Mr. Livingstone," he began, "I can never--I am overwhelmed!--Your
letter--your gifts--" But Livingstone interrupted him. His face was not
white but red.

"Nonsense!" he said, as he turned and put his hand on the other's
shoulder. "Clark, I am not giving you anything. I am paying.--I mean, I
owe you everything, and what I don't owe you, I owe Kitty. Last night
you lent me--" He stopped, caught himself, and began again.

"It was more than even you knew, Clark," he said, looking the other
kindly in the eyes, "and I'll owe you a debt of gratitude all my life.
All I ask is, that you will forget the past and help me in the future
and sometimes lend me Kitty. I never knew until now how good it was to
have a partner."

Just then he became conscious that someone else was near him. Kitty,
with wide-open, happy eyes, was standing beside them looking up
inquiringly in their faces. The child seemed to know that something
important had happened, for she put up her arms, and pulling her father
down to her kissed him, and then turning quickly she caught Livingstone
and, drawing him down, kissed him too.

"I love you," she said, in a whisper.

Livingstone caught her in his arms.

"Let's go and have a game of blind-man's buff. I am beginning to feel
young again," he said, and linking his arm in Clark's, he dragged him
back to the others, where, in a few minutes they were all of one age,
and a very riot of fun seemed to have broken loose.

Matters had just reached this delightful point, and Livingstone was down
on his hands and knees trying with futile dexterity to avoid the clutch
of a pair of little arms that apparently were pursuing him with
infallible instinct into an inextricable trap, when he became conscious
of a presence he had not observed before. Some one not there before was
standing in the doorway.

Livingstone sprang to his feet and faced Mrs. Wright.

He felt very red and foolish as he caught her eyes and found them
smiling at him. The idea of being discovered in so ridiculous a
situation and posture by the most fashionable and elegant woman of his
acquaintance! But Mrs. Wright waved to him to go on with his game and
the next moment the little arms had clutched him, and, tearing off her
bandage, Kitty, with dancing eyes, declared him "caught."

"Well, this is my final triumph over Will," exclaimed Mrs. Wright,
advancing into the room, as Livingstone, drawing the little girl along
with him, approached her. And she