ohn rose hurriedly, but stood
dumb. In a few seconds she returned. As she neared him she seemed to
trip on the carpet, staggered, fell, and would have struck the floor at
full length but for John's quick arms. For an instant he held her whole
slight weight. Her brow had fallen upon his shoulder. But quickly she
lifted it and with one wild look into his face moaned, "No," and pushed
herself from him into a rocking-chair.

The pocketbook lay on the floor. He would have handed it to her, but she
motioned for him to give it to her husband. Ravenel drew from it three
bank-notes, saying, as he passed them to John--"Better engage two
berths, but buy only one ticket. Then we can either----"

March, busy with his own pocketbook, made a sign that he understood. His
fingers trembled, but when he lifted his eyes from them there was a
solemn calm in his face and his jaws were set like steel. He handed back
one of the notes, and with it something else which was neither coin nor
currency.

"Does this mean----" quietly began Ravenel.

"Yes," said John, "I sell you my ticket. I shan't leave town till Miss
Fannie's fit to travel."

"Why, John!" For a single instant the sick man reddened. In the next he
had recovered his old serenity. "Why that's powerful kind of you."

"Oh, no," said March, with a boyish smile to Fannie, who was rising to
move to a lounge, "it's a mighty old----" He was going to say "debt,"
but before Ravenel could more than catch his breath or John start half a
step forward she had struck the lounge like a flail.

March sprang to her, snatched up a glass of water, and seeing Ravenel's
hand on the bell-pull at the bed's head cried, "Ring for the maid, why
don't you? She's fainted away."

"Keep cool, old man," said the bridegroom, with his quiet gaze on
Fannie. Her eyes opened, and he withdrew his hand.

* * * * *

At seven that evening Ravenel, sitting in his sleeping-car seat, gave
March his hand for good-by.

"Yes," said John, "and if the nurse I've got her isn't tip-top--George!
I'll find one that is!"

"I'll trust you for that, John."

But John frowned. "What right have you got to trust me this way at all?"

"Because, old man, this time you're in love with another girl."

"No, sir! No, sir!" said March, backing away as the train began to move.
"Don't you fool yourself with _that_ notion."

"I shan't," drawled the departing traveler.

LXIII.

LETTERS AND TELE