"Yes," he said, as his eyes met hers; and if was some moments before
they were withdrawn, both, in the pre-eminence of self at that moment,
having taken no thought of the old housekeeper, who involuntarily made
her presence known by uttering a deep sigh; and as Marion started and
met her gaze, the old woman shook her head at her reproachfully.

"Oh, my dear! my dear!" she said softly; "pray, pray think."

Marion's brow contracted, and she walked slowly away, to take up her
former position; while Chester winced and gave the old woman an angry
look, as she now shook her head sadly at him.

"No, doctor, no," she said softly; "that could never be. Please think
only of your patient and your position of trust."

"How dare you, woman!" he whispered angrily; for her words had gone
home, and stung him more deeply than she could have realised.

"Because I am not like an ordinary servant, doctor," she said, meeting
his eyes unflinchingly. "I nursed her when she was a little child, and
I have watched over her ever since. Yes, she is very beautiful, but
that could never be."

Chester bent over his patient with knitted brow and tightly-compressed
lips, feeling the truth of the old woman's words, and ready to repeat
them again mentally--that could never be.

His hands were busy with his task, and his brain was more active than
ever, as he felt now that he had won this victory, and that the effort
to bring the poor fellow back to life and strength would now be an easy
one; little more than good nursing would suffice. Why, then, could he
not win in that other fight? She was right; that could never be; and he
seemed now to be suffering a rude awakening from the strange, dreamy
time through which he had passed--awakening to the fact that he had
lapsed into a faithless scoundrel, he who had believed himself all that
was manly and true.

An hour before, he had felt that nothing could drag him from Marion's
side. He loved her more than he could have believed possible, but it
could never be. He was awake once more, and now that the peril was past
he must go.

"Hah!" he said softly, as he finished his task and the old housekeeper
rose to bear away sponge, basin and towel, "head cooler, more
susceptible of touch. A hard fight, but I win. An error of judgment?
No; I did all possible. The probe revealed nothing. I saw no bullet,
or I might have known."

Everything else had passed away for the moment in the pride of his