When, a little later, a scourge of diphtheria broke out in a little mining camp not far from the home of Miss Leigh's relatives and she learned that John Marvel spent all his time nursing the sick and relieving their necessities as far as possible, she awakened to a realization of the truth of what her cousin had said, that under his awkward exterior lay a mine of true gold. Day by day reports came of the spread of the deadly pestilence, making inroads in every family, baffling the skill and outstripping the utmost efforts of the local physician; day by day, the rumor came that wherever illness appeared there was John Marvel. One afternoon Miss Leigh, who had ridden over in the direction of the mining village to try and get some information about the young clergyman, who, a rumor said, had been stricken himself the day before, came on him suddenly in a by-path among the hills. At sight of her he stopped and held up his hand in warning, and at the warning she reined in her horse. "Don't come nearer," he called to her. "What is the matter?" she asked. "How are you?" For even at that distance--perhaps, some fifty paces--she could see that he looked wretchedly worn and wan. "Oh, I'm doing very well," he replied. "How are you? You must not come this way! Turn back!" She began to rein her horse around and then, on a sudden, as his arm fell to his side, and, stepping a little out of the path, he leant against a tree, the whole situation struck her. Wheeling her horse back, she rode straight up to him though he stiffened up and waved her back. "You are ill," she said. "Oh, no. I am not ill, I am only a bit tired; that is all. You must not come this way--go back!" "But why?" she persisted, sitting now close above him. "Because--because--there is sickness here. A family there is down." He nodded back toward the curve around which he had just come. "The Banyan family are all ill, and I am just going for help." "I will go--I, at least, can do that. What help? What do you want?" She had tightened the rein on her horse and turned his head back. "Everything. The mother and three children are all down; the father died a few days ago. Send the doctor and anything that you can find--food--clothing--medicine--some one to nurse them--if you can find her. It is the only chance." "I will." She hesitated a moment and looked down at him, as if about to speak, but he waved her off. "Go, you must not stay longer." He had moved around so that the wind, instead of blowing from him toward her, blew from the other side of her.