onsidered the best judge. Show me your arm."

"I prefer not to trouble you."

He gently but firmly took hold of it, unwound the towel, and she saw
him start and shudder at sight of the mangled flesh.

"An ugly gash! Tell me how you hurt yourself so severely."

"It is a matter that I do not choose to discuss; but since you have
seen it, I wish you would be so good as to dress and bandage the
wound."

"Oh, my little sister! Will you never learn to trust your brother?"

"Oh, Dr. Grey! will you never learn to let me alone, when I am
indulging the 'Imp of the Perverse' in an audience, and do not wish to
be interrupted?"

She mimicked his pleading tone so admirably that his face flushed.

"Come to the sitting-room. No one can disturb us there, and I will
attend to your injury, which is really serious."

She followed him, and stood without flinching one iota, while he
clipped away the jagged pieces of flesh, covered the long gash with
adhesive plaster, and carefully bandaged the whole.

"Salome, you must dismiss all idea of starting to-morrow, for indeed
it would not be safe for you to travel alone, with your arm in this
condition. It may give you much trouble and suffering."

"Which, of course, _nolens volens_, I must bear as best I may; but, so
surely as I live to see daylight, I shall start, even if I knew I
should have to stop _en route_ and bury my pretty arm, and be forced
to buy a cork one, wherewith to gesticulate gracefully when I die as
'Azucena.' There! thank you, Dr. Grey; of course you are very
good,--you always are. Shall I bid you all good-by now, or wait till
morning? Better make my adieu to-night, so that I may not disturb the
matutinal slumbers of the household."

There was a dangerous, starry sparkle in her eyes, that he would not
venture to defy, and, sighing heavily, he answered,--

"I shall accompany you to the depot, and place you under the
protection of the conductor."

"I do not desire to give you that trouble, and--"

"Hush! Do not grieve me any more than you have already done, by your
hasty, unkind, unfriendly speeches. I shall see you in the morning."

He left the room abruptly, to conceal the distress which he did not
desire her to discover; and having found Muriel and Miss Dexter,
Salome bade them good-by, requested them not to disturb themselves
next morning on her account, and called the children to her room.

For two hours they sat beside her on the lounge, crying over her