it. Jim rose from his seat and leaned
against the table. His attempt had failed. She would have none of his
help. But his coming to that house had told him, in spite of Eve's
reassurance, that the gossip was well founded. There was trouble in
Eve's home, and it was worse than he had anticipated.

The girl eyed them both for a moment with a return of that fear in her
eyes.

"Are you going now?" she inquired, with an anxiety she no longer tried
to conceal. She felt so ill that it didn't seem to matter what she
said.

"We're going to wait till Doc Crombie's fixed you up," said Peter,
steadily. Then he added thoughtfully, "After that I'm going to fetch
Will."

Eve gasped. Swift protest rose to her lips, but it remained unspoken,
for at that moment there came the sound of footsteps outside, and Elia
led the forceful doctor into the room.

"Hey, Mrs. Henderson," he cried, nodding at the two men. "Winged your
head some. Let's have a look," he added, crossing to Eve's side and
glancing keenly at her wound. "Whew!" he whistled. "How did you do it?
Eh?" he demanded, and Peter explained. The explanation was made to
save Eve what both he and Jim knew to be a lie.

The doctor's blunt scorn was withering.

"Pooh! Leanin' over the coal box? Fell on the corner? Nonsense! Say,
if you'd fell clear off o' the roof on to that dogone box, mebbe you
could ha' done that amount o' damage. But----"

Eve's eyes flashed indignantly.

"I'd be glad if you'd fix me up," she said coldly.

The rough doctor grinned and got to work. She had made him suddenly
realize that he was dealing with a woman, and not one of the men of
the village. He promptly waived what had, in the course of years,
become a sort of prerogative of his: the right to bully. In half an
hour he had finished and the three prepared to take their departure.

"Guess you'll be all right now," Crombie said, in his gruff but not
unkindly way. Then, unable to check entirely his hectoring, he went on
with a sarcastic grin. "An', say, ma'm, if you've a habit o' leanin'
so heavy over the coal box, I'd advise you to git the corners rounded
some. When falls sech as you've jest bin takin' happen around they
don't generly end with the first of 'em. I wish you good-night."

Peter also bade her good-night, and he and the doctor passed out. Jim
was about to follow when Eve stayed him. She waited to speak till the
others had passed out of ear-shot.

"Jim, you're real good," she said i