id the wilful creature. "You will not put on long
faces because I am saved, I suppose?"

"Elsie," said her brother, "you ought to sleep awhile; Tom and I will go
out."

"No, no," she persisted, "I am not in the least sleepy--you must not go
away--I shall only get nervous if you leave me alone; I shall be quite
well by dinner-time. Tom Fuller, don't go!"

They did not oppose her; every one there knew that it was of no use, for
in the end they would surely yield to her caprices.

"I haven't thanked you yet, Tom," she said.

"I don't know what there is to thank me for."

"Indeed!" said Elsie; "so you don't think my life of enough importance
to have the saving of it a matter of consequence?"

"You know that wasn't what I meant," said Tom, rubbing his damp hair
with one hand.

"You are too bad," said Mellen, laughing, "too bad, Elsie."

"Indeed, I shall tease him more than ever," replied Elsie; "he will grow
conceited if I don't. Tell him how much you like me to tease you, old
Tom."

"Well," said he, a little ruefully, "you have always done it, and I
suppose you always will--I shouldn't think it was you if you stopped
now."

Even Elizabeth laughed, and Elsie said:

"There, there, old Tom, don't get sentimental. Perhaps I'll be
good-natured for three days by way of reward for pulling me out of the
water."

"I'd like to save your life every day in the week at that rate," cried
Tom in ecstasy.

"No, no!" added Mellen; "I think one such exploit is quite enough."

Elsie seized Tom's hand, and said with real feeling:

"Tom, I do thank you--I can't tell you how much."

"Don't, don't!" he pleaded. "If you say another word I'll run off and
never show my face again."

Elsie began to laugh once more, and the lingering trace of seriousness
died quite out of her face.

"Tom is good at a catastrophe," said she, "but he can't carry on the
blank verse proper to the after situation."

"Blank enough it would be," rejoined Tom, and then he was so much
astonished to find that he had made a sort of joke, that the idea
covered him with fresh confusion.

Elsie's disaster passed off without dangerous consequences to the
reckless girl, and she had half forgotten the occurrence long before
Mellen recovered composure enough to thank, with sufficient fervor, the
noble-hearted man who had saved her life.

From that day Tom Fuller took a place in Mellen's esteem which he had
never held before; his gratitude was unbounded, an