ie! She had not wakened when Fairy closed the dungeon
door. It was long afterward when she sat up and began rubbing her
eyes. She did not know where she was. Then she remembered! She
wondered if Prudence-- She scrambled to her feet, and trotted over to
the dungeon door. It was locked, she could not turn the knob. At
first, she thought of screaming and pounding on the door.

"But that will arouse Prudence, and frighten her, and maybe kill her,"
she thought wretchedly. "I'll just keep still until some one passes."

But no one passed for a long time, and Connie stretched her aching
little body and sobbed, worrying about Prudence, fearful on her own
account. She had no idea of the time. She supposed it was still
early. And the parsonage was deathly quiet. Maybe Prudence had died!
Connie writhed in agony on the hard floor, and sobbed bitterly. Still
she would not risk pounding on the dungeon door.

Up-stairs, in the front room, Prudence was at that time wrestling with
fever. Higher and higher it rose, until the doctors looked very
anxious. They held a brief consultation in the corner of the room.
Then they beckoned to Mr. Starr.

"Has Prudence been worrying about something this winter?"

"Yes."

"Has she been grieving, and fretting for something?"

"Yes, she has."

"It is that young man, isn't it?" inquired the family doctor,--a
Methodist "member."

"Yes."

"Can you bring him here?"

"Yes,--as soon as he can get here from Des Moines."

"You'd better do it. She has worn herself down nearly to the point of
prostration. We think we can break this fever without serious
consequences, but get the young man as soon as possible. She can not
relax and rest, until she gets relief."

So he went down-stairs and over the telephone dictated a short message
to Jerry. "Please come,--Prudence."

When he entered the front bedroom again, Prudence was muttering
unintelligible words under her breath. He kneeled down beside the bed,
and put his arms around her. She clung to him with sudden passion.

"Jerry! Jerry!" she cried. Her father caressed and petted her, but
did not speak.

"Oh, I can't," she cried again. "I can't, Jerry, I can't!" Again her
voice fell to low mumbling. "Yes, go. Go at once. I promised, you
know.--They haven't any mother.--I promised. Jerry! Jerry!" Her
voice rang out so wildly that Connie, down in the dungeon, heard her
cries and sobbed anew, relieved that Prudence was l