and how beautiful she had looked in her furs. He
wondered if it would always be his fate to meet her under circumstances
which left her no time to be aware of his own existence.

At home he told about his adventure, and found himself quite a hero for
the rest of the day. He was obliged to give interviews to several
newspaper reporters, and to refuse to let one of them take his picture.
Every one at the Devons' seemed to know old Harry Grimes, and Montague
thought to himself that if the comments of this particular group of
people were a fair sample, the poor wretch was right in saying that he
had not a friend in the world.

When he came downstairs the next morning, he found elaborate accounts
of the accident in the papers, and learned that Grimes had nothing
worse than a scalp wound and a severe shock. Even so, he felt it was
incumbent upon him to pay a visit of inquiry, and rode over shortly
before lunch.

Laura Hegan came down to see him, wearing a morning gown of white. She
confirmed the good news of the papers, and said that her uncle was
resting quietly. (She did not say that his physician had come
post-haste, with two nurses, and taken up his residence in the house,
and that the poor old millionaire was denied even his graham crackers
and milk). Instead she said that he had mentioned Montague's kindness
particularly, and asked her to thank him. Montague was cynical enough
to doubt this.

It was the first time that he had ever had any occasion to talk with
Miss Hegan. He noticed her gentle and caressing voice, with the least
touch of the South in it; and he was glad to find that it was possible
for her to talk without breaking the spell of her serene and noble
beauty. Montague stayed as long as he had any right to stay.

And all the way as he rode home he was thinking about Laura Hegan. Here
for the first time was a woman whom he felt he should like to know; a
woman with reserve and dignity, and some ideas in her life. And it was
impossible for him to know her