npleasant things, I hope?" She said this quickly, being indeed
most afraid lest he should be tempted to dwell on the disagreeable past.

"No, almost all pleasant. And there are things I want to say to
you--that I must say to you, very soon. Do you think I can take for
granted all you have done, and all you are doing for me? Let me come
down and join you!"

"No!" she said, with a great deal of firmness in her gesture and tone.
"You must not do anything of the kind until the doctor has seen you; and
besides, we can speak very well here."

The verandah was only a few feet above the ground, so that Lettice's
head was almost on a level with his own.

"There is no difficulty about speaking," she went on, "but I want you to
let me have the first word, instead of the last. This is something I
wanted to say to you, but I did not know how to manage it before. It is
really very important that you should not fatigue or excite yourself by
talking, and the doctor will tell you so when he comes. Now if you think
that you have anything at all to thank me for, you will promise not to
speak to me on any personal matters, not even your own intentions for
the future, for one clear month from to-day! Don't say it is impossible,
because, you see, it is as much as my place (as nurse) is worth to
listen to you! If you will promise, I can stay; and if you will not
promise, I must go away."

"That is very hard!"

"But it is very necessary. You promise?"

"Have I any choice? I promise."

"Thank you!" She said this very earnestly, and looked him in the eyes
with a smile which was worth a faggot of promises.

"But you don't expect me to be deaf and dumb all the time?" said Alan.

"No, of course not! I have been told that you ought to be kept as
cheerful as possible, and I mean to do what I can to make you so. Do you
like to be read to!"

"Yes, very much."

"Then I will read to you as long as you please, and write your letters,
and--if there were any game----"

"Ah, now, if by good luck you knew chess?"

"I do know chess. I played my father nearly every evening at Angleford."

"What a charming discovery! And that reminds me of something. Is there
any reason why I should not write to Mr. Larmer? He has some belongings
of mine, for one thing, which I should like him to send me, including a
set of chess-men."

"No reason at all. But you ought not to write or talk of business, if
you can help it, until you are quite strong."

"Well