Dr. Collaston studied him sharply. "If you young people have any secret that bears on the case, you'd better reveal it. Working in the dark isn't always advisable. Annis, why do you change color?" Annis flushed deeply now, and her eyelids quivered as if tears were not far away. "Let Annis alone," said the boy in as gruff a tone as so gentle a voice could assume. "I suppose we _did_ both think of one thing when you so insisted upon a fall. It was a long while ago, before I went to school. We were down by the creek. I was on Sam, who had been drinking and wading in the stream. He turned to step out, and a stone rolled and he stumbled. I went over his head, as I didn't have the rein in my hand. It knocked the breath out of me for a moment. But I had been tumbled off before, when I was learning to ride, and that really didn't--wasn't of much account, only Annis was so frightened. Now shall I go further back and tell you of all the downfalls I have had? I wasn't very daring--Annis, wasn't I something of a babyish boy?" "No, you were not." Annis smiled a little then. "How did he fall?" Annis could not recall that. "After a little I walked home. No, I wasn't much hurt. I had a lame thumb, I remember; but afterward there used to come what Phillis calls a 'misery' in my back. The headaches did not come until in the winter." The doctor nodded. "But I'm bound to get well," added the boy. "I don't want to die. I should have to be dead such a long, long while." The doctor laughed. "No, we're not going to have you die. That is the least of the trouble. But you may be an invalid quite a while." "I shouldn't even mind that, if I could study some. I hate to fall behind. And, you see, father is so proud of Louis that I couldn't bear people saying about me 'Poor Charles!' in a pitying way." "We won't even have them saying that," was the confident answer, as he went out to add a note to the memoranda he had made of the case. Charles held out his hand to Annis, who came over and gave it a little convulsive clasp. "Girls are queer," he said in a soft, slow tone that had no reproach in it. "And Dr. Collaston turned you inside out. I do suppose doctors know pretty generally what is going on inside of your body, and sometimes they guess what is in your brain, or your mind, or whatever thinks. I was so afraid he'd get it all out of you!" "Oh, do you think it was _that_?" Annis' eyes overflowed, and he could feel the quiver of her fingers. "There--don't cry. It wasn't your fault. It wasn't even Varina's fault. Sam would have turned and gone out, anyhow. And you can't think how nice Varina is growing--pretty, too. I am sure it vexed her a good deal to think she was not as pretty as the older girls, or even you. You're so fair and sweet, with your clouds of light hair and your skin that looks like transparent pearl. You know she was very sorry." "Oh, we both thought you were dead!" Annis tried hard not to sob.