her and she sank
exhausted in her mother's arms.

Harvey helped carry her into the little room off the parlor.

"You dear little thing, all you need is lots of fresh eggs and your ma's
nursing to set you up again," he said to her.

"Yes, Harvey, she is feeling very ill now, but we will all help her get
well," said Patience, as they went out of the room together, leaving
Elsie to rest in her mother's care.

CHAPTER XXXI

WITH THE ROSES OF LOVE

Mrs. Welcome came into the little bedroom very quietly one afternoon
about a week later, in her hands a large glass bowl overflowing with
roses.

She put it down on the table beside the bed and stood looking wistfully
at the small dark head on the pillow.

Elsie felt her there, opened her eyes and smiled as she saw the flowers.
A deeper color burned for a moment in her cheeks.

"Poor Harvey," she said. "Isn't he a dear, mamma?"

"He always thought the world and all of you," Mrs. Welcome sighed.

"I always liked him, but I never did love him, you know. I just let him
come to see me because he wanted to, and all the girls had company."

"You might have loved him dearie if--if--"

"If I hadn't gone away, you mean, but I did go away." Elsie coughed
violently.

"There, there, sweet, don't." Her mother helped her to sit up and held
her in her arms.

"Harvey comes every day to ask how you are," said Mrs. Welcome when she
was better. "He wants to see you when you feel able."

Elsie remained silent.

Out in the parlor they could hear Patience moving about, putting things
in order, singing as she worked one of the songs she and Elsie used to
sing when they were little girls.

"Young Mrs. Boland is some singer," said Elsie with a flash of her old
fun. "Isn't it nice for our Patey to be so happy?"

"She and I want you to be happy too, and you will when you get well, my
precious. You will laugh and sing as you used to."

"Mamma, I see through you," said Elsie. "I bet Harvey is here now. He
brought these roses himself. He coaxed you to coax me to see him. All
right. Shake up my pillows. Get Patey's pink boudoir cap and put your
pink shawl around me and bring him in."

Her pallor was more marked by the bright cap and shawl and the flame in
her cheeks seemed scarlet.

"Hello, Harvey," she greeted him almost in her old bright voice. "Thank
you for the roses. They're--"

A violent coughing made it impossibl