Mrs. Grant looked down at Mary's feet. "Are they damp?" "A little." "Come right into the sitting-room. I've had a fire made up on purpose for you." And the considerate Mrs. Grant hurried Mary into the small back room, and taking off her cloak and bonnet, placed her in a chair before the fire. Then, as she drew off one of her shoes, and clasped the foot in her hand, she exclaimed-- "Soaking wet, as I live!" Then added, after removing, with kind officiousness, the other shoe--"Hold both feet to the fire, while I run up and get you a pair of dry stockings. Don't take off the wet ones until I come back." In a few minutes Mrs. Grant returned with the dry stockings and a towel. She bared one of the damp feet, and dried and heated it thoroughly--then warmed one of the stockings and drew it on. "It feels so good," said Mary, faintly, yet with a tone of satisfaction. Then the other foot was dried, warmed, and covered. On completing this welcome service, Mrs. Grant looked more steadily into Mary's face, and saw that her cheeks were flushed unnaturally, and that her eyes shone with an unusual lustre. She also noticed, that in breathing there was an effort. "You got very wet this morning," said Mrs. Grant. "Yes. The wind blew right in my face all the way. An umbrella was hardly of any use." "You dried yourself on getting to Mrs. Lowe's?" Mary shook her head. "What?" "There was no fire in the room." "Why, Mary!" "I had no change of clothing, and there was no fire in the room. What could I do?" "You could have gone down into the kitchen, if nowhere else, and dried your feet." "It would have been better if I had done so; but you know how hard it is for me to intrude myself or give trouble." "Give trouble! How strangely you do act, sometimes! Isn't life worth a little trouble to save? Mrs. Lowe should have seen to this. Didn't she notice your condition?" "I think not." "Well, it's hard to say who deserves most censure, you or she. Such trifling with health and life is a crime. What's the matter?" She observed Mary start as if from sudden pain. "I have suffered all day, with an occasional sharp stitch in my side--it caught me just then." Mrs. Grant observed her more closely; while doing so, Mary coughed two or three times. The cough was tight and had a wheezing sound. "Have you coughed much?" she asked. "Not a great deal. But I'm very tight here," laying her hand over her breast. "I think," she added, a few moments afterwards, "that I'll go up to my room and get to bed. I feel tired and sick." "Wait until I can get you some tea," replied Mrs. Grant. "I'll bring down a pillow, and you can lie here on the sofa."