. McGregor calls to see him and advises a
consultation. Once we had a distressing outbreak."

"And yet," said John, "there should have been other advice long ago.
Somehow there must be."

"Mr. Rivers has urged it and made him angry; as for Aunt Ann, she sees
only the bright side of his case and humours him as she would a sick
child."

"She is greatly changed, Leila. I hardly know how to state it. She has a
look of--well, of something spiritual in her face."

"Yes, that is true. Are you in pain, John?" she added.

"Yes--not in great pain, but enough. For two weeks I did suffer
horribly."

"John! Oh, my poor Jack! We never knew--is it so bad?"

"Yes, imagine a toothache in your elbow with a variety of torments in the
whole arm."

"I can't imagine. I never had a toothache--in fact, I hardly know the
sensation of serious pain."

"Well, I broke down under it, Leila. I became depressed and quite
foolishly hopeless. Some day I will tell you what helped me out of a
morass of melancholy."

"Tell me now."

"No, I must go to bed. I am getting better and will get off with a stiff
elbow, so Tom says. At first they talked of amputation. That was awful.
Good-night!"

It was none too soon. She was still unsure of herself, and although no
word of tender approach had disturbed her as he talked, and she was glad
of that, the tense look of pain, the reserve of his hospital confession
of suffering nearly broke down her guarded attitude. As he passed out of
view at the turn of the stairs, she murmured, "Oh, if only Uncle Jim were
well."

Josiah came at the call of the bell. She detained him. She asked, "How
was the Captain wounded? No one wrote of how it happened."

"Well, missy, he would ride a horse called Hoodoo--it was just the bad
luck of that brute done it." Josiah's account was graphic and clear
enough. John Penhallow's character lost nothing as interpreted by Josiah.

"It was a dangerous errand, I suppose."

"Yes, Miss Leila. You see, when they know about a man that he somehow
don't mind bullets and will go straight to where he's sent, they're very
apt to get him killed. At the first shot he ought to have tumbled off and
played possum till it was dark."

"But then," said Leila, "he would have been too late with General Parke's
message."

"Of course, Master John couldn't sham dead like I would.--I don't despise
bullets like he does. Once before he had orders to go somewhere, and
couldn't get across a river. He