"Miss Krog, I cannot allow you to nurse your father. There ought to be two trained nurses." Mary said nothing. Mrs. Dawes began to cry again. "This is a sad change of days." The doctor took leave, and was escorted downstairs by Jörgen Thiis. When Jörgen returned, he asked softly: "Shall I go too--or can I be of any use?" "Oh, do not leave us!" wailed Mrs. Dawes. Jörgen looked at Mary, who said nothing; nor did she look up. She was weeping silently. "You know, Miss Krog," said he respectfully, "that there is no one to whom I would so willingly be of service." "We know that, we know that!" sobbed Mrs. Dawes. Mary had raised her head, but, Mrs. Dawes having spoken, she said nothing. When she left the room soon afterwards, Jörgen was just opening his door, which was next to Mary's. He stood for a moment with the door wide open, so that she saw the packed portmanteau behind him. She stopped. "You are going?" she said. "Yes," answered he. "It will be very quiet here now." Jörgen expected more, but no more came. Then he said: "The shooting season begins immediately. I had intended to ask your father's permission to shoot in his woods." "If you consider mine sufficient, you have it." "Thank you, Miss Krog! You will allow me, too, to look in upon you sometimes, I hope?" He took her hand and bowed deeply over it. Then he went in to take leave of Mrs. Dawes. With her he stayed ten minutes at least, coming out just as Mary was crossing the passage to her father's room. As she stood by the bed Anders began to move, and opened his eyes. She knelt down. "Father!" He seemed to be collecting his thoughts; then he tried to speak, but could not. She said quickly: "We know, Father; we know everything. Don't trouble about it! We'll get on beautifully all the same." Her father's eyes showed that he took in what she said, though slowly. He tried to lift his hand, and, finding that he could not, looked at her with an expression of painful surprise; she lay down close to him, kissed him and wept. Anders improved, however, with astonishing rapidity. Was it Mary's presence and untiring attention which helped him? The nurse said that it was. Then came a time when, though still indefatigable in her attention to the two invalids, she learned to manage both house and farm. She took the accounts and the superintendence into her own hands. It was a task she enjoyed, for she had the gift of order and management. Mrs. Dawes was astonished. No anxiety for the future did Mary display, no regret for the pleasures of the past. To those who pitied her she said that it was indeed sad that her father and Mrs. Dawes were ill, but that except for this she was perfectly contented. * * * * * One unusually warm day in the middle of August she had been very busy since early morning, looking forward all the time to a plunge in the sea as soon as her work was done.