s breathing heavily through the unaccustomed exercise.

"Let us be--a bit, Sir!" she panted. "She don't some'ow feel--quite--as
dead--like! Give us a--a chance. One--two--three--four. It's
the--reg'lar--as does--it. Miss Lee--onny's orders--Sir--bless er----"

She jerked her head in the direction of Leonie, and the doctor looked.

Behind her friend's head she knelt, her plaited hair twining like snakes
to the ground, her eyes closed, her mouth slightly open, and the fingers
of both hands pressing the temples of the child upon the floor, whilst to
and fro, lifeless, dull, swung the great cat's-eye from a gold chain
about the neck.

"Good God!" muttered the young doctor who, having travelled the world as
ship's surgeon, knew that the scalpel and soda-cum-gentian do not
constitute the whole of the art of healing.

As he looked a great bead of perspiration dropped from Leonie's forehead,
between the taut arms, on to her knees; and a sudden shiver shook her
from head to foot, and he heaved his overcoat into a chair, and edged
very quietly until he knelt between her and Cookie.

"It's 'orrible, Sir!" the latter whispered, as she glanced at the pupil
she loved most.

And it was.

By now the perspiration was pouring in streams from the girl's face,
whilst the slim body shook and shook like a young tree in a storm; her
teeth chattered like castanets, her closed eyes were sunk in purple black
orbits, the cheeks were drawn and grey, and the nostrils were dilating
like those of a far-spent horse.

"For Gawd's sake stop 'er. Sir--she's a-killing of 'erself."

The doctor shook his head, took out a brandy flask and a metal box from a
leather case beside him on the floor. He held up the ready-filled glass
syringe to the light and sent a squirt of what looked like water through
the gleaming needle.

"If the young lady shows signs of life I want you to get this brandy down
her throat _at once_, and begin to massage her heart."

"Massige! that's same as kneading dough, ain't it, Sir!"

"That's it! Miss--Miss--oh! Leonie will want the most attention, she is
only just alive. I will give her another two minutes, and if nothing has
happened by then I'll stop her, though it'll be an awful risk!"

"What's she a-doin' of, Sir?"

"She's forcing her own life, her vitality into her friend; she's
practically raising the dead!"

"_Lor_, Sir!"

He had just raised his hand to touch Leonie, praying to heaven for the
girl's