fire in a deep
reverie. But the passionate voice stirred her. She looked down into the
girl's imploring eyes, without a shadow of resentment.

"Get up," she said, a trifle huskily. "You have done no wrong to me. Get
up, Theodora, and look at me."

Unsteadily as she spoke, there was so strange a power in her voice that
Theo obeyed her. Wonderingly, sadly and humbly she rose to her feet, and
stood before Priscilla as before a judge.

"Will you believe what I say to you?" she asked.

"Yes," answered Theo, sorrowfully.

"Well, then, I say this to you. You have not sacrificed me, you have
saved me!"

It was perhaps characteristic of her that she did not say anything more.
The subject dropped here, and she did not renew it.

It was a hard battle which Denis Oglethorpe fought during the next
fortnight, in that small chamber of the wayside inn at St. Quentin; and
it was a stern antagonist he waged war against--that grim old enemy,
Death.

But, with the help of the little doctor, the _vis medicatrix natural_,
and his three nurses, he gained the victory at length, and conquered,
only by a hair's breadth. The fierce fire of the brain wearing itself
out, left him as weak as a child, and for days after he returned to
consciousness, he had scarcely power to move a limb or utter a word.

When first he opened his eyes upon life again, no one was in the room
but Priscilla Gower; and so it was upon Priscilla Gower that his first
conscious glance fell.

He looked at her for a minute, before he found strength to speak. But at
last his faltering voice came back to him.

"Priscilla," he whispered weakly. "Is it you? Poor girl!"

She bent over him with a calm face, but she did not attempt to caress
him.

"Yes," she said. "Don't try your strength too much yet, Denis. It is I."

His heavy wearied eyes searched hers for an instant.

"And no one else?" he whispered again. "Is no one else here, Priscilla?"

"There is no one else in the room with me," she answered, quietly. "The
rest are up-stairs. You must not talk, Denis. Try to be quiet."

There was hardly any need for the caution, for his eyes were closing
again, even then, through sheer exhaustion.

Theo was in her room lying down and trying to rest. But half an hour
later, when Pamela came up to her bedside, the dark eyes flew wide open
in an instant.

"What is it, Pam?" she asked. "Is he worse again?"

Pam sat down on the bedside, and looked at her with a sort of pit