the
sound of her voice, saying,--

"James, you are making quite too much of what I did. Any one would have
done the same. I could never look you in the face if I had not tried to
relieve such terrible suffering. But Oh, it was dreadful! I cannot
forget it."

Tears filled her eyes, and he tenderly wiped them away.

"I cannot sleep," she went on, "except under the influence of anodynes.
The shrieks and groans ring in my ears."

"Your nervous system has had a shock, and it will take time to recover.
You know I have been studying a little medicine, and I shall take you
for my first patient. I prescribe perfect rest, and that you see no one
but me."

Fanny laughed. "Josey will have something to say to that," she began.
"He has been the most unwearied little nurse, and his face has grown
very sad."

"Dear little fellow! I shall love him better than ever."

Mr. Barnard staid two days, and then Fanny was obliged to insist that he
should leave her, as there were not quite two months before they were to
sail, and she knew that every moment of his time was filled with
engagements.

Her burns were less painful, and it would still be weeks before she
could help herself at all; but she was surrounded with friends who
delighted in doing anything for her comfort.

She bade him good-bye, with a tear and a smile, not expecting to see him
again till a day or two before their marriage.

He looked back to watch her sitting so white and patient, without one
murmuring word, and thanked God that she was so soon to be his own
loving, faithful wife.

Josey rejoiced that now he could return to his labor of love and feed
his beloved aunt; for she insisted that he did it more skilfully than
any of them.

Those were precious hours to the dear boy, when, with the tray before
him and a spoon in his hand, he ministered to her wants, meantime
telling her all the thoughts of his little heart. Years after he
remembered the words she had said, and tried to improve by them.

He was now fully determined to be a missionary and go out to tell the
heathen about Christ, as his aunt Fanny was going. He began at once to
gather all the tracts and primers he could find, and packed them in an
old valise.

His mother found them there some months later; and explained to him that
the poor Hindoos could not read English.

CHAPTER VIII.

JOSEY'S GIFT.

Aunt Fanny's burns were now nearly healed. For a week she had been
without the bandages,