e worse for my sleepless
night. I returned to the station a little after six, and, to my
surprise, found Miss Cullen walking up and down the platform.

"You are up early!" we both said together.

"Yes," she sighed. "I couldn't sleep last night."

"You're not unwell, I hope?"

"No,--except mentally."

I looked a question, and she went on: "I have some worries, and
then last night I saw you were all keeping some bad news from me,
and so I couldn't sleep."

"Then we did wrong to make a mystery of it, Miss Cullen," I said,
"for it really isn't anything to trouble about. Mr. Camp is
simply taking legal steps to try to force me to deliver those
letters to him."

"And can he succeed?"

"No."

"How will you stop him?"

"I don't know yet just what we shall do, but if worse comes to
worse I will allow myself to be committed for contempt of
court."

"What would they do with you?"

"Give me free board for a time."

"Not send you to prison?"

"Yes."

"Oh!" she cried, "that mustn't be. You must not make such a
sacrifice for us."

"I'd do more than that for _you_," I said, and I couldn't help
putting a little emphasis on the last word, though I knew I had
no right to do it.

She understood me, and blushed rosily, even while she protested,
"It is too much--"

"There's really no likelihood," I interrupted, "of my being able
to assume a martyr's crown, Miss Cullen; so don't begin to pity
me till I'm behind the bars."

"But I can't bear to think--"

"Don't," I interrupted again, rejoicing all the time at her
evident anxiety, and blessing my stars for the luck they had
brought me. "Why, Miss Cullen," I went on, "I've become so
interested in your success and the licking of those fellows that
I really think I'd stand about anything rather than that they
should win. Yesterday, when Mr. Camp threatened to--" Then I
stopped, as it suddenly occurred to me that it was best not to
tell Madge that I might lose my position, for it would look like
a kind of bid for her favor, and, besides, would only add to her
worries.

"Threatened what?" asked Miss Cullen.

"Threatened to lose his temper," I answered.

"You know that wasn't what you were going to say," Madge said
reproachfully.

"No, it wasn't," I laughed.

"Then what was it?"

"Nothing worth speaking about."

"But I want to know what he threatened."

"Really, Miss Cullen," I began; but she interrupted me by saying
anxiously,--

"He can't hurt papa, ca