me back to the subject never very far from them.

"You are tired, Mr. Linden."

"By what chain of reasoning, Miss Faith?"

"I know by the sound of your voice. And you eat nothing to-day. Do you
like cocoa, Mr. Linden?" she added eagerly.

He smiled a little and answered yes.

"Then I shall bring you some!"

Faith stayed for no answer to that remark, but ran off. Half an hour
good had passed away, but very few minutes more, when her soft tap was
heard at the door again and herself entered, accompanied with the cup
of cocoa and a plate of dainty tiny strips of toast.

"Aunt Dilly left some here," she said as she presented the cup,--"and
she says it is good; and she shewed me how to make it. Aunt Dilly has
lived all her life with a brother who has lived a great part of _his_
life with a French wife--so Aunt Dilly has learned some of her
ways--and this is one of them."

But Mr. Linden looked as if he thought 'the way' belonged emphatically
to somebody else.

"And so I am under the rule of the blue ribbands still!" he said as he
raised himself up to do honour to the cup of cocoa. "Miss Faith, do you
know you are subjecting yourself to the penalty of extra lessons?"

"How, Mr. Linden?"

"Don't you know that is one of the punishments for bad conduct? It's a
great act of insubordination to bring one cocoa without leave."

She laughed, and then paid her attentions to the fire again; after
which she stood by the hearth to see the cocoa disposed of, till she
came to take the cup.

"Are you in pain, much, Mr. Linden?" she asked as she did this.

"Not mental--" he said with a smile; "and the physical can be borne
Miss Faith, that cocoa was certainly better than I ever had from the
hands of anybody's French wife. You must have improved upon the
receipt."

"When Dr. Harrison comes for me this evening, shall he come up and see
you again?"

"If he wishes--there is no need else."

"How did it happen, Mr. Linden?" she said with a very serious face.

"On this wise, Miss Faith. I, walking home at a rather quick pace, was
suddenly 'brought to' as the sailors say, by this shot in my arm. But
as for the moment it affected the mind more than the body, I turned and
gave chase,--wishing to enquire who had thus favoured me, and why. But
the mind alone can only carry one a certain distance, and before I had
caught my man I found myself in such danger of fainting that I turned
about again, and made the best of my way to the ho