ay in the
early morning, the eyes of the sick man opened, and fully rested on the
familiar face of his friend. Instantly, but without any startling haste,
Villemet was on his knee beside him, looking at him with a placid smile,
as if nothing had happened.

"I have been so happy. I have been to France, and seen the old place--and
my mother. But is it not strange? I never saw her, E--." And the eyes
closed again, and the voice sank out.

Some hours of unconsciousness followed, but with decreasing restlessness.
The doctor gave hope. Only he again warned them that the next waking
would be the critical one. "Whatever you do," he said, "keep him, if you
can, from reverting to the past as long as possible."

Yet it so happened that the next time Tournier aroused, Villemet was out
of the room, and Cosin had taken his place. The afternoon sun was
lighting up his face with a slanting ray as he sat by the bedside and
looked toward the window; and when he turned his eyes again on his
friend, he could hardly refrain from starting. Tournier was gazing on
him with a look of intense earnestness.

"Where am I?"

"You are on a visit to me, and have been very ill, and I want you to go
to sleep again, and not think about anything."

"But do you know," said Tournier, making a feeble effort to put out his
hand, which his friend gently took, "that when I first woke up, such
horrid thoughts came into my mind! but I caught sight of your face, and
they went away."

"That's right. Now take this nourishment, and try to sleep again. We
shall have plenty of time to talk when you are stronger, and I shall be
always close by."

It would be wearisome to describe at any length the various stages of
recovery: for recover he did, and became as strong and vigorous as ever.
No little share had Alice Cosin in bringing this about, though in that
unobtrusive, and often unknown, way in which dear, kind women work, for
she was one of those who had the mark of the true lady in her household
duties. She knew everything, and saw to everything, and did anything
that would make the household comfortable.

And when Tournier got strong enough to think and converse without
restraint, he told Cosin, with great emotion, the terrible nature of that
struggle he had had beside the water of the mere before they found him,
and what it was God had made use of to save him.

"I cannot describe," he said, "the hell that rose up within me when I
read that s