never seen her so shy.

"This is Mr. Hook, Phoebe," continued Miss Campbell. "I think we ought
all to offer him our united thanks for his courage."

"I do thank you, sir, with all my heart," said Phoebe fervently, timidly
offering her hand.

Richard stretched out his left hand.

"I--I ask your pardon for giving you my left hand," he said, and for the
first time they noticed that his right arm was hanging limply at his
side.

"Oh, Rich--Oh, Mr. Hook," cried Billie, as red as a beet. "What have I
done--I shot you--Oh, dear, I am so sorry!"

"Don't you worry, Miss Billie. It's just a coat sleeve wound. The bullet
cut through the cloth and scratched my arm. It's lodged there in the
wall now, I suppose, as a memento of your nerve."

"Why, boy, your sleeve is soaked in blood," exclaimed Miss Campbell.
"And you're as white as a ghost. Sit down here quick. Alberdina, a basin
of water. Billie, some bandages. Hurry, all of you. Why are you standing
around like a lot of wooden images?"

Phoebe was too inexperienced to join in the general rush for bandages,
peroxide of hydrogen, absorbent cotton and witch hazel: all the
first-aid-to-the-injured the camp afforded. She stood at the foot of the
couch and watched Richard Hook with large innocent eyes. His own eyes,
very dark gray, wide apart and extremely intelligent, returned her gaze
with a kind of amused admiration.

In the meanwhile, Miss Helen Campbell snipped up his shirt sleeve with a
pair of small scissors and Billie, overwhelmed with contrition, stood
ready to bathe the wound, which was more bloody than serious.

"I call this pretty nice," remarked Richard, glancing at the circle of
anxious faces leaning over him. "It's worth being shot to have so many
ministering angels about one; and a Seraph with a flaming sword at the
foot of my couch to guard me," he added, glancing again at Phoebe, now
holding a lamp high with a perfectly steady arm, so that the others
could see to work.

Having washed and bound the wound, they propped his head on two pillows
and drew their chairs about the couch. Never was a young man so coddled
before.

"You haven't explained to us yet, Mr. Hook, how you happened to drop
down from the skies," said Miss Campbell.

"I dropped up and not down, on the contrary, Miss Campbell. The van
isn't so very far away. The girls wanted to put up for the night at the
foot of the mountain, but I was stubborn for once and we worked old
Dobbin until his