things, the
half whose influence kept her now so calm and sane, marvelled that she
heard no moaning, tormented sounds. They were in the second stage of
injury; the blessed anaesthesia of nature was upon them. For human
speech, she heard only the low, quick voices of those who healed and
nursed.

She saw a bare arm lifted from the press of huddled forms, saw that a
physician had pressed a black bulb to it. The hand--the inevitable
configuration of that arm which she had never seen bare--and she knew
him.

Bertram lay on his side. His eyes were closed, his whole figure
huddled; yet something more than the quiver of his body at the prick
of the syringe told her that he was alive. His color had changed but
little; hovering death showed mainly by a sharpening of all the lines
of his face. Yet it did not seem to be Bertram, but rather some
statue, some ghastly replica of him.

The physician stood up and stretched his back. She came close.

"Will he live?"

He turned impatiently, but he caught her eyes.

"He has a chance. He's young and strong--Is he--yours?"

"Yes--yes! What shall I do for him?"

"Are you sure you're strong enough--you won't faint nor carry on?"

"No--no! I'm sure of that. What may I do?" Judge Tiffany was beside
her now. He looked, understood, and said nothing.

"Thank God for you, then! With all the crowd we haven't sane people
enough to nurse one baby! Everything's the matter with him--broken
arm, broken collar-bone, shock, and maybe he's injured internally. We
can't be sure about that yet. I'm trying to make him comfortable,
but"--here the agitated man broke through the calm physician for a
moment--"No braces, no slings, no anything! We're going to town as
soon as this company will let us. And he must be held. It's the only
way to keep him comfortable. Come!"

Judge Tiffany touched the doctor's arm, but he spoke to Eleanor.

"Nell--you'd better let a man do that."

"No. You may help. How shall I hold him?"

All her will concentrated on obedience to direction, she followed the
doctor while he drew Bertram's bare arm over her shoulder, set a
cushion at his back, showed her how she must support his neck with her
right hand.

"Hold him as long as you can, then have your friend relieve you. But
change no more often than you find necessary. He'll get jostled enough
before we reach town."

The Judge seated himself calmly. She was alone with the care of her
dying. The necessity for comfortin