increased the meed of happiness that was his. But there was
more besides. Leduc, who stood slightly behind him, fussily, busy about
a little table on which were books and cordials, flowers and comfits,
a pipe and a tobacco-jar, had just informed him for the first time that
during the more dangerous period of his illness Mistress Winthrop had
watched by his bedside for many hours together upon many occasions, and
once--on the day after he had been wounded, and while his fever was at
its height--Leduc, entering suddenly and quietly, had surprised her in
tears.

All this was most sweet news to Mr. Caryll. He found that between
himself and his half-brother there lay an even deeper debt than he
had at first supposed, and already acknowledged. In the delicious
contemplation of Hortensia in tears beside him stricken all but to the
point of death, he forgot entirely his erstwhile scruples that being
nameless he had no name to offer her. In imagination he conjured up the
scene. It made, he found, a very pretty picture. He would smoke upon it.

"Leduc, if you were to fill me a pipe of Spanish--"

"Monsieur has smoked one pipe already," Leduc reminded him.

"You are inconsequent, Leduc. It is a sign of advancing age. Repress it.
The pipe!" And he flicked impatient fingers.

"Monsieur is forgetting that the doctor--"

"The devil take the doctor," said Mr. Caryll with finality.

"Parfaitement!" answered the smooth Leduc. "Over the bridge we laugh
at the saint. Now that we are cured, the devil take the doctor by all
means."

A ripple of laughter came to applaud Leduc's excursion into irony.
The arbor had another, narrower entrance, on the left. Hortensia had
approached this, all unheard on the soft turf, and stood there now, a
heavenly apparition in white flimsy garments, head slightly a-tilt,
eyes mocking, lips laughing, a heavy curl of her dark hair falling
caressingly into the hollow where white neck sprang from whiter
shoulder.

"You make too rapid a recovery, sir," said she.

"It comes of learning how well I have been nursed," he answered, making
shift to rise, and he laughed inwardly to see the red flush of confusion
spread over the milk-white skin, the reproachful shaft her eyes let
loose upon Leduc.

She came forward swiftly to check his rising; but he was already on his
feet, proud of his return to strength, vain to display it. "Nay," she
reproved him. "If you are so headstrong, I shall leave you."

"If you d