led by her brother, a stalwart young man of
twenty, in his Sunday clothes.

"O Miss Callender, is it you? Do you see my chair already? It must have
been you who managed to get it for me."

"No, Wilhelmina; indeed I knew nothing about it till I saw you in it
this moment."

"Then I don't know what to think," said the invalid. "It was sent up
from a place down in Grand street already, with my name on a ticket and
the word 'Paid' marked on the ticket. I wish I could thank the one that
gave it to me wunst already, for I don't feel like it belonged to me
till I do."

Phillida turned about and looked at Millard, who still lurked behind
her. When he met her penetrating gaze he colored as though he had been
caught doing wrong.

"Miss Schulenberg, this is Mr. Millard," said Phillida. "I don't know
who sent you this chair; but if you thank him the person who paid for
your chair will hear about it, I feel sure."

Mina looked at Millard. The faultlessness of his dress and the
perfection of style in his carriage abashed her. But she presently
reached her emaciated hand to him, while tears stood in her eyes.
Millard trembled as he took the semi-translucent fingers in his hand:
they looked brittle, and he could feel the joints through his gloves as
though it were a skeleton that thus joined hands with him.

"You gave me my chair!" she said. "Yesterday I was out in it for the
first time already--in Tompkins Square. But to-day Rudolph here--he is
such a good fellow--he wanted to give me a big treat wunst, and so he
brought me all the way up here already to see this beautiful Park. It's
the--the first time--" but shadowy people like Wilhelmina hover always
on the verge of hysteria, and her feelings choked her utterance at this
point.

Millard could not bear the sight of her emotion. He said hastily, "Never
mind, Miss Schulenberg; never mind. Good-morning. I hope you will enjoy
your day."

Then as he and Phillida went up the stairs that lead out of the Mall at
the north of the arbor by the Casino, Millard made use of his
handkerchief, explaining that he must have taken a slight cold. He half
halted, intending to ask Phillida to sit down with him on a seat partly
screened by a bush at each end; but there were many people passing, and
the two went on and mounted the steps to the circular asphalted space at
the top of the knoll. Phillida, shy of what she felt must come, began to
ask about the great buildings in view, and he named