the good man is entitled to her grateful services, and she has no
alternative. Her own hands are ready and glad to wait upon the sick man,
but he says "bring Nannie;" and she can not tell him no.

So the nurse must go; and she cries herself almost ill by the side of
the sweet child, whose arm is still around her neck in its unconscious
slumbers. It seems quite like laying Winnie away again, to turn from the
little one that had so long been as her own. There is a duty in it,
however, and she sees it too plainly to try to evade it, so she
disengages herself softly from the clinging arm, and kissing the little
placid face, goes down to the kitchen to see Mike, who had sent up
expressly for her. She had not the heart to refuse, when he had always
been so kind to her, and perhaps she would not soon meet him again to
thank him, for she knew Pat would prevent it if he could. Mike pretended
not to notice her downcast looks, although he did perceive that
something had occurred to sadden her, and he had a strong desire to
comfort her. If it had been one of his horses in trouble, there would
have been no difficulty in providing a remedy; but Nannie Bates was
quite another thing; and the more he tried to find a solace, the more at
a loss was he. Biddy had gone out on an errand, and all the other
servants were absent, and he felt that it might be a good time to tell
Nannie who it was that he was getting a house for; but the words stuck
by the way, and it was in vain to try to force them out, they would not
come at all.

Nannie looked at him in wonder, and almost in affright as he clutched at
his blazing head in the very desperation of his feelings, and she could
not account for the difference in his demeanor. Mike was usually such a
merry good companion. Perhaps it was herself that scattered her sadness
and dullness all about her; or was Mike sick? She ventured to ask him
this.

"No--yes--no, he wasn't sick; he thought perhaps he wasn't so well as he
was; but he guessed he'd feel better by 'm by; he didn't know what ailed
him!"

Nannie told him she was to leave for home in the morning, and she did
not know how long it would be before she should see him again, and she
expressed her kind feelings toward him, and her appreciation of all that
he had done for her; and she gave him a little heart made of bright
silks, and stuck all round with pins, as a parting memento. It was not
coquetish in her, for she had too much honest simplic