McRae, she had seen those eyes again, lit
with the old love, and to her amazement she had found no answer in her
heart. She had far outgrown Dick Wells in her self-forgetful life she
had taken up in Algonquin. She had taken up the burdens of others just
to ease her own pain, promising herself that when this or that task was
finished she could turn to her own grief and nurse it. But the
self-indulgence had been so long postponed that when the opportunity
came and she had gone back to her old sorrow, behold it was gone. And
in its place sat the memory of Roderick McRae's unspoken devotion, his
chivalrous silent waiting for his opportunity.

So when poor Roderick all unschooled in hiding his feelings let her see
in one swift glance all that her going meant to him she was speechless
before the joy of it. She stooped and trailed her fingers in the green
water, to hide her happy confusion. Then remembering she was leaving
him under a misunderstanding she glanced up at him swiftly.

"I don't," she said breathlessly, "I didn't mean I was going away to
stay. I meant only for the summer holidays."

The transformation of his countenance was a further revelation, had she
needed any.

"Oh," he said, and then paused. "Oh, I'm so glad!" Very simple words
but they contained volumes. He was silent for a moment unable to say
any more, and she filled in the awkward pause nervously, scarcely
knowing what she said.

"You were sorry too, were you not, when you went away?"

"It was the hardest task I ever met in my life," said Roderick. "And
you didn't let me say good-bye to you." He was growing quite reckless
now to speak thus to a young lady who might be going to announce her
engagement.

She had not gained anything by her headlong plunge into conversation so
she tried again.

"Not even your operation?" she asked. "That was worse, wasn't it?"

"My operation wasn't hard," said Roderick dreamily, his mind going back
to the sacred wonder of that hour. "No, I had--help." He said it
hesitatingly. It was hard to mention that event, even to her. He had
spoken of it to no living person but his father.

"Indeed, I heard about how brave you were," she said. "I was told that
there was never any one with such self-control."

Roderick looked at her in alarm. "Who told you?" he asked abruptly.
She looked straight across at him and her eyes were very steady, though
her colour rose. "Doctor Wells told me. He assisted, didn