peaking quickly and decisively,
drowned it before the dulled brain could either locate whence it came or
decide whether it was anything more than a variation of the humming in
his ears.

"Come along now, Patsy. Hasten, you slow old fool. Don't you know Mr.
Durham will be tired?"

The old man stumbled and blundered down the steps, and Mrs. Burke came
to the end of the waggonette.

"Oh, now, now! Sure is it wise to do that?" she exclaimed, as she saw
Durham sitting up. "Why didn't you wait till we could help you?"

She leaned in and took hold of his arm.

"If you back the waggonette against the steps, I can get out easier," he
said.

"Of course, of course. Now then, Patsy, why didn't you think of that?"
she exclaimed. "Turn the horses round while I stay with Mr. Durham."

She sat on the floor of the vehicle, still holding Durham's arm.

The touch of her hands, the sound of her voice as she maintained a
steady stream of directions to Patsy, the fact of being so near to her,
filled Durham with a gentle soothing. The dreaminess which had been upon
him when the journey began, and before he sank into the contented
slumber, returned. Her voice reached him as from a distance; his grip of
the seats loosened, and as the waggonette turned he swayed until his
head drooped upon the shoulder of the woman by his side.

Thereafter all was vague and misty until he came to himself and knew he
was ascending the short flight of steps leading to the verandah, with
Mrs. Burke supporting him on one side and Patsy the other.

As he reached the verandah his legs trembled beneath him, and he stood
for a moment, leaning heavily upon the arms which supported him.

Again there came to his dulled brain the sound like a distant stifled
cry.

"What's that?" he muttered. "What's that?"

"Oh, lean on me. Don't fall now. Oh, keep up, keep up. Sure what will
the doctor say when he comes if you've hurt yourself?" the voice of Mrs.
Burke said in his ear.

"But that--that cry," he gasped. A cold shiver ran through him.

"There's no cry; there's nothing but me and old Patsy. Keep up, now. If
you're worse, oh, what will the doctor say?"

The glare from the lamp shining through the open window grew dim; the
floor of the verandah rose and fell; his arms dropped nerveless to his
sides and, with the faint muffled cry still ringing in his ears, Durham
went down into oblivion.

Once the veil partly lifted, and he saw, as through a mist, Mrs. Burk