ned the
ground she could hardly stand, but a little vigorous exercise soon sent
the blood tingling through her veins again and unknotted her muscles,
and she was about to run gayly up the path when she felt a hand upon
her shoulder, and looking round saw Mary Brewster beside her, her face
ghastly and drawn in the pallid moonlight and her chin quivering weakly
in a manner that Nan saw at once was not the effect of the cold.

"Lean on my shoulder and I'll get you up to the house in a jiff," she
said, in a low whisper.

Mary clung to her, wavering and faint, without a word, and in the
confusion no one noticed her plight. Nan had fairly to drag her up the
steps, and then again up the staircase to the room the woman of the
place had showed them when Nan had drawn her aside and told her of
their dilemma.

"It's the cold!" gasped Mary, crying abjectly between her spasms of
misery.

"No such thing!" returned Nan stoutly. "It's that villainous
cigarette. But never mind now. There! Don't think of anything but
getting better. I'll stroke your head for you. It must be aching
terribly."

So she soothed and comforted the girl as best she could, and the kind
mistress of the house came up every now and then with offers of help
and reports of how the supper was progressing below, and after a while
Mary grew quieter and could do something beside moan and cry and wring
her hands over her own wretchedness.

"Nan," she whispered presently in a conscious-smitten voice, "I want
you to leave me and go down stairs. You've given up the best part of
the fun for me, but you shan't lose it all. Please go down!"

Nan shook her head. "No, you don't, ma'am!" she declared cheerfully,
and Mary was too exhausted to argue the question. She felt deliciously
drowsy and the freedom from pain made her tearfully happy. Vague,
dreamy thoughts were wandering through her brain, and one of them was
that Nan had been very kind to her. She had not deserved it. She had
been mean to Nan. She admitted it. She ought to beg her forgiveness.
It was so good to be out of pain that she was willing to do anything to
prove her gratitude. She opened her eyes and saw Nan bending over her
with a face full of sympathy. She put up her hands and drew the face
down to hers, her lip trembling like a little child's.

"Kiss me, Nan!"

Nan kissed her.

"I want you to forgive me. I've been hateful to you and you've been
generous and kind and--I love you fo