whom Nancy was interested, into the pure gold of luxury and
ease. He knew that the conventional fairy gifts would mean very little
to her, but he had dreamed, when she was ready, of working out with
her some practicable and gracious scheme of beneficence. There was one
power she coveted that he could put in her hands,--one way that he
could befriend and relieve her even before she conceded him that
prerogative. When he learned that she had a fortune of her own his
hopes came tumbling about his head, and he lay disconsolate among the
ruins. His creeping physical disability seemed significant of the
cataclysmic overthrow of all his dreams and desires. From having
secretly and in some terror arrived at the conclusion that death was
imminent, he began to look upon such a solution of his misery with
some favor.

It was a very gaunt and hollow-eyed caricature of the Dick she had
known that confronted Nancy, when instigated by Betty, who had his
illness heavily on her mind, she forced her way unannounced into the
curious Georgian living-room of the suite wherein he was incarcerated.
He had been stretched in an attitude of abandon on the couch when she
opened the oak paneled door, but he jumped to his feet in a spasm of
rage and alarm when he discovered that he had a visitor.

"Go away," he said, "I am not able to see anybody. There's a mistake.
I gave strict orders that nobody at all was to be admitted."

"I know, Dick," Nancy said gently, "don't blame your faithful
servitors. I thought I should have to use a gun on them, but I
explained to them that you must be looked after."

"I don't want to be looked after. I'm all right, thank you. Are you
alone?"

"No, Hitty's outside. Betty simply insisted on my bringing her,--I
don't know why, but she said you'd be kinder to me if I did. I don't
think you're very kind."

A flicker of a smile crossed Dick's face, which seemed to say that if
anything could bring back a momentary relish of existence the mention
of Betty's name would be that thing. Nancy saw the expression and
misinterpreted it.

"I don't want to see anybody," Dick repeated firmly. "Will you be good
enough to go away and leave me to my misery?"

"No, I won't," Nancy said, "I never left anybody to their misery yet,
and I'm not going to begin on you. Of course, if you'd rather see
Betty, I'll send for her. She seems to know a good deal about your
habits and customs. You look like a monk in that bathrobe. I'm glad