"Nay, there is nothing to forgive," replied Miss Saville; "on the
contrary," she continued, blushing slightly, "I was anxious to see you,
in order to thank you for the eminent service you rendered me yesterday
evening."

"Really it is not worth mentioning," returned I; "it is only what any
other gentleman in the room would have done had he been in my situation;
it was good Mrs. Trottle's shawl saved you; I could have done nothing
without that."

"You shall not cheat me out of my gratitude in that way," replied she,
smiling; "the shawl would have been of little avail had it not been so
promptly and energetically applied; and, as for the other gentlemen,
they ~152~~certainly were very ready with their offers of assistance
_after_ the danger was over. I am afraid," she continued, looking down,
"you must have repented the trouble you had taken when you found what a
thankless person you had exerted yourself to save."

"Indeed, no such idea crossed my mind for an instant; the slight service
I was able to render you was quite repaid by the pleasure of knowing
that I had been fortunate enough to prevent you from sustaining injury,"
said I.

"You are very kind," was the reply; "but I can assure you I have been
exceedingly annoyed by imagining how wholly destitute of gratitude you
must have considered me!"

"Lucy Markham told me such would be the case," replied I, smiling.

"Did she?--a dear warm-hearted girl--she always does me justice!"
exclaimed Miss Saville, as she raised her beautiful eyes, sparkling with
animation, to my face. She then, for the first time, observed my injured
arm, and added quickly, "but you wear your arm in a sling; I hope--that
is--I am afraid---I trust it was not injured last night!"

"It is a mere trifle," replied I; "he wristband of my sleeve caught
fire, and burnt my arm, but it is nothing of any consequence, I can
assure you."

"I am sure you must have thought me sadly ungrateful," returned my
companion; "you exerted yourself, and successfully, to save my life,
receiving a painful injury in so doing, whilst I left the house without
offering you the thanks due even to the commonest service imaginable."

"You were not then aware that I had burnt my arm, remember; and forgive
me for adding," returned I (for I saw that she was really distressed at
the idea of my considering her wanting in gratitude), "that it did not
require any unusual degree of penetration to perceive that you were not
alto