walked into the hut. She had
become deadly pale, and he followed her and placed his fingers on her
pulse, holding her hand and looking down in her eyes.

"You trust me?" he asked.

"Oh, yes. I must."

"Yes--you must--dear child. You are all right. Don't be troubled, but
just think we are trying to save his life. Look at me now, and take in
all I say."

Then he placed her with her back to his work, taught her how to count
the man's pulse and to give the ether; but the patient demurred. He
would not take it.

"Naw, I kin stand hit. Go ahead, Doctor."

"See here, Cate Irwin. You are bound to do as Doctor Thryng says or
die," she said, bending over him. "Take this, and I'll sit by you every
minute and never take my hand off yours. Stop tossing. There!" He obeyed
her, and she sat rigidly still and waited.

The moments passed in absolute silence. Her heart pounded in her breast
and she grew cold, but never took her eyes from the still, deathlike
face before her. In her heart she was praying--praying to be strong
enough to endure the horror of it--not to faint nor fall--until at last
it seemed to her that she had turned to stone in her place; but all the
time she could feel the faintly beating pulse beneath her fingers, and
kept repeating David's words: "We are trying to save his life--we are
trying to save his life."

David finished. Moving rapidly about, he washed, covered, and carried
away, and set all in order so that nothing betrayed his grewsome task.
Then he came to her and took both her cold hands in his warm ones and
led her to the door. She swayed and walked weakly. He supported her with
his arm and, once out in the sweet air, she quickly recovered. He
praised her warmly, eagerly, taking her hands in his, and for the first
time, as the faint rose crept into her cheeks, he felt her to be moved
by his words; but she only smiled as she drew her hands away and turned
toward the house.

"They'll be back directly, and I promised to have something for them to
eat."

"Then I'll help you, for our man is coming out all right now, and I
feel--if he can have any kind of care--he will live."

The sky had become overcast with heavy clouds and the wind had risen,
blowing cold from the north. David replaced the shutter he had torn off
and mended the fire with fuel he found scattered about the yard; while
Cassandra swept and set the place in order and the resuscitated patient
looked about a room neater and more homeli